Transcending Time
Chapter Thirteen: Like You Imagined When You Were Young
Eshe breathed a soft, worried sigh, wringing her hands in her lap endlessly as waves of uneasiness rippled against her soul. She was alone today; her husband, the prince, had travelled at his father's request to a sacred temple and she had not been allowed to accompany them.
Atem hadn't told her much because his father had withheld the details of their destination; all he'd known was that it was a sacred temple and only he and his father were allowed to enter. Which was fair, Eshe knew, she respected the wishes of the Pharaoh and the Gods; she didn't dare lurk in spaces she was not permitted.
That was not what bothered her. Simply knowing Atem was away brought a swell of discontent to her mind, and she felt compelled to prowl around their favourite dwelling - which is where she currently sat, amongst the brush and foliage by the colourful fish pond.
In an effort to entertain herself and alleviate her worriment, she gently swayed her head in time with the affable birdsong emanating from the trees above. The plovers appeared to be singing for the sole purpose of bringing her calmness and enjoyment, and for that she was thankful. She let herself hum along an improvised melody as she idly rubbed her finger against the gifted necklace that hung at her breast, forgetting the troublesome chill crawling over her that had nothing to do with the weather.
Her tune came to a sudden stop as she sensed a presence behind her, and the birds above quickly flapped their wings to flee at the abrupt appearance of someone new.
"Hey, that's a nice song."
Eshe turned her head to find Atsu standing behind her; his hands were entwined behind his back and he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, a somewhat curious look on his face.
"Hey Atsu", Eshe greeted with a small smile.
"Missing Prince Atem?" the boy asked knowingly, moving forward to claim the spot beside her.
"Am I that obvious?" her tone was dry with a dash of humour, and she received a snort in return.
"As always."
"Where's Dalila?" Eshe wondered; often times wherever Atsu went, Dalila wasn't far behind. The brother and sister tended to stick together and it was rare to see them apart.
"Still in the archives, finishing her studies of the day", he answered, and then smiled brightly over at the princess. "Listen, if you're feeling down then I can help cheer you up!"
Eshe raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Oh? Are you going to try that flower trick again?"
Atsu took her inquisitively quirked brow as permission to continue and eagerly reached into the pond before them, cupping his hands to pry out the pale pink lotus flower that was perched among a bed of lily pads. The stem snapped as he plucked it from its resting place and he held it out expectantly for Eshe to take into her hands.
"You shouldn't do that..." Eshe grumbled, "You shouldn't pick the flowers."
He pouted below her scolding gaze, offering an apologetic expression and a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Sorry Eshe. I just- I really think I've got the hang of this spell now!" His excitement sparkled in his vivid green eyes and Eshe sighed, brushing off her irritation at his blatant disregard for nature in favour of appreciating his imminent display of magic.
"Okay, but don't do it again. Go ahead", the princess nodded for him to begin as she held up the dripping lotus flower that rested in her palms.
"Alright. Watch me turn this lotus into a daisy", he spoke confidently, raising his hands to hover above the delicate bloom in her own.
His eyes slipped closed and Eshe's gaze flickered between his concentrated expression and the lotus she held. She had watched him carry out these actions many times before, never once yet had he succeeded in this spell; his failure was always followed by a grumble about not being able to articulate the incantation correctly, or that he wasn't able to focus due to the tittering of the birds.
As Atsu condensed his magical energy into his downturned hands, a light breeze undulated around them, causing their hair to flutter in the wind, and he spoke a low series of words that were foreign to her ears.
Eshe had briefly held an interest in learning to use magic in her younger life, but she'd never gotten the hang of translating the incanting language, nor did she possess the significant ability to actually safely wield the supernatural powers- at least not without the aid of an enchanted object- but even then, only experienced sorcerers were trusted with them.
Atsu had been taught the art of wizardry under the tutelage of Mahad, who was an expert magic-user and crucial member of the Pharaoh's court; the boy idolised his teacher and was always striving to impress him. But try as he might, for some reason, he just didn't seem able to grasp this "simple" alteration spell. He excelled at other categories of spells, such as conjuration and illusion, while his rival, the ever-mysterious Rura, focused his studies in enchanting and destruction.
The boy's expression hardened as his incantation came to a finish, and his hands effused a yellowish glow; the tingle of residual magic crept up Eshe's arms, causing goosebumps to raise on her skin, before dissipating along with the light.
In Eshe's hands, the lotus remained, unchanged.
Atsu's eyes raised to her face, a hint of searching puzzlement in his expression, before he frowned, glared down at his unhandy work and muttered, "Unbelievable!"
