Chapter 36

I sighed in relief and ran a hand over my face. Then I admitted it from my own lips.

" I don't know about that, but he's the only part that makes sense in mine. "

" I can tell, "

I smiled up at her, wondering how she could be taking things so well.

" I never knew you could swim. "

Her face lit up in a smile that transformed her perfect features into something out of this world of ours. 

" No one knows, father refused to let me train. He preferred it if I stayed in my room and read or tried on dresses...so I devised my own ways of learning."

" Which ones if I may ask? "

She shrugged then told me that a friend of hers volunteered to teach her. And that she had been training almost everyday for the past four years. And she was currently sixteen. I felt proud of her. 

" I could even train you if you wished, " she offered and I shook my head. 

" No thanks. Calen also offered but I turned him down as well, though I'm certain he'll insist-" I stopped talking when I recalled what had just occurred between him and I.

" I'm guessing something happened between you two when I left. " 

I told her what had occured and she sympathized with me. Genuinely. Then she encouraged me to just give him a little time. That I was taking relationship advice from my little sister was overwhelming.

After that we talked a bit. Apparently she had been admitted to the Athena Rose girls school about two weeks after I was admitted to Seville. And two weeks ago there was a parents meeting in her school and both her mother and father had gone... as well as my own mother. That explained the visit.

" Father wanted me to ' gain some firm moral development' said he feared I'd grow up to become a wild creature of sorts, " she said while smiling. Yet I managed to see past the smile. At the pain hidden within.

" May I ask you something?" I told her to go ahead and ask. 

" Are you planning on ever telling anyone? "

I faced away from her and shook my head firmly. 

" So you'll continue living a lie? Get married to a bride of father's choosing and be forced to live a life that's not your own?"

" What do you suggest I do Aliyah? Tell them the truth and have him punish me? Break my mother's heart in the process? "

" I suggest that you put yourself first for once. Your mother loves you, nothing can change that. I assure you that she's not the type to judge?"

" How do you know that? "

She just smiled and placed the back of her hand on my cheek. 

" I just do. Trust me. " She sounded completely sure about that. 

" And father?" 

" Needs someone to drag him into reality. "

The things I'd do to be able to be that person. But I just didn't have it in me. Aliyah sighed and leaned back on the seat. Then she laughed to herself.

" You know now that I think about it, I'm certain I already knew. "

" Knew what? "

" That you're not into girls, " 

I rolled my eyes and asked how she could possibly have known that. 

" Last festival, that family from Morocco came to visit, they had a son....what was his name again?"

I laughed and reminded her of the boys name. It was Hazar. 

" Yes, Hazar. " She seemed to be deep in thought. The boy had been my age, quite good-looking as well. And I had a bit of a crush on him, just an innocent one. Nothing remotely close to what I felt for Calen. He was more into Aliyah though, kept staring at her throughout their entire visit.

" Each time I turned to look at you, your eyes were on him. I thought nothing of it at the time, but then later on I found myself wondering how come an intelligent and good-looking male such as yourself had never really been caught in any scandal concerning a girl. I mean, even with poor Simra who's still shattered by your absence. The interest was purely from her end. "

" Yet you never asked, "

" Because you've never liked me. "

" That is not true, I thought you were the one who dislike me. "

We talked it out. Then later she said that she had to join the competition, but that she'd tell me bye before she left. 

" Now that your boyfriend isn't competing I think we have an actual chance, " she joked and I stood and shook my head. 

I'd find him and I would not leave his side until he heard me out and forgave me.

He was too important, mattered too much for me to just give up. 

I wanted to simply wave at Aliyah but instead she hugged me and kissed my cheek. 

" Go. Find him, " she instructed afterwards and I hurriedly left. 

                         💮🌼💮🌼💮🌼

For five days he has been brushing me off, pretending he can't see me and turning around whenever he sees me. The sports ended yesterday and Aliyah told me to keep trying. That he would eventually forgive me, but I doubt it. He's so intent on avoiding me. 

I even waited outside his room, but all he did was ask me to go. He wasn't harsh about it, not in the way I had been with him, but I could tell that he truly wanted me to leave. And so I had. But it's still eating me up inside. And each second that passes I use to try and think of a way to get him to hear me out. He hasn't been to our spot since the incident, and during chemistry class, he always sits as far from me as he can. 

Even Oliver and Rajeev asked me what was wrong, and I told them that I had messed up. 

Yesterday Aliyah told me what Calen had said to her that time in the locker room before he left. 

" He told me not to blame you, that it's not your fault, " she had said. 

Even when I had been so mean towards him all he thought about was me. I couldn't concentrate in class and had actually been caught in my own thoughts during a few classes. Chemistry included. That had been the only instance he had turned to face me. But only for a second. I went to his swimming match on Monday, hopeful that he'd give me a chance to talk to him. 

" Find me wood and nails my J.R, for I want to build us a box to dwell in where you can play to me forever, " he had once told me after I played for him. And that's how I felt as I watched him swim. Like I wanted to take him someplace and watch him do so forever. He moved in the water like an aquatic part of it. As if he flowed just as easily as the liquid did. 

And I wanted him to acknowledge my presence there, but he didn't and I was so hurt. 

But I also knew that I deserved the treatment he was giving me. I blamed myself for overreacting. 

And so that Friday I decided that I had had enough of his silent treatment, and I wanted nothing more to do with it. And I was willing to wait until after the classes but then during chemistry the need to harsh it out overcame me. No way was I willing to let the weekend come and go while he was still mad. Because I feared that the longer he remained upset, the quicker he'd forget all about me. 

That day we were in the chem lab doing an experiment on titration. Pretty easy but the teacher asked us to get into groups of about four. She placed us herself, but then afterwards I raised my hand. I never raised my hand, always preferred to wait until she asked me questions herself.

" Yes Mr.Amir?"

I turned to Calen even though he was busy pretending to read the instructions on his work sheet. 

" I'd like to change groups."

" Why so?"

" I just feel like I'd be more comfortable in another one," 

My current group members stared at me as if I had insulted them but I couldn't care less. I was asked which group I would like and I told her.

Calen shot me a warning glare. 

" Fine, Mr. Craig please switch with Mr.Amir, " 

We did so and I carried my books and stationery over to Calen's workstation. The other two students were the uncaring types who didn't care much about grades. One was making stories with a member of the group beside ours and the other was chatting on his phone. The teacher had actually left us to work. Calen read out the first step and I carried it out, for a few minutes we worked like that, he read something and I accomplished it, then we switched so that he could also carry out the experiment.