It's Too Late To Love Me Back

Chapter 8

While on our way to my parents apartment after leaving the Merabat's villa, Marwan was sitting beside me in the back seat of a car, as we drove across the flickering successions of street lights.

Did I mention that my small family has a separate residence from the rest of the Majdans?

Unlike my grandfather's extravagant villa, my family lived at an apartement which we bought from my father's salary working as an art teacher in highschool, while my father never forbid my brother and I from spending the money regularly deposited in our bank accounts being descendants of the Majdan family, he prefered we lead a simple life style where we mainly depended on his hard earned income.

Well, while my dearest father proudly praises himself for being an independant free spirit, he still visits his father's villa at least twice a week to spend hours passionately drawing his beloved paintings at his art studio there, also, he never thinks twice before spending his "Majdan" money buying his expensive professional painting tools and equipments.

Other than that, he fairly succeeded in keeping our humble lifestyle.

Anyways, I leaned my head on Marwan's shoulder and felt too tired to even cry, while starting to feel the symptoms of my fever I willfully refused to fill my head with any sort of exhausting and painful thoughts.

As if feeling how hard I was trying not to think, Marwan suddenly extends his opposite arm towards me and he starts gently patting my head.

I pettily remembered how I spent over an hour straightening my wave/curls, I'm not even sure how to call the type of hair I have, I neither have curls nor large waves.. somewhere in between, and it's just wild and loves to take as much space as possibly allowed in it's natural state.
But not to be the subject of mockery, I straightened my hair and applied makeup, I even went the extra mile and wore a flowery summer dress despite us being already in autumn, I made so much effort and looked honestly beautiful, but it's never enough, whatever I do is never enough.

Sigh.. Why do I always end up depreciating myself the moment I start thinking?

While Marwan keeps patting on my head with all the gentleness his rough hands could afford, I overlook his sincere kindness, and beat myself up for not being good enough for a bunch of women whose joy was to target me and a man who never appreciated my effort.

_" You're too treasured, you're so loved Rima, don't frighten us this much again.. have mercy on those who truly love you." Marwan whispers.

It was so unlike him to say those words, I thought Marwan was only capable of picking fights and swearing, as I slightly move my head to look at him, he suddenly presses my head on the back of my seat to fix it there so that I can't look at him, this idiot must be dying of embarrassment after saying those words and doesn't want me to see him, but did he have to press my head so much that he almost crashed my skull??

_" it hurts!! let go, I won't look at you."
He finally lets go of me, so I clear my voice and say:

_" I didn't know your heart is as big as the biceps you brag about my dearest loving cousin, tell me because I'm curious, do you love your biceps more or do you love this treasured cousin more?"

_"..."

_" Where did you learn to talk like that?? Do you have a new girlfriend that I don't know about?"

_" Sigh, it's still better to be teased by you than to see you cry, if I'll see you hurt by that man again, Wallahi I'll disfigure him, I reached the limit of my tolerance."

_" mmm." I mumble .. while in the back of my mind I think:

There will not be a next time, I'm giving up on him soon.