Park and Ani

Get to stepping

According to Blake, Imani has been crashing at her place for about two weeks and doesn't show any sign that she's going home soon. Which probably isn't a good idea for her to do considering graduation is next week. 

Her family has been worried to the bone, scared that their daughter might never come home so long as her brother is now there. And much like her family, we've all been concerned over the same thing. Even at the several group hang outs we've had, due to everyone exempting our finals and being free from the beast called high school early, she's not been her usual quirky self. 

To the untrained eye she seems completely fine, but to a group of friends- and a boyfriend that spent the majority of his junior year staring at her from across the hall- that have known her all of high school. It's crystal clear that she's not okay. 

Her eyebrows are in a permanent furrow, her smile no longer reaches her eyes, and the bags under her eyes could carry a dog. Altogether, she's as knocked off her game than anyone I've ever seen, and that in itself is scary. 

Imani has never been off her game. 

Even Blake admitted that the last time Imani was ever this bad was the year of her accident. Which, to anyone with any kind of soul, is typical. I would think that if I went through a traumatic experience like that I'd probably be completely shattered for a while too. 

And because it's Imani, she holds every single last drop of her turmoil inside, rarely letting anyone see it. The one time I did see part of her inner struggles was when her brother first showed face the the school, and the sight of her crumbling right before me was enough to break the heart of anyone who saw her. 

We all know she's hurting, but no one- not even Blake- was aware of how much. 

*********************************

Walking into Mitch's I immediately find Imani sitting in a booth near the back corner, her favorite spot, and make my way over to her. She doesn't even notice me there when I first walk up, head resting in the palm of her hand while the other spins her phone in countless circles on the table. 

She's beyond tired. That much is clear from the dark circles under her eyes and her unfocused gaze across the table. 

"Mani," at my touch she jumped a bit in her seat, finally seeming to come back to Earth. 

Blinking a few times I watch as she tries to put up her typical 'everything is just fine' front. Sighing through my nose, I settle across from her in the both grabbing her outstretched hands toying with her slender fingers. 

"Hey Park. Didn't even see you walk in," her smile barely meets her eyes and the twinkle that usually comes along with her smile is no where to be seen. 

She's faking and she knows that I see right through it which is probably what prompted her next move. 

Sighing, she pull her hands out from mine before toying with the ends of her coils. Eyes darting around before finally settling on me. 

Not even needing a word from her, I switch over to her side of the booth, pulling her into my side. Almost instantly she nuzzles into my side, a breath of relief falling from her lips. 

She knows what I want to ask, and I know that she'll open up when she's ready. Chasing after someone so private for almost a year can make it pretty easy to develop amazing patience. She toys with the end of my jacket for a few minutes before she shifts and that shift alone was her cue that she's okay with answering questions now. 

"You know me way to well Park. It's almost scary," she chuckles, smiling slightly when I kiss the top of her head. 

"When are you going to go back home Mani?"