Plot Twist

I am not a very social guy and though I maintain cordial relationships with my neighbors, I don't interact with them much.

All but one. Faraz.

He is around 40 years old and is a foreigner. He visits often and is a really cool guy to hangout with, especially because of his sense of humor.

He laughs on my joke that no one else ever laughs at, like the time when I went to the Disneyland with my girlfriend and she vomited all over my new Denim jeans in a rollercoaster ride. As payback, I drove her 2 miles away from her home and left her, roadside in the dark.

She had to spend the night in a barn, which, first of all, I didn't know was there and second, I thought she would find her way back on Google Maps or call an Uber or something but she forgot her phone on the car seat and it was locked in my garage for that night and the day next.

Though it wasn't enough to get her to break us up. And I can't do it either. Otherwise I won't get the sympathy card. Therefore, we're still together.

Anyway, the point is Faraz didn't think I was mean or anything. He thought of it as so hilarious that he downed 2 whole bottles of beer to control the violent laughter.
And to think he doesn't drink alcohol.

And that is the reason why I like this guy. I like this guy so much. He is new to this neighborhood having only temporarily shifted here recently.

He had only rented the house and stays here for 3 or 4 days in a week.
I stay alone despite being a high schooler. Faraz comes to my home, just as soon as I return from school and he somehow always brings one of my favorite dishes for lunch. How he figured out that I love stuffed potatoes, I have no idea.

We always talk and though I never think of myself as socially capable, I find it really weird that I don't feel weird while sharing a laugh with Faraz. And he, always, like a proper gentleman, listens to me with perfect concentration. He even helps me solve my maths problem. Sometimes when I get stuck in an equation, he sneers as if thinking how stupid I can be. And oddly enough, that motivates me to study maths an hour extra.

Because of him, I didn't fail the surprise test last week.

Those are the reasons why I feel so affectionate towards him. That is why, tonight, I am going to propose to him to get in a relationship with me.

It would be the rooftop of my two storey building. Though it is not a proper two storied height (because I couldn't afford a good building having half spent the money on porn and pizza), it still befits the description of a haven of romance when I decorate it with candles, roses and wine, and lay red cards in the centre to make a big heart on the shining white marble.

I feel confident about doing this. The setting is great. The two of us clearly have the same taste as if our traits were photocopied. I think he likes me as well. Whenever we meet or say goodbye, he always gives an enthusiastic hug or handshake, sometimes a bit too enthusiastic. I think he doesn't realise that he is pretty well built and muscular.

I am almost entirely sure that he is single too. I mean, us...  we are not the kind of people who initially like the idea of being a couple.

I wait for him on the roof and I don't have to keep patience for long. Faraz comes up and he is totally surprised. His eyes dart from the candles on the left and the wine glasses filled to brim, one containing a Hufflepuff ring ( my house), on right and then to me.

He takes three steps;
1.
2.
3.
And stops, finding himself in the centre of the heart.

I stay, near the edge of the roof, on one knee, holding a rose, and I say:
"Would you like to give us a try?"

And a moment later, he replies:
"So let me get this straight. You are proposing to a man two and a half of your age..."

My right brain that controls literary skills pauses functioning and my left brain that solves mathematical problems starts working.

If I am 16 years old and Faraz is 40 years old then twice my age would be 16 multiplied by 2 equalling to 32 and half of my age would be 16 divided be 2 equalling to 8 . So, the sum of two and a half of my age would have to be 32 plus 8 equalling to 40.
Therefore, LHS = RHS.
Hence, proved.

I look up, proudly, like a student about to get the 1st prize, in front of his crush, expecting that he would be given the mic to say a few words and he would use the opportunity to express his love to the candy of his heart, who also is 2 years senior to him and 3 inches longer than him.

But all I see is Faraz, who had moved closer to me, and is counting notes from his wallet.

And it comes back to me the part that I had missed.

"So, let me get this straight. You are proposing to a man two and a half of your age to cheat on your girlfriend who also happens to be my daughter".

Jaw drops, Eyes pops, I freeze
and Faraz is done counting. He puts the money in my front chest pocket saying "Here's the hospital bill" and promptly pushes me off the roof.

The End.
Sebastiann Da Mahi