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Sometimes it bothered Elias how Yousef and Sana gravitated around each other everytime they were in a room. Not everyone seemed to notice, but seeing his best friend getting way too embarassed about little things when his sister was in the room or smiling for five minutes straight everytime she adressed him were things Elias couldn’t help but notice.
He didn’t quite know what to think of all this. Sana was an observer, and she’d always been really quiet. She always kept everything to herself. Of course he insisted sometimes, because he could almost always instantly notice when she wasn’t feeling good, but they never really talked. So asking her to tell him, her big brother, if she had some kind of crush on Yousef was just inconceivable. The only thing he could see was how smiley she was whenever his best friend was around.
A few months ago, he had noticed she paid more attention to her physical appearence whenever she knew Yousef would come to their house. He didn’t make fun of her. First, it wouldn’t be funny. Second, it meant making her even more shy than she already was around her own family. So he just watched it happen. Noticing the little things. How her lipstick seemed perfect. How her hijab was right in place. How her outfit matched perfectly. He smiled to himself, because he thought it was kind of cute.
Him, too, had had a crush on one of her big sister’s friends. He knew how Sana felt, even though he felt like there was more between Sana and Yousef than there ever was between that girl he barely and him.
He also knew Yousef was too respectful to even intentionnally flirt with her. And if he had done it, then he had been very discreet. Elias wasn’t watching them, he trusted both of them enough to know. If something had to happen, then it would. And he would be supportive. Until then, he trusted them.
One day, as the boys and him were going to the cinema, he saw Yousef staring at someone waiting in line in fron of them. The room was big and filled with people waiting for their movies to begin. He took a look in front of him and noticed Sana laughing with two of her girlfriends. He could only guess it was Eva and Noora as they weren’t facing them, but Sana was recognizable. A blue hijab covering her head, she seemed relaxed.
Elias, his hands in his jacket pockets, softly bumped his friend’s shoulder. Yousef startled and finally faced him, looking a little dazzled.
-Stop staring, man, Elias said.
He saw Yousef’s cheeks reddening. He took a sip of his drink, probably trying to hide his embarassment. He quickly answered :
-I wasn’t staring.
-Okay, you weren’t staring…, he said, a knowing smile lingering on his face.
-I wasn’t staring, Elias.
Elias heard in his friend’s tone that he wasn’t only trying to convince him, he was also trying to convince himself. Sana’s brother didn’t know why that was, but in that moment he realized that Yousef didn’t want to believe the possibility that he could’ve fallen for his friend’s sister.
-Yousef. You can’t help it. It’s alright… I think she can’t either anyway.
His friend frowned, confused, and Elias raised his head to look right at Sana whom was staring at Yousef. She immediatly turned her head back as she realized the boys had spotted her, but Elias saw a subtle smile appearing onYousef’s face as they entered the theatre.
He gently pushed Elias on the side before opening the door, probably trying to tell him that he was wrong again, but still. The smile remained on Yousef’s face for two hours.