Aziz Vella
It was a quiet afternoon.
Salambek stood on the balcony of his room, slowly sipping his coffee.
Soft sunlight rested on his face, while a gentle breeze tangled his thoughts even further.
Just then, the persistent ringing of his phone echoed in his ears.
He turned immediately and picked up the phone lying on the table.
“I’ve booked everything,” he said firmly to the person on the other end.
“All you need to do now is manage the arrangements.”
“Yes, sir. Everything will be handled,”
Zaki replied respectfully.
“I’ll send out all the invitations.”
Salambek paused for a moment, then added in a low but stern tone,
“Make sure of one thing—
my favorite wine must be there.”
“Faris has already gone to get it. Don’t worry,”
Zaki assured him.
As the call ended, Salambek placed the phone aside.
In that moment of solitude, a storm of thoughts rose within him.
His heart resisted the idea of going to Mexico—
perhaps he wanted freedom,
perhaps peace.
But no matter how much a person thinks,
decisions ultimately rest in God’s wisdom.
Maybe fate had written something else for him.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Meanwhile,
just as she had promised the day before,
Aram stepped out with Marwan.
Today, Aram was driving herself,
while Marwan sat beside her in silence—
his gaze fixed on her.
Slowly, Marwan tilted the window toward Aram
and began looking at her through the glass…
Perhaps he didn’t have the courage to look at her directly.
Aram’s innocence,
her quiet beauty—
entangled Marwan deeper with every passing second.
Lost in those thoughts,
he didn’t even realize that the car had stopped.
Aram parked in front of the mall.
She gestured toward him,
and he snapped out of his trance—as if waking from a dream.
“You go ahead,” he said quickly.
“I’ll park the car and join you.”
Saying this, he stepped out and gently opened the back door for her himself.
“Thank you…”
Aram said in her soft, delicate voice
and moved forward to cross the road.
Her eyes were lowered.
She failed to notice a car speeding toward her.
Marwan—who was just about to sit back in the car—
froze the moment his eyes caught the scene.
Without a second thought, he ran forward, grabbed Aram’s hand,
and pulled her toward himself.
For a single moment—
Everything stopped.
Aram’s breath caught.
Marwan’s heartbeat lost its rhythm.
Their eyes locked—
for the first time in fifteen years,
they stood this close.
Marwan seemed lost in her intoxicating eyes.
He searched desperately for his love within them…
And then—
the cruelty of fate.
He didn’t find himself there.
If only you could see through these eyes…
You’d find nothing but love for you in mine.
My heart desires only you…
After a few moments, both stepped back.
Aram still hadn’t fully recovered,
so the first thing she did was thank her Lord.
Marwan, however, let a sentence slip unconsciously—
“With eyes so mesmerizing…
you still couldn’t see the car?”
Aram tried to understand his words,
then replied simply,
“Thank you… very much.”
“It’s nothing, I—”
Suddenly, he realized his mistake.
“I’ll help you cross the road first.”
Concern was unmistakable in his voice.
Just then,
an unknown man—watching everything from a distance—
quietly captured a photo of the two of them on his phone
and walked away.
The moment Marwan sensed it, he turned sharply—
But the stranger had already disappeared.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Some time later—
on the other side—
Aram was sitting in the playground of an orphanage.
Laughter echoed around her.
Children surrounded her—some holding her hands,
others tugging at her sleeves, demanding attention.
She was smiling… genuinely smiling.
This place always felt like home to her.
Nearby, leaning against the car, Marwan stood quietly—
watching her.
He wasn’t part of the scene,
yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
The way she laughed with the children,
the way she bent down to listen to their tiny stories,
the way her presence alone made the orphanage feel warmer—
It stirred something deep inside him.
Suddenly, a memory struck him.
Without thinking, he walked to the car, opened it,
and pulled out his sketchbook.
He sat there and began to draw.
Aram.
Sketch after sketch,
line after line—
he kept drawing her.
Marwan loved sketching.
He had always loved it.
What he didn’t realize—
was that Aram had been the subject of his sketches for years.
And Aram…
She had no idea.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Marwan’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Zaki.
“Hey bro, what’s up?” Marwan answered.
“Where are you?” Zaki asked.
“I’m outside. Is there something important?”
“Yes—can you come to the hotel near the beachside?”
Marwan frowned.
“What’s happening there?”
“There’s a party.”
Marwan sighed.
“You know I don’t like parties…
and Salambek—I really can’t tolerate him.”
Zaki hesitated.
“I know. But it’s his farewell party.
He’s leaving the country tomorrow.
Just come once… say goodbye.”
There was silence.
“…I’ll call you later,” Marwan said
and ended the call.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Aram walked up to him.
“My work here is done,” she said gently.
“Shall we go home?”
Marwan looked at her and nodded.
“Yes… let’s go.”
They both got into the car.
End of Chapter Three
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