So I've packed those jeans and that green shirt and those shoes and...

My phone rings and I quickly pick up when I see that Kate is calling

"Hey" I say and prepare myself for the insults that are about to come

"Hey. You're leaving and you didn't even tell me. How dare you?" she shouts

"Easy there, I'm sorry. I've just been so busy" I bite my lip

"Of course you've been busy" she replies and I thank God that she understands
"With Mason" she laughs
Of course

"Yeah right but how did you know I was leaving?" I ask, I don't remember telling her I am leaving.

"Paul told me" she says

"And how did he know?" I ask again.
I mean surely he couldn't have known because Mason-
"Mason told him" she cuts my thoughts.

Since when have I been so special that Mason discusses me with his friends?

"That's very sweet of you to call" I say to kate and smile.

"No problem. I assume you have a lot of packing to do so I'm not gonna bother you"

"Okay honey. It was nice meeting you" I say

"Same here and by the way you should know that Mason totally likes you" she says and then adds

"Oh mom is calling me, gotta go bye. Love you" and then she hangs up.

Wait what?
I stare at my phone in horror
My heart drums in my chest and I actually start sweating
No no. Kate is wrong.
Surely Mason doesn't like me
Oh crap! No!
This is not happening

My whole body tingles and my reactions are cut short as Mason comes barging into my room

Exactly who I need to see to calm my nerves.
Please notice the sarcasm applied above

"How many times do I have to tell you to knock?" I say while rolling my eyes.

His breathing is heavy, like he's been running, his hair tousled like he has sprinted to my place and his outfit tells me he wore the first thing he could see.
But he still looks so good.

Get it together Amna!

I clear my throat to get his attention off of me because he is definitely looking at me weirdly.

I am wearing a kurta (traditional Pakistani shirt) that my aunt gifted me when I first came here and my hair are tied in a messy bun.

I don't look like Audrey Hepburn or anything!

"Umm yeah, how much time do you have before you leave for the airport?" He asks me, shaking his head and gulping.

I check my wrist but there is no watch there.
Yeah, I've never loved accessories that much.
So I check my phone which is in my other hand and out of the corner of my eye I see Mason chuckling.

"2 hours" I say while glaring at him for laughing at me.

"What are you planning to do in that time?" He asks me

"Not much. I just have to-"

"Great because even if you have anything to do you are going to come with me" he says and extends his hand to capture mine, which he does but before I say anything he pulls away like I am fire and am burning him.

As much as I would like to deny the fact that his hand felt good in mine, I couldn't.
His hand felt so good and warm in mine.
It felt like I could hold it forever

What the hell is wrong with me?
I need to get myself together
I'm just reacting like this because of all the nostalgia

And because Kate told you that he likes you
That too!
I'm sure Kate was just messing with me

"Where are we going?" I ask him and my voice comes out weirdly, barely a whisper.

"To the coffee shop down the street" he says and looks away.

"Okay" I say "lead the way"

He goes out of my room and down the stairs and I catch him shaking his head and cursing at himself.

I go down and tell my grandmother that I will be back soon and when she asks me where I'm going and I tell her that I'm going to the coffee shop she gives me a long lecture.

"God, grandma. It's been so many days. If we were gonna make out we would've done it already" I answer and that earns me a slap on my back

"What took you so long?" He says as I step outside and I blush a little

"Stuff" I shrug

"Where is your car?" I ask

"We're walking there" he says

"Can we take Brie with us? I'll miss her when we go back" I say and try my best to give him the puppy eyes and he sighs

"Well..." he tries to put me off

"We're not going to be doing something very private, Mason. Please" I try to make my puppy dog eyes better and he sighs

"Okay"

I jump and run towards his place. As I knock on his door, Christina opens it and I giggle when I see her smudged lipstick.
I forgot it was Sunday and Kevin would be home.
God, I'm such a girl!

Mason looks like he has seen a naked picture of his grandma.
Christina looks at the both of us and questions us with her eyes.

"We're her to pick up Brie" I say at the same time when Mason says
"Look at yourself in the mirror mom"

Christina decides to do both things and calls Brie downstairs and then goes to check herself in the mirror.

I can see her checking herself in the mirror from the door and her mouth falls open when she sees herself.

She quickly runs to the lounge to get some tissues and wipe her face while I look at Mason and watch his expression which looks like he's going to puke

"Oh come on, they're so cute" I say while chuckling

"But..she..oh my god" he says and I laugh a bit more.

