Reading Rab's mind
1165 Words
Elena sat lonely. Watching the game with a disinterested mind but watching anyway since she had nothing to do while she waited for Jojo.
Then she realized she had changed her gaze from Jojo to Rab, as she loved to call. His pitiful and sorrier appearance had made girls laugh at him and she did too. Elena and Jojo weren't the only ones that found him funny and sissy, everyone who knew him would tag him innocent with his looks.
Elena wondered how she ended up with a guy like him in her circle and she found no answer. She just kept looking and scoffing at his tone whenever Rab called out a fowl or argued as the game requested.
Just about another service from the opposition, Rab looked sideways and Elena saw him. She waved. As she did, she noticed a change in his expression and speed and she watched him as he called a trainee, a sophomore to take his place. He then walked with a slow but steady gait towards Elena and sat next to her, separated by three feet.
"Hi," Rab spoke.
"Hey," Elena answered. She was waiting for the moment when Rab would ask what happened back at the bathroom. As she knew clearly that he saw her being tugged by a hand. She reserved her answer, and that what that she went in there for a f*ck with Marcos. She was not a type to hide anything apart from her background. All other parts of her was what she would prefer opener in order to protect the biggest secret of her live. She loved to be hated for her choices or loved for it - that way, no one would dig into her. Whatever anyone had seen her doing or had done with her was her identity, no more, no less. Which is why she chose Jojo as her beard friend - she knew all the physical things about her, and Marcos as her boyfriend - he taught her everything; and the naughty cliques - they knew everything about each other.
"We had a lot to talk about in the holidays. We kept shifting things on and on. You said till we meet, and here we are," Rab said.
"Okay, so get on with it," Elena replied and smiled.
"Why did you kiss me?" Rab asked.
"Because you bought me a scotch," Elena answered.
"You could have bought me vodka," Rab said and Elena laughed.
"You've taken vodka before eh?"
"Yeah," Rab answered.
"I've never tasted a scotch whiskey, you got it for me. You've never kissed, I gave you your first kiss. So I guess we gave each other something worthwhile. So we're even," Elena replied.
"I see. But a kiss is a proof of love," Rab said and Elena laughed, this time, very hard that she rested her back on the grass and then slowly made it back to her seated posture.
Elena looked at him and noticed how far he had changed. Robert didn't look away, he kept his eyes fixed as Elena looked at him and again, Elena laughed.
"You've changed. The last time I tried to give you a peck you cowered away."
"And you stopped talking to me. You stopped smiling. You stopped looking at me too."
"Is that why you changed?" Elena asked as she stared back at him.
"It's enough for a reason, isn't it?"
"Well, that's for the kiss and a scotch. What else do we plan to talk about?" Elena asked and expected him to go silent again.
"Huh… We… You…" he stuttered.
"I remember vividly everything you planned to ask. If you don't talk, we are over," Elena said. Imposing the mantle of dominance that Robert chose to neglect. She likes men that made her talk, like Marcos, not men that hid behind a finger. She loved to think she knew everything about a male's thought and perspective, as that's where she love to write.
At that threat, Rab repositioned his posture and cleared his throat. "One day, during a video call, we were comparing the weather conditions of Canada and Scotland. You claimed it's cold but you can do without your clothes. I claimed it's hot in the parlour because of the hearth. Then, you…"
He stuttered again and Elena hid her smile by wiping the perspiration on her forehead and wiping them down her jaw. She knew where he was going and there she agreed that whatever turned out of Robert in the coming weeks, she was responsible for it - that Robert was talking about it meant that he had changed.
"Go on, now or never," Elena moved close and whispered into his ear.
"You suddenly took off your shirt," Robert said and turned his face to the ground.
"Yeah. I did. So what did you see?" Elena asked.
"Nothing. I swear. Nothing," Robert said hurriedly.
"So would you take a closer look?" Elena beamed.
"What?" Robert exclaimed and raised his head to look at Elena.
"Rab? Would you take a closer look?" Elena repeated and when she looked into his eyes, she noticed him going pink and pale again.
"Huh. Not here," Robert said.
"You've changed. Surely if you had had this boldness at the picnic with that lonely girl in such a lonely place, you would have had your first entry into a honeypot by now," Elena said and cast her view towards the group that Marcos had joined. She saw him lying on the ground with a girl lying beside him. This forced her eyes back to Robert.
"What happened that night? Tell me about the last hours before you went to sleep."
"Shawn took Janelle, Aiden took Sheila, and I was left with Tara. Unfortunately, Shawn came with three tents. So we cast a lot on who would use the tent. I won, but she refused and she used it," Robert rushed through the story and Elena giggled as he did.
"What? So you slept in the cold?" she questioned.
"We made a fire, so I woke in the midnight to restart it when it was fading," Robert responded.
"Shawn and Aiden? What were their remarks when they woke in the morning?"
"They claimed I don't have it. They wanted to check and then we fought. I came back alone."
"Do you have it?" Elena asked with a smile.
"I do," Robert answered and fixed his eyes on Elena.
"Show me."
"What?" he widened his eyes and was agape.
"Oh, I'm kidding. What if I were Tara? Would you have shared the tent with me?" Elena asked.
"Yes," Rab answered.
"The game is over. Jojo and I have a place to go. If you don't mind, check at our place, and let's go party at Marco's. There will be games you'll never forget. Will you be there?"
"If you'll be there," was the reply and Elena stood as she walked towards Jojo. The girls waved at Robert and then walked away.
- Writer
