Play and Amusement

***
He was, of course, bigger than the last time I saw him, now resembling a grown man. But he was still on the leaner side, not too muscular and not too skinny. He was wearing a plain full sleeve black shirt and navy pants, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing shoes like the rest of his family-only socks. The way he was dressed was also completely opposite to everyone else-it was just overly underwhelming considering the occasion, and it looked like he just threw something on last minute. I watched him as he sat down and was unable to stop staring at his eyes, almost subconsciously begging for them to look back into mine. My breath caught in my throat when they finally did. The black of his eyes were like an endless pit that I couldn't stop peering straight into. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and he wore an expression that I was all too familiar with during my entire tenth grade in high school: indifference.
***

When her older sister gets married, Inayah is shocked to find out that her new brother-in-law's brother is her first unrequited love from high school, Faris Mikhael. She's not sure what to make of this coincidence, but she knows one thing--she's grown and matured since high school, and no longer has feelings for Faris at all. And she also knows that Faris could really care less about her, so she doesn't have to worry about the past coming back up again. But soon enough, everything Inayah thinks she knows comes crashing down quickly. Old secrets and hidden resentment also begin to surface, pitting Inayah and Faris against each other despite their families' attempts for them to get along. As more time passes however, Faris and Inayah find themselves struggling to deny the realization that it may not only be hatred growing between them, but also love.