Have you ever been in love?
Well, I have! I had, actually. I had my first experience with love back when we were fifteen years old. He...was a neighbour of mine. We grew up together. His name was Ezan. Muhammad Ezan Nuaym.
Ah, I just love how perfect his name sounds like.
If you ask me to describe how it felt like. It was...wait, let me put my thoughts altogether. Have you ever met someone who wasn't apart of your family but he knew you from the back of his hand? He knew you even more than your own family. That was what it felt like. It was both good and a bad thing. Good thing was that I never had to keep on pulling my sleeve down at all times. I could talk to him about everything. I mean, every, single thing.
The bad thing was that, I couldn't hide anything from him. A literal contradict to the first point. Well, in this case, it depended on the whole situation that took place but most of the time, it was never a good thing.
Not when I meet him again after years.
Not when we work in the same industry.
He, as a driver. The important figure in this sport.
I...was just apart of the team. An engineer. No— not for his team.
**
"How are you doing?" He asks, paying no attention to all of the ruckus going on.
"I'm doing good." I drag my eyes away, making use of the last bit of bash to cover the truth.
He saw it. The way your eyes kept scanning the roam, the ends of your mouth not able to form a crescent shape before it draws back into a straight line, the way your have your hands on your waist, holding everything in from fanning yourself in the face because you always get hot whenever your blood boils.
He saw it all.
"You are not, Wafa. What's wrong?" He whips his head to the side as the voice gets louder, calling out for his name.
"Ezan, for God's sake. We need to get you in the garage! The clock's ticking!" The soft voice calling his name non stop now turns into a holler.
"You should go, driver. I'm all good." I said, hands shooing him away.
He takes a quick glance on you, his feet are still lock in position. I give away a smile as he turns his back and make his way to the track.
"Stupid old man. This isn't what we have discussed, you said?! Bla, bla! Well then, you didn't even attend the whole progress. How would you even know?!"
He still has his eyes lock on you, seeing you blabbering, pouring your heart out. He sees the way you lift your arms high up, your lips moving nonstop.
"She must be seeking for chocolate ice cream after this." He lets out a breathy cackle, a small smile appears on his face as he makes his way among the crowd, joining the rest of the crowd.
**
I shove a chocolate ice cream in my mouth and could feel the anger abates by the cold. Like, literally. The striking sun kind of act as a dagger through the soft image of my eyes as I frown.
Bahrain has always been so hot during the first practice session. The weather has always been so significant that it sets the mood for the beginning of the season. It is a good thing you don't have to physically sit in the car and can just casually eat your ice cream by the paddock.
The sound of plastic crumpled knocks on my right ear and there he is, Mr. Who Knows Everything About Me also eating his own popsicle.
"Uhm, what are you doing here?"
"Eating my ice cream." He lifts the popsicle stick as if you were blind to catch the bright colour of red.
"I bet even the bystanders know that you are eating a strawberry popsicle." I stat the obvious.
He lets out a cackle, taking another bite out of the popsicle. "Well, someone told me that if I ever get stressed out, ice cream is the only solution to cool it down. That's what I'm doing."
He laughed?! Ugh, his laugh...I'm telling you. I hate it when everything else becomes a muffle as he laughs. It was like all those years I have spent trying to cut him off from my life went down the drain in a flash.
"It's the first practice session of the whole season and you are stressed out already? I don't think the future is looking bright for you, driver." I give a reply without looking in his face.
"I don't think so. I think my future looks pretty much brighter now."
Little did you know, he is just finding reasons to talk to you. He always has. Ever since you joined the rival team.
