KING ---
"Two o'clock." Peter said with a howling whistle and we all turned our heads to look at the girl who was down the street, walking her dog wearing little running shorts that barely covered her behind and a white tank top, her red bra showing from beneath.
'Pwoah, ten.' Jackson said, widening his eyes. 'Definitely a ten.' He said.
"If she had make-up on, ten.' I said with a nod, agreeing with him. "Like that, I'd say nine."
We turned to look at Tyler since he didn't answer, seeing that he was still hawking at her body. I laughed, slapping him across the head. "Nah, I agree with Jacko. Makeup or no makeup. Ten any day. Look at those legs." He said, making me laugh.
"Ten bucks you can't get her number." I challenged, raising an eyebrow as I smirked at him, watching his face turn to look at me.
'Bet." He said, shaking my hand before taking off his jumper and handing it to me. He tipped some water into his palm and lightly loitered the droplets around his forehead and arms, tipping a little bit on his chest as well before jogging towards her with a singlet on as we stood back and watched him, laughing at his acting.
Such a liar.
He jogged up to the girl while looking at his phone and slowly, but clearly intentionally, bumping into her, catching her in his arms before she hit the ground. She looked perplexed as she glanced up at him and he gave her a little smirk, saying something before pulling her up and extending his hand for a shake. She shook his hand and he kneeled down, petting her dog and smiling up at her as he kept talking. It only took about two minutes of talking before she smiled and nodded. He took out his phone and began typing before sending her a wink and watching her continue walking. Once she was out of sight be ran back over to us, a smirt on his face.
"Pay up." He said, taking the juroper back out of my band. I asked him what to say as I took out my wallet and handed him a ten dollar pot. 'I told her I like going on runs and that I have a dog too."
"You don't even have a dog." Peter said with a laugh as we continued walking.
"It's not like I'm ever gonna take her to my house." He scoffed.
"What about that one?' Jackson said as he nodded towards another girl we were walking by on the street. She was across the road, a phone to her ear, wearing skinny jeans and a gray sweater, her light brown hair tied in a high messy ponytail with white Nike's on.
'Six." I said.
"Six? Five." Muttered Jackson in reply.
"I'd give her a seven.' Tyler said with a shrug and Peter agreed.
'She's got a nice body." He added.
'Just doesn't know how to flaunt it. "Tyler laughed, making the other two laughs also.
Maybe she doesn't want to flaunt it." I shrugged mindlessly as I continued walking, hearing the guys go silent behind me, making me turn around to look at them.
'What the hell?' Peter muttered, his lips curled, looking at me like I had grown another head or something.
'What? She probably just likes jumpers, bro. Relax." I said with a shrug, forcefully laughing it off and shaking my head as I continued walking, hearing their footsteps fall in sync with mine.
All of a sudden, an arm was draped around my shoulder and I looked to the side to see Tyler smirking at me. I raised an eyebrow. No doubt he and Peter were the most immature nineteen, twenty year olds you'd find.
``When's the last time you got laid, bro?" He asked, and all three of the guys broke out into laughter, patting Tyler on the back as he snickered and shoved me jokingly. I laughed along with them, shaking my head.
Truth be told, ever since I went to the mosque last after we played ball with the guys, I hadn't been able to take it further with a girl than hooking up.
Ever since I saw her.
"I want to show you something." my mum said as I looked up at her once she stood up and went to her locker. The lockers they gave the patients looked pretty childish, but apparently it helps the patients stay in touch with who they are as they choose what to put in them and the fact that they all remember which locker is theirs aids their brains in memory.
"What is it, ma?" I asked her with a sigh as she shut her locker and came back over to me, sitting back on her couch and passing it to me with a smile.
"Look at it, boy." She said and I smiled softly, taking it from her hands and reading over the title of the little brochure that had plenty pictures on it.
Islamic Architecture
What the hell? "Where'd you get this from, mum?" l asked her, but she didn't answer me. Her gaze focused on the tree outside the window as she smiled, muttering incoherent words to herself. "Mum!? Where did you get this from?" I said a little bit louder as I felt my breath quicken. Was this the universe's way of sending me a sign of sorts? What was going on? 'mum!?" I said, but even as I pulled her face in to look into my eyes, she just smiled at me blankly. I sighed and stood up, the brochure in my hands.
'Excuse me?' I called out to one of the nurses who were tending to a patient. He paused and looked up with a smile, asking me how he could help.
"This was in my mum's locker. Lisa, over there." I said, pointing to her, his eyes flashing with recognition as he looked from the brochure in my hands to my mum before looking back at me with a nod. 'Where did she get this from?
He looked at me, clearing his throat. "We hand out a new brochure every week. This month was about religion. Lisa Just enjoyed looking through the pictures of this brochure and wanted to keep it." He explained and I clutched the paper in my hands tightly. "I don't see a problem with that." He trailed off, raising his brow in question. I told him there was none and thanked him as I walked back over to my mum and kneeled beside her, looking up at her smiling face.
"Mum?" I said softly. She hummed, turning her head away from the window to look at me, her eyes flickering to the brochure in my hands. "You like this?"
I asked her, holding it out and watching as her eyes lit up, her smile widening.
"Yes, Yes, I like this." She said like a child as she took it from my hand and looked through the pages"So colorful and pretty." She mumbled to herself, looking at the pictures of countless mosques around the world.
I felt tears gather in my eyes slightly as I licked my lips and stood up. If this wasn't God's way, if there even was one, of sending me a sign, then I don't know what would be.
"I'll be back again next week, ma." I said as I held her hand and kissed it. "You know I love you, don't you?" I asked her.
"Yes. Yes I know." She answered, giving me a look before turning her head back to the window, the pamphlet clutched in her bands tightly. One day. One day she'll tell me she loves me back like she always used to.
"Look who it is'' Ahmad spoke with a laugh as he walked towards me with Ayman beside him. I don't know how they had seen me enter the mosque from so far away where they were sitting, but they did.
"Don't look too excited." I smirked as I shook hands with both of them. It had been about two weeks since I had seen the girl here and ever since that day, I avoided coming. I did think not showing up anymore would help me forget about the eyes that have been haunting me ... haunting in a good way, I suppose, but it didn't. They were still drilled into the back of my mind. Seeing that Islamic brochure with my mum ... that, I don't know what it was, but it brought me back here again.
'It's been two weeks; bro. Thought we'd never see you again.' Ayman said and I chuckled, shoving my hands into my pockets, not knowing how I was going to start the conversation of telling them to start telling me more about Islam.
"I wasn't gonna come." I muttered, licking my lips and sighing. Stop being a bloody coward and just say it, man. "I want you guys to teach me." I spoke, clearing my throat and slightly avoiding eye contact with them as their eyes widened in surprise.
"Teach you?" Ahmad repeated, uncrossing his arms as he looked at me to see whether or not I was serious.
"Yeah ... teach me your religion." I spoke, getting the words out once and for all, knowing that there was no turning back now. I had said it and from the look of pure happiness and excitement that crossed both Ahmad and Ayman's face, I was going to get my answer too.