Just then Brie comes outside and throws her arms around my legs.
I bend down to hug her back

"You're coming with us"

"Am I?" She says as her eyes light up and I nod.

Christina comes outside too and tells Brie to behave, I can see her cheeks which are as red as her lipstick right now.
Well, ex-lipstick

On the way to the coffee shop Brie keeps telling me about her new doll house

"You know what Amna?" She says

"What?" I ask her

"Mason woke up just 15 mins before he came to your place and then he left the house without breakfast. That is why he looks so horrible right now" she says and giggles while Mason rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks flush and I throw my head back and laugh.

We reach the coffee shop and I don't order something to eat since I'm not hungry but I do order an Oreo shake and Brie orders a kit kat shake while Mason orders an espresso but I stop him

"Coffee sounds very adult. Order something else" I say and he gives me a confused look

"Why don't you order for me then?" He says

"Will do" I nod "he will have a vanilla milkshake"

"Hmm" the girl at the counter says, her eyes never leaving mason who is showing brie all the different doughnuts and asking her if she wants some.

She smirks as she looks at him and she still hasn't noted down the order

"Kid, the order" I remind the girl who is clearly younger than us.

I dig my nails in the palm of my hand to calm myself down.

How dare she?
She doesn't even know him

There is another guy who is making a coffee and he grins when he looks at me

"What a beautiful young couple" he says and winks at me.

Mason who is apparently now standing with me opens his mouth to say something

"Thank you...umm...jeffrey" I look at his name tag

"Why didn't you tell him we weren't a couple?" Mason says as we take our orders and sit on of the tables.

"Because I didn't want to" I say and mason looks at me like I have grown a second, or rather, a third head

What?
What's wrong with me not wanting to tell him that we are not a couple?
Its not like I'm head over heels for him just because I think he's handsome.
Well , okay, really handsome.

----------------------------

On the way back from the coffee shop I stop at Mason's place and say goodbye to Christina, Kevin and a very sad Brie.

Just like the other night, Christina insists that Mason walks me home and he does.

We walk in silence

I step on the porch and turn around

His eyes look painful, like someone is taking something away from him.

He smiles through his frown and i cant help the smile that makes its way up to my face too.

God, what the hell?
Why are we so sad?

While I'm contemplating the existence of my sadness he turns around and leaves.
Just like that, he leaves.
No proper goodbye

And what exactly is a proper goodbye for you?

I don't know, a hug would have been nice

And innapropriate

Well....

Why am i transfixed here? Shouldn't I go inside?
But a few moments outside wont hurt, now would they?

I look at the tree in front of me, the wind whistles, my hair gets stuck to my lip gloss, they blow out of proportion and so do the flowers on the tree

They fall down to the ground, leaving what was supposedly a home

I turn my head to the right in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, one house away, he will be standing on his porch too, staring at some tree

And there he is

It takes him a few moments to realize that I'm creepily watching him, but he turns his head to the left too and he smiles

I smile back

I hold up the package he gave to me, it reads 'only to be opened when you are in the airplane'

"Thank you" I mouth to him

"You're welcome'

From some wretched tear gland, a tear slips down my cheek and he grins

Again, I grin back and go inside

-------------

I'm finally sitting inside the airplane which means I can finally open the gift.

Normally, I always tear the wrapping paper because I'm curious to see what is inside but I take my time with this gift.

I slowly pull the strand which unties the blue bow and then I proceed to unwrap the green wrapping paper.
I finally manage to open it.
Can't say it wasn't difficult to control the urge to just tear the wrapping paper.
I laugh a little when I see what is inside.
It's Wuthering Heights.
I open the book to come across a little message.

To the best broccoli in the world. Don't cry. I probably shouldn't say this because I'm crying right now but you shouldn't cry (im a hypocrite, i know)
I hope that we will see each other again. Never change and know that you deserve way more than what you got and someday you will get what you want. Take care of yourself. If you ever need me, I'll always be here.

The plane is about to take off so I can't call him.

Who am I kidding?

I can't call him because I'm too afraid I'll cry.
I don't want him to hear that.

I take out the book and am about to stuff the wrapping paper in the pocket of my seat when something, or particularly a bracelet falls out of it.

It's a simple bracelet but the inscription says best friends and at the back side is written broccoli. I see a note with this one too.

I know you're not a fan of accessories but it would make me really happy if you wear this.

As much as I hate bracelets.
I love this one. So I slide it on my wrist. My tears flow again and I don't know the reason of their existence. We are just friends...best friends...best friends who will probably never see each other again.

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