The Image World, September 24, 2040, 5:47 PM
"Don't get all boastful, son. I agree with the second part, but let me argue about the first. Just because you met her before we did doesn't mean you're closer to her, right Azail?" khalto dares me to defy her word. She didn't do that. I don't see any threatening hints in her smile. It's the tone of her words that makes me nod.
Flynn narrows his eyes, "that wasn't how I meant it."
He's brave, I'll give him that.
To have the courage to say this shit in front of your Arab parents takes bravery never seen before, with the addition of having no shame and the energy to provide thorough explanations.
Yet, his bravery won't get him out of the absolute carnage I'm about to put him through.
Either he's an overexcited overthinker or confident in his future. Part of me thinks it is a mixture of both. Damn, he must like me, like for real.
Are you doubting him?
Doubt isn't the word I would use, but since I can't think of another synonym to describe my feelings, I'll settle with that.
I don't know, something about someone showing me genuine affection makes me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in the sense of not knowing how to respond, or worse, not even doing so. Call me untrained and unemployed in this job because of my rookie status. Phew, my parents fucked me up in the long run, didn't they?
Note to self: think about how you treat yourself before you have children and pass down your unhealthy habits to them.
"How did you mean it?" Malak, please tone down the curiosity.
"You'll see," he raises a mischievous eyebrow before winking at me. He's beyond lucky he's not a stranger, or else that wink would send me running for the hills that shelter those running away from creepy people with the disease of winking at any breathing creature.
I raise a quizzical eyebrow at him but narrow them soon after to let him know that the underlying meaning of his words didn't fly past me.
It crawled incredibly slowly beneath my feet.
Can't talk shit when you can't walk a mile without feeling like death.
Stop making me agree with you.
"Well, now that I know my son has a future that is set in stone, let's have a very early dinner, like Americans do!"
Holy shit, not khalto catching onto this too.
"You should come every day, Azail."
"Jokes on you, she only comes here to see me," Flynn says as a reply to Malak.
She glares at him.
Oh, that reminds me.
Maryanland Malak.
I look at Flynn, trying to catch his eye. Even though I already did, haha. He notices my fidgeting self not long after. Malak grew tired of fighting with him for what I think is the millionth time today, so she went to help her mom with setting the table.
Flynn checks over his family for a second to make sure they're settled before walking toward me.
"What is it?" he asks, leaning on the wall.
"Sorry, I made it sound like I had something dramatic to say, but I didn't want to say it in front of Malak. I forgot to tell you this, but I saw khalto and Malak both times during our visit to your Maryanland home. Khalto looked as pretty as she always does. What shocked me was seeing a teenage Malak glaring at me."
He lifts his shoulder that was leaning on the wall, coming to a complete stand. Yeah, please stand to your full height in front of my short self, fantastic idea. I refrain from joking once I see the look on his face.
Sad, excited, confused, happy.
"She was all grown up, well, as grown as a teenager can be. The sad part wasn't her seeing me as her enemy, it was her almost reaching my height. But the softness in her eyes is still there. I had to stop myself from talking to her the way I do now."
A sad smile pushes the corners of his mouth down, and I gulp. The urge to hug him makes me show my teeth in an awkward smile and pretend to investigate the air. I chose kindness and went with my gut's desire.
How did I do that?
It's simple, take a hand, preferably your dominant hand, and rest it on the arm of the person you are hoping to comfort. To not make a fool of yourself and move more than necessary, rest your hand on the arm closest to you. You count to ten and look for signs of diminishing chagrin. Instructions were unclear; he's now frowning.
Fuck.
"Um, are you sad? Do you want a hug? Should I go call khalto?"
I don't let him respond, choosing the last option. The prince does not let me move forward, blocking my way with his fence-like figure. No time for jokes.
Joking is all I can do because how do I settle my brain that is running a mile a minute when this man wraps his arms around my shoulders in a firm hug?
What makes it worse is his chin resting atop my head. Haha, he wanted to rest his head on my shoulder, but he realized he would strain his neck if he did.
This is a serious moment, Azail, focus.
Jokes aside, I know he needs this hug. For that reason, I wrap my arms around his waist. Although, I don't make them touch him completely. My arms hover around him for visual learning, but my hands pat him back here and there.
Maybe a hug from me can't help shit.
I should've called khalto sooner.
"Hug me, Azail, please," he begs.
My face scrunches in an unknown emotion.
Shock?
Surprise?
Utter and complete shock?
Gur wrenching surprise?
I do him a favor and return a proper hug. My arms, previously hovering over him, now hold his waist. I will say that my hands are struggling to unite because of the circumference of his waist, but that's the fault of my short arms, not him. I'm conflicted about where to rest my head, so I keep it held up. Doing so hurts my neck, but this hug feels freakishly warm, so whatever.
