Other Side

29 | Happy Medium

The earth seemed to have responded to the rift between them and sent an icy breeze their way every few moments, deep enough of a chill that her trusty denim jacket didn't suffice.

If there was one thing Talia wouldn't miss about New England, it was certainly the whiplash-inducing weather.

Both chairs before them remained unoccupied, some testament to their discomfort as they stood on opposite ends of the deck, she with her back to the locked glass door, he with a wary grip on the wooden railing behind him. Talia found herself traveling back to that first night in the dark, when she'd crept into his room with all the reluctance she'd soon throw out the window.

"I could keep you warm," he'd uttered without thinking, not knowing he hadn't had to take his words back.

Because there was no place warmer than his arms.

"It's my fault that you think the worst of me right now," Zaid said steadily, "because I didn't give you the full picture last night."

She tightened her arms over her front, looking away. "If you're just going to pour some more salt on a wound, spare your breath."

He pursed his lips, imploring her to listen with his hard stare. "Talia, please. Give me your attention just for a moment." She lifted her head and faced him at the polite request. "If you saw me glued to my phone as we were eating cake yesterday, I was texting my family. My grandfather, Nabil, he had a bad health scare and was admitted to the hospital, but I didn't receive any updates on his condition until this morning."

Her eyes widened, taking in his distress. "Is he alright?"

He nodded, running a hand over the back of his head. "He's recovering at home, though it'll be a couple weeks before he's back on his feet. But before I knew the better prognosis, my world—God, everything just went black for a moment." A heavy breath escaped his lips, blending in with the wind. "The thought of my mother losing a third person so close to her—to all of us—had me rethinking every one of my decisions. What would I be doing here if everything was about to fall apart again? And where... Where would you fit into that reality?"

The last of the ice encasing Talia's heart melted away. But she still didn't trust her mouth to be in line with it, so she drew her lips together and let him keep talking, as he'd wished.

"I don't think anyone thinks rationally in times like these. But given that I'd gone as far as preparing myself to buy a one-way plane ticket to another funeral, I needed some way to make our parting less painful." He looked back into her eyes, his own clouded with guilt. "For me, that is. I guess I forgot all about the hurt selfish people inflict."

"You're not selfish," she whispered, before she could bite her tongue.

"Selfless people don't make a pretty girl cry herself to sleep." She froze in place, heart racing as she deliberated how he knew. He took a step forward, the click from dress shoes against wood sounding like thunder in the quietude. "Your eyes are still puffy, Talia."

Her fingers covered her face on instinct, digging into her cold cheeks. "Maybe I just have allergies."

"It's January."

"Yeah..."

A small bout of silence followed until he broke it again with another sigh. "Look, either way, I'm not expecting anything, other than for you not to write this story off as some pathetic fabrication to win back your affection."

She shook her head, surprised he believed she thought so lowly of him. "I know you wouldn't lie about something like this. I just... I don't know how telling me the truth solves the real problem."