Salaam everyone. Unfortunately I just got out of the hospital again. :( Please keep me in your Du’aa! May Allah swt help everyone around the word who may be struggling with any kind of hardship.
Hana glanced out the window of her bedroom, and shivered slightly, closing the blinds quickly as the swarm of people underneath realized she was there and began to shout and raise their cameras. Of course they had managed to catch up with them right as they were turning into Hisham and Ilham’s house, and they hadn’t left their stake out for days now. It was a hassle for Hisham to go to work, and Ilham to take the kids to school. Hana had secluded herself in her appointed bedroom in total and utter fear. She didn’t like feeling like this, scared out of her wits. Like she didn’t have control over her life anymore. But at the same time her broken ribs and leg was a reminder of what those people were capable of, and it frightened her to her very core.
“Hana? Habibti, do you want to come to the store with Hamoudi and I?” Ilham asked pushing open her door gingerly.
Hana shook her head.
“No thanks.”
“Aw come on habibti. You’ve been up here for three days. Come with me, you can pick out your cake for Sunday!”
“I’m okay Ilham.”
“Hana, you can’t be scared for the rest of your life.”
“But this is going to be for the rest of my life. If Houssam proposes to me and I say yes, this is what my life will be like.”
Ilham sat on the edge of Hana’s bed.
“Hana, you’re scaring me talking like this. This isn’t you.”
Hana shrugged.
“I don’t like it either, but it’s reality.”
“So you don’t want Houssam to propose to you?”
Hana was silent.
“I love Houssam. I love him with all of my heart. But I don’t know if I can do this.”
Ilham put a hand on her shoulder.
“Yusra wants to know if you want to go stay with her?”
“Won’t they follow us?” Hana asked with a nervous glance in the direction of the window, and Ilham shrugged.
“We can figure it out.”
“We thought coming here was safe, and look what happened.”
Ilham sighed.
“My dear, I love you. But I refuse to let you sit here like this. Get dressed, we are going to the store.”
“Ilham, I have three broken ribs and a broken leg! How do you expect me to move around!?”
“They gave you a wheelchair for a reason!”
“Oh yeah it’s going to be really easy to sneak past the paparazzi in a wheelchair!”
“Get dressed. Be downstairs in ten minutes.” Ilham said through clenched teeth, and Hana sighed.
“Fine.”
Ten minutes later Ilham was helping Hana into the front seat of her car, and was slowly backing out of the driveway, trying not to hit anyone. Of course they started clamoring with their cameras, taking pictures of Hana, and she started to panic until Ilham broke free of them.
“Don’t look out the back window.” Ilham advised, but soon Hana had turned her head and winced as she saw them gaining on them.
“Ilham just go back home!” she cried, and Ilham shook her head.
“No. I refuse to let you have your life ruled by them. We are going to the store to pick out a cake and that’s final!”
Hana’s eyes widened in surprise at Ilham’s tone of voice, but didn’t say anything, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot of Albertson’s. To Hana’s surprise a few of the workers came out and started to help Ilham with Hana’s wheelchair before helping them inside.
“I called ahead.” Ilham explained, and Hana smiled gratefully.
“I don’t understand this. I’m not even famous!” She exclaimed as the press came tearing into the parking lot, and the workers who had helped them, stood in front of the doorway to block them from entering the store.
“Yes, but Houssam is. Yusra and Amir dealt with this a lot in the beginning of Houssam’s fame. It went away after a while. Don’t worry.”
“Maybe I should wear Niqab? No one would recognize me.” Hana mumbled, and Ilham laughed as she placed Mohammad into the cart.
“Hey it could work! If it gets worse, try it out!” she exclaimed, and Hana pushed after her towards the baked goods, smiling slightly.
Ilham had been right, it had done wonders to Hana’s mood to get out of the house, and even though she was constantly looking over her shoulder, she was having a good time.
“Now what kind of cake do you want to get?” Ilham asked, and Hana shrugged.
“You know birthdays aren’t a big deal to me.”
“Okay, Hamoudi, what kind of cake should we get for Amtu?” Ilham asked turning towards the little boy, and his eyes lit up.
“Chocolate!” he exclaimed, and they both laughed.
“Okay, chocolate frosting it is! Now to go get the ingredients for dinner!”
As Hana followed Ilham towards the produce, she paused in her tracks as she heard an uproar from outside, before Houssam appeared in the front doors of the store. When his gaze fell on her, he gave a large smile, and sauntered forward, pausing to snag a bouquet of yellow daisies from the flower center near the front doors.
“M’lady!” he exclaimed handing her the flowers, and she blushed slightly.
“You’re back!” she exclaimed and he grinned.
“That I am. I couldn’t stay away for long.” He paused to look her over. “Look at you all out and about! I was worried that they would have gotten to you and you would be hiding at home!”
Hana blushed deeper, not wanting to admit to him the truth.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I called Ilham because I wanted to surprise you at the house but I wasn’t sure if Hisham was home or not. When she said she was going to the store, I begged her to take you with her so I could come and see you!”
Here Hana stole a glance at her sister who gave her a large smile, before turning back towards Houssam.
