Mending You And I

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Uhh, Earth TO MARYAM!" Cornelia practically screamed at my face and I was dragged out of my thoughts. "What?!" I blinked, startled. She frowned at me. "I just told you I gotta go." she said, finally making my brain process again.

"Oh? Where?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes at me but still answered. "Remember I joined the debate club? The prez is calling me in to discuss last minute changes in the script." she said, looking at me and then Damian.

"Oh." was all I could say. "Let's go then."

She shook her head. "No, I gotta go there straight from here. I'll have to take the driver with me so can you and Damian get home by taking a cab?" she asked and I nodded.  "Of course, I've no problem."

Cornelia stood up and left after saying a quick goodbye, leaving me alone with Damian. For a short while, it was oddly awkward and the only noise that filled the silence was the clinking of our plates or our chewing. But, Damian was an easy person. His presence didn't make me feel pressurized or discomforted at all.

We ate in silence and once we were done, I was the first one to get up. "Let's split the bill." I told him to which he shot up straight with widened eyes. "No way. I can't let you pay." he stood up after me and quickly reached for the bill before I could.

"It's okay. You don't have to pay for me too. I'm here by myself." I wanted to point out that we weren't on a date but felt that it was inappropriate. Thankfully, he read my expression and understood what I was implying. Despite that, he stood there stubbornly and shoved his card inside the bill before I could say anything else.

"Maryam, whatever it is, you can't possibly expect me to let a lady pay in my presence. It's against the rules and just to clarify, my ego as a man would be severely offended." He said, calmly.

I shook my head in disbelief as I chuckled. "What rules, Damian? There are no such rules when it comes to having lunch with someone. And it's only ethical to pay for yourself." it didn't make him budge so I just accepted it.

"You wouldn't understand. You're having lunch with me and it's not right if I make you pay for yourself. We're friends, right? Let me act like a good friend then." He said, slightly firmly which just amused me further.

We walked out of the shop to find a cab and as we did, I tried to argue with him on how it was weird for him to pay for me.

"I don't know how to explain it to you but it's just something us men have in our blood. It's shameful in some way to let a girl pay when we're there. Then again, we're not strangers. Hopefully, you consider me as your friend as I do." He stopped to look at me.

I was ahead of him and had to turn my head around to face him.

My eyes fell on his face and something hit me suddenly. His pale cheeks had a tint of pink that spread over his nose and his gaze was fixated on the ground like he was unable to face me or something. Even though he was much taller than me, his head was hanging low with his hands balled into fists.

"Well? Are we friends?" he pressed despite looking... Shy.

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. It made me brainstorm; what were we?

"Uh, I..."

It took me a minute to answer, thinking for the correct words. "If I'll be completely honest, I wouldn't like to say friends since Islamically, it doesn't seem appropriate for an unrelated man and woman to be friends but of course, we aren't strangers."  by then, even I was feeling weirdly nervous which I hardly felt with him.