The Size of our hearts

16

I struggled to open my eyes as the blinding light from an open window streamlined towards my pupils.

I turned my head sideways and opened my eyes slightly to notice my legs were tied to a chair, I moved my hands to realize they were tied down as well.  Suddenly the window was shut and I could see the room properly and take in everything.

It was grey and had mold rising from the bottom to the stop, starting off a mountain like shape and reaching the ceiling as thin lines of mold. I heard a muffled voice and a chair move. My eyes widened and locked with his, I was scared but somehow I felt safer. Hamid's scared eyes shifted to anger as he looked at me, then a door behind me opened. Hamid averted his gaze to the door. "What are you doing,  you know she has nothing to do with this" Hamid said angrily as his fists tightened.

"Oh do shut up Prince," said a female voice with an accent matching Hamid's. The sound of her heels got louder and I stiffened in my seat.  A very tall and stunning teenage girl stood and looked right at me, she examined me from head to toe.  Then laughed and looked at Hamid, "Well your Father is gonna enjoy this" she smirked.

"Rashida, you wouldn't please... just don't," Hamid said in a tone of desperation. Rashida looked at him for a while before the empathy in her eyes deserted her. "Too late, he is two minutes away and my advice for you, young lady is to have a chat with your mother," She said casually before leaving the room.

'mom?' I thought to myself. "Hamid, what is she talking about?" I said quietly as my voice shook. "I don't know" He responded so quietly I almost missed it.

We sat in silence for a while. Suddenly the doors burst open, I heard heavy shoes marching towards me, My chair was lifted up and carried out the door right behind Hamid's. We were dropped outside under the scorching sun in what seemed like an army aircraft base. Our hands and legs were untied and we were told in Arabic to get in the back seat of a car that just pulled up in front of us I presumed as I was just doing whatever Hamid did.

I took a deep breath and prayed to no one in particular then looked over at Hamid. He nodded at me then looked back down at his pale hands. I stared down at mine as if whatever he was looking for in his hands were in mine.

An hour later we stopped in an airplane hanger. My Door opened and I was dragged out of the car by a man wearing sunglasses and a suit. He pushed me over to Hamid and ordered us to get into the jet, half a mile away from us.

I hurried over to Hamid and he took a step away from me. I pretended not to notice and we walked over to the jet. "Where the hell are we going, I can't just leave my Dad, what the hell!?" I whispered.

Hamid looked back quickly and whispered back. "Neveah I'll advice you not to say another word until we're alone, okay?" I thought about arguing but changed my mind.
"okay"

We stopped in front of the jet and the staircase unfolded to reveal Golden marble steps with matching Golden bannisters. Hamid walked up the stairs and without looking back he walked into the jet. I looked back as the man glared back at me.

I turned around then walked up the stairs. The minute I stepped into the plane the steps folded and I was relieved that the man wasn't coming with us.

The plane was empty except for Hamid. I sat opposite him and stared out the window. I heard the door close as the plane's engine started up. My chest tightened as I thought of my Dad getting home and having no idea where I was. I looked up at Hamid, He looked calm but I could tell he wasn't because he was biting his nails and staring at the ground.

"Hamid"

He looked up at me, un-knitted his eyebrows and dropped his hands. "Neveah, I am sorry I got you involved in this" I was quiet for a minute as I noticed the sincerity in his eyes. "It's okay, okay?"

"Okay" He said as he nodded and threaded his fingers together and rested his elbows on his kneecaps.

"Well it can't get any weirder than this, so can you tell me what's going on"

He dropped his head into his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. "I left Arabia when I was 16, because they wanted to make me the Sultan, My mother left my father a long time ago, I just.. I just wanted to um be with her" His lips began to tremble as he looked up at me.

"So I finally found a way out, Jafaar's mom helped me and for that she was sentenced to death, Jafaar begged me not to get his mom involved but I was driven by my selfishness" He bit his lower lip and stared out the window. 'Jafaar' I thought to myself.

I kept quiet because I had a feeling he wasn't finished. "All she did was help me, that's all she did and I get here and I can't even find my mother, when I arrived I called her, she picked and I said it was Hamid and um she told me never to call her again, I was going to plead with her, make her understand but then I heard a man's voice and children running around and hung up. The thought of going back to Arabia crossed my mind but I couldn't so I started working at some library, when I got enough money for a year, I enrolled in School and figured I would work over the summer for the next year but I guess that's not going to happen anymore."

"I don't even know what to say, Jafaar's mom... that wasn't your fault" Tears rolled down his cheeks as he struggled to keep them in. "Yes it was, Jafaar is in pain because of me, Pain I can't heal" His voice, cracking between every word.

"Please can we talk about something else" He said as he wiped his face with the palm of his left hand.

"Yeah, sure" I said as I reached out and touched his knee. I looked up at him and he looked at me, but this time it was different, there was something in his eyes I couldn't quite pin point. I smiled at him and was about to fall back into my chair, then he reached in and put his hand on top of mine then slowly put my hand in his.

"Thank you" He said softly as his eyes fell to my lips. I looked at his and back up at his face, his nose, his eyes, his hair. The image of him, I quickly registered in my brain. His face grew closer to mine as mine grew closer to his and before I could close my eyes we were one face. His lips on my lips, my nose resting on the bridge of his nose his eyelashes slowly caressing my cheek.

'Hamid, Hamid, Hamid' His name was like a record on repeat in my brain and just like wild Gazelles in the African Safari, my feelings came rushing back.