Never My Romeo

1

"Guys, hurry up! We're gonna miss the show." I whined from the backseat of my friend Samuel's car. We were on our way to catch the 9 pm screening of live-action Aladdin, a movie I was extremely eager to watch because it reflected my Persian heritage.

Unfortunately, I had no idea whether we would make it on time, considering the movie was scheduled to begin in a half hour, the theater was a 20 minute drive away, and we still had to pick up two more of our friends. 

"Turn right here," my friend Selena directed from the passenger seat, then turned around to face me, "and he's already driving as fast as he can, Zade. Maybe we'd be in line for popcorn right now if you hadn't made us wait in your driveway for a million years." 

"I couldn't find my shawl." I explained, laughing because she was right. A shawl was one thing I always took with me to the movies, so I could wrap it around myself and comfortable recline in my seat. 

After what seemed like forever, we reached our friends Noah and Rafael's houses and watched as they each rushed into the car. Finally, Samuel was able to hit the gas as we raced to make it on time. 

Samuel, Selena, Noah, Rafael, and I had all been close friends since the beginning of high school. Now, as young adults about to begin their second year in university, we were inseparable and way too comfortable with each other. This was proven by the way Rafael and Noah were wrestling with each other, with me sandwiched in the middle. The three of us grunted and yelled as random punches, kicks, and tugs were thrown around. Finally, Noah decided to turn on me and swiftly pull me into his lap, making sure to wrap his arms around me and squeeze hard enough to block my airways.

"Give me a kiss and I'll let you go." He said, holding my neck with one hand to force my face closer to his own. I screamed and laughed, knowing he was joking. That was just the kind of humor and relationship we shared, extremely flirtatious but also extremely platonic. A lot of people assumed we were dating, but Noah was like family to me, and we both knew it was never going past that.  

I struggled to break his hold, screaming at Rafael to help me, and finally resorting to biting Noah's hand to free myself. 

"What's going on back there?! I swear if any of you do any damage to my car I'll murder you." Samuel glared from the rear view mirror as Noah shouted in pain. My eyes met briefly with Samuel's as he spoke, but even that split second felt like eternity to me. 

Scheherazade, I love you so much, but I think we're better off as friends, and I really hope that this doesn't make you see yourself as any less beautiful or perfect than you are.

Samuel's words echoed in my mind as I was transfixed in his eyes. Although a long time had passed since he lovingly rejected my feelings for him, being so close and friendly with him still made my heart ache with longing. He was one of my best friends and I was grateful for him, but hanging out with him all the time wasn't making it easy for my feelings to fully fade.

"Oh so now you wanna check up on us, but no one cared when these two were trying to end my life back here!" I said, shooting accusing looks at Selena and Samuel. They laughed it off and we all continued to make jokes as we neared our destination.

***

"Absolutely phenomenal movie." Selena announced as we made our way back to the parking lot.

"I'm saying. Aladdin was so hot, Will Smith was proper amazing as the genie, and the movie was so well done." I agreed, blissfully smiling and leaning against the railing as we walked down the outdoor concrete stairs.

"The actress that played Princess Jasmine was so sexy." Rafael added, as he typed in her name on Google images and held it up for us.

"She really was." Samuel said, zooming in on her face as he sat down on a concrete step. I was relieved to not feel a tinge of jealousy when he said that. The five of us sat in silence for a moment as the crickets chirped away the hot, humid night.

I took my time looking at all of them and thinking about how much I loved them. I looked at Rafael, who was the joker of our group, always making everyone laugh. I looked at Noah, who was pale in comparison, but had wild black curls and a happy aura that everyone adored. I looked at Selena, who was a beautiful hard-working and extremely caring Latina. I admired her outfit - she was always impeccably dressed. Finally, I looked at Samuel, with his luscious dark hair and dark eyes, caramel skin and kind personality. 

I let my eyes linger on him for a moment too long, and he happened to notice. He smiled at me with sorrow in his eyes. Despite his greatest efforts, we were growing distant. It was my fault, really, but I think a part of him blamed himself.

My phone vibrated with a text from my mom, asking me when I'd be home. "You guys ready to head out? My mom wants me home." I said, standing up and brushing the dust off my jeans. Despite me being an almost 19 year old enjoying her summer off from university, my parents were still strict when it came to going out, especially at night with my friends. 

"Don't worry, I'll get you home by midnight." Samuel nodded, getting up with all the others and unlocking his car with a far away beep. Together, we walked across the lot towards it, hurrying as we fought over who would get to sit shotgun.  

I ended up winning, smirking at my friends as I buckled my seat belt. Ignoring my urge to reach for Samuel's hand resting on the gear shift, I rolled down the windows and turned the volume up on the radio, pulling out my pink vape from my purse. I felt truly happy as I let the wind flow through my hair, smoking and smiling as I listened to my friends sing off-key to the song I queued on my phone as we smoked the night away.

***

Hey everyone (this has no readers yet lmao)! It's been a long time since I've posted anything on Wattpad, but hopefully this book will get some traction :) Make sure to comment and vote if you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the slow start but I promise it will get juicy! I'm so excited to write this book! Anyways, hope you like it!

xoxo Mia