Lovebirds

seventeen

God forbid another one of these company dinners. 

The self-proclaimed independent Naira was struggling to put on her makeup. Every year the company had a dinner recognizing the accomplishments of their hard work and a detailed overview of the next year for investors. Since Naira was officially a part of the company, she was required to go with Red Knights. 

Her grandfather mentioned it briefly, and she paled upon realization that she wasn't ready. Stalling enough time, she grabbed her travel size makeup pouch and went through the small liners, shadows, and lipsticks. Naira was in panic mode. 

With shaky hands, she attempted a winged line above her lashes, tried to create that straight, black line, careful not to mess with the eyeshadow on her lids. Of course, nervous hands led to hesitant makeup, so she pulled a makeup wipe and tried again. 

And again. 

Until she finally got it right. 

Naira released a sigh of relief, exhaustion overcoming her from the effort it took to make herself presentable with a short amount of time. She hated that she ignored her tasks for the day solely because she forgot about one event. There was so much to do and so little time as if the world was spinning on max speed while she desperately chased after it.

Not to mention that she ditched her glasses for annoying contacts. 

She glanced at the clock, knowing she still had a few minutes to spare. Her lips were a nude color, a matte finish to soft, small lips. They weren't Instagram worthy, but she was happy with the beauty that Allah gave her. 

Oops, almost forgot the mascara. 

Digging into her bag, she grabbed the travel-sized pink tube, leaning closer to her circular mirror in her hand. She layered a few coats, which made her lashes look full, dark, mysterious, and alluring all at once like the heavy wings of a butterfly, soaring through the distant sky, the molten bronze of her eyes the hidden treasure beneath it all. 

As Naira was adding a few coats to her other lashes, her door burst open, causing her to jolt. The mascara wand grazed her upper cheek, leaving a black smudge against the golden canvas of her skin, the smooth tone dipped in a scarp of coal. Her eye twitched, knowing only one person would be dense enough to barge into her office unannounced. 

"Rayan!" she hissed, glaring up at him. "How many times have I told you to knock before entering? It's common courtesy."

Even though Naira was yelling at him, it took her a minute to realize that the usually cocky Rayan was frozen to his spot, lost in a daze as he stared back at her, a sea of green absorbing her with a single heated gaze, pinning her with his eyes. 

When Naira continued to glare at him with a precise sharpness meant to rip anyone's soul to pieces, he snapped out of whatever hypnosis he was under, clearing his throat in an attempt to look natural. 

"Was not expecting that," he muttered under his breath. 

Naira rolled her eyes, fishing her purse for a makeup wipe. "Go on. Out with the witty remark about how I look," she said, not paying much attention to him. 

"I've never seen you look so... perfect," he trailed off, tripping over his words. "Not that you weren't before or anything. It's just... wow."

Naira dared a glance at him, not believing his words at first. Though his darker skin tone hid the tremors of shyness, there was no missing a tinge of red feathering his soft features, a rose blush deepening once she caught his gaze. 

"Thanks, Prince Charming," she replied dryly as she wiped the smudge from her face. "Remind me to call you for vague compliments."

Rayan threw his head back in a deep chuckle, baritone voice wrapping her in his sly elegance as if his tone wrapped around her like a scarf. "I think you should give me some credit for managing a full sentence this time," he said, a cheeky grin on his lips. "You could just tell me how to win that icy heart of yours." 

"Never."

"What if I pout?"

"Still no."

He groaned, blowing out a defeated breath. "You're a tough cookie to crack, you know that?"

Naira smiled back at him deviously, a sudden wave of confidence engulfing her in its electrifying grasp.  "Now, now. It's alright, you have plenty of fangirls willing to devote all their time to you." She grabbed her purse after tidying up. "You can pout at them instead. Sound good?"

Rayan shrugged, walking her to the door, eyes never straying from her as he gave her a gentle smile that didn't touch his eyes. He was hiding something, concealing the turmoil that grew inside like a hurricane, choosing to instill chaos instead of confronting his shadow, a shell of what he wanted or desired. 

She wondered if he was searching for a meaning behind all his flirtation, if he buried himself under his mask to run away from how he truly felt. 

As if reading her thoughts, he began to speak again. "Listen Naira, I..." he bit his lip, contemplating his next words. After a brief pause, Rayan shook his head. "I think we should get going before the rest of the crew yells at us for being late."

She tilted her head at him, taking notice of his fidgeting hands in his pocket. "You sure that's all you wanted to say?"

"Yeah," he sighed, shoulders falling. "Maybe my brain is as wired as my mouth is."

"If you insist."

As they walked out, he stayed quiet, lost in the abyss of his own thoughts. She knew he had more to say, that he was suppressing himself. What surprised Naira more was knowing that he felt something for her. 

Feelings she wasn't ready to admit to. 

----

It's getting hot in here. Well, it will eventually. 

Sorry for the delay. Working on some side projects like the new discord server for all my followers! I made this server as a way to give back to our little community. You'll be able to promote your works here and even get some tips if needed. Not a writer? That's fine too. Make friends!

Think of it as our writing community :D Which is why you all should join! 

https://discord.gg/fqNxwMNcKx

On a more related note, do you think Rayan will confess to his feelings soon? This might be the closest we get to it for a while >.<

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!