Mikaal

26: Mikaal

'This feels too weird...' Dalia thought to herself, Mikaal still clutching her hand, pulling her along as they weaved through the same jarrah trees, the scent of moist bark and leaves wafting up to their noses. But their eyes were fixed on the floor this time, scanning the ground for a sign of Dalia's lost keys, that were bound to a black leather keychain with the Mitsubishi logo.

No longer able to bear the irregular rhythm of her heart at Mikaal's touch, Dalia pretended to have an itch on her forehead, pulling her hand out of Mikaal's grasp, hoping he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. 'Hang on, why should I be the one justifying reclaiming my hand? We're not even a couple! How did he manage to make me feel guilty about this?!'

However, it appeared that Mikaal liked to disappoint if there was an opportunity to tease her, abruptly swivelling around to face her, his eyes daring as he asked, "What's wrong?"

Dalia didn't answer immediately, contemplating the approach to take - should she go on the defensive and persist that her forehead was just itchy? Should she play dumb and ask what he means? Or should she mimic him... Considering options one and two hadn't worked for her so far, she decided to elect option three.

"You know what's wrong," Dalia said matter-of-factually.

Mikaal laughed, before a look of admiration passed through his eyes.

Dalia averted her gaze, partly to continue the search for her own peace of mind, but also partly to remind Mikaal of the purpose of their second trip through the Bibbulman Track hiking trail.

Nonetheless, it was ironic how looking down caused her to notice different things - it was almost like walking a completely new trail. There was the contrast between the green shrubs and the brown dirt path. There were native Australian plants Dalia had missed the first time, such as the Kangaroo Paw - a wildflower that had a red stem and green tips in the shape of the paws of a kangaroo. There was also a plant that looked like a green porcupine, with its petrol-green spikes coming out of a short, black stump - a shrub known as the 'Balga grass plant', where 'balga' was an Aboriginal word for 'black boy' that the plant was known by more colloquially. It was also fascinating how the colour of the earth beneath their feet changed to a shade of orange as they progressed out into the drier parts of the track.

Shortly into their journey, a rumble could be heard from the sky. They both slowed their steps and looked up to find that the silver clouds they had taken photos of earlier had turned darker in colour, collecting into a formidable mass.

"Ugh, looks like it might rain..." Dalia said, rubbing the sleeves of her bright red, cotton sports jacket, becoming conscious of the chill in the air.

"My jacket's water resistant and has a hood," Mikaal said, "You can use it if it does."

"But what about you?"

Mikaal shrugged. "I'm a guy; we aren't afraid of a little water."

Dalia rolled her eyes. "It's not about being afraid of the rain or not. It's about getting sick and having a crappy uni break stuck in bed."

"I don't mind getting sick if you'll look after me," Mikaal said, a smirk on his face.

Dalia let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head, ignoring his comment, returning her eyes to the ground.

"Oh," Mikaal suddenly said a moment later, "I see something shiny over there!"

They both quickened their pace and moved closer to the light-reflecting object that appeared to be wedged between a collection of rocks the size of bowling balls and some green shrubs - only to realise it was a false alarm, just an empty soft drink can.