“How was your trip?”
“As good as it could have been considering it was my Coach’s funeral. Man it was hard to see Mrs. Hoffman like that.” He said, putting a hand on his neck, and Hana resisted the urge to take his hand, her cheeks reddening as she remembered her dream.
“I’m so sorry.” She said, and he shrugged.
“It is what it is.”
“Hi Houssam.” Ilham said coming up to them, and he smiled before blowing kisses onto Hamoudi’s face. The child laughed loudly, causing customers who were passing by to smile at them, before their eyes widened as they recognized Houssam.
“Hey Ilham. Hi Hamoud!”
“We got chocolate cake for Amtu! Right Hamoudi?” Ilham asked, and the little boy grinned largely before nodding.
“Oh yeah, someone has a birthday coming up!” he exclaimed, and Hana groaned.
“We aren’t going to make a big deal out of it!”
“You’re going to deny me the privilege of giving you gifts?!” Houssam exclaimed in mock horror, and Hana laughed.
“Affection should be shown all of the time, not just on birthdays!”
Houssam raised an eyebrow.
“Is that my cue to become more affectionate?!”
As Hana flushed deeper, Ilham scowled at her cousin.
“Now that’s enough out of you! Once you get married you can be as affectionate as you want to be! For now, you behave yourself!” she exclaimed and Houssam grinned, shooting a wink at Hana behind Ilham’s back.
“Hana, would you mind grabbing that package of apples from behind you?” Ilham asked, and once she had turned around, Houssam turned towards Ilham urgently.
“Hey Ilham I already got her a special order cake.”
Ilham raised an eyebrow.
“You did?”
“Yeah it’s one of those fancy shmancy ones. It’s shaped like a digital camera. They also made a scrapbook out of real pictures of all of us that they printed on edible icing sheets.”
“Wow,” Ilham said in an impressed voice, “that makes my cake look like nothing.”
“Nah don’t say that. It actually looks delicious. Let’s get it anyways, you can’t have too much cake!”
“You just don’t want her to suspect you got her one!” Ilham said suspiciously, and Houssam raised a hand, pretending that he was insulted.
“Me!? I would never!”
Ilham rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything as Hana was coming back, the bag of apples settled on her lap.
“So what else does the guest of honor wish to eat at her party?” Ilham asked, and Hana smiled, before throwing a glance at Houssam.
“Grape leaves?” she asked and Houssam raised his fists in the air.
“YES! PRAISE ALLAH!”
Hana and Ilham laughed, and as Houssam’s gaze fell on Hana, his eyes sparkling, she blushed again.
“Okay you two. Don’t make me separate you!” Ilham exclaimed and Houssam laughed.
“Alright I actually am going to go.”
“Aw really?” Hana asked, sad to be deprived of his company already.
Houssam grinned.
“Going to miss me?” he teased, and she put her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment and he laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll miss you.”
As Hana turned her eyes to the floor, a smile on her face, Ilham groaned.
“You guys are worse than Amir and Yusra!”
Houssam laughed.
“No one is worse than those two!”
“Why are you going to leave?” Ilham asked, and Houssam shrugged.
“If Hana and I were to both leave the store at the same time it would cause pandemonium. Plus, I have some shopping to do!” he said grinning at Hana again, and she smiled. The smile had not left his face since he had walked into the store, and she loved it. It brought out the flecks of gold in his eyes, and showed off the strong structure of his face. There was no denying how beautiful he truly was.
MashaAllah.
“Okay well will I see you later?” Hana asked, and his eyes softened.
“If you want to.”
She nodded.
“Of course I do.”
“Then your wish is my command.” He reached out a hand for the daisies, and once she handed them to him, he tucked them under his arm. “Okay I’ll see you both later. Ilham, take care of my girl.”
Luckily for Hana he had started walking towards the cash registers, for if she thought her face had gotten red before, it was like a tomato now.
***
Houssam stared at the computer screen in utter horror. There in huge letters was the newest headline of Trash Talk.
LA LAKERS STAR HOUSSAM SHAYKH LOVE TRIANGLE.
Our sources tell us that while Houssam Shaykh may now be with the girl we have come to know as Hana Ismail, he was originally with her best friend. Apparently Miss Ismail grew jealous of Shaykh’s relationship with her friend, and did everything in her power to tear them apart. Her friend is quoted as saying,
‘It hurts me deep to think that someone I once considered my best friend would have betrayed me like that. But I don’t hate her. We once shared a close bond, and one day I will forgive her. I just hope that in the end it was all worth it to ruin our friendship just to be with him.’
I don’t know about you guys, but this Hana Ismail is beginning to sound like quite the backstabber.
“Ya Allah.” He muttered to himself as he scrolled over the rest of the homepages.
Shaykh Dumps Fiancée for Former High School Sweetheart
Shaykh Secret Love Affair?
Hana Ismail, America’s Most Hated Home Wrecker?
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” He exclaimed as the rest of the headlines got worse and worse. It was obvious that Kalthoum had talked, and he didn’t realize that the woman had so much spite in her. He could kill her for going after Hana like that!
