Freeing or Fleeing

Chapter Eleven - Deepening the Embarrassment

Chapter Eleven

I had rushed out of the house thinking I was going to be late, only to find myself waiting for Khadra outside the library for about 10 minutes. Eijaz couldn't join me in the end because he was unable to fix the oven himself and had to wait for someone to come and fix it that afternoon; we didn't want to leave Mum alone with a stranger in the house. I stood to the side of the entrance, watching people go in and out of the library.

"It's not him," a voice spoke close to my ear.

The unexpectedness caused me to jump and I almost hit their face with my shoulder. I screeched a little and the man that was walking into the library stopped and stared back at me with a disgusted look. I apologised quietly and he continued on his way.

"Khadra!" I wacked her with my bag over her arm. "What are you talking about? And don't scare me like that again!"

She adorned a maroon hijab that had tiny sparkles on it and a black abaya. Her hands held tightly onto the straps of her backpack. She may be covered from head to toe but she was still into her fashion. Khadra's bags were her pride and joy, and through them she expressed her taste in clothes. Most of her bags were branded and as she put it, 'why earn money if you can't splash it on nice things for yourself?'. Honestly, she makes me out to be some sort of tramp.

I held onto my chest, waiting for my heart beats to slow down.

"I could see you from a distance and watched as you screwed at every guy that walked in or out of the library. You were so focused on them that you didn't see me approach you," she answered.

She bent her head back and gave out a hearty laughter. She found amusement in scaring me all the time.

"Leave me in peace! No way am I going to let some random guy mess with you," I commented, linking my arm to hers and making our way into the library.

"Chill, will you. Nothing will happen," she sighed.

I waited outside of a door that lead to the staff room as Khadra entered it. When she returned, she no longer had her backpack on her and we strolled towards the information desk. She sat behind it, subconsciously tidying up the desk before she entered her login details onto the computer while I stood in front of it. Someone else was sat behind the information desk before but when she saw Khadra enter the library, they both met half way and entered the staff room together. It was the end of her shift and the beginning of Khadra's.

"Don't play dumb, you octopus. We both know there's only one reason." I continued with the conversation as if there were no interruptions.

"Stop it, Hafeezah."

Khadra hid her blushing face behind the computer screen but I could still see it as I was standing while she was sitting, so I towered over her.

"Besides, you're a whole circus, I'm not surprised you get the attention," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. I was met with daggers; she was clearly not impressed.

"Hey, you're such a ––" I saw her look over my shoulder. "He's coming over," she said nervously, through gritted teeth.

I turned around and immediately lowered my gaze when, true to her words, a man was approaching us. I didn't look at him long enough to take in any of his features and by then, my nerves started to kick in. What I could take in, in the split second that I saw him was that he was wearing a hoodie and jeans. His face was covered in facial hair and he had a full head of black hair. I raised my eyebrows at her, all of a sudden, not feeling up to grilling him; My shyness always appeared in front of strangers. I moved out of the way, to my left, to give him space in front of the desk.