Occhiolism (#2 in the Hajar Series) [ON HOLD]

thirteen

chapter thirteen - decisions, decisions, decisions

song of the chapter: amber olivier - one unread

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FARAH DIDN'T REALIZE how long she'd been sitting there, feeling sorry for herself and others until she heard a knock on the door she'd been resting her head on. The vibrating sound of knuckles rapping on the wood irritated her newfound migraine, a pain so sharp that it made her wince. "Occupied," her voice rang through the empty bathroom, her tone audibly cracking. She definitely sounded stuffy from the crying, "just give me a second, I'll be right out."

She placed her palms on the cold floor, pushing herself up shakily. Feet tapping on the floor as she rushed over to the sink, her hand quivering as she pulled the handle of the tap up and to the left, letting the cold, clear liquid wet the porcelain basin. Cupping her hands under the flowing water, she allowed her palms to fill with it before bringing her face down, rubbing the water on her relatively makeup-free skin. Eager to get rid of the puffiness beneath her eyes, she pressed the pads of her index finger on the skin, praying that the coolness would take the swelling down.

After drying her hands and face with paper towels, she adjusted her clothes and hair, dissatisfied that the water hadn't done much, and walked towards the door. Farah inhaled and exhaled before her fingers wrapped around the lock, turning it and pushing it open. She didn't see him immediately-- her cousin sat on the floor on the left side of the door, almost out of sight, but when she did, she felt nervous. She had just been reunited with him today and he was already seeing the hot mess her life was.

Younes looked strange sitting down in such a way-- almost child-like. He had his knees pulled to his chest, just as his cousin had when he knocked on the door, his long legs looking out of place. He looked like a giant, crouched up in such a way, but he seemed comfortable. He had a smile on his face, but it quickly faded when he saw how red her eyes were.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Farah held her hand up to silence him. Instead, she walked around him and sat right next to him, mimicking his sitting position. "Why aren't you in the meeting?" She asked, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of them, she didn't dare to make eye contact.

"You were gone for quite a bit, I figured something was wrong. Well--" he paused for a second, "so did Alpha Israfil, I practically had to fight him on who was going to check up on you."

She raised her eyebrow, the arch becoming more prominent. "Well, how'd you beat him here?" She sounded hollow and emotionless.

"Alpha Mitropoulos held him back and I slipped out of the room," he intended to sound light and humorous, but his cousin didn't crack a smile. She looked unimpressed, heedless, even. "It's not your fault," He said suddenly, and when he saw her eyes momentarily flicker to him through her peripheral, he continued. "None of this is your fault, you know that right?"