This is a piece written by SmilingHearts and I am uploading it here so you can all appreciate how marvellously this was written. I'm so proud of her! This chapter made my heart smile. 

Comment and vote please!

~~~~

You only get one shot.

I was shaking. My hands were trembling, my chest moving too rapidly as my heart contracted too many times. The blood in my veins pumped faster despite the heavy body weighing my arms down. I could only hold tighter onto him with every sob that shook my shoulders and made my arms weak. My hands were clasping too hard at his head as I tried to pull him closer, even when he was as close as he could get. But all I felt was him drifting away. I was in panic.

On my knees in the middle of the road, surrounded by glass shards, I felt my eyes go hollow, staring forcefully at what I couldn't believe. As I held tighter onto him, I couldn't feel the small pieces of glass pressing into my skin nor the bigger shards slowly cutting patterns onto my bare legs, where my shorts didn't cover. All I could and did feel was my heart wrenching and my mind imploding at the simple yet incomprehensible fact: my father was dead. And I was holding him. 

I'd seen the shooter. A young Israeli guy, not older than 20, who'd fired the shot at my father's colleague from across the street. My father, being the good-hearted man he was, jumped to protect him and ended up taking the bullet himself. Straight to the chest.

Although he'd always taught us to be courageous, especially if we were protecting the right, I couldn't look past the fact that this is how he ended up for it. 

I sat in the street for what felt like hours, not wanting to leave him before two pairs of arms took hold of me, dragging me away from baba as I kicked, punched and elbowed them, shouting at them to let go of me. I was out of it as they told me I had to let baba go, that he had to get washed before we prayed Janaza for him.

Before, during and after the prayer and burial, I stayed quiet. I didn't talk to anyone or say much apart from "Wa aleykum salam" to the uncles and aunties who greeted me that day, with sad looks on their faces. I kept my expression clear and no one saw me cry that day, nor the days to come, but I did. Late at night when all I could do was lie in my bed with my eyes wide open to avoid the images carved into the inside of my eyelids. But it didn't help. Instead the image of his blood-stained shirt and pale face screened itself across the white ceiling. Whatever I did, I would see the scene replaying over and over again. So I preferred being awake, because I had learned my subconscious was far more dangerous. 

About a week after baba's funeral I went to bed completely exhausted, having taken care of the guests coming to give their condolences together with mum and Jacob. I hadn't been able to sleep all week but when I crashed on my bed, my body caved and I was gone within a minute. However, my mind, which had been completely occupied with buying groceries and welcoming people all week, started digging into memories in the silence of sleep. Only once it had found the most recent memory that had cut me the deepest, did it step back and watch in silence as I suffered through it all.

My body was shaking all over again, my eyes were stinging and my head was imploding and exploding all at the same time. All I could think was it is not true, it can't be! But it was. I had already realised that, which made the pain even worse. My heart squeezed tighter and tighter as if there was an external force, when really all there was was the tormenting pain, suffocating and crumbling me to pieces. I could feel the scream rocketing from the pit of my gut up my throat and just as it was about to escape my lips, I fell silent. My frustration, anger and sadness all turned into panting breaths as I jerked awake. 

I was sweating profusely, the bedsheets soaking much of it up; my upper body was shaking uncontrollably and my head was pounding just as loud as my heart. It took me a second to realise I had gotten away from the nightmare, and another second to register that I hadn't escaped it. I never would.

Trying to control my irregular breaths and the contraction of my muscles, I sat up leaning my head against the headboard of my bed. I pulled the pillow from behind my pelvis and threw it to the side then grabbed the duvet, which was now on the floor. The duvet kept me warm, and together with each breath I took relaxed my muscles. Once my breathing had evened out, I ran my hand through my hair several times, feeling my head cool down.

I could still hear the beat of my heart in my ears when I snapped my head to the left, trying to discern the figure who'd said:

"You okay?" For a split second, I thought I could make out baba's silhouette hiding behind my bedroom door. Then, he took a step forward and instead Jacob's hazel eyes were looking at me in concern.

"Yeah, why?" I said, sitting up straighter. The warm duvet slipped off my bare chest, leaving me cold again.

He scratched the back of his head and twisted the doorknob. "I heard you calling out to me."

I didn't say anything and we both just looked at each other. After a minute of listening to the humming of the A/C, Jacob finally said:

"I get them too, you know." I furrowed my eyebrows together slightly and he stroked his face. "But in mine, mum's the one who takes the hit."

