Between Bites

Part 2

 A week passed. And in that week, Maliq remained the same—quiet, distant, like that day in the data team's area had set an unspoken rule between us. So, I matched his energy. I ignored him. Or, more accurately, I avoided him.

At first, it was instinctive. A natural response to his silence. But then, as the days went by, I found myself questioning it. Was I doing this because I was bitter? Because his sudden shift had thrown me off? Or was it because of people like Imam—people who saw things that weren't there, who would take any small interaction and turn it into gossip?

Whatever the reason, I kept my distance. When I saw him in the hallway, I turned the other way. If he was at his desk, I kept my focus on anything but his direction. It wasn't hard. Maliq wasn't exactly making an effort to change it either.

Then came Friday. I walked into the pantry for lunch, ready to just eat quickly and get out. But the moment I stepped in, I froze. Maliq was there.

Not just there—he was sprawled across one of the tables, his whole body stretched out, like someone who had just given up on life itself. His arm dangled over the side, and his face was half-buried against his own folded elbow.

For a second, I hesitated. My gut reaction was to turn on my heel and leave before he even noticed me. Another successful escape. But something about the way he looked—the exhaustion, the complete disregard for how ridiculous he appeared—made me stop mid-step.

For the first time in a week, I didn't immediately walk away.

I sat down, doing my best to ignore his brooding presence. If he wanted to sulk over whatever had been weighing him down this past week, that was his business. I just wanted to eat. The first bite of my lunch had barely entered my mouth when I heard a rustle of movement. I looked up.

Maliq had shifted, dragging himself upright and settling into the seat across from me. His glasses were on this time, their thin black frames sitting neatly on his nose, but they didn't do much to hide how tired he looked.

His face was paler than usual, which stood in stark contrast to his outfit—dark trousers, a deep navy sweater layered over a crisp button-up, and a long plaid coat draped over his shoulders like he couldn't be bothered to take it off properly. It was stylish, still carrying that effortless prep-school charm he always had, but today it looked more like he had thrown it on without much thought.

And then there were his eyes. Puffed, slightly red at the edges. From lack of sleep? Or... crying? The thought unsettled me in a way I wasn't prepared for.

"Did you ignore me on purpose?"

Maliq's voice was low, but not accusing. Just... tired. I blinked, caught off guard by the directness of his question. For a moment, I debated playing dumb, acting like I didn't know what he was talking about. But there was no point—he wasn't stupid, and neither was I.

I swallowed my bite of food and set my spoon down, buying myself a second to think.

"Did you?" I countered instead.

Maliq exhaled sharply, something between a dry laugh and a sigh. He pushed his glasses up slightly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Touché."

For a moment, neither of us said anything. I wasn't sure where this conversation was going, or why it even needed to happen. But now that we were here, now that he had actually acknowledged the distance between us, I couldn't just brush it off.

"My now ex-girlfriend—my three-year relationship—just ended," Maliq said, voice flat, "because a certain someone saw our interaction and decided to report it to the being."