Past Present Future [BL - SaifahZon]

Chapter 15

p r e s e n t

Zon knocked on the door of the art room and peeked inside. Along with Pear, he had just returned from the bakery across the street, clutching two bags of pastry. Although it was Pear's idea to bring something back for Saifah, Zon was the one who had ended up as the delivery boy.

Typical.

Dangling the bags over the threshold, he brought Saifah's attention to himself. "May I disturb you for a bit?" he asked, seeing him scribbling something with intent.

But as soon as Zon appeared in the picture, the papers became forgotten. "Of course." Saifah's smile brightened at his sight in an instant, now shining with the strength of a thousand Watts, pen down.

Strangely, it didn't make Zon feel awkward. On the contrary, the crow's feet around Saifah's eyes found a reflection in his own dimples. In full honesty, he saw that whole food thing as a great excuse. They didn't often get the opportunity to be alone, just the two of them, and no matter how much Zon wished to feel differently, he sought those rare moments with a thrill.

"Pear and I were at that new bakery," he explained, sitting down and handing Saifah his pastry. "She thought you might like to try something too."

"Sweet!" He took a deep sniff, his eyes shining. "I was actually getting hungry! Thanks!"

"It's...It's a coconut turnover." Zon scratched his neck, suddenly feeling weird. "She wanted to choose something savoury, but I thought that...I'm not sure if I should've, but—"

"It's perfect, Zon," Saifah cut in. "Thanks."

Their eyes crossed. Zon felt his emotions stirring up, rushing through his veins. It was a risky choice; of course, it was. There was no guarantee that after all those years it was still Saifah's favourite; plus, he would likely have been fine with whatever Pear chose as well. Yet, as they kept their eyes locked, his anxiety winded down. The joy in Saifah's expression was more than self-explanatory—the coconut turnover was a jackpot.

With a smile, he turned away, his gaze sweeping over the table. There were three types of paper, crayons and pencils—those slightly expensive ones, the name he could not pronounce—and all kinds of paint; everything set in neatly organized piles, as if for a display rather than for use.

"So...how're you?" he asked casually, reaching for a blank sheet of paper and some markers. They might have not been there to be used, but they definitely wanted to be tried out. No questions asked.

Saifah bit into his pastry, sighing. "Planning the next theme for my classes. I'm almost done, though. But Day just texted me he has a date tomorrow, and we were supposed to repaint my bedroom. He really is useless, isn't he?"

"You bet," Zon scoffed. He squinted and winced at the effect of his few strokes on the paper. Why did his letters look so ugly? "But if you want, I can help you," he said, reaching for crayons.

"For real?"

"Yeah, why not? We're friends, right? Friends help each other."

"I guess." Saifah wiped the crumbs off of his face and smiled. There was a weird tension in his eyebrows, a twitch as if Zon's offer surprised him, but he didn't say anything. Just nodded.

And Zon was more than happy to prove his friendship and maintain their status. Another unexpected opportunity, and here he was.

"Are you still playing the guitar?" he asked, noticing one in the room's corner. "I mean...I know you do, but..."

Saifah chuckled, glancing over the direction as well. "I'm a bit rusty, not gonna lie. There's not that many occasions to use it, y'know?"

"Well, you can play it for me if you want."