His tone was frustrated and snappy, and Eshe bit her lip to hide an amused smirk, "Don't give up, Atsu, you'll get it eventually."
"I don't understand why it's not working", Atsu murmured, his narrowed gaze lingering on the lotus, "I am speaking the incantation correctly. Why isn't it working?"
His question was rhetorical and he was speaking to himself more than to Eshe; the princess gave an apologetic smile, before movement caught her eye in the archway leading from the courtyard beyond Atsu's shoulder.
Eshe frowned at the sight of Rura, the older boy stood stiffly in the entrance to the gardens, dressed in his pristine white robes, accompanied with the sense of uneasiness that seemed to trail along with him with every stubborn step he took. His black hair was unbraided today, falling perfectly straight over his shoulders.
The student magician just stood there, watching her, and Eshe held his gaze from across the gardens, unwilling to let this boy intimidate her again. She was the wife of the future Pharaoh, for Ra's sake, she wouldn't allow herself to shiver with unease at the mere sight of someone.
Atsu caught her narrowed glare and glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of his academic adversary, and immediately the sandy-haired boy tensed.
"What are you looking at?" Atsu daringly called out to the black-haired boy. Rura's neutral expression did not waver even a smidgen, and he continued to stare in silence.
Atsu rose challengingly to his feet, a very quiet growl leaving the back of his throat, and Eshe's lips parted in concern, hoping a magical fight wasn't about to break out in the gardens.
Gods. Anywhere but the gardens.
She timidly reached over to lay the fractured lotus flower back onto its bed of lily pads and then she pulled herself to her feet, subconsciously crossing her arms to exude authority.
As Atem's wife, she did hold the most power out of the three of them.
For another uncomfortable moment, Rura eyed them mutely, before turning nimbly on his feet; Eshe watched his back as he retreated gracefully inside the palace.
Rura was truly fascinating, and certainly one of the more spellbinding creations, no pun intended, to come out of Eshe's recurrent dream-world. A person shrouded with mystery and perplexities to her dream-self's consciousness, and the scarce appearances he made were enough to stick in her mind.
She glided her pencil across the immaculate white paper, intent on drawing the boy who personified her disquietude as she slept. She began with his eyes, cold and grey with a piercing stare - the gaze seemed to watch her from inside the canvas of her sketch - his brow was narrowed above his slightly lowered eyelids. Rura's nose was straight and pointy, not too big and not too small; his lips were thin and set in a steady line.
Eshe lightly shaded the shadows of his face to represent his faintly tanned skin, then she began to gently take down the foundations of his straight, silky black hair. She managed to imply Rura's mechanical posture below the prim and proper sorcerer's robes he adorned.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Exhaling a sigh, Eshe absentmindedly crosshatched the remainder of the page, bringing a depth to her image, as well as a sense of capriciousness; she pushed the dream from her mind and focused on the day to come.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
A lazy smile grew on her face as a vibrating excitement reverberated within her chest; it was Saturday, and that meant it was the day she would go on her second date with Atem. She had to figure out what to wear if she wanted to dazzle Atem the way he had done so to her on their first date; his chosen outfit had made him quite the visage.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
She bit her lip, frowning suddenly. A nervousness poked at her mind as she thought about her unpredictable blackouts that had been sporadically occurring during the past month; she didn't want another of these abrupt hallucinations to ruin her day and she certainly didn't want to burden Atem with her bothersome issues. It seemed he already had troubles of his own; he didn't need to know all the details of her debilitating nightmares, nor her confusing visions.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
She had promised Leela she'd book a doctor's appointment, but had failed to follow through with that commitment - put off by the idea of speaking to someone about her troubles. She knew it would probably help, but the burrowing anxiety within told her no, it's just pointless, nothing will come of it, just like last time. Meds hadn't helped her in her childhood, so why would they help now?
Scratch, scratch, snap.
Eshe's hand stilled and her gaze hardened on her pencil, the broken piece of graphite rolled around on the desk where she had pressed it too hard against the paper; her lip quivered for a moment as her eyes surveyed the scribbly mess she had created. Dark, angry lines decorated the previously blank space around the depiction of Rura, and Eshe bristled at the way it made the figure look all the more daunting.
Wordlessly, she placed her broken pencil down and slipped the drawing into her sketchpad.
"Leela! I need you help!"
Leela leapt to her feet off the couch at the screeching cry of her close friend; she whipped around to see Eshe stumbling down the hallway, a frantic expression plastered on her face.
