The months passed, and Rami’s obsession grew like a dark vine wrapping itself around his soul. Every day, he woke up thinking about Yasmina—her laugh, her smile, her graceful movements, the way she seemed to effortlessly brighten the room. He hadn’t spoken to her, not even once, but in his mind, she had already become a part of him. A perfect, unattainable dream.
But no matter how much he idolized her, no matter how deeply he felt, there was always that voice—his intuition, the quiet warning at the back of his mind. It whispered the same doubts over and over again: It’ll never work. She doesn’t feel the same. You’re not good enough for someone like her.
He had heard this voice before, years ago, when he had fallen for Lina. Back then, he had ignored it, letting his heart drag him into a humiliation he hadn’t thought possible. And now, the voice was louder than ever, reminding him of every mistake he had made, every moment of shame he had suffered. His mind and soul were at war with his heart, and the scars from the past had taught him a brutal lesson: when you follow your heart blindly, it leads you into darkness.
But the obsession didn’t care. It grew stronger with every passing day, and no matter how hard he tried to reason with himself, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Yasmina was everything he wanted, everything he had convinced himself he needed. She was perfect, and he was not. And that’s why he never made a move.
Why would she want someone like him? Rami had convinced himself that he wasn’t worthy. The remnants of his old insecurities, the ones that had lingered since his painful experience with Lina, told him that someone like Yasmina—a girl so poised, so intelligent, so well-loved—would never see someone like him. He was just another face in the crowd, watching from afar, caught in the cruel cycle of unrequited feelings.
He witnessed it all again: the way he had put Lina on a pedestal, the way he had worshiped her from a distance, only to have his heart broken when he realized she had never thought of him at all. And yet, despite knowing the danger, despite the memories of humiliation and regret, Rami couldn’t stop himself from falling for Yasmina.
The closer he got to giving up, the more desperate he became. Part of him wanted to let it go, to walk away before he repeated his past mistakes. But the other part—the part that had already invested so much emotion, so much time—refused to let go without trying. He had built her up in his mind, convincing himself that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance. Maybe if he approached her, if he could just get to know her, things would be different. He told himself that this time would be better. He wasn’t the same weak, naive boy he had been at 17.
But then, just as he was on the verge of making a move, of finally daring to speak to her, it happened.
It was a random moment, one he hadn’t expected at all. He was walking down the narrow streets of the town, heading toward the café where he often went to clear his head. The day was hot, the sun beating down on the old stone buildings, and Rami’s mind was racing with thoughts of Yasmina, as it always was. He had been thinking about her more intensely than usual, trying to convince himself that maybe, after all this time, it was worth taking the risk.
And then, as he rounded a corner, he overheard a conversation that would shatter everything.
A few girls were walking just ahead of him, chatting animatedly, their voices carrying through the empty street. Rami wasn’t paying much attention until he heard Yasmina’s name. His ears perked up, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest as he instinctively slowed his pace, just close enough to catch snippets of their conversation.
“I heard she’s been talking about him a lot lately,” one of the girls said, her voice filled with excitement. “She’s totally into him.”
“Yeah,” another voice chimed in. “It’s so cute. She’s crushing on him hard.”
