Oblivious

2 // Stealing Glances

Mamihlapinatapai
(n.) a look shared between two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something they both desire but are unwilling to begin themselves

-Elora-

It's been two weeks since Elijah joined the school.

Everyday is the same.

We sit on opposite sides of the classroom for form, so I admire him from afar, watching as girls flirt with him, feeing sorry for them when he completely ignores their existence.

I smile at him in the hallways between classes, he ignores me.

I sit on the table next to his at break and lunch. He always sits alone. I always sit alone. We don't make conversation.

Sometimes I wonder if I should try, but every time I open my mouth I wonder if he even knows I'm there. I realise he probably doesn't and I go back to picking at my food, stealing glances at him.

He doesn't glance back.

I smile at him in the hallways between classes again, he continues to ignore me.

I wave goodbye to him at the gates, he doesn't wave back.

I go home. Sleep. Come back and repeat.

Today however is different.

I'm running late to lunch. I stopped at the office to see Miss James. Sitting with Elijah this last two weeks have made me feel like I abandoned her. Which is stupid since I see her every morning when I'm late to school, but still.

Making my way towards the cafeteria I wonder if Elijah has even realised I'm not there, he probably hasn't. The thought doesn't stop my feet from going faster, just incase he had.

Pushing open the doors, I make my way towards my usual table, taking note of how Elijah's head isn't glued to his table like it normally is.

Instead his eye are bouncing round the place, hopping from person to person, never lingering too long. His knee is bouncing more then usual, and his shoulders are more tense.

Is he okay?

He knee stops bouncing when I take a seat at the table next to his, his eyes have stopped roaming too, instead pinned on me with a glare. I smile at him in return.

Ruffling through my bag I look for the packed lunch my mother packed me, when his words break the comfortable silence. "Your late."

I turn my head to face his so fast I'm surprised it didn't come clean off. He's talking, more importantly he noticed I wasn't here. "What?"

Elijah's hardens his glare. "You're always here before me."

He noticed. Smiling the brightest I've ever smiled I have to physically stop myself from doing a little dance of joy. He noticed. "I went to see Miss James." I'm not sure he heard me over the noice of other people talking, but the slow nod of his head tells me he did.

He's still glaring at me, except his stare isn't as hard as before, it's not soft by any means but it's less hard. I'm still smiling at him, waiting for him to say something else, but he doesn't.

He just turns his head and goes back to staring at his table, ear phones in, knee bouncing. The usual routine.

I'm too excited by the fact he talked to me to pay attention to the disappointment that fills me when he doesn't continue the conversation.

Turning back to my food, I steal glances at him for the rest of lunch. More then I usually do, only to find him stealing glances at me too.

❤︎