I park my car at the nearest grocery store that first caught my eye.
With each thunder the rain pours heavier. I grab my umbrella from the backseat, as soon as I open my door, I cover my head with it and run towards the store. I reach inside, luckily I didn't get too wet, but my hair are now wet- ish. I shake My head to dry my hair like a cat, to keep them placed. The store is almost empty, some people just left the store in a hurry. I mean of course they did. I'm the only stupid person to come in this weather. Should've ordered something, but why bother riders in this heavy weather when we can do it ourselves. The Door opened behind me, making bell tingling sound.
I look behind. A woman entered. Pitch black close to cherry cola hair- siren eyes, sharp cheekbones and a seductive smile. Heart shaped lips with nude shade on them, light cream skin colour with walnut coloured pair of eyes.
Enough to take my breath away. I haven't seen a woman more beautiful. She came in slight wet and walk passed me. She's tall, her body language is confident, bold and intriguing.
Wow.
Some people really are born with love.
I should probably finish what I came here to do,
I grab a box of frozen food and Ramen. The corner of my eye unconsciously kept wanting to peak at her standing in the baby food's aile. A mother? I look away, it's wrong if she's married. I shouldn't look- but what if she's older, more mature.
Ifan get a grip.
I move across another, she's making me nervous to the core- I walk without noticing where because I can't pay much attention to anything. The list! Yes, yes, Ayat gave me a list. I take the list out of my pocket. Ugh crap. It's soggy wet. I still try to read it uhm tomatos? Even though I'm looking at the list, I sense someone stand besides me. My breath got sucked in and I nervously grab whatever box I first find and begin to read the description given in the back of the box. Healthy for dogs? When did I get In the dog food aile? I don't even have a dog, I have Sam If that counts.
Why is this random woman making me so tense and anxious.
Back to list Ifan, but of topic thought, so she's a dog lover? I don't care, I should probably go home now. "Excuse me?" A heavenly voice called me, a voice so beautiful, so deep, so captivated. Enchanted my ears. I turn, and there she was standing just a feet apart from me.
"Can you grab that box for me?" It's like I'm in a spell. She's tall, but I'm 6'0. My stomach filled with fairies wobbling around to the thought of her asking me for help because I'm tall. Boosts my confidence honestly. "Yeah sure." I say, passing her the box she pointed at. While handing her that, our fingers brushed slightly.
The fairies are racing, blushing, kicking the air. I smile at her and she returned back with a oh my gosh I might die seeing her smile. Light and dim freckles.
I walk away because I can't breath. I need to go home. I do not encounter with women much, yeah call me boring all you want but I honestly don't. I have a bad relation with myself, I can't possibly think of me being someone's choice. Sad I guess. Maybe as a friend but romanticly no, nonsense.
I wouldn't say I'm not good looking but I do think my pretty doesn't Warrant enough for my personality If you don't like it. And there's a major thing missing when it comes to my personality because I'm just me.
I guess I'm just Ken.
I get to register when the rain turned even more heavier and storms began hitting the windows harder, it's sort of spooky. She also walked here, ready to pay.
The storm turned dusty and mist spreads everywhere, we look outside, it's cloudy, can't see a single thing. Everything's a blur, the mist is heavy and so is the rain. Its raining deluge. "I suggest you kids stay here for awhile, can't drive in that weather, its risky." The cashier's a sweet old man wearing tiny glasses.
"I guess you're right" I say. For a mintue I stay quite because I don't want to sound childish because she's here, too. but it's the weather that makes me want to cave in.
"Where can I find ice cream?" I ask.
"It's all the way behind there." Old man hand gestured me, and I walked behind. Could it be that God is trying to give me a chance? I walk all the way at the back, at the frozen food aile, filled with drinks, ice cream, yogurt, everything, you just name it. For a while I stayed here, sitting on the ground, wiggling my feet back and front. When I see her again, She's slowly looking at things as she walked across every aile and reached the end. That's where I am, I avoid eye contact and she kept on looking at these books and magazines that are stalked there. Is there anything that this store doesn't have?
She took a child's poem book and starts reading it.
"Aren't you a bit old for that." I say loud enough to make sure my voice reaches her, to break the ice but I don't think I made it clear that what I said was in a joking and innocent manner.
