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Kalim laughed as he raced up the small incline. He paused under the willow tree at the top and spun on his heel. The blanket on his forearm slipped slightly when he lifted his hand to shield his eyes against the sun. “This is perfect! Right, Jamil?”
Jamil sighed and adjusted the large picnic basket in his hand. Kalim could hear him mumble, but it wasn’t loud enough for him to hear. Kalim ignored the mumbling and whipped open the large blanket he’d brought from Scarabia. If Jamil wanted Kalim to hear what he said, then he would have spoken louder. Kalim was trying very hard to learn that he didn’t always have to ask mumbling people to repeat themselves even if he really wanted to hear what they said. Yuu had said sometimes people just need to talk out loud to themselves.
Speaking of the prefect, Kalim paused straightening a corner of the blanket and turned back to shield his eyes against the sun. He could see Ramshackle from across the small field between the dorm and the woods. He checked his phone. He had said one o’clock, right?
“We shouldn’t be away from Scarabia for too long,” Jamil said. Kalim heard the hinges on the picnic basket squeak followed by the hollow pop of a lid being removed from a dish. “I know it’s the weekend, but there are a few tasks around the dorm we need to complete. The elephants need to be taken on a short walk to the oasis to exercise them and...”
Kalim stopped listening when he spotted the figure coming out of Ramshackle Dorm. He swayed back and forth with energetic impatience but made himself wait until Yuu was at least halfway across the field before he frantically waved at her. He waved with both arms when she waved back. “Yuu! You made it!”
He could hear her giggle even at a distance. Kalim realized Jamil had fallen silent and turned back to his friend. Jamil watched Yuu approach them, his face flat of any expression. He slowly blinked when Yuu greeted them both by name. He didn’t say another word as he continued unpacking the lunch from the picnic basket.
Kalim giddily bounced in place and waited for Yuu to reach them under the willow tree. Jamil was just as excited as he was! He could tell by the way he carefully rearranged the colorful dishes to make space for Yuu. Kalim had known that this was a great idea!
Kalim couldn’t contain his excitement any longer, and he launched himself at Yuu as soon as he could. She laughed and thumped his back, returning his tight squeeze with the same amount of enthusiasm. “It’s good to see you too, Kalim! Sorry I’m a bit late. Azul was trying to renegotiate child support to get a cheaper deal.”
Kalim thought he heard Jamil mutter something like “Of course he would.” Kalim simply laughed. “No worries! We just got here too. Jamil was just finishing laying everything out. We’ve got all kinds of picnic foods. I even packed the fruit myself!”
Kalim happily accepted the shoulder pat Yuu gave him. “Good job, Kalim! Did Jamil let you dice them up this time too?”
Kalim’s excitement wilted for the first time today. “No. He said we were already running late, and he could prepare everything faster himself.” Kalim perked again. He pointed at the bowl of red pepper hummus sitting next to a small platter of pita bread. “But I helped prepare the hummus last night! I added extra peppers just for you!”
“That won’t make it too spicy for you, will it?” Kalim hummed at her concern and shook his head. He grabbed her hand and pulled her around the blanket to sit right next to Jamil. Jamil stiffened, but Yuu’s gaze remained focused on Kalim. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to suffer just because of my preferences.”
“It’s totally fine! I hadn’t planned on...” Kalim clamped his mouth shut. His eyes darted between Yuu and Jamil. Yuu tipped her head and stared up at him in confusion. Jamil focused on piling various pieces of the picnic food onto one plate. He didn’t look up at Kalim, but Kalim noticed his darkened cheeks when Jamil snuck a glance at Yuu.
Kalim’s grin returned twice the size as it had been. He dismissed Yuu’s concern with a casual wave. “No worries! I might not like curry as much anymore, but I can still eat spicy things.” Kalim casually checked his phone. He gasped and stuffed the device back into his pocket. “Actually, I’ve gotta go, uh, meet someone else right now. I totally forgot about it until just now. You two should still enjoy the picnic. Together. Alone. K’bye!”
