17 Passionate

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My temptations in your eyes, and the cities of your grief...

Ibrahim el-Kahwaji

"Can I buy you flowers?"

They stop in front of an ice-cream parlor and she turns to look at him at his question. Mikael gestures towards a shop on the opposite side of the road and she follows his direction. Her eyes fall upon brilliant shades of flowers, some arranged in bouquets while some larger stalks lying individually. She looks back at him and he raises an inquisitive eyebrow, awaiting her response.

"You want to buy me flowers?" she asks, a little surprised.

"Yeah?"

"But why?"

He shrugs, biting his lip as he thinks of a response. "Can I not?"

"Not if you say because I'm beautiful." She crosses her arms as she dares him. "Yes if you've another reason. But I'm tired of bland compliments, so don't go there."

He hums. "Compliments are bland when they're not honest, doctor, then no matter how good. But if they're genuine, then even a stutter will sound good to you. You wanna hear it?"

She chuckles, amused. "What? You stuttering a compliment?"

"Miss, um, you're eh... b-beautiful. Very very. I-I mean very m-much." He scratches the back of his head with a sheepish expression. "I'm embarrassing myself, ain't I?"

Banafsha laughs, covering her mouth with both of her hands as she shakes her head at him in disbelief. "Oh my Lord, you're such an actor, Mikael."

He places a hand over his chest. "You humble me, doctor."

She stares at him. The sun is bright today and its rays skate his irises like sunlight over gems and icebergs, reflecting back to enchant her. For some reason, she cannot blink neither tear away her gaze from his. He doesn't attempt to either.

"Everyone is beautiful in their own way, doctor. If I call you beautiful, I may not necessarily mean your physical beauty." He flicks his tongue between his lips and she swallows. "I could mean how you've been so beautifully honest with me, or how you're so beautifully passionate about your dreams. I could mean how beautifully you've been strong despite everything you've been through," he smiles mischievously, "or how you've strangely beautiful obsession with pencils."

She cannot help her grinning, silently searching his face.

"If you let me buy you flowers, I'll tell you why I've wanted to get them for you," he suggests.

She muses, intrigued, before finally agreeing. "Okay, but not roses."

"Because that would be romantic and you already have a husband?" he bugs.

She playfully glares at him. "Partly. But also for an other reason."

"Well then, I get you flowers and tell you why I got them for you. And you tell me your secret of why you didn't want roses. Deal?"

"Fine," she accepts. "Meanwhile, I'll get us ice-creams. Which flavor do you want?"

"Strawberry."

Banafsha gives him a teasing look and Mikael frowns.

"Are you judging me for liking strawberry?"

She chuckles again and motions for him to leave. "No, go now. Hurry."

Mikael quickly jogs away to the flower shop and Banafsha stares after him a lingering minute before entering the ice-cream parlor and buying them ice-creams, strawberry for Mikael and orange for herself. She looks around to find a good spot but all by the window are occupied, so she chooses one secluded in the corner and goes to sit there.

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