She looks over at me, and I continue saying. "I mean, are you sure you want to read something that mature and adult themed?" I make a joke about it, maybe because that's how I cope with situations when they get awkward, but I did say that out loud to the prettiest woman alive, and I'm officially a clown for doing that.
Its a baby poem book, that is the joke.
She starts laughing softly. Fluttering me. She finds me funny?
My cheeks flushed a bright pink.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, I shouldn't read something that terrific, I might not be able to sleep." She said. Did she just matched my humour? her voice is so magistic, demure, and smooth.
I laugh.
"I'm Ifan." Yeah let's start with introduction.
"Faiza." She sat down next to me, on the ground with the freezers.
What a beautiful name..
Faiza.
Her eyes sparked as she witnessed the moon. A window not too far from the frozen aile is where she's looking at.
Is she in love with the rain or the moon? She's not any less prettier than the moon.
"Isn't it pretty." She pointed at the moon.
"It is." I stare at her.
She turned to face me and I immediately turn my gaze away.
Her gaze paused on my shopping bag, which is filled with sweet cravings I bought for Ayat.
"Wife?" She asked. That's when I see where her gaze is leading. I didn't tell her the truth right away, I want to see how much interest does she really have.
"Yeah."
"Oh, you don't look like you're married."
"Why? do you think I can't get a girl to wife?" I say, dramaticly being offended. She laughed.
"Oh wow! You really think that low of me." I said, I'm being funny.
"It's not that- it's that you don't look old enough to be married." She said.
"I'll take that as a compliment." I smacked my lips, scoffing. "But no, I'm not married." I said.
I don't want her not interested.
"I assumed." She scoffed.
"Lucky guess" I replied.
"How old are you?" She asked, is she interested in knowing or is she just passing the time with short talks?
"I'm twenty-six."
"Oh"
"Why? Is that too young or too old."
"Too young."
Too young?
"Really?" I asked, genuinely being shocked. She looks young, what's the worse age gap, ten years?
I don't care. She can't be older than thirty- I'm sure of it.
"Yeah" she laughed.
"But did I estimate correctly? A girlfriend maybe?" She asked and I break character.
"No, you're way off, it's for my sister." I want to smile a lot more than I usually want to.
What is happening to me?
"Wow" she sighed. "let me have another guess."
"Sure" I nod, the way she speaks is just so tender. Almost too fake to be true.
"She's your younger sister, right?"
I first act like she got it wrong again but then I smile. "Yeah you got that one right." I say, "what more do you think?" I ask.
And she excitingly got up to sit in front of me for a good face to face conversation.
For the first time I feel like as if I'm more to what than I pretend to be. When did I let myself be so dependent?
The way she's starting little conversations, makes me want to know more about myself, too. I just as much as her, want to get to know her. It's a sensation I've never felt before, like my life can have purpose, too. That my life can change, too. I don't have to follow somebody else's path.
I can also make my own path, too.
"The next estimation I'll be making about is your career!"
"Go ahead, guess." I ask. She can't possibly guess I'm a coward criminal.
"A doctor?" She squints her eyes.
That is her first estimation about me?
"I do look like a doctor." I say, showing off.
"That means I'm wrong." She laughs.
"Uhm a professor?"
"Of Hogwarts, I wish." I tsk my tongue..
"You look like someone who's good with kids."
"Trust me, I've never even held a baby in my life."
"Really?" Her eyes widens. Why is she so stunned?
"Yeah anyway, keep on guessing." I say.
"Fireman?" She laughs at her own estimation. "I'm sorry its not funny." She says. "okay serious again. Bank manager?"
"nope"
"Engineer?"
I nod disagreeing.
"Nurse? Dentist? Lawyer?"
"You're not even close."
"Please don't tell me, you sell drugs or anything."
"What?" I turned pale.
"I'm joking." She says. "Obviously you're not a drug dealer."
I nervously laugh, my heart skipped a beat.
I am a drug dealer.
"okay, I give up, so what do you do?" She throws her hand in the air, giving up.
"I'm partners with my sister, she has her restaurant she build just recently, before we compromised doing part-times and saved up." I said.
"Business man! Why didn't I think of that."
"You should come by." I request.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
After some while, we kept quiet. I couldn't get over the fact my profession being a criminal, and her focus was drawn to the rain anyway.
