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you and alhaitham haven’t spoken to each other in a while.
you assumed he was just busy with scribe and akademiya stuff.
he did say he wasn't busy most of the time though, but you paid it no mind.
until a few weeks had passed.
perhaps he was just busy, despite saying he usually isn't.
but you still couldn’t help but feel a little worried. all you wanted was to know how he was doing.
you two weren’t really close, but you still couldn’t help it.
”maybe i should check up on him,” you thought.
you decided to head to the akademiya.
the place was huge, so you weren’t sure where to start. he could be anywhere.
then you remembered how he's usually at the house of daena.
you tried asking a couple of scholars, and once you finally found someone who'd say yes, they lead you to where the house of daena was.
it didn’t take long for you two to find it, and once they did, you could see a certain someone from afar.
that someone was alhaitham of course.
he seemed to be the only one there.
it was hard to tell from afar whether he was just sitting, but it looked like he was reading a book.
you thanked the scholar before they left. you then decided to approach him, the silence
making you feel a bit nervous somehow.
despite it making your footsteps very audible, he didn’t notice you.
”he’s really fixed on that book, huh?”
you decided to peak over his shoulder to see what he was reading.
it was hard to tell what it was about.
you tried to read a few paragraphs, but you had no idea what it was about.
"guess this is one of those books he claims are difficult to get..."
you sighed in frustration.
once he heard you, he turned back to face at you, still holding the book.
“what brings you here after all this time?” he asked.
“its been a while," you gave him a small smile.
"so i... just wanted to see if you're okay."
“of course. there’s no need to worry about a feeble scholar like i.”
he looked away and continued reading the book.
you were both silent for a bit, so you decided to observe him a little.
somehow, he seemed a bit… off.
he didn’t look like his usual self.
again, you didn't know him that great, but if one of the scholars were to see him, they too would
notice how he seemed off.
the same would apply to kaveh, but he wouldn’t care one bit.
you had a feeling something was troubling him.
and for once, it wasn't his roommate kaveh.
this was different.
he seemed like... he was upset. or... lonely. that would be a better word.
was the book upsetting? obviously not. just confusing.
but only to you, of course.
was it because of the time you two spent apart, even if it wasn’t that long?
no, he wasn’t like that. besides, you two weren't as close.
actually, he’s been behaving like this for some time before you two stopped speaking.
maybe he wanted someone to talk to…
no, he's a scribe. he can solve his problems on his own.
but perhaps this was a different...
maybe he's...
“you have other things to tend to, don’t you?” alhaitham asked, breaking the silence.
“there’s no need to waste your time here.”
you took a seat besides him.
“i’m not busy today,” you spoke.
“also, there’s something i want to ask.”
he was a bit hesitant to respond, you noticed. clearly he wasn't feeling like his usual self.
“…i’m listening.”
“is something bothering you?”
he closed the book and looked at you.
that was a sudden and unexpected question.
“why do you ask…?” he mumbled.
“you seem a little upset,” you pointed out.
alhaitham shook his head. “i’m not.”
“did kaveh kick you out or something?”
“what? out of my own house? of course not.”
you sighed and sat down besides him.
"is it the book?"
"look..." he began. "of all things, why would a book upset me, hm?"
you tried to think of something to say.
“something is troubling you, you just refuse to say it."
he said nothing, facing away from you and opening the book.
"now don't try to ignore me, scribe," you glared.
“you feel lonely… don’t you?”
a sense of loneliness… that was possible. but were you really correct?
"..."
alhaitham continued to read the book, in an attempt to ignore your words.
"you thought avoiding me would help, but that only made it worse…”
finally, having enough, he closed the book and slammed it down.
he finally looked at you again.
"its true i avoided you," he finally spoke.
"but for another reason."
you started to grow curious, so you slowly inched closer to him.
"may i ask... what this reason is?" you spoke softly.
he took a moment to try and find the right words to say.
he sighed.
"because i want you."
you sat there confused for a moment.
"you... want me..." you mumbled.
then you finally realized what it was he was trying to say.
your face went a bright shade of red.
"judging by your expression, i take it you feel the same."
you weren't sure how to respond, so all you could give was a shy nod, locking your eyes down on the ground.
he wasn't wrong of course. its just that...
it felt unexpected. like you hoped to have more time and prepare yourself.
but no matter. its already done now.
"i thought avoiding you would help me push those thoughts away and keep you out of my mind," alhaitham continued.
you smiled. "and it had the complete opposite effect, didn't it?"
"mhm."
you then put your head on his shoulder.
"...for a scribe, you sure aren't the brightest when it comes to things like this."
his gaze sent chills down your spine.
"huh... so thats how you see me then?" his came out soft, but the tone is what scared you.
you quickly sat back up in fear.
"o-of course not..." you smiled nervously. "i was just joking, thats all..."
he gave you a small smile back.
"thought so..."
you put your head back on his shoulder as he opened the book and continued reading again.
until... a question had popped in your mind.
"so uhm... about your roommate..." you began.
alhaitham flipped the page before he spoke.
"kaveh? what about him?"
"what if... he were to find out about this?" you asked nervously.
"..."
you continued to stare at him, awaiting for an answer.
"don't worry about that," was all he said.
"should he find out, i'll be sure to... take care of him myself."
you weren't sure what he meant by that, but then again, alhaitham knows kaveh much better than you.
so it was best you leave that in his hands.