Beyond The Stars

Touchy Spots and Long Faces

Thank you @HabeebaNausheen for sending in that amazing cover I love it!!!

Rafa's pov

"Rafa pass me a pen please," Raif says paying no attention to the breakfast that my parents have laid out for him and is instead flipping through his journal looking for an empty page. My father throws one at him as he takes a seat beside me. Raif doesn't notice the pen being thrown at him and he gets hit in the head with it.

I start laughing as my father mumbles, "oh shiz," before going over to him and hugging his head, "sorry Raif don't tell your mother!"

"Tell your mother what?" Mama says as she walks into the dining room. My father gulps as he stands up and is awkwardly rubbing a hand over an annoyed Raif's head, "uh how gorgeous and amazing and beautiful you are."

Mama gets a confused look on her face before she shrugs it off and grabs my father's hand dragging him away with her. "Gorgeous huh Maaz?" I hear my mother say, "very." My father mumbles before we hear the door to their room lock. Raif and I give each other a look before continuing on eating our food.

Th peaceful silence is soon interrupted though as the front door is slammed open and the familiar voice of Mikhail says, "Asalam Alaikum humans!!"

He rushes into the kitchen with his backpack flying wildly before he throws it down next to the sofa. We reply our salaams and Raif says, "you better not let my mother catch you with your shoes o--"

"Mikhail Ahmed Khan! Put your shoes over there by the door right now or so help me Allah I wil--" my mother screeches out as she appears out of no where, Mikhail surrenders putting his hands up and quickly takes his shoes off.

He childishly smiles before saying Salam to both of my parents and then starting a conversation with my dad. "How'd your piano exam go kiddo?" My dad asks as he takes a sip of his tea.

Mikhail grimaces and says, "let's just say I didn't get any dinner." I frown as does everyone else.

"Oh Mikhail, here come sit I'll warm some toast up for you." My mother says lovingly before pushing him down into a chair. Mikhail chuckles and says, "thank you but no thank you Aunty I'm good, I think we should get going though, didn't you have to talk to your home room teacher about something Raif?"

Raif nods and shuts his journal before getting up, I follow them out the door as my parents talk in hushed voices behind us.

"So where'd you mess up in your sonata?" I ask as we begin to drive through the snowy weather to school. Mikhail shrugs as he stops the car at a stoplight, "I thought I did really good even the instructor said so but my father said I played worse than a pile of horse shit."

Raif rolls his eyes as he says, "just knock that old man out already. I'll even do it for you." Mikhail shakes his head with a frown, "nah Raif.."

The rest of the ride is in silence and Raif leaves us in a rush to catch up to his teacher. I catch a few words of their talk, 'extended' ,'grades', 'catch up after' and all that before Mikhail and I walk away.

"Mikhail, can I ask you something?" I ask after walking in silence for a while, he chuckles lightly saying, "if it's about anything math related then please no. My dad made me do thirty university level questions after my exam, my brain can not function at all right--"

"Do you love them? Your parents?" I ask cutting him off, he stops and I stop too turning my body towards him. All the laughter has escaped his features as he says, "of course I do, they are my parents after all."

"Yeah b-" I'm about to say when he suddenly says, "Rafa, drop the topic."

I shake my head stubbornly, "no, you always do this! Your parents are so mean to you yet you do--"

"They have their reasons and I'm perfectly fine will all of it so mind your own business okay?!" He says loudly with his eyebrows scrunched together glaring down at me.

I point an accusing finger at him, "no you aren't, stop hiding all of your feelings Mikhail it's not healthy. Raif is here for you, I'm here for you!" He suddenly places a gloved hand on my mouth before he harshly says, "and I appreciate that but some things are just broken and not all broken things get fixed."

Before I can say anything else he walks away through the snow and into the school. I shake my head after him before hauling my backpack higher and trudging through his footprints so my shoes don't sink into the snow.

Raif catches up to me as I'm at my locker and he says, "why the long face Rafael?" I roll my eyes at the nickname before mumbling, "nothing." Raif walks with me to my class before giving me a half hug and walking away to his.

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