As he said that, I felt a pang in my chest as if I'd took a bullet straight to my heart and the trigger had been a mere meter away. He must have seen the horrified look in my eyes, because he shook his head, took a step back and said:

"Don't worry about it, mum is still asleep in her room." He put his free hand in the front pocket of his black shorts, "Go take a shower and get changed, it should make you feel better." I pulled my duvet off and was about to step forward to him when he turned the doorknob behind him, "Good night, Zach."

From that day on we talked less and less by each day, until one day we stopped talking altogether. It was years later when we'd started exchanging more words, but then one day he came home completely out of it. I'd asked him several times what was wrong, but didn't get any answer. Later that day we found out that his best friend got shot by an Israeli soldier for forgetting his ID-card when they tried passing through to Ramallah. Ever since, I would rarely see him around the house, and whenever I did he was either on his way out or rushing up the stairs to his bedroom. 

Every night after he'd told me about his nightmares, I would go into mum's room to make sure she was there - sound and safe - before I went to bed. The insomnia finally left me after a couple of months, but I'd still relive snippets of my dad's death. Sometimes, when I was lucky, the nightmares would leave me alone and I would be left to remember baba in the good light that he spread.

I'd remember the joyous moments of when he'd carry me on his shoulders and I'd feel like the tallest boy alive; when he'd take mama, Jacob and I to the beach and let us cover him in sand till all we could see was his smiling face. I'd keep the day he laughed at me together with Yasmine, after she had shaved a chunk of my hair off, stored with the memories of him playing water fight with us in the garden. 

I would keep all of them safe as the treasures they were and cherish every single one of them, while I prayed for him to be in a better place where we'd reunite in happiness again.

However, it wasn't easy thinking about the good times because even now, a decade later, I could feel his absence in all moments. But mum, Jacob and I being a functioning family again made it bearable. At least now we could work through it together.

I dried my hair with a small towel before grabbing a bigger one and wrapping it around my waist, as I stepped out of the shower. The floor was wet so I waddled out to my closet and grabbed a pair of clean boxers. Just when I was about to grab my faded jeans from the drawer, my bedroom door flew open and a high pitched voiced followed it through.

"Zach, what are you doing? You're taking longer than Nadia usually does." Yasmine whined, standing with her hand on her hips in the middle of the room. It wasn't until her eyes landed on me, standing in nothing but my boxers, that her jaw dropped and she started fumbling. "You.. you... you're still not decent," she said in attempt to cover up the crimson colour covering her cheeks. "Come on Zach, it's been like," she checked the watch on her wrist, and made sure to keep her eyes anywhere but on me, "Thirty minutes already."

I smiled amused at her obvious shyness. We'd been married for two years now but she still couldn't talk to me properly even with only my shirt off. She'd always tell me to put something on and I'd always laugh at her before doing just that, but today, I didn't feel like it.

When she saw the mocking smile on my lips, she didn't bother to hide it any more and clasped her hand over her eyes. "Get decent already," she huffed and turned around, her hand still over her eyes. Putting her other arm out she moved toward the door unsure, trying to find the wall as she took small steps in the direction which she'd stormed in.

"You know, I am your husband," I said teasingly as I walked up to her. "Which means, technically, I am already decent." I whispered the last part in her ear and grabbed her around the waist.

Startled, she let out a shriek, "Zach, I swear to God!" I took a couple of steps backwards, dragging her with me, "Let go of me!"

"Open your eyes."

"Get decent." This time her right hand flew up to her eyes, both hands covering them.

"I told you, I'm already decent," I chuckled, stopping in the middle of the room.

"Zach."

"Yasmine."

She sighed, "I'll open my eyes when you're really decent."

"I will get really decent when you open your eyes."

After a moment of contemplation she said, "Promise?"

"Promise."

She dropped her hands and must have opened her eyes because of the next few words that came out her mouth. "There. Now  -" I whirled her around, interrupting her, and steadied her with my hands intertwined at her lower back. She kept her eyes down and ended up staring at my chest.

"As long as you're this close, I really don't mind you staring," I told her honestly, kissing the top of her head. She moved her head back and I looked down at her face - she was blushing even more than before. I cupped her left cheek with my right hand and stroked the dark red colour gently, with my thumb.

"I don't understand why you get so embarrassed around me."

