Minka huffs and puffs and pants as she reaches Sunil's side. "Sunil! Sorry I'm late!" Part of her tells her to stop talking, but she continues vigorously. "I had Penny over at my house—y'know, helping me get ready and stuff—and she spent forever deciding which necklace I should wear, but I like this one, because look at how shiny it is!" She holds the charm away from her chest, for Sunil to see.
Sunil gives her a nervous smile in return. "Yes, very nice…"
Minka's smile grows. She knew this was the right necklace to wear! "So where are we going first?" she asks, beaming.
Sunil fiddles with the hem of his jacket—a trait Minka always found cute. "I was thinking we could stop by the new bookstore, and possibly get some ice cream?"
"Sounds perfect! Let's go!" Minka turns on her heel, but somewhere along the way she loses her balance, and…
BAM.
"Minka! Are you alright? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
Minka heaves herself up off of the ground, giving Sunil a weak smile as she looks back at him. "I'm fine." She stands up, holding her arms out to show him that she's totally okay.
Sunil stares at her, up and down, eyes narrowed slightly. He even leans in a bit, for closer inspection.
Minka feels her cheeks burn. "Wh-what? What is it? Do I have dirt on me? A bug? Is my hair messed up? Did one of my pigtails come undone? Do I have a scratch on my face? What is it?"
Sunil recoils, clutching his hands close to his chest. "Nothing! I-I was just...," he stares at his shoes, and Minka follows his gaze (his sneakers are a pleasant shade of blue), "making sure you were okay."
Minka feels a smile tug at her face, and she looks up to meet Sunil's eyes. "Thanks, Sunil. You're a pal."
Sunil stares back at her with the same shy intensity, and suddenly the air of the situation is a little too nervous for Minka's liking. So in the heat of the moment, she reaches forward and squeezes Sunil's cheek.
"Minka," he says flatly, but it's slightly muffled by Minka's hand on his face.
"What?" she squeaks, giving him her best innocent face. "I'm lightening the moment!"
"Did it really need to be 'lightened'?"
"…Maybe. I mean, you were just staring at me!"
Sunil frowns at her, finally squirming out of her grasp. "Well, your eyes happen to be very pretty!" It's obvious he didn't mean to say it, as his face turns bright red afterwards.
Minka feels the corner of her lips twitch, and suddenly she's smiling brighter than she has all day. "Really, Sunil? You really mean that?!" She's practically bouncing on her heels, she's so happy.
Sunil's eyes flicker from her face, to the ground, to the world beyond the corner they've been standing at. "Well, yes, in some ways…"
Taking his hand in hers, Minka drags him down the sidewalk. "I hope you're not always planning on weaseling around the subject like that!" she teases, grinning still.
