Chapter 10: Unexpected

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"Here you go."

I flinch tensely as an object glides strategically over my textbooks. It hits the mattress and bounces in my direction, its presence allowing me a breath of relief.

My phone is safe.

"Thank you so much Aasif!"

In the heat of the moment, I get off of my bed and squeeze him with a firm grip. He jumps back slightly, hands limp at his sides. I hold on to time and inhale in his discomfort.

"So you gave him his phone?" I awkwardly walk back, staring at the wrinkles chocking my bedsheets.

"No I actually lost it along the way, Adam didn't mind"

A scoff at his timeless sarcasm and then silence.

"I see you've procrastinated the packing" Aasif scans my room.

"Huh?"

"For the camping trip?" He takes a seat on my bed, entertained by my hazed expression.

"Camping?" I scream in whisper, my eyebrows bathed in confusion.

"I think you should ask mum" he chuckles under his breath following a heavy pat on my shoulder.

"This news has eaten me," I mutter, the boulders on my shoulders gaining further muscle.

"Yeah" he verbalizes solemnly before walking out of my room in haste.

Too much pain in too less time.

"Come down for dinner" I hear mama tenderly yell from the kitchen while I'm fixated by a rather obvious math equation.

We voice our blessings before we eat. My father is still on the sofa, taking a nap. I stare at his empty seat throughout the whole meal.  How cold and lost an inanimate object can appear, displays a rather dubious nature far beyond my comprehensibility. It almost whistles its solidarity in my direction, a subtly trembling experience.

 "When are we departing for the trip?" I crack the skull of silence.

"I've discussed this with you on numerous occasions" mama frustrates rather forcibly. I stare into her plaguing eye bags, and sunken eyes. She is a walking mess, her lack of patience expressing it.

A quiet nervous laugh to web the tense atmosphere I birthed, and I get my answer.

"Tomorrow morning, 10 o'clock the latest." She clips a tone a couple levels mightier than her classical form, and I know it's only so I would 'hear' it this time.

The impetuous awareness creeps out the many goosebumps that have hid thus far. 

After scrubbing dishes in a  mindless pattern, I take in my father's peaceful face. When he retains unconsciousness, I reunite him with the thin blanket mama had knitted, and turn towards my room. After wudu and prayer, I find myself entranced by my phone.

Yet the shock invokes from something so expected. Big beautiful caramel coloured orbs and a perfectly structured smile house my phone background. I stare at it unhealthily until sense deletes it.

And asides from all of its intention, the sudden disappearance of his picture send waves of hollow. A dangerous emotion.

I slaver for a year's worth of three hours, forcing articles of clothing into an unforgivingly small suitcase. I accumulate a variety of clothing types to accommodate for my ignorance on the site of the trip. Its pure disgusting pleasantry, ever second of it.

Upon successful completion of the mundane task, I wrap myself in endless blankets until my body heat is well over normal. Enough tossing and copious staring out into nothingness later, I set my alarm and distract my mind with a delicacy of sleep.

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