Couple whose siblings died in Beirut blast turn tragedy into romance

DUBAI: William Noun and Maria Fares were left heartbroken by the devastating Beirut Port explosion of August 2020, with both of them losing a sibling as a result of the blast.
Noun’s brother Joe and Fares’ sister Sahar were both volunteers at the Beirut Firefighting Brigade. Joe was a firefighter and Sahar was a paramedic. They were killed in the line of duty outside Hangar 12 at the Beirut Port when over 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded. Noun also lost his cousin and uncle who were in another fire truck that had been dispatched to the same location.
But from those losses, romance has bloomed. Noun and Fares announced their engagement on Sunday.
Noun told Arab News on Friday that their “unforeseen love story” began just four months ago, although “tragedy and pain” meant they have known each other for more than two years.
Noun, a 28-year-old restaurant owner, said he has been friends with Fares since they first met during protests and memorial services conducted by families of victims of the explosion.
It was not until September, however, that he finally opened up and expressed his true feelings to Fares, also 28, and was surprised and relieved to hear that she shared those same feelings.
Fares, a brand manager, told Arab News: “He told me that he had been having feelings for me, but that didn’t surprise me as I had also started having feelings for him. It’s pretty amazing. I’m so happy.”
“I was attracted by her personality and charm. She is so special and a wonderful person,” Noun said of his fiancée. “To be honest, I’ve always played hard to get with girls until I met Maria. It was like something hit me on the head!”
The couple believe that their engagement has brought “something positive to this massive group of heartbroken families” who have suffered similar losses.
“They were genuinely happy for us, probably more than our parents,” said Noun. “The news of our engagement spread like wildfire among them, and they rushed to congratulate us.”
Fares said the pair are convinced their siblings would bless their love story “and are happy for us.” She added: “We both believe that had we not been meant for each other then things wouldn’t have progressed so smoothly.”
The couple revealed that the proposal took place in Noun’s home village, Mechmech, situated in the mountains 62 kilometers away from Beirut, and they plan to get married next summer. They hope to have children and intend to name them after their late siblings, they added.

Couple whose siblings died in Beirut blast turn tragedy into romance