MAL ran towards the five girls standing in the fifth row, then called over to them to get their attention.

"Oh my God, you guys made it!" she exclaimed, then walked over to hug each one of them tightly. The first girl, Aya, hugged Mal as tightly as possible as she whispered 'I missed you' over and over. Mal repeated the same words in a slightly louder tone, then took her turn to hug the other girls. Passant, who was Mal and Aya's other best friend, hugged them tightly.

The five girls wrapped their arms around each other in a loving, tight group hug.

"I missed you all so much!" Mal exclaimed, then hugged Aya again.

"We missed you too! And, thank you so much for the invite. We can't wait to see the concert."

Farida, who has been Mal's friend for five years (just like the others) hugged the girl again.

"How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you! We have a lot of things to catch on. A lot has been happening lately, and I can't wait to tell you all everything."

Donia and Farida then began to tell Mal about Aya's attempt to take a selfie of herself with an eggplant filter.

"Oh my God, send me those right now!"

"Of course!" Aya replied, "We have a lot of things to tell you too. The school has been crazy without you."

Mal smiled, remembering her old days at her Egyptian high school a few years back. She remembered all of her time in school days, her spending good times with her friends and laughing about things they loved about each other.

"You sent me Felix's picture and, holy shit, he's so cute. At least you got a better one." Passant complimented.

"I really hope so. He suffered a lot, mostly because of me. I hope this whole thing would be over after the concert." Mal explained, remembering, once again, all the times that Felix has been crying because of the bullies. She frowned at the memories.

"Babe, it's not because of you," Aya began, "also, I can't wait to see your family again. They're so beautiful, and so accepting. I assume it was your mother's idea, right?"

Knowing that she was talking about the invitations, she shook her head, "No, they were my idea. Mum only helped me get it done, and I was never more grateful."

She faintly smiled at the sight of them standing before her. "I'm so happy you guys are here."

Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a smiling, enthusiastic Felix.

"Mal, baby, we need to start the concert."

She nodded. Felix took notice of the girls standing next to Mal, and grinned once again. He knew they were her friends from Egypt.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you!" he spoke as he shook their hands gently.

"Thank you! It's nice to meet you too." They replied, returning the smile with wide grins. Turning to Mal, they opened their gaping mouths as they took occasional glances at the handsome boy before them.

"Oh my God, he looks even cuter in that outfit!".

Mal giggled, taking a look at the boy beside her, "Yes. Yes, he's perfect."

"Anyways," she interrupted herself, "we have to go now. We'll see you again after the concert."

The couple waved at the girls before finally walking away, making their way backstage once again.

Mal took a deep, reassuring breath and held Felix's hand, allowing him to face her.

"Mal, I wanted to tell you that I love you," he muttered, "thank you so much, for everything."

She nodded. "You deserve the entire world, sunshine. I love you too."

She placed her palm on his soft cheek, then leaned in and planted a soft, passionate kiss above his lips, which lasted for a few, long moments.

He returned the kiss as he closed his eyes immediately, his heart beating loudly in his chest. His cheeks turned pink, realizing that some of the members were staring at them. They cheered and clapped, which made the couple break away.

"Are you guys okay now? The people are waiting." Chan asked.

"Yes, but how about a group hug?"

They obeyed, and wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug.

"I love you guys so much, and I know I said this before, but thanks again for involving me into this." Mal's eyes sparkled with joy at her own words.

"We love you too, Mal, and you are a part of us. We wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you..."

Chan sighed, wiping away the stray tear that streamed down his face. "Let's go out there and enjoy every moment, starting now."

They obeyed, and as soon as they climbed the few steps leading to the stage, the people began cheering.

"Oh, how fun this will be!"

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