Outside the Building
After leaving the exam building, Zeyn sat on a bench under a large tree near the building.
She took out her phone and started browsing online—not because she had anything important to look at, but because she wanted to kill time, waiting for her best friend to come out.
"Hi…"
The voice pierced her ears like a sudden jolt of electricity.
It was deep, calm, carrying the weight of mature masculinity.
Without thinking, she lifted her face.
And at that moment, she felt time stop.
Wow…
The young man standing in front of her had a natural charm. Not the kind that shows off, but the calm kind that makes you stare without knowing why.
She stared at him for a few more seconds.
She even forgot to respond to his greeting.
"Uh… can I sit here?" he asked gently.
Zeyn flinched slightly and nodded quickly.
She felt embarrassed at how openly her desires had shown.
Since when have I been like this?
How can I get flustered just by someone's appearance… haaah!
A brief silence fell.
The young man opened his notebook and started flipping through his notes.
Zeyn continued holding her phone, pretending to be busy, while her heart raced unusually fast.
She didn't even want to look at him again.
She knew that if she turned her eyes toward him, it would be hard to look away.
A few minutes later, another guy arrived.
"Oi, oi!" he said cheerfully, giving Zeyn a high five. "What's up?"
"Cool," Zeyn replied briefly.
The guy turned to his friend.
"Wow, Malik! So that's why you left the restaurant early? To hang out with a beauty, huh?"
Zeyn felt her cheeks heat up suddenly.
She leaned back slightly.
The joke was lighthearted, but to her it felt heavy, because in some way she wished it were true.
Malik looked at Zeyn and saw how she to reduce her presence. he felt she might be embarrassed by his friend's teasing.
"Sorry… this guy loves to ruin the mood," he said with an apologetic smile.
"No problem," Zeyn replied in a soft voice.
The truth was, she didn't want to stay there.
Everything about Malik seemed dangerous to her.
His calmness.
His voice.
Even the way he just sat there without a care.
It was as if chains were slowly wrapping around her heart, aiming to capture it.
She knew if she stayed much longer, she would embarrass herself even more.
As if God had heard her silent plea, Halima's voice rang from a distance.
"Zeyyyyn!"
She jumped up quickly.
"Uhm… Bye…" she stammered, then walked quickly to follow Halima.
"You failed again today to sit until the end, girl—you're too dangerous, hahaha!!" Halima shouted, grabbing her by the arm.
"Let's go quickly," Zeyn said with unusual insistence.
Halima was surprised.
Before she could ask anything, she found herself being pulled along, leaving the spot behind, with Zeyn walking so fast it was as if she were running from an invisible disaster that only she could see.