The Woman With The Headscarf

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» Since I always like I get into things head on, without much thorough planning, I'm kinda scared where this story is headed. 😅 So if you think I know what I'm doing, I don't. Does that scare you guys, lmao? «

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She kept their Polaroid picture in a sock in her drawer, afraid that her parents might otherwise stumble across it. When she couldn't sleep that night and was overcome with a loneliness so deep, that tears started to trickle down her cheeks, she decided to pull the picture out to look at it.

It was the only physical one that they'd taken together. She couldn't help but smile when she stared back at herself and Gunner.

In the picture, he was wearing a black cap over his hair and his eyes were crinkled around the edges, with happiness. She on the other hand, had a white scarf wrapped around her head with a beige long skirt and even though there was a tiny shy smile on her face, her eyes portrayed so much more than that. She had never seen her eyes so open and wild, like she was capable of anything in that moment.

Lamees ran a thumb over her face in the picture as her smile faltered a little. She missed him. She was desperately in love with him and he wasn't here. Would they ever have a chance in the future?

She hadn't allowed herself to dwell too much on her future because she knew that if word ever got out, of her being together with Gunner, it would be frowned upon by all her family and relatives. And her parents... she shuddered a little when she tried to imagine their reaction. Her dad would most likely lose it. And her mother... she wouldn't...

Lamees lay back down on her bed, holding the picture to her chest. What would her mother do?

Would she understand and forgive her with time or would she turn away from her in disappointment and never look back?

Was this the price for loving someone you shouldn't, for loving Gunner so much?

That to gain one, she would have to lose the other...

She looked back at the picture, tearing up again. The green eyes that excited and soothed her in her dreams, the easy laughter that always came with him and the way he was content by simply being with her. The fact that he didn't fill their silence with unnecessary chatter and just watched her as she drew or read - or at least, tried to. She was almost always a bit distracted when he was around, causing butterflies in her stomach when he came to sit with her. Their silent stares that conveyed much more when words failed them both.

How could she imagine a life without him now?

And if she even dared to imagine a future with him, she knew that her parents wouldn't be happy about it. Him over them or them over him.

They'd never talked about it, their future together. Like Gunner could tell how much it weighed on her in the back of her head and chose not to breach the topic. They had both been content enough with their present. But now...

Lamees sniffed, reaching for a tissue on the side of her bed. She knew that she couldn't run away from her impending future anymore, that both her and Gunner had to stop and think about their choices.

She glanced towards the picture again, sighing, trying to absorb that happiness that she had felt then but seemed impossible now. It had only been taken a few months back, when Gunner had taken her to an amusement park. He'd chosen one that was an hour and a half drive away, to avoid running into people who might recognise them. He knew that Lamees wanted their relationship to be a secret and he understood and tried to make it work.

The drive there, she recalled, had been a silent one since she'd been too shy to say anything and Gunner kept running out of things to talk about. But neither of them would rather be anywhere else.

When they'd arrived, Gunner had pushed her to sit onto the roller coaster with him and after it was done, her scarf had almost come undone and she was fighting the urge to throw up. Gunner had found the whole thing hilarious and Lamees had pinched his arm then. They had pizza for lunch and some cotton candy after but Gunner couldn't finish his since it was too sweet for him. Lamees had gladly obliged to finish it for him.

It had been her idea to take the picture. She'd seen a couple a few feet away who were holding hands and paying the guy holding the Polaroid, for a snap. She had watched them walk away, squealing at the picture and passing it amongst each other. Then she had turned to Gunner and found him already staring at her, watching her when she was watching the couple.

She had blushed but smiled nonetheless, and opened her mouth to ask him. "Do you... want to... I mean-I..."

His smile was contagious. "Okay," he said simply.

And he had stood with her when the guy was about to take the picture but hadn't made any move to touch her. He knew how Lamees was still unsure about that and wanted to take things slowly at her pace.

So he had been pleasantly surprised when she reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his own. She hadn't looked at him when she did it but there was a shy smile on her face.

And then the camera clicked, locking that one perfect moment in a photo forever.

It was one of her most prized possessions. Lamees carefully put it back in her sock and then in her drawer, making sure to hide it underneath her other clothes.