When Jealousy Reveals Love
The beautiful morning had now turned into a bright afternoon.
The clouds scattered across the sky had slowly drifted away, and the golden sunlight had embraced the towering buildings of Abu Dhabi. The light reflecting from the glass walls made it seem as though the entire city had become part of a radiant dream.
The car was speeding toward the desert.
The road continued leaving the deserted stretches of land behind on both sides. The tall buildings of the city were gradually disappearing from view, and in their place, the golden desert began stretching endlessly into the distance.
Silence had filled the car for quite some time.
The driver glanced at Ramish and smiled.
"Sir, if you'd like, I can play some music in the car. Maybe it will make the journey a little more enjoyable."
Ramish smiled lightly and looked toward the back.
"No, let it be. The music might bother Richer. He already said he doesn't want any noise in the car."
The driver smiled.
"Alright, sir. But I think good conversation can make even a long journey feel shorter."
Ramish's gaze fell outside the window for a moment.
Then he spoke softly.
"You're right. Whether it's a journey or a road, no matter how long it may be... if you have someone beside you who loves you, understands you, and can even read your silence... every journey becomes easier."
He fell silent for a few moments.
"And perhaps every relationship becomes more beautiful too."
The driver laughed.
"You speak very poetically, sir. Don't tell me you've fallen in love with someone?"
A quiet smile appeared on Ramish's lips.
He gave no answer.
But perhaps his silence was the most beautiful answer to the question.
The driver looked at him again.
"Your smile is very beautiful, sir. You should always keep smiling like that."
Richer, sitting in the back seat, was listening to everything.
He was silent, but something inside him seemed to be breaking continuously.
He first looked at Ramish, then at the driver.
The driver's words may have been ordinary, but inside Richer's heart, they were no longer ordinary.
For some reason, he did not like hearing the driver praise Ramish.
The driver laughed and moved his hand closer to Ramish's, perhaps intending to place it over his hand in a friendly gesture.
But before his hand could even reach Ramish's, Richer's voice suddenly rang through the car.
"Stop the car! Right now!"
The driver was startled.
Ramish immediately turned toward Richer.
"Richer? What happened? Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"
Richer acted as though he hadn't even heard him.
"Didn't you hear me? Stop the car immediately!"
Ramish looked toward the driver.
"Please pull over somewhere safe."
A few moments later, the car stopped near a restaurant.
As soon as the door opened, Richer quickly stepped out and walked inside the restaurant without looking at anyone.
Ramish watched him go with concern.
Then he turned toward the manager.
"Don't worry. I'll check on him."
The manager immediately said,
"Please, go quickly."
Ramish got out of the car and followed Richer into the restaurant.
As soon as Richer entered, he asked the waiter,
"Where's the washroom?"
The waiter pointed toward one side.
"Sir, this way."
Richer quickly walked in that direction.
Ramish watched him disappear inside and immediately followed him.
The moment he entered the washroom, Ramish stopped.
Richer was standing in front of the mirror.
One hand was pressed against his chest. His breathing was uneven. Sometimes he stared at himself in the mirror; other times, he rubbed his chest as though trying to silence the storm rising inside him.
Ramish had never seen him this restless before.
He immediately stepped forward and pulled him into his arms.
"Richer... calm down. Everything is alright. I'm here with you."
Richer angrily pushed him away.
"Why did you come here? Leave me alone!"
Ramish remained silent for a few moments, simply looking at him.
The concern in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Richer, for God's sake... tell me what happened."
He moved toward him again.
"Please, calm down. Whatever the problem is, we'll solve it together."
Richer looked away.
"Go back to the car. Leave me alone."
"No."
Ramish's voice was very gentle.
"I can't leave you alone in this condition."
He looked at Richer for a few moments.
"Tell me. What is the problem?"
Richer suddenly shouted, his voice filled with a mixture of anger and helplessness.
"You are my problem!"
Ramish froze.
Shock spread across his eyes.
"Me...?"
He asked in a very quiet voice,
"Am I your problem?"
Richer closed his eyes.
Then, slowly, he said,
"Yes."
After a moment of silence, he looked at Ramish.
"You are my biggest problem."
The smile disappeared from Ramish's face.
Those words seemed to wound his heart deeply.
But love was strange.
Sometimes, the very person whose words break you is the same person you try to protect from breaking, even if it means hiding your own pain.
Ramish gave a sad smile.
"Alright... if I'm your problem, then we'll solve this problem too."
Richer looked at him in surprise.
Ramish spoke softly.
"It will be whatever you want. Just don't hurt yourself like this."
He stepped closer to Richer.
"Come on. Let's go outside. Have something to drink. Maybe you'll feel better."
But suddenly, Richer grabbed Ramish's shirt with both hands.
He pulled Ramish closer.
There was more helplessness than anger in his eyes now.
"Ramish..."
His voice trembled.
"I don't like it."
Ramish looked at him silently.
"What?"
Richer lowered his eyes.
"Whenever someone praises you... I don't like it."
He paused for a few moments, then continued as though he were struggling against his own words.
"Whenever someone looks at you... whenever someone tries to get close to you... I don't know why, but I just don't like it at all."
He shook his head helplessly.
"I don't know why... but I can't stand it."
Ramish asked very gently,
"Are you upset because of the driver?"
Richer silently nodded.
"Yes."
A faint smile appeared on Ramish's lips.
"But Richer... you were the one who told me to sit in the front with the driver."
Richer became frustrated and lightly hit him on the chest.
"I don't know!"
Ramish could not help smiling.
Then he pulled Richer into his arms.
"Do you feel better now?"
Richer remained silent for a few moments.
Then, very softly, he said,
"Yes."
They stood like that for a while.
It felt as though the storm rising inside Richer was slowly beginning to quiet.
After some time, Ramish gently ran his hand through Richer's hair and asked,
"Would you like some coffee?"
Richer shook his head.
"No. Let's go. Everyone will be waiting."
Ramish smiled.
"Let them wait for a little while. I feel like having some tea. Have some coffee with me too."
Richer looked at him for a few moments.
Then he softly said,
"Alright."
The two of them left the washroom and went to sit at a quiet table in the restaurant.
Outside, the road leading toward the desert shimmered beneath the sunlight.
But between the two of them sat a question whose answer neither of them had yet found.
For the first time, Richer had admitted a feeling hidden inside his heart—a feeling he himself could not even give a name to.
Were these merely momentary emotions?
Was it simply the result of his fear that someone else was getting close to Ramish?
Or perhaps...
Was it the first silent sign of a love that Richer had spent so long refusing to acknowledge within his own heart?
Perhaps Richer's heart already knew the answer.
But his lips were not yet ready to accept it.