The Girl With The Headscarf

» 72 «

» I've noticed some readers being very aggressive about me unfortunately, having a life and hence not being able to give them their regular updates. I've apologized too, multiple times, whenever I can, about the delays but it's something that I really can't help. However, that doesn't seem to sit well with some people and they're straight out being very rude 😒 «

••

She didn't know what she would say exactly. She thought about it last night and all morning too but it never sounded right. It all seemed too rehearsed but she did know that she had to end it. She had to do the right thing before it got too out of control. She had to end things.

But the moment she saw him again at school, standing beside her locker, she froze and forgot everything that she'd been repeating in her head.

He looked around, his eyes searching and coming to a stop on her and her heart missed a beat. He looked like he hadn't slept much last night and his hair was more ruffled than it normally is. The visible relief that washed over him when he saw her, made her knees go weak. He'd been worried about her this whole time.

And she had to end it. She just had to.

He walked towards her slowly, his eyes searching her face for something. He seemed a bit cautious and weary when he greeted her. He was keeping a fair amount of distance between the two of them.

Gunner tried to smile. "Hi."

Her heart melted at the warmth in his voice. "Hi."

A pause.

"Are you okay?"

Lamees found herself blinking to stop the tears from falling and shrugged at his question. "I don't know."

"Did he hurt you?"

The question confused her for a second before she realized that he was referring to her dad. He'd probably seen the look on her father's face that night and thought that he might do something.

She shook her head. "He's my dad. He would never."

"I was worried," he confessed.

"I know."

"You didn't answer my calls."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Lamees looked away first. "I can't do this anymore."

She said it so low that Gunner almost missed it. He noticed how her voice wavered slightly and the way, she twisted and pulled onto the end of her scarf. He didn't miss the way her eyes started to water and the way it was breaking her heart just as it was breaking his.

"We can't talk anymore. We shouldn't. Things will get more complicated."

He clenched and unclenched his hands. It hurt physically and emotionally because he knew that she wanted this just like him but couldn't have it for the sake of her religion. She had to abide by the rules and he had to respect it. This was bound to come to an end anyway.

He closed his eyes for a while and focused on his breathing. His heart was going insane, like it wanted to break free from his chest and reach for Lamees. He wanted to tell her that they can still be friends and keep talking to one another but he knew that that would only complicate things even more. He could never see her as a friend.

He sighed out loud, opening his eyes. He gave her a sad smile. "We were doomed from the start, I guess," he said.

Lamees looked at him with tears in her eyes, and returned his sad smile. "Yeah. I mean, Romeo and Juliet have got nothing on us."