His eyes widened as he stared at her face, still sticking out of the window, her eyes looking like they were seeing too much too clearly inside him. He turned on his heels and marched around the outhouse and away from her. The party’s music went on in full swing behind him on one side, the outhouse silent on the other side.
Samar kept walking. That’s all he had ever done. That’s what he still had to do. Walking.
22. Everybody deserved one last chance…
Everybody deserved one last chance. Samar told himself this again and again as he walked towards Adil’s office. He passed the Media Room, and her voice made him slow down. She was talking about digital marketing at the top of her voice. And Samar passed the half-open door slower than he usually would.
His eyes caught sight of the back of her head through the slit of the door. Bathed in the morning sun, her hair was outlined in a sparkling glow of orange. She started to turn, and he quickened his pace, taking his eyes off the room, hoping she hadn’t seen him. Last night was injury enough. He had to retreat, like he once had. Even an inch to Amaal was the threat of a metre. And he had crossed a kilometre already last night.
Samar adjusted his specs and pushed Adil’s office door open.
“Hey, I was about to leave for Boulevard Road. You coming?”
“Yes.” He closed the door and strode in, taking a seat at his table. “How’s it going?”
Adil pulled off his own specs and tossed them on the table, rubbing at his eyes — “I can’t see my code straight. That’s how sleepy I am.”
“Did you party that late into the night?”
“Yes.” He lied without even a hitch, without even looking up. Samar had gotten an update that he had left the party early.
“What time did you guys sleep?” Samar asked. “I left very early.”
He yawned — “Me too.”
“You said you partied late.”
His wide mouth widened more, then he yawned more, throwing his head back on his seat — “1 or 2 am.”
“That’s not early.”
“Mmmm,” he opened his mouth to yawn again. “Let’s go. You are driving.”
“Wouldn’t let you even if you wanted to.” Samar straightened to his feet. They left the office together, walking past the rooms filling with the morning crowd. Samar raised his eyes from his shoes to the figure coming towards them, and his gaze collided with hers.
“Good party last night, Amaal and team,” Adil hollered to the open Media Room. Amaal stood on the threshold, arms crossing across her chest. As Adil stopped and bantered with the members inside the room, Samar was forced to stop too, beside her.
“…what time did you sleep?” Adil was asking Ehsaan as Amaal’s low voice reached him.
“You had a late night too?” She was casual.
“Hmm.”
“I look like a teacher talking to another teacher as my class makes noise.”
Samar snorted. And their eyes met again, laughing quietly at each other. True to her word, last night had been no strings attached and forgotten in the light of the day.
“PT teacher and English ma’am,” Adil grinned.
“ PTteachers.” Samar found himself correcting.
“Talk about yourself. I am the Computer sir.”
“Then he is the grumpy Bio Lab HOD.” Amaal pointed at him. Adil barked a laugh — “You don’t know how many frogs he dissects over treating.”
Samar cleared his throat.
“Anyway,” Adil waved a hand at the team inside. Then, loudly — “Do plan another party again. Permission is on me.”
