My brows furrowed in concentration as I tried not to step on the lines between each block of concrete.
On a day as beautiful as this one, one would expect an individual to be outdoors, just like the rest of my friends were. I would've been outdoors too- but then, my eyes that were glued to the plate of pasta a couple of seconds ago fluttered, and my cheeks flushed as they caught Ismail walking towards the table we were sitting at.
You're such a coward.
Growling internally, my spine straightened as he smiled as if it was the most beautiful day of his life and sat down.
On the chair next to me.
Holy sugar crumbs and pies.
"Hey guys"
My fingers move on their own accord and I untucked the pieces of hair from the back of my ear.
Just as I pick the plastic spoon up, his gaze moves towards me and he smiles.
With as much enthusiasm I can, I smile back and my brain screams.
"How's it going, Maria?" He leans onto the table and the gap between his hand and mine closes, the hair on the back of his hand tickling the skin on mine.
With a shaky breath, I move my hand away towards the spoon again and gulp down a mouthful of mushy pasta without thinking about the sneer my conscious was throwing at me for moving my hand.
What did he ever do to you?
"It's going great! Just focused on getting through the semester these days. What about you?" I roll my eyes playfully and sip Coke, the liquid burning down the lying words that just came out of my mouth.
It seemed as though my enthusiasm caught him off guard; his eyes widened for a fraction of a second and the corners of the left side of his mouth twitched- something I learned happened when he was nervous.
My brain danced at this.
He smiled and bit his lip, eyes turning to look at something behind me before looking into my own.
His eyes.
"Me too. Although, I will admit I was worried about you." Leaning back into the table, his hand laid sideways this time, the skin touching mine.
My eyes looked downwards before looking into his-ignoring the squealing sounds my subconscious was making.
"Why?" I laughed and shifted my leg- an action he caught and leaned in further.
"You've been quite distant lately. I mean- we used to hang out a lot and now you're always working or running around. Is it because of something I did that upset you?"
His eyes showed concern, so my gaze flickered towards his lips, they weren't quirked at the side.
See.
I gulped, "It's not because of you. Honestly, I've just been trying to push everything into these projects so I can get a good grade. Warna you know I enjoy our debates." I smile.
Oh, so you can smile?
He laughs and I push my conscious to the side and lean in.
"Thank goodness it's not because of me. I was really worried." He shook his head and then looked down, his cheeks now flushed with color.
"Nah, you have nothing to be worried about."
His gaze turns to me and I push back the voice cooing over his cheeks.
"So, I was wondering if you'd like to go to this conference on Saturday. It's for a writing event coming up soon and I thought you'd enjoy it."
He scratches the back of his neck and the wheels start turning in my head.
"Sure, I- "
"Hi, guys!" A pitched voice chirps in.
Kill me.
Immediately, Ismail leans back into his chair, his eyes darkening in the process.
His hand moving closer to mine.
Visibly gulping, my gaze meets a pair of deceiving green ones.
"Hey Noor", I croak out.
Before Ismail can speak up, she plops herself down onto a chair right next to him and drags the chair closer to his, the action causing him to flinch and look towards me nervously.
"I- ", he starts, but I cut him off.
I have my limits.
"Well, it was nice catching up with you Ismail.
I'll see you later." My eyes turn to his and I shake my head. This causes Noor to raise an eyebrow, leaning into Ismail with a smirk plastered on her angel like features.
"Yeah, I'll see you later." He waves with his pinky tucked under his thumb and I nod, turning to leave.
This time, I didn't shut my conscious out as Noor's hand trailed over Ismail's knee, the way
sweat trickled down the side of his face-or how numb my back was from the air conditioner.
Feminity was a cover-up,
even though no one could see,
the treacherous teeth sinking in, the flesh of the gender known as 'he'.
The striped white suit,
And the stunning smile,
Was all we remember,
The light and her mother,
The way they made either gender tremble.
YOU ARE READING
Intrinsic
Short Story"So, I was wondering if you'd like to go to this conference on Saturday. It's for a writing event coming up soon and I thought you'd enjoy it." He scratches the back of his neck and the wheels start turning in my head. "Sure, I- " "Hi, guys!" A pitc...
