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Simone had a gentle smile on her face as she spoke, and that alone was beautiful. Tahani felt all warm and fuzzy inside, a hue of pink on her cheeks. She had no idea why Simone always had this affect on her.
Tahani laid a hand on her thigh, clutching her dress. She sighed before her lips landed together to make a pout. Her other hand held a pencil, her paper below being empty. Beside her was Jason, his paper filled with doodles of absurdities.
“Tahani, are you alright?” Simone’s eyes met Tahani’s and she was dazed, her long lashes fluttering as she blinked. Tahani got up immediately, her eyes wide.
“I am!” Tahani announced, causing Eleanor and Chidi to look her way.
Jason on the other hand was fiddling with a pencil, shaking it to make it look like it was bendy.
Simone titled her head, analysing Tahani quizzically for a short moment before smiling at her. There it was. Tahani plopped down on her seat, her mouth slightly agape. She felt too flustered to stand up.
How foolish did she look? Chidi was confused before continuing to pay attention to Simone speaking. Eleanor stared at Tahani, with a sly smirk before staring back at the board.
"Look, everyone, my pencil's wobbling!" Jason exclaimed in awe with a wide smile, bringing it closer to his face.
"Not to ruin your fun, but that's an optical illusion, Jason." Simone mentioned before laughing lightheartedly.
Tahani felt as if she were melting, Simone's voice was so soothing to her ears. Tahani wanted to cherish every graceful sound and movement Simone made, her overall existence was elegant. Tahani didn't pay attention to Jason's 'Aw...' of disappointment or Eleanor and Chidi's banter, everyone around them was a blur. Tahani gazed at Simone with admiration.
She inadvertently touched her ring, one of the many pieces of jewelry Tahani owned. It felt heavy on top of her finger, the diamond shining. Tahani couldn't care less about it.
Simone’s smile was worth more than any diamond Tahani’s ever had.