MUNA

PART 51: CAN I KISS YOU NOW?

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.

Muna! Muna!! Muna!!

That was all Austin could think about. He wanted to see her before his parent's anniversary party, so he reached out to her, and they agreed to meet at a beach close to Muna's workplace.

Landmark Beach was quite renowned for the many top-tier events that happened there, but its beachside was also a sight to see.

What if he asked her out now? He thought.

Or what if he waited till the party and then asked her out there?

He had always wanted the whole thing to feel special, and based on her social media posts lately, he felt he was in the clear and she was still single.

Well, her Instagram stories.
She rarely posted on the pretentious app.

He still couldn't understand how none of the men in her workplace had interest in her, or better still, it could just be Muna and her high standards.

Or was she gay?

He smiled at the thought. Not that he was homophobic; how could he even be homophobic when he had a queer sibling? It was just that, to him, that was simply impossible.

He had an eye for these traits, and he was very good at differentiating straight from queer.

Plus, he spends a lot of time around queer folks. Literally, every day.

"Do you like this beach?" Muna's voice brought his mind back to the beach.

He looked around and nodded.

"Yeah, I actually think it's chill, especially this time of day. You know, people are not much since it's a working hour." He smiled as he spoke, and she offered a warm smile back.

"I like when you do that," Austin nervously said.

"Do what?" Muna asked.

"Smile."
She shook her head gently and smiled as she looked towards the water.

They were strolling by the beach, sipping coconut water, and after a few minutes of aimless walking, Muna got a work call, and she excused herself.

Austin went to sit on a bench close to a hut, away from the sand, and ordered shawarma for two of them.

He started eating his immediately but soon noticed it was really piquant, so he ordered a pack of Chivita orange juice, something he knew Muna loved.

As he ate, he watched Muna as she chatted inaudibly into her phone while pacing by the beachside. He thought she looked like a fallen angel.

Muna headed back to him when she was done with the call and sat across from him.

"What was the call about? If you don't mind me asking." Austin asked her while handing her the shawarma he bought for her.

Then he poured some orange juice into the glass cup he was given and watched her plug in her phone to her power bank as she settled down.

"It was just work stuff, jare." She sighed after she said it.

Making it quite obvious that she would be leaving soon and she didn't really want to.

"I'm needed back at the office."

They talked about random stuff, and after a while it got really quiet.

They just gazed into the horizon far ahead in the distance and basked in the aura of nature around the beach.

Muna was randomly thinking of her last moments with Audrina, and she imagined them both walking by the beachside, talking, chasing each other, and even making out.

"Can I kiss you now?" Muna heard and immediately nodded her head yes, her thoughts filled with Audrina's voice and smiles.

Austin wasted no time and leaned towards her face and kissed her. He kissed Muna.

At the connection of their lips, Muna snapped back to reality and jumped out of her seat.

It was like she woke up from a maladaptive daydream.

"Austin! What the fuck?"

Austin was startled at her reaction and got up too, throwing his arms in the air like he didn't understand what she was upset about.

"What?" He looked so cute when he was confused and alarmed at the same time.

She wasn't going to focus on that now.

"Did my breath stink or something? I'm sorry; I just didn't want you to change your mind."

Austin apologised and walked towards her, contemplating what to do with his hand.

"Change my mind? What are you talking about? Why did you kiss me?" She was raising her voice and rubbing her lips while staring at Austin's confused face, which looked like he didn't understand what she was going off about.

"Can you answer me, please? Why did you kiss me?" She asked again.

"You could've at least asked me first, don't you think?" 

Dude was still confused but didn't want to say the wrong thing, but his expression was very apologetic.

"Muna, you did say yes when I asked you, you know."

Muna's eyes widened because she now realised what he had just said was, in fact, the truth.

She stopped scrubbing her lips and replaced the irritated and upset look on her face with an apologetic one.

"I'm sorry. I remember now that you asked, and I was far off in my thoughts when I gave my consent."

She came back to where they were sitting earlier, and he walked by her side and waited for her to sit before he did. One question on his mind the whole time.

He waited and watched as she took a little bite into her shawarma and dropped it down, then reached for a serviette to wipe the side of her lips.

"Muna, you said you were in your thoughts when you obliged, right?"

Muna took a sip from her juice, which was halfway gone now, and looked up at him when she dropped her glass.

"Yeah, I was. Why?"

"Well, could you tell me who it was that you were thinking of?"

His voice sounded expectant, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer to that question, but the expression on her face made him more interested.

"Ohh, it was just a weird romcom I watched last night. It had the goofiest make-out scenes ever." She lied.

Austin let out a soft laugh and leaned back in his chair. He shook his head and took a glance at his Patek Philippe wristwatch.

"You're really something." He said.

She hoped he wouldn't ask more questions about what just happened and continued eating her shawarma, filling up her mouth with just enough to prevent her from being able to answer any further questions.

Austin took the cue and left the matter to bed.

"We should start heading home. Let me order a ride sef," he said.

Muna smiled but quickly reached for her juice so she could hide behind it because it wasn't a genuine smile.

They left the beach, and she went back to work, her colleagues stretching their ears from their various offices to hear her conversation with her closest friend at the office as she told her about her mini date.

She had never lied to Austin before. She had never really seen the essence of lying, especially as a grown-up. I mean, what more could anyone do?

It's not like they can beat you or something. Now, she felt a bit distraught at the thought of his facial expression. She shouldn't have made him feel like he repulsed her.

All she knew was that the line between worship and destruction was just the right amount of pressure on the throat. On her throat. Whenever she thought of Audrina.

There and then, it hit her. She's a finished woman.