(Even longer awkward silent pause.)
“Let’s just forget that happened.”
“Already forgotten,” I said quickly.
“Me too!” Mark reiterated.
(Awkward laugh from both of us followed by another awkward pause . . . AGAIN!)
“Right, shall we fetch Harun?” I finally said, breaking the ear-shattering silence in the room.
“YES! Right. Let’s do that!” Mark looked so happy that we were changing the subject from the huge elephant that was clearly in the room with us now.
“Let’s go then,” I said as we both rushed for the door, only to bump into each other as we went. We both jumped back at the same time, as if we’d run into an electric fence.
“Shit! Sorry!” I said, moving even further away from him.
He stepped back. “Sorry!” He shook his head and then rushed out the door, as if he didn’t want to be in that room a moment longer. As if he wanted to be as far away from me, and that bed, as possible. Which I did too!
We drove in silence and my cheeks burned red and hot as I thought about it. Thought about falling asleep during the movie we’d watched together last night after coming back from star-gazing. About waking up tangled—and I meantangled—in each other’s arms. His arm around me, pulling me close to him. His one hand pressed against the skin of my back where my shirt had crept up, my head buried deep into the crook of his neck, breathing in his smell, my lips against the rough skin of his neck. Even our feet and toes were tangled together, as it seemed like our bodies had melted into each other’s. It had taken me a few seconds to realize what was happening when I’d woken up, but when I had, we’d both disentangled ourselves as quickly as possible, and now we were enjoying this incredibly awkward moment in the car.
We arrived at Samirah’s and both flew out the car, careful not to look at each other. We rushed for the door as if our lives depended on getting to it before the other one and then . . .
“Sorry!” I said as our hands connected, fingers slipping between each other’s as we reached for the door handle at the same time.
“Sorry,” Mark said hurriedly, as if he couldn’t get the word out fast enough. We both pulled back and then . . .
“Crap! SORRY!” I said again as we both reached for the door handle again at the same time, mashing our hands together once more. We both pulled away and stood there quietly staring at the door handle in silence. No one moved.
“You open the door,” I said, pointing at it.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yes. You open it,” I replied.
“Okay,” he said, but then paused and did nothing at all . . .
“Alright. Fine. I’ll open it,” I said with force, but didn’t make a move either.
“How about I open it?” We both jumped when we heard a voice coming from behind the door. The door opened and a man was standing in front of us, a smile plastered across his face.
“Hi,” I said, shooting him a lame, wave-emoji hand.
He was still smiling at us. “Reminds me of when Samirah and I first started dating,” he said in a big, friendly voice. He was the man from the photo I’d seen the night before.
“Sorry, what does?” I enquired.
“You know . . .‘Oh, you hang up,’ ‘No, you hang up,’ and then you just land up sitting on the phone even longer because neither of you wants to end it.” He burst out laughing. Samirah walked up the passage and joined him, followed by the five scrappy-looking dogs I had seen the night before. They looked like a real motley crew.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“These two trying to decide who should open the door, like we used to try and decide who hung up the phone first.”
Samirah glanced over at us and smiled; we both looked away, which I know must have made us look as guilty as hell. But guilty for what? Accidentally spooning each other in our sleep? No, let’s be honest, it wasn’t exactly spooning. Spooning is neat and ordered, this had been all over the place and twisted together and . . .whisking!That’s what it was. We’d been in bed together whisking. I forced my eyes up to Samirah’s so she would stop looking at us like we were kids on the naughty seat.
“HOW’S HARUN?” Mark and I both said at the exact same time (maybe a little too loudly). This caused Samirah and the man to burst out laughing together.
“See what I mean?” the man said, placing a hand on Samirah’s shoulder.
