Khadijah ✔️

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Luke glanced at his wristwatch for the fifth time in the last three minutes. It gave him an odd feeling that he was bored in a Literature class.

He would sneak glances at Khadijah who sat next to him, listening attentively. The moment he saw her with the scarf over her head, he felt like he has been tongue tied.

He was so shocked when he saw her, that he said the first thing that came to mind. He told her she looked beautiful. Her eyes widened as soon as the words slipped from his lips.

Khadijah blushed and she tugged on the hem of the soft fabric. He couldn't help the smile that made its way on his lips.

He looked away from her, fearing that she might notice his eyes on her.

Class ended sooner than the teacher hoped, causing him to sigh. The textbook made a loud thug as it was closed.

Khadijah was the first one to race out of the classroom and involuntarily, Luke caught himself following her.

He saw her walk into the girl's bathroom as he headed for his locker. He put back his textbook and took out his chemistry notebook.

"Hey, Luke. Have you seen Khadijah?" Louisa asked him.

He turned to her nodding, "yeah I did. We just had Literature class."

"Did she... did she actually put it on?" Louisa asked him, slowly.

He nodded once again. "She did."

"And... how does she look like?"

He smiled. "She... she looks beautiful, Lou. I know a lot of people are against her. But... she really does."

His sister smiled softly at him, pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad you think so. But this... is sort of impossible to fulfill."

Luke sighed. As much as he wanted to object to his sister's statement, he couldn't. He didn't have the argument to fight back. It was impossible.

Even if it was possible, they were not some kind of Romeo and Juliet. They were just two teenagers who happen to cross paths. But there was still hope within him wishing that it could happen. 

Maybe it was the urge to see where it was going. Or it might have been the tingles in his stomach that shouted 'she's the one.' Nevertheless, how can the person for you, be the same person that is least attainable?

He shook away the feeling as he excused himself and headed for his chemistry before the class started.

"Today, I need groups of three for the experiment. As soon as your groups are formed, follow the procedures in the sheet," the teacher told them.

Luke got up from his seat and looked around to find partners. He ended pairing up with Greg and a girl named Stella. Even though they got the assignment on time, Luke couldn't shake the image of Khadijah with the scarf over his head out of his head.

Luke was naturally a very conflicted person. But for the first time in a very long period, he didn't feel that way. He didn't think of Khadijah being veiled a bad thing. It was the opposite. He found it as a sign of maturity, independence, strength, and beauty.

And at this point, he started to doubt his definition of what beauty was really about.