Kalim sprinted down the hill and across the field before Yuu’s confused voice registered in his ear. He gasped for breath, but he didn’t stop until he reached Ramshackle Dorm. He spun around and looked back up at the willow tree. Yuu and Jamil seemed to be talking now (or they were at least looking at each other; Kalim couldn’t actually hear anything). He grinned when Jamil offered the prefect the plate he had prepared.
The plan had worked! What better way to make them realize their feelings for each other than to set them up on a romantic date together? It was absolutely genius!
“Is that Jamil and the prefect up on the hill?”
Kalim hummed and turned to answer his fellow housewarden standing just outside the door of Ramshackle Dorm. “It sure is! They’re having a picnic together. Don’t they make a great couple?”
Azul hummed. He took his glasses off and gave them a quick wipe with the small cloth he pulled from his pocket. He still squinted when he replaced his glasses on his nose. Kalim wondered if he might need a stronger prescription to help him see. “A couple? I was under the impression Jamil was abstaining from romance. He appears so steadily dedicated to attending to you that he just doesn’t have the time for it.”
Was Jamil not dating because he was spending so much time helping Kalim? It was a question Kalim would have to investigate later. He had to let Jamil know it was perfectly okay for him to date!
“Perhaps I should pop in on them,” Azul continued with a happy smile. He took a step down from the dorm’s stoop. “Yuu and I were just discussing the current rates to care for the creatures Ramshackle has accumulated. I’m sure Jamil would staunchly agree with my—.”
“No!” Kalim lunged forward to cut Azul off. He threw his arms out to stop Azul. Azul’s eyes dramatically widened. “I’m sorry, Azul, but you can’t interrupt them right now. They’re on a date!"
Azul’s eyes widened even more. “A date?” A short laugh followed his question. “You were being serious? I actually thought...” Azul laughed again. “I suppose you would play matchmaker for those two.” Azul pointed behind Kalim. “Unfortunately, it would seem their date is at risk of being interrupted.”
Kalim whipped around. He gasped. Leona must have looped around the dorm because he was lazily sauntering across the field to the tree. Kalim sprinted after him, almost missing the chuckle from Azul. Kalim launched himself at Leona’s back. “Leona!”
“What the…” Kalim clung to Leona when the older student spun around. An unhappy snarl rumbled through Leona. A large hand landed on the top of Kalim’s head. “Kalim? You’ve got five seconds to explain yourself before I punt you across this field.”
“Leona!” Kalim repeated. He tightened his arms around Leona’s waist when Leona tried to shake him off. “You can’t go up there right now!”
“And why not?” The hand on Kalim’s head applied more pressure. “I take a nap under that tree every weekend.”
“Jamil and Yuu are having a picnic right now,” Kalim insisted. He dug his heels into the ground when Leona tried to wiggle out of his arms. “Please don’t interrupt them!”
Leona froze. “A picnic?” His angry rumble was replaced by a low chuckle. “Is that so? Now I’ve gotta see that.”
Leona dragged Kalim for a few steps. Kalim yelped and tried to dig his heels in deeper. He buried his cheek into Leona’s shoulder and tightened his grip. “Please don’t! I’m trying to help Jamil!”
Leona abruptly stopped. Kalim sagged against his back without the forward motion of Leona’s steps. Leona spun around, dragging Kalim around with an involuntary yip. Kalim heard Leona make a dismissive noise. “Forget it. None of this is worth the hassle of attracting Hunt’s attention.”
Kalim let go of Leona and stumbled to a stop. Leona continued stomping back on the path he had come, his tail agitatedly flicking behind him. Confused by the older boy’s sudden departure, Kalim blinked up the hill at Yuu and Jamil, who seemed to be having a great conversation filled with laughs and smiles between bites of red pepper hummus and fruit. He scratched his head. What had Leona meant by having a hunts attention?
