Imperfect Perfections

[4]Her Presence

"The burn is a bit too sore. Thank God, he was brought in immediately. Good job, Fami!", remarked Mrs. Anita, an old lady in her sixties who had found herself no better job than this, so she could pay those long bills of rent and electricity offered by her rude grandchildren staying with her.

Saying so, she glared at Fahim, whose eyes now brimmed in leat gratitude and most of the annoyance, while he remained still, exhaling at the red patch his right palm carried. 

While the former nodded, acknowledging her achievement with a cute smile. As the nurse patted her head and drifted off to the back to get some bandages, she settled down beside him.

He now looked extremely red.

"What? Are you sick?!", she gasped, feeling for his head.

He shook away her touch and shifted a bit away from the proximity, leaning to the opposite side where the lights rushed in. 

Fami chuckled.

"You are quite a brat, aren't you?"

Insulted, he swirled around, twisting his lean hip, and roared,

"What?!"

"Even Mrs. Anita doesn't seem to like you.."

Fahim smirked. Now, this was one of a conversation he had wanted in the morning.

"That old hag? All she needs is a kick in the back, and she would resign the very next day!"

A forehead flick smacked against his forehead, heating it up.

Fahim got shocked!

None in the school had ever done that to him, more or less even walk beside (with queer exception of Jake and Harith, whom he never regarded as 'people' in the school)

Staring hard at the culprit, who now looked least concerned about it, his mind went through a lot. 

He gritted his teeth, even though it made him look more of a fool.

"You didn't.."

She sighed and shrugged.

"I guess, I cannot take it back. Anyway, you deserve it"

That backstabbed again.

Fahim rolled his tongue inside. Without another word, he lay back on his head, against the white bed and remained quiet.

He didn't close his eyes, instead just remained, staring at the ceiling.

After ten minutes of silence, he turned his face to look at her.

She was now keenly and curiously reading.

No matter what he did, he just couldn't ignore that perfect facial aspect. The straight hair hanging over each shoulder, the small bushy nose, thick eyebrows, and bushy smooth lips. It a straightforward looking but with a bit of a freckle here and there, making the skin's texture fight back against beauty and radiance.

A slim tender like butter figure, whose small figure could fit in even the smallest of places.

He felt himself leaning in, for the deepest of desires. 

Just then, her face pulled up and their eyes met.

Astonished, he fell on his back once again, in such a 'Thud' that his head hit the tough mattress's end harshly. He screeched, "Ouch!", his hand running into the head to see if it was okay. But at the moment, a thin obstruction stopped him.

Her hand was now holding his.

He stared at her, most firmly, trying to conceal a race car racing inside.

"What?"

Her concerned countenance said she wasn't joking.

"Your hand! It shouldn't be dragged around or touched onto.."

Saying so, she kept on holding his wrists with her fingers, whole turning attention to the book again.

Fahim didn't know what was going on.

Like then, when she had held his tarsals to see if he was burnt so bad. The same fluttering. The exact similar red cheeky face. 

Somehow, he knew, she had been the reason for this.

This apple-red countenance.

Neither the sexiest Ileana had done this to him.

But nor was Famisha so as pretty as her.

Confused, Fahim slipped into a sullen sleep.

His fingers tightening over the hold of her fingers.

Small, and cute.

"Dude, your fine or what?"

Fahim sighed, pushing away the losers with his identity card. He couldn't touch or graze anything for a week, and above all, he had to make sure no infection was passed on. The diluted source hadn't brought much of a danger, but it still hurt, like a cool spray heating it in a Bunsen flame.

But what depressed him and his freaky attitude was missing lab.

There was no more of it.

Or should he say, he was prohibited from it?

"Shouldn't you be happy, fool? No lab, but average grades! Geez, a lifetime lottery, and you're taking it like a sucking childish baby!", marked Jake. Harith nodded, sinking into his phone again.

Fahim took a glance at him, his silence making him standstill.

"Dude, you fine or what?"

He nodded, keeping those pair of vision dead serious inside the blue lights.

"Harith, I'm asking something"

The latter nodded vigorously,

"I'm...I'm actually..fine...Wait! What were you saying, bro?"

Fahim held his breath. No, he wasn't going to furious with this. However, days of such disasters were playing alongside him, and now this. After two days of absence, this goy walked in, lecturing them on being careful after a whole lot of fun he had at his granny's place, and here he was, ignoring the s**t out of everything. 

Fahim clenched those burned fists, and swirled around, tousling a dumbstruck Jake who had sensed with a third eye

"YOU!I'M f*****g SAYING-"

"Fahim!"

He stopped midway, a clenched fist hung in the air. 

The hand touched him again.

The same graze.

The similar fluttering.

He twisted his body around, as those soft and cute fingers held his fist, and made it stand parallel to his hips. They opened those rolled fingers and spread them wide; the red patches still wide and plain upon them, though it looked little better than before.

"It's getting better, and you don't care for it?"

Now, there was no girl fighting back with him.

It was that shy innocent tone, spoken to give and take.

His voice got held at the gut.

Opening his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I-"

She clicked her tongue.

"It needs care, you know. Or else, I might never get my lab partner again"

My lab partner.

The three words circled around Fahim's head like sparrows revolving a knocked out person. No, this was unreal; the same thought crossing past the minds of Harith, who was now open-mouthed and staring at her, and Jake whose eyes had almost popped out.

Nobody else was around.

Unlike the noontime, when the break would be with a whole lot of noise of books falling, girls tripping and boys screeching; this had been in a lonely corridor past the library, three steps across the men's bathroom, giving pleasure to nobody's eyes expect the three of them.

"I ain't anybody's lab-"

"I wasn't complete"

Fahim zipped his mouth, and that thought itself made him cringe. This was no 'he'. She was making him squirm.

"My lab partner isn't going to be needing average grades after all. From next week onwards, that is just three days far, if your palm is accessed as 'alright' by Anita aunty, then it's all good!"

Jake and Harith had to chuckle at that.

She glared, fighting back at them, who immediately averted gaze. 

Fahim stood still, staring at her; consuming the beauty he rarely had at close proximity. 

"...Plus even your certificate of banning chem lab will be abolished! You can still work by my side, and we can do it together!"

Her excitement was too overwhelming, to even be suspicious of it. 

"So, you do wanna come back right?"

She asked, finally, shrinking her head down and breathing hard, as if this whole lot of bravery had consumed all that energy in a tiny limp body.

Fahim laughed.

A loud one, and a rather cute one too.

Which made the girl smile, wider. She joined in the laughter and kept the pace of his glee too. But his two dear friends gawked, remaining surprised to death.

"...Umm, are we third-wheeling or something?"

Jake asked softly.

But it was no question to interrupt the cheerful hilarious laughter of the two.

However the moment flung around when the bully boy sighed and said,

"You are really something, Famisha. I have to say that"

She nodded, agreeing to his statement like she had already known it.

He lifted his hand, like a magic wand had controlled it, and reached up to her head. The sweet cologne got to his nasal space, engrossing him in her attractive field. Feeling engulfed by that emotional force, he placed his long slender fingers on her head and patted her.

A pit-pat.

Four times.

Just then, the bell went.

Fahim, rose to his senses, all of a sudden.

Snatching his hand away with a gasp, he grabbed for his backpack strongly and sprinted for the stairs downstairs. The boys too followed him, after giving the last glance at that little figure. 

Except for Famisha, who stood smiling at her reflection through the library notice board.

Her grin, now shined, in a flavor of victory.

Farhan was right!

I can do it!

Fahim is a loser trap after all!