Flynn caught onto my struggle because a gentle hand pushed my head down, ushering it to rest on a pillow-like chest.
Excuse me for interrupting, but this is intimate.
I know, but I'm enjoying it.
The tradition of patting someone's back as a physical touch never goes away because I still am patting his back.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I whisper, using the gentlest voice I can muster.
He sighs, "it's nothing serious. Maybe it is serious, I don't know. You tell me, doc, am I in danger because time is making me feel suffocated?"
The Azail that laughs at everything had to come through with a small smile at his jocular tone. The therapist that dominates me has a few words to say.
"Time is having its effects on you, and your feelings are valid. Here's something that therapist me never says to anyone, but you're the exception. Most times, I only play a small part in the recovery process, despite joining forces with my patient. However, we both have equal parts of shit to do in your case." Nothing but exemplary heroism surrounds me as I affirm my next words, "I'll make this right, I promise you. We will work together, but I will do twice as much work. I have plans, and they will work. You can count on me."
I can both feel and hear his heart quickening its rhythm in response to my words. Where my overthinking, running on anxiety self got this amount of courage is beyond me. The opportunity to grow my optimism grew tenfold, and who am I to deny grasping it when it got thrown in my face?
"Remember when I told you that an intelligent aura surrounds you?" he brings up out of nowhere.
My eyebrows furrow as I try to form a connection between his words and our situation, "yes?"
"Why the questioning tone, you don't remember?"
"No, I do, what I don't know is the correlation of this to the topic we're discussing."
He smiles, "well, your words reminded me of the honor that I have."
"What honor?"
"Getting to know you as much as I have is what I consider an honor. I'm sure you're the only one of your kind that I will meet."
"Are you saying that I'm strange?"
"Can you accept the heartfelt compliment? Also, yes, I am saying you're strange, but I've never seen strange as a bad thing. We need some fucking distinctiveness in this world STAT."
I smile while both nodding and tightening my hold around him. "Sorry, I appreciate your compliment, despite my tone sounding a world away from it. The way you said them made me think you were saying goodbye. That's what held me back from accepting your compliment sooner."
Something in his word choice made it sound like a damn farewell letter, and I do not handle goodbyes too well.
From a deceased best friend to distant parents, yeah, fuck goodbyes and all that comes with them.
I will be damned to Anna's house before I experience the situation of us exchanging goodbyes for whatever reason out of my accepting will.
Get your head out of the anxious gutter, Azail, there will be no such thing happening, not now or ever.
You will follow your unexplained plans step-by-step, get what you want, and a happy life with an even better relationship will await you.
Simple, I have high hopes.
For what feels like the millionth time today, I see a sad smile on Flynn's face again. El em aye oh, that does not make me feel any better.
"Why did you think that?" he pulls my resting head away from his chest and does the comical thing of squishing my cheeks. I give him the sternest glare I could muster, but my puckered mouth must've been the attention-stealing portion because he had the nerve to stare at it. I allow myself to enjoy the sound of his laughter before I halt my back rubs.
I have a better idea of what to use it for.
Disgusting, Azail, simply disgusting.
You're going to wish I meant it that way because the thoughts I have in mind are much direr.
With my free hand, I pinch his side as hard as I could.
His joyful laugh turns into a groan soon after, "ah fuck, I didn't deserve that."
"You did," I argue my point further by getting out of his embrace.
Goodbye Flynn's embrace, you were enjoyable.
Maybe goodbyes aren't all that bad after all.
"Squishing my cheeks unprovoked wasn't something I deserved either."
The thief dares to do it again, "aw, I'm sorry, Aza."
"I'm about to call khalto," I drop my threat without remorse.
His eyes widen at that before he rubs the areas where his palm damn near rearranged my skull to ease the agonizing pain.
It's a dramatic but effective description.
"Summoning mothers aside, you should know that I think the worst out of anything. Your words gave me the idea that you were saying them as a farewell, and my overthinking mind eats stress like a feast. Thank you for calling me strange, despite my conflicted feelings towards that word. I would say the same words apply to you, Rider."
Ew, sentiments.
True sentiments, though.
Still, ew.
He must have a particularly pulling attraction for my face cheeks today because his hands return to them as soon as they dropped. He became all eye contact and touch, and I became a human allergic to those things.
"Look at me," haha, no.
"Please?"
I want a bowl full of sunflower seeds. What a pretty flower it is. Bonus points because I get the seeds to enjoy with afternoon tea like the true Arab I am. Speaking of flowers, I want to have a garden to take care of. However, I cannot do that because I am allergic and terrible at taking care of flowers. The flowers cursed to me deserve a better home-
"If you don't look at me, then I will kiss you," a threatening voice spoke.