"What!? What is it!?" Leela squeaked with panicked concern, eyeing her friend with a wide gaze.
"Do I wear my violet blouse or the baby-blue one?"
Leela's startelement deflated immediately into a deadpanned gaze, she crossed her arms with exasperation.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious! Come on! Help me out here, I should have left to meet Atem five minutes ago!" Eshe waved her hands, one of them clutching the baby-blue blouse while she pointed erratically to the violet one she'd already put on, "which on?!"
"You're unbelievable", Leela grumbled, slumping back down unceremoniously onto the sofa to continue reading her magazine.
Eshe let out an immature wail at Leela's unwillingness to help, "Fine, I'll just go with violet", the girl scurried back into her room to find her shoes and her roommate rolled her eyes.
"You've had all day to prepare for your stupid date…"
"It's not stupid, shut up, I can hear you!" Eshe's cry echoed down the hall and she quickly reappeared, tightly gripping her handbag; she moved to examine her appearance in the mirror, curling her fingers through her hair to encourage the mess of locks into something more presentable.
Leela rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her friend's antics; Eshe had been fussing around since the moment she left her bedroom that morning with a desperate determination to make good impression for her second date. Leela found her dedication to be ridiculous.
"I don't know why you're so strung up now about this date. You weren't this bothered the first time…" Leela's grumbling tone did nothing to disguise her feelings towards Eshe's budding relationship with Atem.
"Look, I know I said nothing would probably come of this but… I'm really starting to like him. A lot", Eshe stole a quick glance to her friend, her cheeks tinged pink as she admitted her obvious fondness for the boy.
Leela's expression was arid as her eyes scanned the magazine in her hands, and then she declared in a colourless tone, "Eshe, you've dropped something."
Eshe blinked, glancing down around her feet curiously, "what?"
"Your standards."
With a frown, Eshe defiantly stomped towards the front door, "You know, Leela, you're getting better at insulting my life choices. That almost hurt my feelings." Her tone was sarcastic, indicative of the way she was utterly fed-up with Leela's continual rudeness regarding Atem.
"See ya later", Leela called, unaffected by Eshe's comeback as the girl walked out the door; the smirk in her voice was obvious. Eshe paused to grunt under her breath, before closing the door to their apartment with a little more force than usual.
She brushed past the elevator with long, bitter strides - or at least as long as her short legs could carry her - and made her way purposefully towards the flights of stairs, prepared to descend the steps two at a time in order to reach the entrance hall of the building as quickly as she could. Atem was no doubt waiting at the bus stop by now, wondering where in the world she was and why she was taking so long.
As if on cue, the text alert of her phone went off and she awkwardly reached into her bag for it as she endeavoured not to stumble and fall; she expected to be greeted by a message from Atem asking where she was, but instead he'd texted her to inform her that he was standing outside her apartment building.
Eshe let out a soft 'oh' of curiosity, and sent him a message back, letting him know that she'd be out in a couple of minutes.
'Funny', she thought, 'We'd agreed to meet at the bus station.'
Perhaps he had simply gotten impatient and intended to meet her halfway, but thanks to the fact that she was so indecisive with her outfit, he'd made it all the way there by the time she was finally ready to leave.
Upon reaching the foyer, finally, Eshe's face brightened at the sight of Atem standing outside the double-doors, observing his surroundings idly as he waited for her; she exited the building and he turned at the sound, his face immediately radiating with a wide smile.
And just like that, the sour mood Leela had put upon Eshe was lifted. Atem's smile was like a cure-all, a bringer of contentment and joy.
"Hey", Eshe greeted the boy breathlessly - partly from rushing down several flights of stairs and partly due to his beaming expression - and shyly squeezed him in a quick hug.
"Hello", he chuckled softly, returning the brief embrace before she pulled away to take in his appearance.
He'd gone with the eyeliner and earrings combo again, and it certainly was a pleasing sight; but this time his muscular arms were covered by a dark, navy-blue jacket hanging open over a plain white shirt, and slightly darker blue jeans.
His jacket sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his jeans weren't as tight as usual; on his feet he wore a stylish pair of dusty-brown suede shoes.
"You look good", Eshe stated after giving him a quick once-over, she smiled bashfully as he bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck humbly.
"You look beautiful", Atem responded, looking vaguely enthralled, and Eshe's pink cheeks turned a darker red as she silently commended her outfit choice.
She had been right to pick the violet short-sleeved blouse to go with her dark purple, flowing knee-length skirt; and the black high-heels she'd subconsciously picked out brought her up to his exact height.
