Chapter Ten

Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, in an imaginary town and country, and during an ambiguous time period.

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Towel draped over his wet hair after his shower, Kazir reached for his phone from its charger and made his way into his tiny living room, closing the notification he had set to remind him to water his plants. 

Kazir was feeling a mixture of exhaustion and contemplation after dinner with Adisa and his coworkers. They were interesting people and were probably similar to all the coworkers he avoided like the plague. Maybe he needed to make more of an effort to connect with his colleagues, Kazir wondered, filling his watering can and spray bottle.

Tending to his potted plants with one hand and rubbing his hair with the other, his phone buzzed from its position on the small coffee table. Frowning, he paused, walked to it, and picked it up. He thought his sister had sent another reminder text about the dinner being hosted at their childhood home tomorrow night, where her fiancé and her family would be joining Kazir for their first family dinner after popping the question. He was wrong. It was a message from Adisa. It was an apology.

Adisa: I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable at dinner.

Moving to his potted herbs with his lit phone in his hand, Kazir read the text over and over again while his hands gently watered the plants. 

How should he respond? He didn’t want to make Adisa feel awkward or as if he had done something wrong by wanting to befriend him and inviting him to hang out with him and his friends. When it was just the two of them, it was fine. He enjoyed spending time with Adisa. Conversations came easily. He could be his sourpuss self with Adisa, and he noticed Adisa liked his dark, dry sense of humor, finding everything he said filled with an air of levity. Kazir liked being recognized for who he truly was, not for what others wanted him to be, as his true personality could be off-putting to some. But tonight, he had felt uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do another group dinner with Adisa or anyone else anytime soon. That just wasn’t him.

Finally, he settled on a response.

Kazir: No. 

Adisa’s reply came almost instantly, expressing relief.

Adisa: I’m glad to hear that. I was really glad to catch you. I’ve been sending you a lot of invitations lately.

Kazir felt a pang at his words. That was true; Adisa did invite him to lunch almost every day, and he always turned him down because he brought his lunch. And he loved eating by himself.

Adisa was a nice guy. He had probably been one of those crazy popular kids in high school—the ones with all the friends, loved by all his teachers because he was so genuinely nice and personable. Nothing like Kazir and his standoffish nature.

Kazir: I’m sorry about that.

Adisa: Don’t apologize! I was kidding. It’s fun hanging out with you.

Kazir stared at the text, a little dumbfounded. He read Adisa's words again, the towel still loosely hanging around his neck. How should he respond?

Again, that little feeling crept in. Adisa’s warmth and enthusiasm were so constant, so genuine, and Kazir couldn’t help but speculate about the true nature of Adisa's intentions with him. He recalled his earlier flirtation when they had first met. That hadn’t been imagined. 

Could he believe that Adisa’s only pursuit here was friendship? But Kazirdidn’t know what conversations between two friends looked like. He wasn’t sure if Adisa was sending out any hints or crossing any boundaries. He was the first person he had truly allowed to cross so many of his boundaries.

He decided to take Adisa at face value for now. Adisa’s friendliness was almost overwhelming, but it was hard to feel uncomfortable when it was wrapped in such sincerity. And perhaps Adisa didn’t expect more from him. Maybe this friendship was exactly what Adisa was seeking, and maybe that’s what Kazir needed too. 

He had kept his social circle small, preferring the comfort of solitude over the complexity of relationships. But Husni’s comment at dinner echoed in his mind—they were getting older, and maybe it was time to open up more, to stop being so socially introverted.

Adisa: I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Have a good night!  

Kazir: Me too. G’night.

Adisa sent him a smiling emoji.  

Kazir thought it was cute, very reminiscent of his sister.

As Kazir turned off the watering can, he realized something: he didn’t mind Adisa’s presence in his life. In fact, it was starting to feel like a welcome change.

Perhaps widening his circle wouldn’t be so bad after all.