"I don't get embarrassed around you," Yasmine almost whispered, her beautiful hazel eyes looking back into my own emerald ones. 

"Only when I'm like this," I pointed out and she nodded.

"You know, you shouldn't be." I brought her even closer to myself and she finally wrapped her arms around my bare torso. "Because you're beautiful," I kissed her forehead, "and loving," a kiss on one cheek, "and caring," a kiss on the other cheek, "and -"

"Zach," she breathed onto my lips, which were a mere centimetre from her own.

"Yeah?"

"Our brothers are downstairs." I could feel her eyes open in hesitation as her eyelashes brushed the top of my eyelids. I opened my own eyes and lost myself in her gorgeous golden orbs again.

"They won't come up," I said, resting my forehead against hers.

"Are you sure?" 

"You did give them popcorn and sandwiches right?"

"Yea."

"Then they won't be going anywhere," I smiled and she chuckled, relaxing in my arms again. I could've stayed like that forever but she was just too...

"- perfect."

So I kissed her. And as soon as my warm lips touched her soft ones, my body heated up and froze down at the same time, and the water droplets from the shower evaporated off my chest. It wasn't like the scary simultaneous chemical reaction I'd get when I had the nightmares, instead it was a soothing one. My heart swelled up, my mind was a bundle of thoughts and my insides shook with every second we held onto each other. My breaths were irregular, but I didn't care, because I didn't want them even. Right then, I liked the fact that my lungs were malfunctioning and my body was moving on its own accord. Because all I felt was peace, pleasure and happiness.

Happiness because when I held her closer, I didn't feel her slipping away from me. In fact, her grip on me only got firmer. She moved her right hand through my damp hair while her left sneaked tighter around my bare torso. All I could do was secure her in my hold as I pressed my lips stronger yet softer onto hers. By now, the pounding in my head had gotten so loud, the random beat was all I could hear. Though somehow, the shocked voice of someone so far, yet so close, managed to penetrate through. 

"Woah!" 

I felt Yasmine stiffening in my grip just as I quickly ripped my lips away from hers and we both pushed each other to away. My back and neck were on fire and I could see Yasmine's entire face going tomato red as she kept her head down, her back to whoever caught us. I knew if it was Noah, I wouldn't live to see another day.

"I'm so sorry bro!"  My older brother was gesturing with his hands in front of him, seemingly trying to erase the scene in front of him. "I had no idea you guys were getting it on in here!"

I rubbed the nape of my neck, "Umm... I... we...uh..."

" 'Uh', yeah!" He put his palms out in front of him, "God, man!" 

"I... I'm sorry." My hand continued rubbing the base of my neck and I stole a glance at Yasmine, who now had her eyes squeezed shut as if it would turn her invisible.

He sighed, "Don't sweat it, I get it. The moment was perfect and yada yada yada..." brushing it off. "But, at least put some clothes on," Jacob gestured at my almost completely naked body. When I looked down at my bare chest and legs, the blush crept up my neck and spread like a wildfire on my face.

"And close the door next time," he said as he started walking off. "God, I'm gonna need years of therapy after this. Probably eye surgery too." By the time he reached the stairs he'd already gotten an explanation for his reason of visit, "No wonder you took so long."

* * * * *

I pulled a grey shirt on quickly before hurrying down the stairs with Yasmine to catch up on the card game I was sure they'd already started. After Jacob left to go back down to the living room, Yasmine put her face in her hands in shame and I wanted to crawl under a rock. After that, she turned to throw a hushed fit at me, in which all she said was I told you so, before we both got ourselves together. She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face to reduce her blush and fix her scarf, while I got dressed, knowing they were still waiting for us downstairs.

The first thing we heard when we descended the stairs was, "I hope you didn't touch my sister inappropriately," from Noah, who shot me a serious look over the cards in his hands. I darted Jacob a questioning look and he just shrugged, popping a jelly bean into his mouth. Yasmine hurried to sit next to Salma and gave her brother a small smile, while I casually replied with:

"We're married. Technically not much counts as inappropriate."

"What?" My best friend, who also happens to be my wife's brother, snapped his head my way.

"Bro, calm down," I said, clamping a hand on his shoulder as I took a seat next to him, across from the girls. "Nothing happened." I smiled for added measure.

"So," I clapped my hands, "What are we playing?" 

