Five: Taleen

The fact that I enjoy studying biology is making this paper a lot easier for me to write. I’m supposed to submit it in three days and I’m almost done with it. It’s been two days since the barbecue party and luckily, my face isn’t bruised.

I take a sip of my coffee and crack my fingers while making a circular motion with my head to relieve my neck a bit before returning to my paper. Mondays aren’t my favourite, to be honest. I have lectures from nine to three then I have a five-hour-shift from six to eleven. It’s currently four and I think I have around an hour and fifteen minutes left to get myself to work.

“Isn’t it a pleasant surprise?” I look up from my laptop screen and the corners of my mouth turn up. Why am I happy to see him? Maybe it’s because he is a sweet guy. “Mind if I sit with you?” he requests and I nod, motioning for him with an open hand to take the seat in front of me.

“How have you been?” I ask Josh, glancing at him. White suits him. The t-shirt isn’t tight on his body, but it’s not loose either; it looks perfect. Such a sweet sight to the eyes, if you ask me.

“I should be asking you that, you’re the one who got hit with a ball,” he speaks with a light chuckle, causing me to giggle in response.

“I’m good. As you can see no swelling or bruises,” I assure him, taking another sip from my coffee. “What brings you here? Following me?” I playfully smirk.

“I love the coffee of this place, but maybe you’ve got a new stalker. You never know.” So, he has a sense of humour; something extra to make him likeable. However, Josh isn’t going to be the one who would make me change my plans. Yes, he’s agreeable, likeable, and even handsome, but these are not enough characteristics to make me change my point of view about dating.

“I come here regularly, how haven’t I seen you before?” I tilt my head to the side as I talk to him.

“I think I’ve seen you here before. Maybe once or twice. You’re so focused when you’re doing something. You probably don’t notice anyone around you,” he says with a shrug.

“How would you know that about me?” I close my laptop screen after saving the paper to pay more attention to him. This conversation is quite interesting. I rest my chin on the palm of my hand and give him my full attention, ready to hear the character analysis he has run on me.

          “As a matter of fact, before saying anything to you when I first saw you here, I was standing in front of you for more than fifteen seconds, yet you didn’t notice,” he informs me and I slowly nod with a small smile on my lips.

          “I guess I’ll have to take care of my surroundings from now on,” I note, my eyes not darting away from him as I talk. I look at my wrist and mentally sigh in relief when I find the hair tie around it. I pull my hair up in a ponytail and I make sure not to wrap the hair tie three times, so it won’t give me a headache afterward.

          “Your hair looks nice when it’s pulled up.” Josh compliments me and I decide to joke around.

          “Are you implying that it looks bad when it’s down?” I raise one eyebrow as I shoot accusing stares in his direction.

          His eyes go wide in less than a second. “No! I didn’t mean it like that! You look beautiful either way. It’s just that your face looks structured when it’s pulled up, but that doesn’t mean that having it down gives you a double chin or something…” I try my best to control the laughter I’m attempting to suppress, and I finally give in.

          “God!” I laugh, throwing my head back. “You should’ve seen your face! I can easily mess with you.” I continue laughing as I talk, and I see him sending glares at me.

          “You’re mean.” He huffs and all I do is cunningly grin in his direction. “What are your plans for today?” he asks after regaining his posture.

          “I have to be at work at six,” I say, checking the time on my phone. It’s quarter to five.

          “You work? What do you do?” he wonders.

          “I’m just a waitress. I work at Valerio’s restaurant,” I state with a simple shrug, not finding whatever I do interesting enough.

          “That posh Italian place?” he wonders, and I nod my head in response.

          “I can drive you if you want.” He offers and I debate whether to agree or not. Is he just being his normal friendly self, or does he have other intentions in mind? I’m honestly rooting for the former because I have no desire in dealing with the latter. “I don’t plan on abducting you or anything,” he jokes, making me roll my eyes playfully at him.

          “Fine, you can drive me.” I accept, seeing no harm in that.

          “We still have time. We can go get ice cream.” He makes a suggestion that I’m definitely fond of. Who says no to ice cream? I see him stand up and I do the same. I start collecting my stuff and he picks my backpack off the ground, handing it to me to put my things in it.

          We walk out of the café and he guides me to his car that happens to be a beautiful dark grey Range Rover. “Nice car,” I say, admiring the masterpiece in front of me. I’ve always had a liking for cars and one day, I wish I’d be able to own an Audi or a Range Rover.

          “Thank you,” he says, opening the door for me. Is he normally such a gentleman like that? I thank him and sit down on the comfy seat of his car. “You can play whatever you want.” He hands me the aux cord and I connect it with my phone.

          “You don’t mind Imagine Dragons, do you?” I just have to make sure that he likes whatever I’m planning to play; it’s his car after all.

          “I love them!” he exclaims, and I widely smile in response as I put on Bad Liar. I haven’t spent a lot of time with Josh, but something about him makes him intriguing, like I want to know more about him. I’ve just met him two days ago, yet I actually don’t mind spending more time with him. It’s like I’m enjoying hanging out with him.

