amsterdam ( central cee )

14

Round brown eyes meet mine, and his stretches wider when he realizes who I am.

"Hanne?"

"Hey!" His eyes light up and he drags his face mask down.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Bushybrow says after taking me in a hug, I hug him back while Cench climbs into the van.

"I know." I roll my eyes sarcastically. "But that's not my fault."

"Are you staying?" He asks, his eyes glimmering with almost a child-like hope.

"No-..." Cench's hand falls on Bushybrow's shoulder and he ushers him to the van beside us.

"You go and sit with Walid," Cench says. "Hanne and I needa talk."

His round eyes shift from his brother to mine with a look that reads confusion. "Whatever." He sighs and walks away from us. Before I could protest, fingers curl around my wrist and drag me into the van. I make a sound of protest but it's nearly inaudible, a weak comparison with the sound of the van door slamming shut. He sits right the opposite of me. I adjust myself and lean back, looking at him with watery eyes.

Tension bracketed his mouth when silence falls. I hear his friends speaking outside, laughing. I wonder if they know I'm in here. I turn around, no one is sitting behind the wheel. Just us.

"Wagwan? You smell like weed." He noted.

I smelled my own jacket and he didn't lie. "I had to... clear my head." I can't bear to look at him but I do so anyways. He nods as if he understands and silence falls again.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He regurgitates his question. 

"Amsterdam is my city, I belong here. So you first," I say looking at my nails, or anything to avoid the stare of his eyes. 

"It was supposed to be a signing for my new album but as you can see it was a fail, police said we were causing disruption and had to leave immediately."

"I saw... I'm just in town for my grandmother's birthday. I'm actually planning to move back so I was kinda looking for apartments as well."

Something changes in his expression. "Why?"

"I'm sick of the UK, Cench. I just wanna be close to my own friends and family and school is getting harder and shit... It's easier if I just come back to Amsterdam."

His facial features read total disagreement but I don't respond to it, I guess we're not here to talk about my future.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I'm smart like that." He raised a brow. "'Nd I was looking out the window... You're kinda unmissable, ya know? Ya hair 'nd stuff, it stands out in a crowd. Did you want your album signed?" he grins like he's funny.

I raise a brow. "Why would I?"

"You were there weren't you?"

"Yeah, not for you!"

"Whatever Hanne," he shrugs.

I roll my eyes at him and I earn his chuckle. Silence ghosts between us but I know the words are collecting on his tongue. I watch him, hating the way he sat as if completely at ease, it raised the tiny hairs all over my body.

"What is this?" I asked, hoping my voice sounded steadier than it felt. It didn't. He takes a second to process my question.

"I know you think I did you dirty. And I understand why you're mad at me," he continued. "All I'm asking is that you listen to what I have to say." I forced myself to nod.