Riyaadh's Story

Chapter 11

Riyaadh woke up to soft breaths across his face and a tongue licking his eyebrow. He swatted it away, yet it persisted. It then began kneading his shoulder and clawing at his skin...

"Tommo?" he opened his eyes only to have the kitten bop Riyaadh's eye with his nose. "Huh uh..." he gently nudged it away before he turned over and tried to go back to sleep. Tommy nuzzled against his back, rubbing his fur this way and that before he settled against him. Riyaadh reached behind him to rub his fur, succeeding in getting nipped on the fingers instead. "Sorry," he turned back over, scooping the kitten up and laying him against his chest. In the few days that he had arrived, Riyaadh had gotten used to having the cat climb all over him in bed. Not that he minded... Tommy was growing on him.

He opened his eyes again, confused not to have heard anything from Saudah. She was prone to blindly waving her hands behind her when Tommy would tap at her back, shushing him as she tried to sleep.

She was supposed to be there. She always slept in on Saturdays.

Riyaadh sat up, looking around for any sign of her before he got up out of bed. He shook his head as Tommy followed him to the bathroom then back to their room for his half empty box of smokes he had left hidden a few nights before. He finally found her on the balcony, wrapped up in her throw. "Hey."

She turned around, tilting her lips up at him before she turned back again.

He joined her on the wicker seat they had left outside, already lighting up. She shifted away from him- it was slight, but he noticed.

"You're pissed with me, aren't you?" he asked. He didn't much like the feeling of her being upset with him.

"Uhm hmm."

"I'm sorry." He nudged her shoulder, trying to garner a smile out of her.

She shook her head, moving away once more. "Do you know what you're even apologising for?"

"For last night?"

"I guess that's part of it." she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, gnawing away at the dried skin.

"Then what's the rest?" he looked down at the soft mews coming from beneath their seat and lifted Tommo to rest between them.

She bundled herself further into her throw as she lifted her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I don't know anything about you."

"You know plenty about me."

"Do I?"

"I'm sure you do." he grew agitated and he stood up to lean against the balcony wall. 

"No, I don't." She smiled mirthlessly. "You know enough about me, but I know absolutely nothing about you."

"What more do you need to know?" His fingers began to shake as he thought about how to diffuse the situation.

She lifted her arms over her face and tugged at her short hair. "Just-" she shook her head and stood up.

Riyaadh took another step away from her.

"Seriously?"

She took a step towards him and he forced himself to stay rooted to his spot.

This was too familiar, and he didn't like it.

"Riyaadh, please, just talk to me."

His neck itched and his stomach cramped as she took another step towards him.

She took another, and another until she was an arm's length away from him. She reached out to touch his cheek. "Please. I just need to know what's going on."