Swallowing her coyness, she curiously asked him, "why did you walk all the way here? I thought we were going to meet at the bus stop."
He shrugged slightly, his eyes shifting to the pavement, "Umm, I just wanted to", he told her dismissively, though his sudden reluctance to meet her gaze told her there was at least another reason for his desire to escort her from her building.
"Oh", she spoke, raising an eyebrow slightly, before letting it go with a bright smile, "well, let's go before we miss the bus!"
Atem smiled, thankful she hadn't pressed the subject, and fell into step beside her.
Eshe shivered slightly at the breeze that licked against her bare arms; perhaps she should have had the basic common sense to take a glance out of her apartment window before choosing her outfit for the day. It was easy in retrospect to decide that she would've been better off with a jacket or even a cardigan in the slightly cooler temperature that afternoon. Instead of the usual bright blue sky she'd become accustomed to seeing the past few weeks, there was an overcast of white clouds above, and a peppering of intimidating darker grey clouds in the distance; she hoped they weren't headed towards them.
The melody emanating from the speakers within the dimly-lit room was soothing; gentle notes on a piano playing a soulful song that was cleverly reminiscent of the ocean. It reminded Eshe of the trip she took to the museum with the gang several weeks prior, in which she and Atem had entered the prehistoric marine-life exhibit and had enjoyed viewing the hideous ancient creatures of the seven seas.
The only difference was that the room they were in was far more colourful, decorated with murals of vivid corals and exotic fish; and the tanks were full of friendly looking sea-life instead of horrific monstrosities.
Eshe pressed her face close to the glass tank that contained a family of beautiful seahorses; her smile widening at the brilliant reds and yellows of the little creatures' bodies. They were gorgeous and mesmerising to watch, the way they moved through the water was fascinating and Eshe was sure she could watch them all day.
"Did you know seahorses are one of the few animals in the entire world where the male is the one that gets pregnant?" she spoke absentmindedly as she observed the beautiful creatures.
To her left, she saw Atem turn to face her with an incredulous, yet amused expression on his face, "Is that so?"
Eshe grinned as she took her eyes off of the tank to nod in confirmation, "It is! I'm not joking", though the thread of giggles that followed did nothing to help convince Atem of her truthfulness. He watched her with a questioning eyebrow, a crooked smirk on his face as he mulled over whether or not her fun fact was legitimate.
"I am telling the truth, I swear. I bet it even says so on one of these panels-" she moved to examine the information panels surrounding the tank, desperate to prove herself right, but Atem stopped her with his rich laughter.
"I believe you", he assured her, "you always have interesting facts to share, it seems."
Eshe smiled, returning to eye up the inhabitants of the tank, "I pick up the most random, insignificant facts but I can never remember anything that's actually important."
Atem watched her face closely for a while, and she glanced over at him when it became apparent he wasn't going to say anything more, "Is everything okay?" she asked, noting the thoughtful knit in his eyebrows.
His eyes softened when he realised she was facing him, and he gave a small smile, "Everything is fine."
The searching gaze of her eyes lingered for a moment before he diverted his attention down the room a bit more, motioning with an incline of his head, "what's down there?"
Eshe turned, successfully distracted, and examined the opposite side of the room where a tassel door obstructed the view into the next room. The sign above the archway read 'Shipwreck Tunnel' in fanciful lettering.
"Why don't we find out?" Eshe responded coyly, shooting the boy a smirk; he seemed enthusiastic to continue their way through the atmospheric ocean-zoo.
They entered through the tassel door almost hesitantly, stepping into a dark channel that curved around a corner - from which a faint bluish glow arose. Eshe glanced at Atem curiously in the darkness as they strode silently towards the source of the light; his eyes looked magnificent, shining with the reflection of the glimmer, and she blindly reached out for his hand.
She wanted to tell herself it was because she was nervous about tripping up in the dull light and needed to hold onto him to avoid stumbling, but that would be a lie; the way he glanced down at his captured hand and then up to Eshe with a delighted smile set her heart aflutter.
His hand tightened around hers pleasantly and she squeezed it in return, relishing the warmth of his palm; and as they rounded the corner of the tunnel Atem let out an audible gasp at the sight of the path ahead.
It was a tunnel with a curved glass ceiling, ripples of light refracting through water moved across the floor, and beyond the glass swam many different species of marine life. It was stunning, and the expression of wonderment on Atem's face was splendid; his wide-eyed stare of childlike admiration filled Eshe with adoration.