"Go fish," Jacob answered, giving me a mischievous grin as he popped another few jelly beans into his big gob. I know my brother, and even though he might need years of therapy for what he saw, he'll still blackmail me with it. And since he knows me, he's very aware of that telling Noah would be the one thing that'd make me swim across the Atlantic for him.

I grabbed seven cards and kicked Yasmine under the table subtly, gesturing for her to take the same amount of cards and act normal. She shot me a glare and kicked me back harder, before she put on her breathtaking smile and started getting into the game. "All right, whose turn is it?"

"Salma," Noah shifted his gaze to his newly wedded wife, completely forgetting about me - which I was grateful for. According to Yasmine, it was all because of her that they were together. Everyone knew they liked each other, but thanks to my wife's not-so-subtle matchmaking skills, they actually started talking to each other. It was surprising to see it actually worked since Yasmine was very obvious about pairing them.

During dinners with most our friends, she'd leave the table and ask half of us to assist her in the kitchen with the dessert while the other half were coincidentally in need of a bathroom, forcing the two to make some conversation. When we were out on a movie night, she'd make sure the two sat next to each other by handing out the tickets herself. And if our friends were playing our version of Jeopardy with us, where you had to play in twos (Yasmine's idea), Noah and Salma would miraculously end up together, despite there being enough of us playing.

But her stubbornness must have worked because eventually they started talking more and soon enough ended up telling their parents. Shortly after their engagement they got married, and now, they were  ganging up on Jacob for calling her a cheater.

"No, you heard me ask Noah for sevens earlier!" Jacob said from the edge of the table, waving the cards in his hands.

"But that's how the game goes," Salma argued, "If I hear you ask someone for a card and I happen to have the same card in my hand, then of course I will ask you for it on my turn!" 

"No, that's not fair!" My brother complained.

"But it's how the game goes!" Salma's voice rose annoyed as her husband nodded in agreement. She was usually quiet around us guys, especially Noah. But ever since they got married and she got more comfortable with us, she'd always go as far as anyone else arguing with her. 

"Jacob, give it up already," Yasmine butted in, ignoring the fact that he had been the one to check on us earlier. "She's following the rules and being clever." She took a sip of the fizzy drink in front of her, "You should try it sometimes."

Both Noah and I tried to cover up our laughter with our fists while Jacob shot Yasmine a glare. "I am clever. I just don't think showing it off is necessary," he said with a cock of his head.

"Sure you are," she replied. 

"Just give them up, you're not gonna get any sevens after this," Noah told my brother.

"I'm not giving up anything!" Jacob said. "She's cheating!"

"Bro, she's following the rules," I finally said.

"Exactly," Noah agreed.

"Thank you," Yasmine said.

"See, not cheating." Salma pointed out.

Jacob narrowed his eyes at us all. "You're only siding with her because you're married," he pointed at Noah. "And you're her best friend," his finger went over to Yasmine. "And of course you would side with your wife," he told me.

Whatever the situation, he'd always have time for his insults, especially when the five of us were together. Usually Yasmine would call her friend Shaymah over in attempt to make Jacob feel less like a fifth wheel while, and naturally, try to set them up. But today she couldn't make it due to work so we ended up in a discussion where he'd complain about us ganging up on him because we were always siding with our spouses. 

"Not at all," Yasmine pointed out,  "we're siding with the truth."

"Yeah right!" Jacob said sceptically.

"Oh, come on!" Salma threw her hands up exasperatedly.

"Just give her the cards." Noah took a handful of crisps from across the table.

"God Jacob, you're acting like a child." Yasmine took another sip from her drink while rolling her eyes.

"Bro, why are you being so difficult," I said simultaneous to everyone else who were getting tired of my brother's unwillingness to learn the rules of the game.

He looked around at us and made a remark about how he was right and Salma wrong, at which we all responded to by speaking over each other again. His eyes darted between all of us before he finally blurted out:

"Zach was making out with your sister upstairs!"

We all froze for a split second, the whole room going quiet, before Noah turned his head quickly my way. "What?"

"Naked," Jacob added.

All I caught was Noah's wide eyes and Yasmine's mortified expression before I dropped my cards on the table, pushed my chair back and made a run for it, all within a millisecond. Because by a second, Noah was already up and chasing me out of my own apartment. 

"Jacob, you're dead!" I yelled back at my brother as I sprinted down the street, knowing there was no use in explaining I wasn't technically naked.

* * * *