9. Enough

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Hamdan

The t-shirt is sticking to my back, I breathe out sharply through the mouth as my heart beats hard on my chest. Taking the towel, I dry the sweat on my face and brace myself for one last sprint on the treadmill. I turn the speed up and my pace increases to the maximum I can manage, focusing on my breathing alone.

Suddenly, a hand slams hard on the emergency stop button and I have to hold with both hands to the side handles to keep myself from falling on my face.

"Hey!" I yell and regret it immediately.

It's Layla and she's mad as hell at me, I can tell. I figured something like this might happen but I never thought she would show up at my gym with all my friends here to witness.

"Where have you been all day long?" She barks at me.

I take a deep breath, dry some more sweat with my sleeve and take a look around; one by one the guys are stopping their workouts and going downstairs. Uncle Saeed is the only one staying put with confusion all over his face.

Waiting for all of them to leave, I take the chance to take a good look at her because much to my dismay, she looks stunning in a white skirt with vertical, black stripes; an ivory blouse with long sleeves and a red belt that cinches her waist. She has pointy black shoes on with impossibly thin heels and her hair is half way up, I like that way because I get to see more of her face. All of her contrasting with the gym filled with sweaty men.

"Hamdan?" She insists.

"I-- uh... I was working."

"You were working?" She grimaces. "We had an agreement! You were supposed to be there!" Her arms fly around as she speaks. "I called, I texted you all day long and nothing!"

"Wait." Uncle Saeed interjects. "What was happening today?"

"The launch! Of my project!" She replies to him and turns to me again. "You didn't even tell uncle about it?"

"I had no idea." Uncle Saeed affirms.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal!" I shrug, stepping down from the treadmill. "It wasn't even your idea to invite me, I assumed you didn't care as much."

"But you said you were going to be there!" She counters. "I sent you the date, the time and everything!"

"I had other stuff to do!" I lie.

"Seriously, Hamdan? Do you think I'm stupid or why are you giving some of the stupidest answers ever?"

The heat climbing up in my body is not from running. "You cannot talk to me like that." I warn, pointing my finger at her.

"Sure I can!" She dares. "You're just not used to people telling you the truth when you're being an ass!"

My chest inflates as I inhale to speak whatever words are about to leave my mouth, I don't even know what they are. But Uncle Saeed comes between us and extends his arms to push us away from each other.

"Enough!" He yells at us. He looks at Layla and then at me; his eyebrows pushed together and his jaw clenched. "Did we just travel back in time?" He asks. "Because I know I have seen this before... when you were both teenagers!"

I drop my shoulders and look down at the floor.

"Whatever is going on," uncle carries on, "you are going to fix it like what you are: two adults."

I puff and lift my head to find Layla facing away from us and looking out to the soccer field.

"You always do this, Hamdan." She says in a soft voice and turns around slowly. "You change your mind or something happens and I don't hear anything from you." Her eyes turn glossy. "And I'm left hanging every time." Her lower lip trembles and she runs to the stairs, her heels clicking as she goes down the steps.

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