My face spun to look at him quicker than one can say my name.
"Bitch what?"
For the second damn time, he bursts out laughing.
"Kidding, I would never do that out of nowhere, and especially not before we become official. I'm chivalrous like that," a proud smile rests on his lips that even my anaphylactic shocked self can't help but return.
"Good job on the chivalry, but did you have to give me a fucking heart attack?"
He shrugs, "well I had to make you look, and now that I know what works best, expect to hear it often."
"Jokes on you because you will be the one transporting me to the hospital if I get a heart attack."
The still-boasting fellow pats my head, "you'll be fine. You won't need a hospital when you're under my watch."
Bless khalto for stepping out of the kitchen and making her way to us before I passed out, "food is ready, help yourselves kids."
Fine by me.
Crazy how I don't feel comfortable making myself a plate in what is supposed to be my home, but won't hesitate to have a feast here. Yikes.
I take a seat in my usual chair; I call it the chair of discovery.
Because I found out about my life's most shocking discovery while sitting on this chair, listening to a then stranger tell me shit even I couldn't imagine.
And I imagine a lot of weird shit before going to sleep.
Flynn and Malak race into the kitchen, I don't know when they got out, but they're at least back. The brother-sister duo rushes in, Malak pushes Flynn and sits in the seat to my right. Flynn pouts at her supposed victory, "I wanted to sit there."
Malak shrugs, the same way he did earlier, "too bad, better luck next time, brother."
"Hey, none of that, you're loving siblings, alright?"
I couldn't help but laugh at how they melted into their chairs after hearing her words, almost as if a realization struck them.
"Love you, Flynn," muttered Malak to my right.
"Love you more, Malak," replied Flynn, sitting in front of her.
A fond smile from me faces them as I watch their interaction. Adorable as fuck. Heck, it made me wish I had a sibling. That's when the realization of my shitty home situation reminded me of the sad truth. Never mind, I wouldn't want any more people living in misery.
The three of us engage in lighthearted conversation before I shift my gaze to khalto.
Looks like the food wasn't ready, why do people do this?
Sapphire does that a lot, and I've held myself from strangling my friend while suffering from the hangry syndrome.
Not that they cook often, but considering the number of visits Lyaly and I make to their home, their love for us makes them resist the urge to stay in bed. I have the best of friends.
The all-too-large apron still looks to be a staple in her wardrobe. Didn't I tell Flynn to get her a shorter one to prevent her from tripping?
All the times I've had a meal in this kitchen with these people, the poor woman trips and falls every time this apron is on her body. The first time it happened was when I dropped off groceries the second time. If I didn't throw myself in front of her out of sheer helpless panic at the thought of her falling face first, heaven knows what could've gone wrong. She clutched onto something halfway through, and I couldn't have been more thankful. My flimsy self could not protect shit from falling, but what was I supposed to do mid-panic?
"Where did you put my coat, khalto?"
"It's drying in front of the fireplace, Habibi."
"I'll be back, excuse me," I said before standing up. I navigate the house I know like the back of my brain, through the small hallway and to the living room. Part of me wishes I wasn't in the mood for a second meal because fuck, that fireplace looks inviting. It's screaming for me to sit in front of it and warm my icicled self.
I notice a blob of a clothing item and recognize it as my coat. My hands forget the original task and choose to warm themselves instead. I let them have their moment before moving them away. Surging through said blob for a familiar reusable bag looked harder than usual. But I land at an auspicious end when the loud crunching sound hits my ears. Holding it up, I look inside and gasp in relief when I see the contents inside didn't get mauled by the snow. Grabbing the gift, I walk back to the kitchen.
Fuck, I didn't think this part through.
How do I gift this without making it look overly dramatic?
Do I just... hand it to her?
No, too forward.
Well, fuck it, it's my best option.
I stand behind a seated Flynn, also where khalto has herself occupied with the stove.
"This is for you, I hope you like it. I didn't know what color to get, but I got the one that I see the most in your kitchen. It's hard to find cute double-sided aprons since most of them look like those vests they make you wear for an x-ray. I also hope the length is short enough to prevent you from tripping," my hands hold the solid-colored apron out.
Looking at her eyes was a task in and of itself, so I simply didn't.
I puckered my lips the way I do whenever the train of knowledge on what to do missed my stop.
My eyes shift every which way for fun.
The apron in my hand.
My hoodie.
My shoes.
Flynn's hands.
Nice hands.
Hot hands.
Not in front of his mom, you shameless woman.
Nothing could have prepared me for the burst of reaction that was hers. Khalto grabbed the apron from my hands, and part of me thought it was so I could help her wear it, but she shoved it into Flynn's hands before pulling me into her embrace.