Next Door || HAMZAH THE FANTSATIC

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏𝟖

Y/N

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 0:18

I want to ask him to hang out—casually, effortlessly, like it's no big deal. I'm not even sure where'd we go, just apart of me doesn't want to go home, not yet.

No specific place, no real reason—just us. Is that strange? Would he think it's strange? It doesn't have to be a big deal.

It's not like I'm asking him out on a date or anything.

Still, I can't help but feel a little nervous. What if he says no? Or worse, what if he says yes and I have no idea what to do next?

I push my thoughts aside and quickly perk up before he can even get a word out,

"Are you doing anything right now?" I try to sound casual, maybe even confident, but my voice wavers just enough to betray me. He glances over at me, his expression caught somewhere between surprised and... something else. Was my question really that strange?

"I mean, after you drop me off," I add quickly, laughing a little to ease the awkwardness. He seems to snap out of it, straightening in his seat like he's trying to regain himself.

"Oh uhm no," He replies but his expression seems like he wants to add on.

"Okay then, let's go do something?" I say, though it comes out more like a question than I intended.

Hamzah blinks at me, his hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel. He looks... surprised? Almost like I've thrown him off his game.

"Uh... yeah, sure," he says after a moment, his voice a little higher-pitched than usual. He clears his throat quickly, glancing at me before focusing back on the road. "What... uh, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Whatever you feel like doing?"

He glances over at me again, and I notice the corner of his mouth twitch, like he's trying not to smile. "You're the one who suggested it," he says, a teasing edge creeping into his tone.

"Okay, fine, just say you don't want to go," I huff, letting out an exaggerated sigh. He immediately shakes his head.

"No, no," he says quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. His voice is unusually soft, almost like he's trying to tread carefully. "Actually, uh... I was gonna say—what about an arcade?"

I blink, caught off guard for a second. "An arcade?"

"Yeah," he nods, his tone gaining a bit more confidence. "It's not too far, and it could be fun." I can't help but smile a little at the suggestion but I'm also not sure how he just randomly thought of going to an arcade.

"I'll try to win you a big bear," I say with a faint smirk.

Hamzah chuckles, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as he glances over at me for a brief second. "Your aiming high,"

"What's the point of going if I don't win something?" I shoot back.

"You're probably one of those people who only plays the games their good at and ignores the claw machines," I add on.

He raises an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Claw machines are rigged. Everyone knows that."

"That's just what people say when they're bad at them," I joke, my tone light He gives me a small teasing glance before focusing back on the road, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"So you just win every claw machine game?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Depends how I feel that day," I say with a casual shrug, a playful grin tugging at my lips.