Chapter Six

06

"Can I come in," I ask, standing at his door.

"You're already in, so you might as well." He was laying on his bed with his phone in his hand.

I move to sit on the edge of his bed but he doesn't bother to look at me.

"What if I'm a sex addict?" I blurt out in an attempt to get him to look at me..

"A sex addict, you?" Basim finally stares at me, doubtfully. "I don't want to be one of those people that don't believe you so if you want to go rehab, I will take you."

"Rehab? Why are you being so dramatic? I will just go to therapy."

"What's the difference?" He asks, confused.

"One is a therapy and the other a rehab centre. You see the difference?" He laughs and I take a deep breath. "I know I didn't say anything back there, I was caught off guard," I admit.

He puts his phone aside. "I'm glad I got it off my chest."

"What now?" I ask him.

"Do you feel the same way?"

It wasn't as if I didn't, but us together didn't make sense - not yet.

"I'm not in the position to be with you," I tell him instead.

"You have not answered my question. Do you like me?" He enunciates every word with a purpose.

"No." That's all I could let out before standing up from the bed.

"Don't worry about hurting my feelings, you can stay if you want to," he tells me, grabbing his phone from where he had last left it.

He knew it was a lie, even a blind man would be able to see through my façade from a mile away. Instead of calling me out on it, he doesn't - maybe he was waiting for me to come to my senses, but for how long? Would it take months for me to declare my love?

"Basim," I mutter, but he doesn't respond, so I inch closer to him and call out his name again.

He looks up from his phone, his face not saying much.

"This won't change things between us, right?" I ask. It was important that it didn't because above all else, I wanted him as a friend.

He lets the silence linger in the air as his eyes dot down to my lips and then find my eyes again. "It won't," he says.

I left immediately wanting to run into Dayo's room, she's my best friend after all, but then I

remember how close she and Basim are and my feet immediately come to a halt.

She and Basim would look great together. I shake my head not wanting thoughts like those to continue to play around in my mind. He was mine before he would ever be hers.

I didn't expect to find anyone in the kitchen, but there Rossita sits, in the dim light. "Can't sleep?" I ask her, moving to sit next to her.

"Something like that," she whispers. She and I weren't as close as the others, but we had our moments. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just… what you had said…," she trails.

"I say a lot of things, Rossita."

"Yeah." She doesn't say anything further and although today has been the most confusing, I wanted her to feel like I am here for her.

"I'm sorry if what I said has hurt your feelings." I wasn't sure what it was but if it had hurt her

feelings, I would apologize again and again.

"You were right, if Gomes and I didn't explore our feelings, we would still be friends and things wouldn't be as awkward as it is now."

Right. Gomes. I had forgotten my slip-up. "Do you still talk?" I ask.

"Not after what had happened when I moved to Miami. He is married to Holly now." You could see the weak smile plastered on her face. She didn't have to pretend to be happy for them, I know I wouldn't be.

"Maybe you had to explore to find out if it was meant to last," I tried to assure her.

"Then shouldn't you and Basim explore to find out if you are meant to be more than friends." She turns to look at me.

"It's different."

"How is it different? Do you not like him?"

"I don't like him, but if you had asked if I wanted to fuck him then the answer is yes. Yes I do want to have sex with him."

I didn't expect for Basim to be standing listening in, so when Rossita's eyes strayed from mine to whoever was behind me, I froze. This can't possibly be happening, not tonight. I closed my eyes, already wanting to be buried six feet. I turn to find Dayo instead. I sigh, letting my shoulders sag. I wouldn't be able to deal with him knowing that, not yet.

"Didn't mean to interrupt, just came down to grab a glass of water," she says, moving towards the fridge.

"You weren't interrupting, I was just about to leave," Rossita says and I mimic as I stand up from the stool. Seeing Dayo made me angry - I didn't even understand why, this is my best friend after all.

"Nurys, can we speak," Dayo calls out to me.

"Sure." We both watch as Rossita disappears up the stairs.

"Are you good?"

"Why do you ask?" I look at her quizzically.

"You never leave me alone, especially at night." I should have known she wasn't a fan of the dark.

"I know, sorry. I'm just tired."

"What happened in the car with you and Basim?" She asks.

"What do you mean?"

"His mood was off when he entered the house."

"You seem to care so much about him," I say snarky, but quickly regret it. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that," I quickly added.

"No, how did you mean it?" She didn't look pleased, I wouldn't have either.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just genuinely tired."

She didn't seem to believe me, but decided not to push on the matter any further.

I'm a Social Bug

"Last night was one for the books," Azaila comments from the backseat of Dayo's car.

We were going to a little cottage restaurant for lunch before embarking on the activities Dayo had planned out. Basim said he would try to meet us there, but surely that was a code for I don't want to be in the same room as Nurys. I couldn't blame him, I wouldn't want to be in the same room as the guy from last night if given the chance to. I know it's not the same thing, but somewhat my mind linked the two together.

"We need to make today special," Dayo comments and we all turn to look at her.

"Why?" Rossita asks.

"Basim is heading back to Dubai first thing in the morning."

Why didn't he tell me he was leaving?

"Why is he cutting the trip short?" Azaila asked, a little bit bumped by the news as I was, but the difference was, I wasn't going to show it. He wanted to leave without telling me, then fine, he doesn't deserve an ounce of emotion from me. What happened to nothing will change between us?

"I don't know, maybe Nurys knows something we don't," Dayo says, turning to look at me accusingly.

"What do you mean? I don't know why he would want to leave so abruptly. I'm as confused as all of you."

Our food arrived the same time as he did. The girls squealed in excitement and I threw him a 'I could care less that you are here' smile.

"If I knew you all would be looking so beautiful this morning, I would have made more of an effort. Sorry girls." His smile alone was enough for them to shake their heads no. "I think you still look really hot," Azaila lets him know.

"You're late," I let out a snarky comment.

"Nurys," Dayo scolds.

"No, she's right, sorry."

I wanted to be a good sport, but somehow I couldn't help myself every time an opportunity arose.

"Allaenat ealaa hadha, would you like to speak to me privately instead of making these childish side comments." He didn't seem very pleased and I'm as lost as you are to what he had just uttered.

"We'll wait for you guys in the car," Rossita says as she ushers the two girls out with her.

"What is with you?"

"You said nothing would change between us," reminding him of our conversation last night.

"Nothing has changed."

"How come you are cutting the trip short?"

"Trust me, it's not because I want to. I would love to sit here and have you bite my head off even more." He lets out a chuckle. "I'm needed back at the office."

"Right," I say.

"You don't believe me?"

"I do, I just wish you stayed a day longer."

"I do too, but duty calls." He shrugs.

Duty calls? If he liked me as much as he said he did, he would have made a way to stay longer. I call bullshit on his apparent feelings.