Once upon a lie 31

Previously;

Wahab is still running after the mysterious girl who was in return running after him. After all plans to run after her have failed and despite warnings from his friends to leave it alone, he asked for help from an old friend.


Shaikha had no idea what was going on with him but he seemed distant and plans to meet him always got cancelled.. he seemed like he didn't want to see her, But he wanted to do the exact opposite. He wanted to protect her but it pushed her to run back to the place she loved the most, she went to her shalaih and jumped right into the sea to swim away her sadness.


3abdallah, Wahab's cousin and best friend, had run into her back at the hospital but didn't say anything to her boyfriend Wahab, and now he ran into her at the shalaih.. the first place he and Wahab had ever seen Shaikha.

----


She swam for hours, creating beautiful shapes with her body as always. Shaikha was an amazing swimmer and it was more than just a hobby to her, it was the only way she could escape the real world and all her problems. It was the only way that got her through her mother's death and her arguments with her dad..



Abdullah was sitting on the edge of a chair outside his own shalaih, he was gazing out the sea when he saw her move amazingly under and above water.. He saw her get out of a shalaih nearby earlier and suspected it was her.. Shaikha.. the girl his cousin went crazy over a few months back. he didn't mean to, but he just kept looking at her. Abdullah didn't mean anything by it, he had his own problems to worry about..


His father's heart condition was getting worse and worse.. and the entire family business lay in his hands since he was the oldest.. Abdullah however had plans of his own.. and dreams he wanted to achieve.. he was hoping to travel the world and continue his passion for football.. he didn't know now if it was going to come true with so much going on.. The girl 3baid was starting to fall for ended up cheating on him and playing games.. even though his heart was set on just fun at the beginning.. he was falling for her without even realizing it.



He sighed and got up to get something to eat. Apparently, the guys had finished what was left in the fridge when they visited a couple of weeks ago so he had to run to Sultan Center to get a few things for dinner. 3baid had decided it was a good time for a barbeque and he was craving a good old fashioned steak. He was awesome at grilling or so he liked to believe. When he came out again to check on the grill he saw Shaikha still sitting at the beach, with a towel over her shoulders and her face to the sea.. 3baid kind of felt bad.. he didn't know where the hell Wahab was and no one seemed to be there in the shalaih with her..



He started gathering things for the barbeque and started laying out the steaks on the grill, the smell was intoxicating and it filled the air. Unaware of her surroundings Shaikha took a look back to see who was there, she noticed a guy from afar whom she hadn't known was there before.. She soon realized it was Wahab's Shalaih but knew for sure it wasn't him.. Even though it was a bit dark she could see he had a tanned skin different from Wahab's beautiful dark one.. this guy was a bit slimmer and taller, and he had short brown hair and a gorgeous dirty beard.. She turned away quickly and realized the sun was already set! she stayed there swimming for hours and hadn't eaten a thing since noon.. her stomach made noises when she inhaled the beautiful aroma of the steak, she gathered her stuff, held the towel lightly to her chest and started walking towards her own shalaih.



She tried not to look at the other side, when she heard a voice calling " Elsalam.. " She noticed someone hurrying towards her " Shaikha.." She breathed when he finally approached her, Her cheeks turned bright red and she held her towel even closer, "3baid?" He smiled and she smiled back, he looked a bit different with the dirty beard, his eyes lighter with the tan.. his face more angular and more gorgeous "Shlonich?"



" El7mdelah b5air.. ha yayeen elshalaih? " she glanced back at his shalaih, something in her heart just wishing Wahab was there.. but he wasn't


" Wallah bs ana .. el rb3 laheen.. tdreen dawamat w jam3a.. "


She nodded " Does Wahab know you're here? " He asked , she looked away as if she didn't want to talk about it.. (does anyone know you're here?) he wondered.. her shalaih looked empty.. and she was the only girl here.. something inside him didn't feel right.. " Maby a6awel 3alaich.. etfa'6ilay.. " He handed her the plate which had two huge steaks in it and some sauce on the side.. it smelled heavenly


Shaikha looked at it and wasn't sure how to reply, " Elwagt te2a5ar w shaklich t3bana mn el sba7a.. tfa'6ilay w bil 3afia.. " Shaikha looked a bit lost.. she was embarrassed, hungry and awkward " Teslam.. 3abdallah.. " She took the plate and hurried inside " Teslam " She said again and ran her gorgeous long legs back to the shalaih and got changed in a loose grey T-shirt and jeans, tied her long black hair in a ponytail " YUM! " She whispered to herself, grabbed the plate and her headphones and went outside