"Wow", he breathed, his eyes trailing after the schools of brightly scaled fish swimming at a steady pace down the length of the tunnel.
They moved wordlessly down the relatively vacant pathway, still clutching each other's hand, watching the oceanic animals around them with awe; a lazy, large turtle floated contently above them, ignoring their presence on the other side of the glass.
"I'd love to hear more insignificant facts about anything in here, if you have them", Atem spoke nonchalantly, his gaze staring pointedly above.
Eshe smiled, taking a moment to search her mind for any information she might be able to share, "Well, turtles have existed for roughly 215 million years", she said, casually.
Atem hummed in acknowledgement, nodding his head slightly, and Eshe spoke again as a huge manta ray drifted leisurely by.
"Relative to it's body size, manta rays have the largest brain of all known species of fish", Eshe intoned her voice to sound matter-of-factly, and Atem scratched his chin with his free hand, his eyes shifting to each animal above.
"Fascinating…"
Eshe grinned widely, though her beaming expression sank into one of trepidation as a huge shark slid over their heads intimidatingly.
"Aaaand there's the shark", there was a slight tremble in her voice as she stared into the beady black eyes of the animal, her hand tightening around Atem's.
The boy was not bothered by it's size, nor did he seem creeped out by its aggressive appearance; in fact, Atem dawdled behind it with interest as it moved along the length of the tunnel closer towards the end of the exit.
Eshe let out a gentle snort of amusement at how 'oooh' and 'aaah' Atem was acting, and let herself be led down the path; she hadn't noticed when more people had entered the channel.
She stepped out of the way of a man who walked towards them, and accidentally knocked into an elderly woman who was standing just behind her.
"Sorry", Eshe mumbled embarrassedly at having collided with someone, an itch of discomfort in her chest at the suddenly cramped surroundings of the tunnel.
They'd reached the centre of the tunnel, and Eshe stepped closer to Atem to avoid crashing into anyone else, but a group of rowdy kids enthusiastically rushed past her from behind, clipping her arm in the process. One of them called back a half-assed apology and Eshe grit her teeth, glancing around as people blocked the direct line to the exit.
Just keep moving, you'll be okay. Just keep moving.
Atem stopped as he noticed her stiff behaviour and glanced at her curiously, "Eshe, are you alright?" Eshe might have found the concern in his voice more appreciated if he hadn't stopped in his movements to ask her; the sudden realisation of how trapped she felt in the enclosed tunnel crept up on her quickly and she felt uncomfortably hot as her panic rose.
She abruptly pushed her way past him, releasing his hand, and ignored the way he called out to her with worry; she shoved through the rest of the crowds unapologetically with one objective in mind - to get the hell out of there.
Exiting through the opposite tassel door in a rush, Eshe breathed hard to calm herself, leaning a hand against the wall as the other shielded her face from potentially nosy on-lookers.
"Eshe", Atem was behind her immediately, resting a heedful hand on her shoulder, "what happened? Are you okay?"
Taking another deep breath, Eshe blinked away the tears that had sprung to her eyes and nodded slightly, thankful that the temperature in the wider room was lower - it was soothing against her heated skin.
"Sorry", she choked out, "it got too cramped in there… I'm not good with tight spaces."
Atem frowned briefly, before a spark of recollection appeared in his eyes and his lips parted, "Oh! I see. We can… go outside if you want?"
Eshe shook her head, biting her lip to hide a bitter smile, "I'll be fine in a minute, just give me a moment."
Atem's hand brushed on her shoulder to rest lightly on her back, a welcomed comfort, and Eshe quickly rubbed her eyes before smiling apologetically at him, "I'm sorry I pushed you."
"You don't have to apologise", Atem assured her, a heartening smile on his face, "I understand you were scared."
Searching his face, Eshe nodded, once again finding his wording choice admirable, it was as if Atem knew exactly what to say to make her feel better, and his smile continued to enliven her spirits with little effort.
It was a few more minutes before Eshe's nerves had calmed, she gladfully took Atem's outstretched hand again and they made their way towards 'Jellyfish Cove'.
The room was initially darker than the tunnel, but stepping into the room of Jellyfish greeted her with one of the most dazzling sights yet in the Domino Ocean Life Aquarium. There were hollow glass cylinders standing vertically throughout the room, connected to the ceiling, with metal casing at the top and bottom. Each one was filled with water, and the jellyfish undulated delicately within, illuminated by pink, purple and red LED lights within the uniquely shaped tanks.