"The rain's not going to stop any time sooner, I think." She breaks the ice again.
"Might as well just eat dinner here." I joke. It wasn't funny, why would I say that?
She laughs.
What? She's laughing, again? twice in a row! That means she actually finds my jokes funny?
Ha! in your face Sam!
"Might as well just spend the night here." She adds to my scarasam. I smile.
She's a different type of Gorgeous. Like one I've never seen before. There's something about her that I can't just seem to figure out. The eyes, it's the eyes. I know because I live with Sam. It's the same burden I see in his gaze. She has it, too. She's like a secret.
A promise.
An oath.
And even though I've known her for only an hour, I want to learn,
A secret, a promise I want to keep.
An oath I'm ready to take.
We stayed quiet.
It's really quiet, all we can hear is the stormy rain. It feels nice.
"Have you ever had a dream?" Her gaze stay fixed out the window.
"I don't know." I really don't know. All I've ever wished was for Ayat. And not me.
"You seem young, what do you want to do with your life Ifan?" She asked and it hit me in my gut. The question struck a nerve. Because I don't know.
I've never asked myself that question.
My life has always been straight up, Pre planned. I didn't had to worry about anything because Sam used to have it all under control. What do I want to do? Who am I?
"I don't know, I'm just figuring it out"
"Tell me, a dream of yours when you were kid?" She turned her face to me again with full focus and says. "It can anything, maybe hobbies?"
The way she pays attention when I say something is- upsetting, because as much as I hate to say this, but I've never felt like this before. Like I'm someone more than what I portray as, like I'm special. Maybe worthy of being listened to. Did I suppressed myself this deep?
"I had a dream." I say, looking down at my hands "I was always interested in painting-" My voice broke, so I take a deep breath in. "And sowing seeds was one of a very pretty hobby I used to do" A pitiful laugh escaped my lips.
"I had a dream of becoming a painter, an artist."
For a long time I haven't felt sad. But now-
I want to cry.
"I always liked expressing myself through art but then I got beaten up for it, and I stopped doing these hobbies a while back."
A picture of my uncle appeared in my head and I feel sick, I feel like I might throw up- I bite back a ragged breath of pain inside, to not make it obvious how I'm a shattered coward.
But I came to realise, I did suppress myself.
"I haven't touched a painbrush or a thread in so long, it feels like forever since last time I sewed or even painted something." I say.
"I'm so sorry-"
"It's okay, I don't like when someome apologies for the things they didn't do" I say.
"I don't know what you went through to stop painting forever but- all I know is one should never let go of their passion." Her voice Soothened. She better stop talking, I can't cry on the first meet up, that's embarrassing.
"Hold that brush again, and hold it tight, let your fingers touch the canvas, paper or sheet, whatever you use. Let your hand touch it first, connect with it again, let your heart reach to it again, recover that art, that child inside." She said.
I say nothing to her, I have nothing to say. A brick feels stucked in my throat and I heave back my sigh.
"Anyway, do really like rain that much?" I changed the subject. It was getting awkward for me.
"Why do you think that?" She squints her in a appealing, flirtatious way.
"I see how you stare at it." I replied.
"I do. It's the act that makes me want to think that even sky sometimes can't contempt it's emotions." She said.
I laugh in confusion.
"Well, One thing's for sure, we think the complete opposite." I said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, because the act of rain makes me think that the sky is actually happy and rain is its way of showing that." I leaned in a bit.
"It makes me want to think something good will happen." I said, my eyes roved between hers.
"You're speaking from experience, right? Correct me if I'm wrong."
"You are. Because its raining heavy today and something really good happend to me."
"What's that?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I got to meet you."
Her eyes roved between mine.
"It really is a nice experience." She smiled.
Experience?
It's everything.
"FAIZA"
Does he ever stops talking?
"Yeah you're right" he said, he's nervous, anxious, and incredibly stupid. Who in the actual world speaks their whole heart out with the person they've just met with?
Works for me.
I get answers to my questions and that's all that matters.
"So, if you're the elder brother, I'm guessing your sister stays with your parents." I asked, I need to know what he has to say for this. Let's test his limits, how much can he afford to lie.
I absolutely loathe acting all sweet.