How could someone do that to anyone!? Let alone someone who used to be her best friend!?
As his phone buzzed he picked it up, and seeing it was Hisham, his stomach sunk.
Bro…
His thumbs moved over the keys.
I know. Oh my God. Did she see them!?
Yeah. She is a total mess. I have never seen her this bad. Home wrecker is one of the nicer things they said about her! Do you think Kalthoum talked?
It had to be. I didn’t say anything, you guys obviously didn’t say anything, and no one else knew.
Astagfirallah. That girl was once my sister’s best friend and now she just sold her out like that?!
Is Hana okay?
Honestly Houssam? I’m not sure how much more of this she can take…
Houssam felt his heart drop.
What do you mean?
Well you know. First she gets swarmed by the paparazzi while holding a baby and gets her picture posted all over the internet, gets offered a job only because they think she is your fiancée, then she ends up in an accident with a broken leg and broken ribs, then two strangers sneak into her hospital room, then the paparazzi stalk her, and now they are writing vicious things about her. I know you are used to it, and I know you can handle it. But Hana has a very soft heart. I don’t know if she will ever be okay with this.
Houssam stared at his screen in horror, wondering what he could say or do to make it better. Now that he was beginning to realize the true depth of his feelings for Hana, he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t even begin to think about what his life would be like with her and her smiles. It would be hollow and empty. He would go back to the loneliness he had felt before he had come back into her acquaintance, and he couldn’t bear that feeling again. He just couldn’t.
But he didn’t want to make her life miserable either! He needed to talk to her.
Can I come over? I need to talk to her.
It was the longest five minutes of Houssam’s life before Hisham finally answered.
Yeah. Come on over.
***
“Amtu, don’t cry. I sorry.” Mohammad said patting his Aunt’s head, and she looked up and gave the baby a tear stained smile.
“You didn’t do anything habibi Hamoudi. I’m not crying because of you.” She said reassuringly, and the little boy bent to kiss her face.
“I love you this much!” he exclaimed widening his arms and she laughed before pulling him onto her lap.
“Thank you habibi. I love you too.”
She winced slightly as he threw his arms around her, crushing slightly into her ribs. They still weren’t healed, and the doctor told her it would be another five weeks before they were so she should avoid doing anything strenuous.
“Hana habibti, Houssam is here.” Ilham said sticking her head into the room and grabbing her son. Hana rose slowly from her bed, before picking up her walking stick from where it rested against the wall, and making her way towards the living room. As she came into the room, Houssam rose from his spot on the couch, his eyes searching her face intently as if he was trying to gage how she was doing.
“Hey.” He said quietly, and she nodded at him before sitting back down.
“Salaam.”
“Walaikumasalaam. These are for you.” He said extending the yellow daisies towards her, and she took them with a smile.
“What are these for?”
He shrugged uncomfortably.
“I’m sorry flowers.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“You know. For everything.”
“Okay.” Hana said quietly, and he winced slightly.
He didn’t like the sound of that ‘okay’.
“How are you feeling?”
“Alhamdulillah I’m okay.”
“How’s your leg?” he asked motioning towards her and she followed his gaze.
“Alhamdulillah they gave me a walking brace. Otherwise I would be immobile.”
He gave her a tight lipped smile.
“Alhamdulillah.”
There was an awkward silence around them before she sighed, and shifted so her leg was perched on top of the cushion next to her.
“Houssam, this isn’t your fault. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Houssam,” she said warningly.
“Hana,” he replied without missing a beat, and they both smiled at each other.
“So you didn’t tell me more about your trip to LA. Did you see Freddy?”
His eyes lit up in remembrance.
“I did! And you’ll never guess what he told me!”
“What?”
“He is being transferred to the Houston Rockets! He moves in two weeks!”
“Wow! That came out of nowhere!”
“Yeah I know. I’m going to miss him, but I mean we will keep in touch.”
She fingered one of the petals thoughtfully.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Last I heard, you were in negotiations with five other teams. What happened with that?”
Houssam shifted uncomfortably.
“Um I think I’m going to stay with the Lakers.”
Her eyebrows lifted questioningly.
“How come?”
“Because I don’t think I should leave California right now.”
“Houssam if I ask you something will you tell me the truth?” she asked and he hesitated for a second before nodding.
“Of course.”
“I got an email today from a Mr. Harold Jones. Apparently he got my email address from your email.”
Houssam’s eyes widened in shock.
“You what?! What did he say?!”
She sighed.
“He told me that you got an amazing offer from the Knicks, as well as the opportunity to work with Michael Jordan. But you didn’t want to accept because of me. Is that true?”
He was silent for a few seconds, the air around them thick and tense.
“Maybe.”
“Oh Houssam,” she said softly. “I can’t let you give that up!”
“I’m not giving anything up Hana.”
She shook her head.
“Oh but you are. I won’t let you do that for me!”
“Hana, I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for us!”
“Oh you’re so sweet,” she said softly, "but it’s your dream to work with Michael Jordan!”
He leaned forward, staring intently into her face.
“You’re my new dream.”