Eshe let out a stunned sigh, speechless at the breathtaking sight; she stepped carefully around a tank, looking through it at the creatures that moved with hypnotising motions. Atem stood adjacent, eyeing the jellyfish with dazed interest.
"They're beautiful", Eshe murmured, and Atem's eyes shifted from the jellyfish to her face through the glass. Her eyes were wide, reflecting the warm, colourful light, and her lips were parted in amazement; Atem felt himself swallow.
"Yes", he whispered in agreement, "beautiful."
The coffee house-restaurant sitting adjacent to the sea-life building, by the quaint little name of Terrace Cafe, offered an alluring respite following their exploration of the aquarium. The dark clouds had slowly moved in and were close to lurking directly above their heads; Eshe was thankful the open Terrace Cafe had white tents shielding the small dining tables - at least they wouldn't get wet if it did start raining.
Eshe blinked her tired eyes as she rested her cheek in her palm, watching the flickering string lights hanging above with a sigh of contentment. The day was rolling on a bit, and Eshe was beginning to feel rather sleepy due to the mix of the grim whether overheard giving the illusion of impending darkness, and the fact that she'd awoken relatively early that morning following her dream, and hadn't been able to get back to sleep.
There was no longer a chill to the breeze, the air around them was the perfect temperature, slightly humid, and Eshe sat opposite Atem in the elegant, cushioned white dining chairs with a soft smile on her face as they ate dinner.
Eshe had gone for the healthiest option on the menu again, determined to improve her eating habits for the sake of her mental health, and had chosen the rigatoni pasta with lemon zest and asparagus. It was a step up from tasteless salad, that was for sure, and she actually enjoyed eating her dish. Atem had indulged in a steak with chips and watercress, and as tempting as it had been to steal a fry off of his plate while he wasn't looking, Eshe had managed to resist.
They fell into comfortable silence while they ate, appeased to listen to the ambient noise of chatter and distant car engines.
Utterly placated by the wonderful day she'd had, Eshe sipped her glass of water and gave a soft sigh, overjoyed by the simple, mollifying events of their date. What a wonderful idea it had been, to visit an aquarium - she'd spent a lot of time watching Atem's wondrous expressions as he viewed the delicate sea creatures with interest, and it had been perfect. She was entirely sure she had caught him staring at her a few times as well, to her delight.
"Once again, I had a wonderful time with you today, Atem", she told him with candor, and Atem smiled fondly at her.
"As did I", he responded, "I… really enjoy spending time with you, Eshe."
Eshe felt her heart flutter at his proclamation and she idly played with her hair as a coy look reached her face, "So do I…"
The moment was broken by a series of girlish titters coming from another table across the terrace; Eshe's eyes drifted with dismay towards a group of three girls sitting a few tables behind Atem and to the right. The occupants of the other table were staring at them with giggly smirks on their faces and Eshe felt a swell of self-consciousness inside her chest.
Being laughed at by strangers was definitely high up on the anxiety-inducing list, and Eshe timidly brushed her hand through her hair to straighten out the messy locks that had become wild in the humidity of the evening.
"Go on, Zoey", one of the girls exclaimed in a hushed tone, amusement curling in her voice.
Another girl, who Eshe assumed to be Zoey, rose to her feet and began to step tentatively towards them.
Uh oh.
Clamping her mouth shut, lips in a thin line, Eshe regarded her with a neutral look as she sidled up beside Atem, a sly smile on the girl's face.
Zoey came to a stop, resting her hands on the table, leaning over slightly in a posture that embodied bold confidence. She was a gorgeous girl, black hair fell in waves over her shoulders, a few ringlets framing her pretty face; her dark skin seemed flawless and her makeup was expertly applied. She batted her eyelashes at Atem and a lump rose in Eshe's throat at the nerve of this girl.
Atem looked up with a raised eyebrow, finally noticing the presence of someone else and understanding Eshe's scrutinising stare.
"Hiya, handsome", Zoey's flirtatious tone made Eshe feel sick.
Instead of responding, Atem remained silent, staring up at the girl expectantly as if waiting for her to explain why exactly she'd come over to interrupt what was obviously a successful date-in-progress.
Zoey visibly swallowed at his intense gaze, and Eshe felt a bubble of victory upon catching the momentary lapse in the girl's determination.
"I'm Zoey, what's your name?" the girl continued, ignoring the hardened look Eshe was giving her; Zoey's intentions were clear and it added to Eshe's swiftly growing frustration.
What Eshe really wanted right now was to stand up to her full - not so intimidating - height, and tell this girl to GET LOST. Unfortunately, she was not so confident in her ability to do so without her voice wavering pathetically, so she simply watched in anger.
