Newton's Law of Attraction

𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘵𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵

"Any particle of matter in the universe attracts any other with a force varying directly as the product of the masses and inversely as the square of the distance between them."

Huda Sir continued to drone on. Nehal was pretty sure no one gave a shit about Astrophysics, well, except for the ones who could understand it anyway, like Ratib. Which reminds him, he should ask Ratib for notes later.

He was too busy thinking about more important things. Like his girlfriend. Specifically, his straining relationship with her. They celebrated 11 months earlier this February, but it didn't feel as right as it used to. There was a sore lack of real love present in their dates now that almost a year had passed. He wasn't surprised, he supposed. It's highschool. With O-levels in two months any respectable student would prioritize studies over relationships. Too bad he wasn't a respectable student. His stomach churns uncomfortably when he realizes that his girlfriend doesn't cross his mind. Every time the subject of love is involved, the first to always cross his mind,

Enacaus.

The halal Andrew Tate fan and every teacher's beloathed. A best friend. A crush.

He never imagined he'd develop feelings for the class clown, I mean, They are close yes but he's not homo or anything it's not like he actually thinks of being encased in his friends massive arms and burying his face in his warmth. It's not anything gay like that. That's haram, and Enacaus is halal in every possible way.

But... It's like a bug digging itself in his chest, like his heart trying its best to twist his insides and escape its bloody confines through his ribs. He knows he is unloyal whilst wearing the gifts his girlfriend gave him, while remembering the flowers pressed neatly in his books, gracefully withering.

"Nehal, are you good?" He's snapped out of his stupor with a mention of his name. He sits up with a start, licking his chapped lips. 'Shit.' He thinks again, 'Did I do something?' A bead of sweat falls down his neck, cooling in the chilly AC air and sending shivers down his spine. He panics. "Yes-no, NO."

The teacher laughs, and the students follow. He moves on, "Enacaus, are you good?" Nehal chews on his bottom lip. He does not want another punishment. "Of course." The man himself replies, an anura of smugness emanating from him. Wow, his charm is unending. The teacher winces, wishing for a more intense reaction. Then in a stern voice he demands, "Nehal and Enacaus stand up."

He complies, so does Enacaus, though clearly Nehal is visibly more nervous than the other.

"Turn the other way." Huda sir says. Enacaus starts to protest against it, and a smidgen of self-consciousness sows itself into his brain. Enacaus eventually turns the other way to face Nehal upon sufficient amounts of threats from Huda Sir and they stand face-to-face, waiting for whatever the teacher may ask for, both growing fidgety as a grin no short of malice shows up on the teacher's face. Huda sir faces his students, "Ok I have one single question to ask you guys," He pauses for dramatic effect. Nehal's entire body tingles from his hair to his fingertips. He gulps.

"Are you guys attracted to each other?"

Immediately Nehal's heart stops from its attempts at escape. Instead it does the very opposite and freezes up like a deer in headlights and for the love of god he cannot move. The two hemispheres of his brain are currently brawling in the hollow caverns of his head, one desperately denying any lingering affection despite the question not even being relevant to it, whilst the other chants 'YES YES PLEASE YES'.

Safe to say, Nehal was having a hard time.

The others surely must've noticed. He can hear giggling all around him, even the teacher is waiting intently, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. Nehal can feel his face heating up so much he's almost expecting his glasses to fog up at this point. Enacaus the mad man says, without a hint of hesitation, "Yes."

Nehal dies.

'WHAT DOES HE MEAN?!? IS- IS HE BEING FOR REAL RIGHT NOW... does he... really think that?' An understandable reaction on his part really. He denies once, twice and thrice. Out loud and internally, brings his heart out of his ribs and yells at it to shut the fuck up and shove it back in the bloody mess of organs that refuse to beat for his girlfriend yet keep circulating for a man who will never even glance at him the way he stares at him all day.

Despite the teacher's words bringing his delusions back to reality, despite this being only a rhetorical physics question stated such that it sounded different, it didn't feel like it. It felt like he knew, it felt like he knew that Nehal knew, that even Enacaus knew and the only thing left was for them to just admit it to each other.

He doesn't realize when the whole debacle ends or when he sits down or even when the teacher announces a prayer break. Not until Enacaus, that damn Enacaus breaks him out of his stupor. Better than his girlfriend ever could, who would have to nudge him hard after multiple minutes of no response just to receive a semiconscious "hmm" as a reply.

Enacaus drags him out to the prayer, but instead of the usual place he takes him upstairs, and even more upstairs, until the dark sky of the roof greets them. There's strangely no one there, not that strange now that he thinks about it, after all it was 6:00PM, a perfect time for classes.

Room 501 is a room typically reserved for mocks, as such, it is not in use. It's dark. It has no windows. Nehal is confused. Enacaus has not said a single thing the whole time.

Nehal can't help but think of things he shouldn't when Enacaus faces him.

He shouldn't. Stop. Stop. Don't think about it. Not as Enacaus comes closer. Not he places his hands on Nehal's shoulder. Not as Nehal's heart does its best to break through his chest.

"W-What are you doin her-mhp!!"

Enacaus was always somewhat of a madman.

Enacaus was always somewhat of a man Nehal wanted to spend his entire life with.

Enacaus was always the man he would think of when he kissed his girlfriend.

But now, it's the real deal. It's a reality, not a fantasy when their lips press against each other fervently. The grip on his shoulders tensing to the point he's sure to have marks later.

And just like that, it's over. It's all but 15 seconds of the most tense action in both of their lives and it's over before either can't process anything. Enacaus pulls back, panting like he ran a marathon, waiting, waiting for just one positive response, please but Nehal can't. He can't.

It feels wrong but so right. He has a girlfriend. A girlfriend. They celebrated just a few days ago he can't-!

He takes off running. Astrophysics be damned, he sure needs some space and time.