Time

Ch. 8 Is This Real?

The night was filled with laughter. Tempus, Azra, Dean and his wife, Alana, all sat together to eat a delicious spaghetti dinner. Alana welcomed Tempus into their home, enjoying her company and spending time chatting with her, joking about the boys and asking her about life.

Alana’s life wasn’t very social since most of her friends just keep to themselves and she doesn’t see them very often. She really did enjoy finally having a girl in the house with all the masculinity that she’s surrounded by. With Alana being so curious about whom Tempus was questions were flown at her about her home town, her current social status, and etcetera. Tempus told some white lies, but told the basic story to her as she did to Azra.

The girls talked amongst themselves, likewise for the boys. Mostly, Dean and Alana told stories of Azra’s childhood, him shying away at the embarrassing parts. He didn’t like it, but Tempus of course didn’t mind. She enjoyed hearing all about his life. Sometimes the little things about a person seem to make everything about that person just more beautiful.

That evening, time flew by. It was fun-filled, night falling past midnight. It was only around 1:00 a.m. that they realized it was time to clean up. Dishes were put up and Azra made Tempus’ temporary bed on the couch. He’s such a gentleman, she thought.

As she watched him move about, fluffing pillows and spreading out sheets, she kept thinking about his body. So lean, strong, beautiful; ever so fluid in his motions. Her heart felt warm all of a sudden, causing her to smile. I really hope it’s just the spaghetti, she thinks. She was really trying to keep her emotions in control, not wanting to feel uncomfortable near him.

He looked up at her and caught her staring at him. He gave her a funny look, making her blush and turn away, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Her attempt at avoiding this approach had failed and she excused herself to go take a shower. It was the only way to break the silence in the room and she was in desperate need of a bath.

The hot water rushed over Tempus’ body, clearing her skin, hair, and especially her mind. Her thoughts were a little clouded, confused by her reactions around this one little human boy, but the water seemed to clean it all away. The dirt and grime fell down the drain, along with her worries for the time being.

Her body flowed with the liquid, relaxing her to the core. The world erased and mind blank, Tempus finally unfolded and was completely calm.

Suddenly, a knock at the bathroom door startled her and she nearly slipped, grabbing onto the curtain for support. She quickly cleared her throat and said, “Yes?”

The voice on the other side replied, “Hey, sorry but I forgot to get my comb by the sink. Is it alright if I grab it? I’ll be quick.”

It was Azra and, of course, Tempus’ first reaction is to cover her chest, even though she’s on the other side of the curtain. Not wanting to be rude, she responds, “Yeah, go ahead.”

The door cracks open and Azra sticks his head in, arm stretched out to grab the green comb by the sink, as he said. Though, he looks up and pauses; only mid-air for a moment. Then, he yanks his hand back and shuts the door behind him.

Was he just staring at me? Tempus asks herself. She didn’t understand what had just happened, but whatever it was, she didn’t let it linger. It doesn’t matter, she thought, shaking off the images in her head. I’m probably just taking this in a different direction. I don’t want to get the wrong idea in my head, she concludes.

She then goes back to washing herself down and trying not to think about that boy. All the while, she was reminding herself He’s just a boy, a distraction, a waste of time. Her heart and mind were traveling two different paths, causing her sense of logic and affection to drive apart. This daze of constant confusion was wearing her out.