elena.

eight

Kareem kissed her forehead, but couldn't help but feel guilty doing it. Especially when he knew he had to worry about Cassandra. He knew that if Elena had found out about her, it would break her heart. So he decided to keep his mouth shut. They technically weren't even official yet.
    
All during practice, this dilemma was so overwhelmingly distracting to the point that his coach told him to run around the track a few times to clear his mind. And it worked only a little bit.
    
When coach dismissed the team, Kareem left for home. He starts his homework immediately, knowing he  won't be able to finish his work if he procrastinated. He had trouble concentrating on his work, knowing what he was doing to Elena. He didn't know what to tell Cassandra just yet either.
    
He felt like he had to make up for what he was doing. Like he had to compensate for what Elena would feel if she found out. So he called her. And he asked her out on a date.
   
"You want to go to the Wright Art Museum with me?" She wanted to clarify.
   
"Of course," he said, "And I can take pictures of you enjoying yourself all day. You're probably more beautiful than any of the pieces there, anyway."

"Aww," she cooed over the phone. "How sweet."
    
They ended the call briefly after this. The fact that he would get a chance to spend some time with her leisurely again made the dilemma sit in the back of his mind. Almost made him feel completely better. Almost.
    
When he finally finished his assignments, he took a hot shower, letting the steam rise away with his troubles and alleviate all the pain and tension in his back. After he left the shower, he remembered Elena mention something about exfoliating his skin.
    
To which he told her how it seemed gay. She told him that having clear skin and proper hygiene is not attributed to only those who are gay. And that she would never wanna touch his face again if it was rough as sandpaper. She also told him how offensive it is to distinctively lump all members of the gay community into one category. And that sexuality is a spectrum and there are many different types of gay people just like there's many types of straight people. And lastly, how quick some people are to say something is "gay" because they're not used to it and how they usually say it in a condescending tone to completely shut down someone who is living freely.
    
He thought about how he loved it when his girl showed him affection. She did this thing where she would caress his cheek and talk quietly and slow that he found quite sexy. So he exfoliated. And after he finished, he couldn't stop touching his skin. His skin had never been softer.

He also remembered the small jar of shea butter Elena said to use for his hair and skin. After using it, he felt super moisturized. Elena changed his life. He didn't know it would feel this good to -- feel good.
    
He felt so good that he didn't even take a look at the caller ID when his phone rang.
    
"Hello?" He answered.
    
"When are you going to tell her about me?"
    
Her smooth voice sent shivers down his spine and fear down his body. He immediately hung up.

A/N: y'all probably hate me for this short ass chapter after such a long and unannounced hiatus. also what if i told you that i had a few other chapters that i never posted?? are you seething with anger yet?