No sooner had Kalim began his pondering did a head pop out from behind the trunk of the willow tree. The feather from Rook’s hat danced playfully in the wind while Rook beamed at the happy couple. He ducked behind the tree when Jamil’s and Yuu’s heads snapped in his direction. There was a pause in their date before they slowly returned to their previous conversation.
Rook reappeared on the other side of the tree trunk. He caught Kalim’s wide eyes and winked with a huge grin. Kalim didn’t realize he was sprinting up the hill until Yuu waved at him. “Kalim! Did you meet—?”
“Don’t worry about me!” Kalim shouted. He rushed right past them without pausing. “Just pretend I’m not here!”
Kalim rounded the tree. Rook was still smiling, but Kalim didn’t give him a chance to say anything. He grabbed the upperclassman by the forearm and jerked him away from the tree. He pulled Rook deeper into the woods until he was sure the others wouldn’t hear them. He sighed in relief. “Rook!”
“Ah! Young love!” Rook gushed. He threw his hands over his chest and sighed. “Like a field of flowers blossoming in spring! Comme mon cœur s'évanouit!”
Kalim grabbed Rook by the shoulders. He gave the older boy a shake. “Rook! You can’t ruin Yuu and Jamil’s date!”
Rook’s eyes widened. “Pardon moi, Roi d’Or. I came in search of the great Roi des Lions. He regularly naps under that tree. I was simply swept away by the playful banter I found instead.”
Kalim sighed. He rubbed his face with his palm. “Sorry, Rook. I’m just trying to make sure Jamil gets his chance to show how he really feels. I know Yuu likes him, but I think Jamil might be too shy to tell her he feels the same. So I made up the whole plan to have a picnic, so they had a chance to be together!”
Rook hummed, and his serious frown told Kalim his upperclassman understood what he was saying. “It is healthy they experience young love to the fullest. They should be encouraged to experience the full natural course of first love, whether that flame flourishes or later dims.”
Kalim blinked at Rook’s smile. He frowned. “You think Jamil and Yuu won’t stay together?”
Rook smiled, but Kalim didn’t like the way it looked. “I can only attest that Jamil is not the only one the Trickster has met beneath that tree.”
Kalim’s eyes widened. Yuu was meeting other guys under the tree? That meant Jamil had competition! He would have to rethink the other dates he had planned. Maybe he should suggest they meet off campus next time. That way, they would have less interruptions.
It was genius!
“Thanks, Rook!” Kalim grinned. Rook’s smile faltered for a brief moment before returning. This smile looked like the one Kalim usually saw from the upperclassman. “I’ll make sure Jamil and Yuu experience love completely!”
Kalim could still hear Rook chuckling behind him when he sprinted back to the willow tree. He whipped around the trunk of the tree and paused next to the picnic blanket. His energetic greeting/farewell died on his tongue. He found only half-eaten pitas with red pepper hummus on the blanket.
“Oi, Deuce! How about you try hitting the little birdie straight next time?”
“Stop trying to distract me!”
Yuu’s snorting laughter made Kalim spin around to face the field. Ace and Deuce chased a small ball with feathers, hitting it back and forth with small rackets. Yuu and Jamil held similar rackets, which they used to hit the ball back at the Heartslabyul students.
Kalim pouted. He had thought Ace and Deuce would be busy in Heartslabyul today. Riddle had even said they would be doing their monthly dorm cleaning!
Yuu laughed when Ace and Deuce ran into each other in an attempt to hit the birdie. Jamil grinned, but he was obviously looking at Yuu instead of the other boys. He said something that made Yuu laugh harder, a snort occasionally punctuating her laughter. Jamil’s grin widened.
Kalim hummed and placed his hands on his hips. It wasn’t exactly how Kalim had envisioned the picnic date, but he couldn’t really be disappointed. Jamil was obviously having fun, and Yuu was still giving more attention to him than the others.
But the next date he set up for the two would definitely be off campus.