She sat on a chair on the porch of her shalaih and gazed out the sea, she could still see the smoke coming from 3baid's shalaih.. she was kind of lonely.. she hated eating by herself.. (What's he doing by himself anyway?) She wondered.. she heard him speak and quickly thought it had to be another guy.. (maybe it's Wahab! maybe he told him i was here and he came to see me!) she was too excited to wait, she moved her pretty head towards the shalaih and tried to peak a little without being obvious.. too bad.. 3baid saw her



He laughed a little and moved closer to her shalaih, " Shaikha? " (You stupid idiot!!!!) She thought to herself, he was talking on he phone and he hung up. She peaked again with a silly smile on her face " More sauce? " He asked, she didn't know what to do.. so she moved a bit closer towards his shalaih and the two just stood awkwardly for a minute " Hey.. why don't you sit, have dinner here.. it seems silly kil wa7ed ga3d broo7a bshalaih.. " she giggled


He pulled a chair and made a gesture for her to sit, " Now i'm trying vegetables.." He said, she looked at the grill and saw some carrots on it and some corn, it smelled good! " Ma kalaity shay.. " He noticed " OH .. umm.. el7een akil.. " She didn't want him to know how silly she sounded.. (ma7b akil broo7y?? i can't say that!)


" Ana ma7b akil broo7y.. " He said and she almost spit the piece of steak that was in her mouth, she giggled and figured what the heck " Me too "


" So what brings you here.. " He grabbed his plate, two drinks and sat in front of her


" I just.. needed to swim.." She told him, 3baid remembered the first time he and Wahab saw her, she was swimming and she took Wahab's breath away..


" Yeah.. you're.. you're good mashallah.. " he took a bite of his steak, She smiled "Thanks.. i was on a team before.. we won championships and everything.." She said


" Oh yeah? do you have one now is that why you're practicing? " He asked and Shaikha looked away.. he knew she didn't want to talk about this topic either..



" il ba7ar hady elyoom.. " He changed the subject " I love it.. " She replied and looked at it again, she was glad he got the hint



" 3abdallah this is.. this is really good! " She continued to eat the steak.. it tasted like nothing she ever had.. not even the ones she had in restaurants


"Thanks.. it's kind of my specialty.. the sauce is also my invention " She smiled "So you cook ?"


" Only this.. and the guys keep teasing me for it.. but guess who saves their lives when they're starving! " He said and she giggled again " I wish i could cook SOMETHING.. once i almost burned my hair.. " She held her long, pitch black pony tail up


" Well.. good thing you didn't, this thing must have taken you years to grow " He joked


She laughed " My mother never let me cut it off.. she always said i look like an exotic princess.. "


" Does she encourage you to swim? " He asked


" She used to.. Always.. allah yer7amha.. "


" Ana asef, " He felt like a jerk.. " Allah yer7amha.. "



" It's okay.. " She looked at the sea again.. " She always told me to go for it.. when i was little i was so scared of the water.. my dad never let me go near it!.. but now.. it's what i live for "


Once they'd finished their food, she offered to clean up with him, " I have something else " he took out two huge Ben & jerry boxes out of the fridge, Shaikha grinned "Chocolate! my favorite!" she sounded like a five year old but she didn't care, the girl lived for dessert, "Too bad we didn't start with it! dessert is the first thing i have on my menu!" he laughed at her


Later on, the two decided to stroll down the beach, the weather was amazing and it was too bad to go to waste..



To be honest, Shaikha wanted to go alone and then 3baid offered to join her.. it was almost 12 AM and the place was dark and quiet.. it kind of felt wrong to let a girl go there alone.. so he didn't let her


They walked slowly and 3baid had told her all about his other passion, football. He told her how he started, how he wanted to travel the world and go pro..



They had very long talks and the evening was a joy..




But it was getting late, so Shaikha excused herself " I better go to sleep.. " She told him


" Yeah me too.. "


She smiled and turned away, but before she walked she turned to face him again "3baid?"



" Hala?.." He was anxious to see what she wanted to tell him


" Could you.. not tell Wahab i'm here? "


He was surprised, " uh.. yeah.. sure.. " he himself had no idea where Wahab was or what he was doing..


He wasn't sure about it, but he went along with it.. it wasn't his place and he didn't want to get himself into what wasn't his business.. even though he loved to do it with Wahab.. this was a different story.. and he could see in her Shaikha's there was something going on.. (Where the hell are you Whayyib?!) He wondered (Shsawait?)..




"Thank you.. for everything 3abdallah.. this was fun and the food was great.. teslam" She smiled " Te9ba7 3ala 5air.. "


" Wenty mn ahl el5air " He watched her go back safely to the shalaih and close the glass door behind her..



So he stood there for a while with millions of questions in his head.