"Atem", the boy answered with disinterest, eyes slightly narrowed on Zoey's face.
"Ohh~ Atem, sounds Egyptian", she spoke, and Eshe resisted the sudden desire to roll her eyes.
"It is."
Eshe wanted to applaud Atem for his ability to keep a steady, spiritless tone of voice as he responded to the girl, his neutral, cold expression unchanging.
Yeah, so take that, Eshe wanted to snap.
Zoey cleared her throat, her eyes shifting somewhat nervously at Atem's continuously aloof demeanour, "Well, um, Atem. My friends and I were wondering if you'd like to join us for the rest of the evening?"
There was a suggestive lilt in her voice, and she tilted her head to what she believed was her most attractive angle, awaiting Atem's response.
"No."
A beat of silence, and then Zoey blinked a few times rapidly, "Excuse me?"
Atem frowned, raising a challenging eyebrow at her self-entitled tone, but before he could open his mouth again, the girl began to laugh nervously.
"Oh come on, a handsome guy like you and a pretty girl like me? We could have loads of fun togeth-"
"I said no."
Zoey's mouth clamped shut as Atem spoke over her to reiterate his statement, his voice a touch louder and more pressuring, and Eshe bit her lip to cloak her amusement at the shock in the girl's eyes.
She stood before Atem for a few more moments, her mouth opening and closing like a confused fish, before it snapped shut and she turned on her foot with a dramatic hmph!
Cupping her mouth in her hand, Eshe restrained the snort of amusement that was threatening to make itself known; the satisfaction at seeing the zealous girl being put in her place after trying to steal her guy felt undeniably pleasant.
Eshe could hear as the girl returned to her friends that Zoey was snarling something about Atem being horribly rude, and she gave the girls a drawling look as if to say I'm sorry, WHO exactly is the rude one?
Atem didn't appear to care too much about the grumbling curses coming from the table behind, and instead reached out to take Eshe's hand, a fine smile growing on his face, and inquired softly, "Would you like to go now?"
Gladly.
The couple took the bus back to the station nearest to Eshe's apartment building and began walking at a slightly accelerated pace, fingers intertwined, as they endeavoured to return back before the rain caught up with them. The dark grey clouds loomed directly above them now, and Eshe could smell the imminent arrival of rainfall, a dusty, earthen scent that was not entirely unpleasant, but the thought of getting wet was enough to put an urgent bounce in her step.
Despite the rapidly cooling atmosphere, Atem's warm hand encircling her own left her buzzing with heat in a most jovial way, and her thumb rubbed the back of his hand, grateful for the innocent skin contact it provided.
Eshe's hand tightened on his the moment she felt eyes on her back, the nerve-wracking feeling of a fizzling vibration running through the air told her to turn around and observe, and she did so abruptly. Her eyes scanned the street behind them.
The very empty street.
"Eshe?" Atem stopped too, his eyes shifting from her to the direction she was gazing with narrowed, cautious eyes.
"Nothing, it- I thought someone was following…" Eshe trailed off, shaking her head slightly, casting once last glance down the street before turning back around.
Eshe looked up curiously as Atem tensed, and he immediately pulled her closer, his arm around her waist with his hand on her hip; he gently pressed against her back, encouraging her to keep moving.
She flushed slightly, the physical weight of his arm tight around her offered a calming sense of security, for which she was thankful, but the closeness made her shiver pleasurably, bringing redness to her cheeks.
Having forgotten about the odd feeling of someone following them, Eshe continued at the quickened pace Atem was pushing, allowing herself to be led around the corner towards her apartment building. Raindrops began to fall as reached the entrance, and they narrowly missed a sudden downpour as the clouds above burst.
Shyly, Eshe glanced up at Atem as they stared out at the violent deluge, "Do you, uh, wanna come up to my apartment until the rain stops?"
Atem regarded her with a small, uncertain smile, "I don't know if Leela would like that", he murmured with a spark of amusement.
Eshe snickered, "Well, maybe not, but I'd feel better if you didn't have to walk home in the rain. Oh- unless you want me to give you a lift?"
"I wouldn't want to be a bother", Atem spoke.
"Don't be silly, I don't mind driving you."
"It's not necessary, I don't want you to drive back alone", he admitted, and Eshe quirked her head slightly.
"Uhh, okay", Eshe murmured, he didn't offer an explanation for his concern, "well... come up and stay a little while?"
Atem gave the double doors to the rainy barrage one last glance and then smiled, "Alright."
