Between her admiration and her caution

I spent the days leading up to the new class, immersed in my thoughts and feelings after my brief encounter with him. I can't deny that he left a beautiful impression on me.

On the first day, the details of that day came to mind, and I found myself recalling his gentle voice as he spoke. I even remember the scent of his cologne! I vividly remember how he was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans that day. His hair was carefully styled, and his beard was slightly disheveled. I truly admired this combination of elegance and simplicity in his appearance.

As we walked side by side on Hamra Street, I noticed his captivating smile. I laughed a lot with him as he made cheerful comments about our surroundings. His culture and broad knowledge impressed me.

By the second day, I couldn't resist my curiosity. I was compelled to search for his Facebook account. After thorough research, I discovered that we shared interests in art, literature, and travel. I even found some of his old photos from his trips. He seemed adventurous and passionate about life.

I found many of his posts about his paintings and artworks. I didn't know he was an artist! I felt like I had discovered another side of his personality that I didn't know before. It appears that he has a wonderful artistic talent and a refined aesthetic sense. I have always admired artists and creative individuals because they possess a rich inner world and a unique perspective on things. My interest in him grew after discovering his talent, and I looked forward to discussing his art and paintings in our next meeting.

His artwork must tell a story. I felt as if his artistic brush spoke everything that lips cannot express in words.

I hesitated a lot before sending him a friend request. Would he see it as an exaggeration from my side? What would he think? Maybe it would be better to wait a little longer. My curiosity was restrained, and my femininity didn't allow me to seize this opportunity. My hormones mixed with my pride and prevented me.

I kept thinking about the questions I would ask him when we meet. Should I directly ask about his art? Or should I wait a bit until we catch our breath after exchanging greetings? I feared appearing too eager and curious. Balance is necessary here.

Perhaps it's better to let the conversation flow naturally, without hinting at my knowledge of his talent, so he doesn't realize that I searched for him and "curiosity killed the cat." Yes, that would be more appropriate.

I also wondered about his zodiac sign. Is he the proud and fiery Leo? Or the always vigilant Scorpio? I decided to wait for the right moment to gently ask him about his birthdate, and he might mention the day and month unintentionally. That way, I would have the missing piece of the puzzle regarding his zodiac sign!

I didn't mention that I'm an artist, but rather, I play the qanun (an oriental musical instrument). As an artist passionate about music and oriental art, I often find myself immersed in playing my favorite compositions by renowned artists like Umm Kulthum, Abeer Nehme, and Julia.

I was listening to one of my favorite songs by Assala when I suddenly realized that each person has a special heartbeat song, a melody that stirs their memories and delicately touches the strings of their heart. So I wondered... What song resonates in his soul? What is the favorite piece that he savors with all his senses?

I decided to ask him indirectly about his favorite melodies! I would approach it with a genuine interest in his music and taste, but within the folds of my words, there would lie a deeper question: Can we ever harmonize like those delicate notes?

Honestly, I feel like I'm swimming in a sea of conflicting emotions. Part of me is excited and eager to explore this, while the other part is cautious and wonders about the outcomes. But I trust my intuition, and I believe that this experience will definitely be exciting and enjoyable.

In the hours leading up to our anticipated meeting, I kept thinking about what I would wear. I spent a whole hour choosing the right dress, trying out three different hairstyles, and applying just the right amount of makeup to avoid looking too formal.

After putting the finishing touches on my appearance, I felt a mix of joy and nervousness in my heart. I was eagerly awaiting this encounter, carrying with me various questions about how the meeting would unfold this time...

Between his imagination and reality

After returning home from the president's bridge, I felt a sense of joy. I boasted to myself that I had spoken to her and that she had taken the first step to becoming my friend. This is because my principle in life is that circumstances dictate the outcome. I let the story unfold as it was destined to, and I went along with my emotions to the fullest.

I acted with complete spontaneity that day, even with friends and family. The day passed without me even realizing it, despite no additions to my routine life. The electricity was cut off as usual, and the network coverage for communications was terrible, but it didn't matter because her presence added a new dimension to life.