          “Taleen, I have a question.” He breaks the silence that is only occupied by the music. I can guess his question. I’m not a mind reader, but I know that he has wanted to ask me about my reasons behind my refusal of dating since Saturday.

          “Sure.” I slant, playing with my hair.

          “Why don’t you date?” His voice is a bit lower than his normal tone and that indicates slight anxiousness; he’s not sure whether he should’ve asked this question or not.

          “If you’re expecting a sob story behind this, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. It’s actually weird that I’m against the idea of dating even though I haven’t been brokenhearted before,” I admit, fidgeting with the end of my cardigan.

          “So, you’re against dating, but you’re into the idea of marriage? Like would you accept arranged marriage?” he asks, and I snort.

          “Are you asking that because I’m half-Arab?” I’m so done with the stereotypes. My tone and my words came out harsher than I intended them to be, but these kinds of statements tend to get on my nerves.

          “What? No! I just don’t get the idea of being against dating. What’s so bad about dating? I mean, is it just dating or is marriage also included? Are you against the whole idea of being in a relationship?” The words rush out of his mouth, like he’s trying to clarify his point of view.

          “I’m against the relationship thingy. It’s pointless,” I utter, turning down the volume of the music, so I could concentrate more on whatever he has to say.

          “Pointless? Aren’t you going to settle down one day? Don’t you want to get married and have kids?” he wonders, and I just want to rub my forehead to ease the pain caused by the stereotypical shit he keeps saying.

          “Is the idea of getting married and having kids based on the fact that I’m a girl or the fact that it’s what should be done according to the point of view of the society?” I question.

          “Since both choices sound unpleasant, I’m going with the second opinion even though I don’t see it in either way.”

          I haven’t noticed that we’ve reached the ice-cream place until he parks his car. We both get out and I shove my hands in the pockets of my loose off-white cardigan. This conversation is irritating, yet interesting at the same time. The irritation stems from how stereotypical it is, and the interest emerges from how he’s actually letting me talk without attacking my point of view. He is civilized; a rare trait that is hard to find in the human race nowadays. 

          “Scratch the options I gave you. Tell me about your opinion.” My tone is challenging. I secretly want his answer to throw me off, to leave me baffled and unable to reply because I’ve had this conversation more than once in my life that I can expect the lines of it. We’re currently standing on the pavement by his car and my back is rested on the door of the passenger seat.

          “I believe it’s unique and heart-warming to be able to find somebody you would want to spend the rest of your life with. Somebody you can see a future with. Isn’t it great to have somebody in your life you can return to when everything gets dark and life throws its shit at you? I think life is never easy, but the person you choose to spend your life with eases the journey. I see the idea of having somebody you can consider your rock or you’re sure that this person has your back at any given time is awesome.” I have to confess, I’m kind of baffled, but not at a total loss for words.  

          “I have to give you credit. Your answer is good. It’s really romantic, perhaps even too romantic for my liking but not good enough to make me change my plans,” I tell him as we walk inside the ice-cream shop.

          “And what are your plans?” he wonders as we stand in front of the ice cream, eyeing the different flavours before us.

          “What would you like to have?” The girl behind the ice cream fridge interrupts our conversation. He looks at me, waiting for my answer.

          “I’ll have Oreo,” I answer the girl.

          “I’ll take mint chocolate chip.” The girl nods and scurries to get the cones. “You were telling me about your plans.” He directs his words at me, causing me to look at him.

          “I’d like to be the rich, cool aunt who travels a lot and only comes to visit every few months and brings gifts to her nephews and nieces.” I grin, making him chuckle. The girl hands us our cones and we thank her then we go to sit down on one of the tables. The place is cosy and the fact that there are no nosy kids gives it more beauty. The tables are white, and the seats are made of vertical white and baby-blue stripes.

          “Are you even an aunt?” he asks, and I shake my head.

          “But I do have siblings! Two, actually. Layan and George,” I say with a smile on my face.

          “I also have a brother and a sister. Evan and Avery,” he informs me. One thing I’ve just learned about Josh is that talking to him is easy. He is welcoming and he is never pushy. He gives you the space to talk and to state your opinion. He isn’t judgmental at all and I love that about him. He even knows how to keep the conversation going.

          “I want to ask you something,” he starts, and I nod, waiting for him to continue. “Are you into art?” he wonders.

          “Yes!” My tone shows my eagerness. I think my voice was a bit loud because I managed to attract the attention of some clients. I sink in my seat embarrassingly and I’m sure my cheeks are now red.

“I just love your enthusiasm.” He laughs at my reaction and I scowl at him. “I have two tickets to this art gallery opening next Friday. Would you like to go with me? And no, it’s not a date.” It’s like he is reading my mind.

          “As long as it’s not a date then I’m in.” Maybe a friendship with Josh won’t be bad after all. Maybe it won’t be bad at all. 

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What do you think about Taleen and Josh? Do you like the development of their friendship?