Beyond Desire

8-A spitting image of a man whom Juliet would have gone for instead of Romeo.

Let's get something very clear, I've officially developed a cannibalistic hatred for anything blue and the male figure sitting across the table has everything to do with it.  My heart hammered in my chest as I struggled to find a convenient way to respond.

"Excuse me!?" I ended up snapping after a long second of just staring, in utter disbelief.

"Who does he even think he is?"

"Did I stutter? Or are you just slow with everything?" He posed, his demeanor stoic.

Everything he let out had its way of striking straight into my heart. In an agonizing way if you are wondering. I wasn't just frustrated, I was enraged!

"Or maybe I am giving you a chance to rephrase your words, perhaps you would like to talk with some respect you know...." I glared, wishing I could set him ablaze with the intensity of my gaze, but he didn't so much as glance my way.

"That's an interesting viewpoint, I might consider it" He didn't look away from his phone or even bat an eyelash. The words simply rolled off his tongue with such ease you had think they had been in-built right there from the very beginning of his existence.

Crossing my arms, I scowled at him some more, suppressing the sudden urge to slam my hands on the dining suite just to gain his attention. He was completely engrossed in whatever that phone had to offer and called me narcissistic, but I am accustomed to being the center of attention wherever I go. This little exception is all but pushing me off the edge.

"Um...by all means do. Now if you will excuse me." I have had enough of his attitude to last me a lifetime and some so I got to my feet and readied myself to amble away from him.

For someone who was playing busy, my deliberate movement seemed to catch his attention fast as he cast a lazy glance my way. "Do you mind calling my mother?" He then shifted his gaze away from me to his wrist, checking the time.

"Ah.....I do" I smiled bitterly and nodded. "And actually, I won't"

He raised an eyebrow, a whiff of amusement dancing in his eyes. "I presume it would be.......unfortunate if certain details regarding your driving abilities were to become public knowledge. The choice, of course, is yours"

I opened my mouth to respond but closed it back up again, repeated the motion a couple of times not knowing exactly what to say. I have never been humiliated to the point of speechlessness.

Just as he was about to respond with Who knew what, Mahir and Miryam strolled into the dining vicinity, their timing eerily perfect.

"I thought you left without me" Oblivious of the tension, Miryam giddily uttered to her brother who continued to stare at me, unfazed.

"On the verge of. Get Ummi, I don't have all day" He was still staring, at me!

As if on cue, the two women strolled down the stairs, conversing freely about Mama's new investment in the real estate market.

I shifted my gaze away from him, not sure what the staring contest had turned into. I felt weak on my knees, my palms sweaty all of a sudden. I attempted to smile, but it wasn't as easy when he never stopped staring at me and all I could manage was an awkward grimace.

I didn't miss how the amusement in his gaze twisted into a baffled frown coupled with a slight daze like he was at the brink of asking who I was and what I had done to the immature nincompoop he was conversing with minutes ago. Which only meant one thing, he was staring at me for the first time, with undivided attention.

"Let's go, shall we?" I was so immersed in my thoughts, I didn't even realize our mothers had come to a halt in the dining area. Hajiya Zarah Spoke.

She is Yemeni, that much I found out from my friendly online surveillance last night and her lavishly adorned jilbab just confirms that. The walking treasure trove is someone who would stick in your memory amidst a crowd of thousands, something to do with the sparkling sensation that was her second nature.