As soon as I asked this, his face became pale again. Poor child.
"They're not here anymore."
I already knew, but I have to pretend.
"Oh, I'm so sorry"
"It's okay, it was way long before." He said. "By the way, I didn't get to ask what do you do for a living?" He asked.
I'm the one supposed to ask questions as I'm the one investigating, not you.
"I'm a dentist." I say.
"Wow!" He says "so all you do is creep in people's mouth."
I won't deny, he is slightly funny.
"I check them."
"Don't you get weirded out." He laughed.
"I'm professional."
"Still, touching teeth sounds weird, don't they appear in your dream? Various types of teeth." He laughed at his own joke.
I control my laughter. He really is a child.
"We get a hold of it." I said.
"Then that's all that matters." He smiled.
I'm so tried of seeing his dumb smile already. I want to leave. When will this rain end?!
Breath in Faiza.
The rain's getting slower.
Thank God!
"Looks like it'll stop raining soon." He looked out through the window.
I checked time in my mobile. 1:30am it says.
"It's late" I said.
"We should probably get head to our homes now." He's avoiding eye contact.
Only human who are thief enough do that.
He stood up and offered me his hand, I gave him my hand and he pulled me up.
I can not believe I'm touching a filthy, disgusting criminal.
He probably have done loads of unbearable, unimaginablely nasty work with these hands.
I can't wait to get this over with.
"So will you come to our restaurant tomorrow?" He said, he's genuine.
Genuinely stupid enough to help me get himself and his so called brother, caught and thrown in Jail. I'd happy to do that.
"I'd love to!" I say, I despise being this cringe. This soft voice and everything about this fake parsona of mine.
-
He walked to his car, and I walk over to my car.
What an expensive car he has, one can't buy that with the income of a small restaurant.
What an absolute liar.
He's nauseating.
As he opened his front door, his gaze found me again. We're almost a mile away from each other. He waved me bye with grin on his face. Pathetic.
I force myself to smile back and he left. I watch as his car vanished into thin air.
I get in my car.
"Your ear piece was giltching." Ali said, sitting on the passenger side.
"How would I know?" I buckle my seat belt.
"Well, how do you think this went?" He asked.
"Let's recap and make a list of what we've gathered." I ordered. I went in there with a micro recorder fixed under my collars. Ali heard and recorded everything sitting in the car.
"He says he owns a restaurant, lie.
He gave us the address which we already knew, but good thing he invited me to their opening day." I said. "What else did we learned?" I start driving.
"His parents are dead." Ali continued me, adjusting himself.
"He didn't mention anything about Sam.
So he's serious when it comes to Sam." Ali assumed.
"He's good at keeping secrets." I correct him.
I follow him up. "He's not as dumb as he pretends to be." I said.
He is smart. In a creative way. "He turns pale when he lies, and one thing I'll say I'm quite impress at is how well they've hid their sister for so long."
"Obviously, who brings their sister to places like Faisal's." Ali said, hearing all the recordings again.
"And the major thing we learned." I said.
"His dreams were crashed and He hates working for Faisal." I look over at Ali.
"Major point." I smirked.
We can use that against him to make him confess.
. . . .
"So they're not as old as we thought they were." Ali walked around my work desk.
-9:00am.
I nod but I don't look up at him, I'm busy re-reading all the files.
I'm sitting down at my desk.
"But the way he speaks, did not sound like how a person who's a drug dealer would sound like." Ali stroke his chin. "He was way too sweet to be true." He said.
"It's how they pretend to be Ali. It's one of their fake parsonas. They're professional criminals. I mean obviously they'd know how to nice their way through." I say. "And honestly I'm not even sure if that girl is truly his sister or not, it can be one of their act to live a fake life, without having anyone being suspicious."
My eyes dropped to Ali's hand and on the pen he keeps on throwing up in the air and catching back again. Its annoying.
"Can you stop?" I irritately said. It's stressing me out.
"I can't pay attention."
I'll use everything against him to make him speak up, Because the day I catch them red handed is not far away now. Soon, I'll gather evey single evidence against them.
And I'll have them right under my palms.
This is only the beginning.
I won't give up, I won't let my brother's pain go to waste. Everything up until now is dedicated to him.
I'll prove your innocence Adam, I promise I will.