Eshe smiled contentedly, taking his hand once more to lead him up the several flights of stairs to her shared apartment. She knocked on her door five flights up, realising with a start that she'd left her door key on her desk in her rush to leave earlier, and turned to give Atem a reassuring smile.
The door swung open, and Atem jerked back in surprise, a quiet whoa leaving his mouth, and Eshe blinked in surprise at Leela's amusing appearance.
The girl had her hair contained in a towel wrapped over her head, and her face was covered in a cleansing green lotion-mask, giving the girl a rather frightening appearance. No wonder Atem was startled.
Eshe snorted slightly- it was a good thing that Leela was dressed instead of wrapped in a towel, or it could've been a far more awkward meeting.
"The hell is he doing here?" Leela drawled, eyes narrowed on Atem's face. The boy in question blinked the astonished look from his face and frowned slightly at Leela's discourteous regard.
Eshe gave her friend a scowl, "I invited him in for a bit", she spoke, and Atem's eyes shifted awkwardly between the two of them.
Leela caught a quiet growl in her throat, turning to head back into the apartment and pluck her eyebrows as it appeared she had been part-way through doing before the knock sounded.
Eshe led Atem into the room, shutting the door behind them, and the boy stood stiffly, his eyes trying not to flicker towards the interesting product on Leela's face.
"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Eshe asked, and Atem shook his head slightly.
"Uhm, maybe just a glass of water."
"You know", Leela spoke up sarcastically, "there's plenty of water outside…"
Eshe didn't entertain her friend's response, instead electing to ignore it with an exasperated sigh to let the other girl know her snarky comments were unwelcome.
"Actually, perhaps I should go…" Atem murmured, rubbing the back of his neck in an uncomfortable gesture.
"What? No, don't-"
"Ugh, yes, please do", Leela snapped, earning a murderous expression from the other girl.
"You don't have to go, Atem. It's still raining outside", Eshe gave him a pleading expression, knowing Leela certainly wasn't helping to make the boy's company feel desired.
"I don't think Leela wants me here", Atem spoke with a tone of resignation, and an apologetic smile in Eshe's direction. He took a step back towards the door. His mind, it seemed, was already made up.
Eshe wanted to curse Leela out, but at the risk of seeming inelegant and bringing Atem more discomfort, she simply sighed and nodded ever so slightly, a sadness overcoming her.
"I have an umbrella you can borrow", Eshe mumbled, flashing Leela a sour look as she passed by her to grab the umbrella hanging from a rack.
She handed Atem the umbrella, a pang of regret in her eyes at insisting he come inside in the first place, and opened the front door, stepping out with him into the hallway.
"I'm so sorry, that didn't go as I hoped", Eshe whispered remorsefully, a slight quiver to her lips. Atem shook his head, giving the girl an assuring smile.
"Don't worry, I still had a wonderful day", he told her, his hand curling around her's to raise it to his lips, giving her his seemingly signature back-of-the-hand kiss.
Eshe blushed, a soft smile overcoming her bitterness, "Shall I walk you down?"
"No need, I'll take the elevator. That's quite a lot of stairs to climb", he gave a soft chuckle, and Eshe snorted.
"Ya get used to it… kinda."
Atem's small smile remained as his eyes lingered on her face, and for a split second, Eshe thought he might lean in and kiss her; her heartbeat pumped furiously in her ears while that remained a possibility, but eventually he nodded and turned to press the button to call the lift.
"I'll see you soon?" he spoke gently, and Eshe nodded.
"Absolutely", she gave him a wink, and Atem's smile grew; the elevator arrived and the doors opened, Atem stepped in and hit the button for the bottom floor, throwing Eshe a quick wave before the doors shut.
Once the elevator began its descent, Eshe turned swiftly on the spot to re-enter her apartment with a scathing air about her; she slammed the door shut behind her and sent Leela a vehement glare through the mirror.
"You're a real bitch, Leela", Eshe spat, not bothering to contain her severe distaste for the girl in front of her. She didn't miss the flash of hurt that passed over Leela's face, and she certainly didn't give her even a second to respond, stomping off abruptly down the hallway and into her room.
Eshe's initial reaction was to slump on her bed and scream into her pillow with perpetual frustration at her friend's inexcusable behaviour. That girl loved to push her limits, and once again she had crossed a line.
Leela could be an absolute menace.
Notes: I really hope you enjoyed this long chapter! ;) I'd love to hear if you liked this chapter, just drop me a review! :) Even if it's just a swift "YESSS", I'm here for it.