On the second day, without wanting to detach myself from the first day at all, I tried to draw her on paper, although I don't remember ever drawing a person without a reference image in my hand. Regardless, I tried unsuccessfully while listening to Fairouz's songs and sipping my coffee. The evening came, and I was immersed in the details of her presence after tearing countless sheets of paper. That night, I thought, analyzed, planned, and calculated. It even reached the point of discussing children and where we would live. Ironically, we were already arguing about what to name our first child.

On the third day of our meeting, one day before seeing her again, I thought about whether I was ready to enter into an emotional relationship with a girl I knew nothing about except her name. How would our situation be? Would we get along, or would we be like gunpowder? And what if we belonged to different communities? Would society reject us if Abla came from one community and 'Antar from another? If communities were created for peace, does love herald wars and fears to the extent that communities reject it? What if my family accepted her but her family rejected mine, or vice versa? I took it lightly, meaning I would take her as my girlfriend. And is it prohibited in the way of worshiping God to have two hearts that are divided by love? And what is more important, intentions or actions? Some of us have strong faith to the point that they don't know the time of prayer! No answer came to my mind, and as usual, I won't preempt events.

Looking at myself in the mirror in my room, I wondered if she would like my appearance. This untrimmed beard, the way I dress and the colors I wear. What if she's a summer person and I'm a lover of winter? What's wrong with the situation? Why do people rush to be in relationships with people who have the same character traits, details, and interests? Where is the pleasure in being at home with two people who think the same way, or is it better to have one person with two different mindsets?

Just a few hours before our meeting, I decided to search for her on Facebook. I browsed through those pages, hoping to find her personal profile, but to no avail. That mystery was causing me anxiety, but its details were etched and would not be erased by the passage of time. Time passed quickly. I put on my clothes, sprayed my special perfume, and rushed out, racing against time. But my heart had already beaten me to it.

Translation to English:

Between his imagination and reality

After returning home from the President's Bridge, I felt a sense of joy. I boasted to myself that I had spoken to her and that she had taken her first steps towards becoming my friend. This is because my principle in life is that circumstances dictate the outcome. I let the story unfold as it was meant to, and I went along with my emotions to the fullest.

I acted with complete spontaneity that day, even with friends and family. The day passed without me even realizing it, even though there were no changes to my routine life. The electricity went out as usual, and the network coverage for communication was terrible, but it didn't matter because her presence added a new dimension to life.

On the second day, without wanting to detach myself from the first day at all, I tried to draw her on paper, although I don't remember ever drawing a person without a reference image in my hand. Regardless, I tried without success, listening to Fairouz's songs and sipping my coffee. The evening came, and I was immersed in the details of her presence after tearing countless sheets of paper. That night, I thought, analyzed, planned, and calculated. It even reached the point of discussing children and where we would live. Ironically, we were already arguing about what to name our first child.

On the third day of our meeting, one day before seeing her again, I thought about whether I was ready to enter into an emotional relationship with a girl I knew nothing about except her name. How would our situation be? Would we get along, or would we be like gunpowder? And what if we belonged to different communities? Would society reject us ifAbla came from one community and 'Antar from another? If communities were created for peace, does love herald wars and fears to the extent that communities reject it? What if my family accepted her but her family rejected mine, or vice versa? I pondered these questions, but I couldn't find any answers. As usual, I decided not to jump to conclusions and instead let events unfold naturally.

Looking at myself in the mirror in my room, I wondered if she would like my appearance. I questioned my untrimmed beard, the way I dressed, and the colors I wore. What if she preferred summer while I loved winter? What's wrong with the situation? Why do people rush into relationships with those who have the same character traits, details, and interests? Where is the pleasure in being with someone who thinks exactly like you? Is it better to have one person with two different mindsets?

Just a few hours before our meeting, I decided to search for her on Facebook. I browsed through various pages, hoping to find her personal profile, but I couldn't find anything. The mystery surrounding her heightened my anxiety, but the details of our encounter were etched in my mind and couldn't be erased by the passage of time. Time flew by quickly. I put on my clothes, sprayed my special perfume, and rushed out, racing against time. But my heart had already beaten me to it.

prepared by: Hadeel hussam aldeen - Ghadeer ibrahem