waiting for you to notice

i do it better

Chapter 6


It was around 4 in the morning when he’d finally gone to the gym.  She hadn’t shown up at her room, so he’d decided to go by himself and shoot some hoops.  He needed to clear his mind, but whenever he’d needed to do that there had always been Sanam, always by his side.  As his ball went off, he turned to go get it and there was Sanam.


         “Hey” she threw it back at him


         “Hey yourself” he turned his back at her to not let her see the relief he felt at seeing her.


         “Been waiting long?”


         “No…I just got here”


         “Liar” she grinned, he shrugged, “Mad?”


         “Why you talking so much, let’s just play” he calmly said to her, she signed and took her hoodie off, throwing it aside.  She put her palm out and he threw the ball at her, she threw it back at him.


         “First 10 wins” always, he usually won, but she didn’t care because this was his game.  She nodded…as they played she noticed he wasn’t really focused, she’d made eight shots and he seemed to only be getting angrier as they played.  She was sweating and so was he, but the simple fact that he wasn’t focused kept him from winning.


         “Shit” he forcefully dropped the ball, it bounced up and down, going towards the bleachers, and for once Sanam didn’t go after it.


         “Want to talk bout it?” She slowly asked him, she was worried, she’d never seen him this upset.  He walked away; sat on the bleachers, head in his hands.  She went to sit next to him and he moved away, she frowned.


         “What’s wrong with you” insulted she sniffed herself, “Do I stink?”


         “You should of taken a shower before coming down” he mumbled without looking at her


         “Why, to play basketball?” she rolled her eyes…he didn’t say anything, after a while she leaned on the bleachers, not knowing what to do.


         “You smell like him” he finally said to Sanam’s utter shock.  She was quiet, didn’t know what to say.  He’d never inquired about her and other guys, she didn’t put herself out there the same way he did.  To tell the truth, she just wasn’t the type for relationships, in all her 21 yrs, she’d only had two boyfriends, one in high school and another in college, Joey.  She wasn’t the type to go from one relationship to another.  He signed and got up; she didn’t know what to say…she always knew how to lighten the mood, no matter the situation.  He walked away from her, then stopped, he stood in the middle of the gym, a lone figure, the light shinning on him, she only saw him at that moment…everything else seemed to fade away except for him.  Shoulders tensed, hands fisted, head bowed…


         “Why…why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice seemed to have echoes, made louder by the emptiness of the gym.  She knew she should probably answer him, but what was there to say…she knew the way he was right now, if she said anything, it’d just make the situation worse.  When he was like this, the best thing to do was to leave him alone.  So she got up and walked towards the door, as she passed him he grabbed her arm.


         “You should of told me…his my friend Nam”


         “So am I” she whispered, “am a better friend to you than him…try remembering that” she tried to pull her wrist out of his hands, but he was stronger than her, it was like being held by steel, any effort to release herself was pointless.  So in defeat she turned to him.


         “Why do you care Keith?  You’ve never cared about my personal life, as far as you’re concerned, I have none” she whispered


         “That’s not true”


         “I don’t hide what I do, you simply ignore it, you’re oblivious, and you chose to be so” she knew it to be true, she wasn’t the type of person to lie, he knew it, she knew it.  She wasn’t even good at keeping secrets!


         “That’s not true” he harshly said releasing her arm.


         “Isn’t it? Ask anyone…me and Joey broke up last year”


         “You were together last year?”


         “Come on Keith, we’ll talk some other time” she signed, again, as she was about to walk away he grabbed on to her.          


         “Keith…” he then let her go and went back to the bleachers where he sat down, in the same position he had been in earlier.  She didn’t like to see him this way; she went to him, on her knees between his legs. 


         “Go away Nam, tomorrow…tomorrow, we’ll talk” but she didn’t go away, something held her there, pulled her in a way nothing ever did.  He looked up at her, a question in his eyes, a frown on his face.  She touched his face…only God knew what she was doing, she knew what she was doing, but she didn’t, couldn’t stop herself, why would she when she wanted to so much?


Her face neared him, her eyes looked into his eyes, he knew what she was about to do as much as she knew that he knew.  Giving him the chance to push her away…she hoped he wouldn’t.  Her lips softly touched his, a tingle ran through her whole body and she felt him shivering before he suddenly grabbed a hold of her and pulled her closer to him.  He grabbed her as if he didn’t want to let her go, kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her.  His tongue tangled with hers in a rhythm as old as time.  His hands caressed her, her own hands touched around his face, neck, ears, hair.  Wanting to imprint the memory of this one insane moment in her head, she nibbled his bottom lip and drew a breath as she felt the coolness of his palm on her stomach.  Her skin felt like satin under his hands, how had he been friends with her for all these years and managed to resist her?  Had he never wondered how that hair of hers would curl on his fingers, or how her beautiful light brown skin would feel under his?  Had he never wondered how those full lips of hers would taste? How had he gone a lifetime without being lost in her golden gaze, and not felt the tingles it made run down his spine as she now stared him in the eyes while he kissed her? 


         “How do you not realize how beautiful you are?” he whispered against her lips. She stilled and he wished he hadn’t said anything, he wished he’d just let himself get lost in the heat of her mouth.


         “My uni-brow and all?” she whispered back as she brushed her lips over his, he felt a smile on her lips and knew if he looked in her eyes they’d be laughter there.  He lifted her face up to look at him and yes indeed he was right.


         “The uni-brow and all” he smiled at her as she grinned up at him.


         “You better say that after having your tongue down my throat” she said and stood up, taking his arm she helped pull him up.  Though neither said it, they new this was the last they’d speak of the kiss…


         “You know that was the best kiss you ever had” he smugly said; she raised her naturally arched brow up but said nothing.  Before they went out the door, into reality, he stopped, looked around the gym.


         “Hey Nam?” he called; she turned to see him behind her and frowned.  “It was better than Joey’s right?” she looked at him for a while and shook her head without answering.  A satisfied smiled spread his face.


         “She liked my kiss better”