@lav-skam (I started to write a reply, but it got a bit long and I figured maybe It's better to do a post anyway) It's up and down, back and forth. Some things they say and talk about are really cringe but most of the time the say really good stuff. They are young though, and they do talk like it so that's definitely something to keep in mind. The first episode wasn't too good, but they immediately brought that up in the second one, and they have definitively taken the criticism they got to heart. It's gotten a lot better, I thought yesterday's episode was really good and they've talked about some topics I've found it very interesting to learn their opinions on. Also I don't think Simo's been in the last few episodes, he at least wasn't in this last one. There might be a good reason for that or there might not, I haven't heard anything, so I'm not going to speculate.
It was murky and rainy outside; as grey clouds started to roll in, the sound of thunder grew more ferocious by the minute. Luckily Elias, Sana, and the guys were all indoors, relaxing by the fire in the Bakkoush’s spacious living room, surrounded by blankets and heaping bowls of freshly buttered popcorn. It was movie night and it was finally Elias’ turn to pick the movie they would watch. If he was being honest, he really could use the distraction right now.
“Why did you have to pick the lamest movie imaginable, there’s no antihero or one-of-a-kind cinematography in this one,” Mikael grumbled.
“Just because you and Even think you’re both god’s gift to film, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to put up with your bullshit all the time,” Elias retorted, rolling his eyes.
“Ouch bro,” Even said smiling, as he fistbumped with Mikael.
Out of the corner of his eye, Elias noticed Yousef scooting closer to Sana. He yawned widely before stretching his arm behind her and resting it on the back of the couch, his hand inches away from her shoulder. She smiled to herself as she leaned in slightly, moving a bit nearer to him.
Yousef looked at Sana like she hung the moon and the stars. Elias wished he had something as close to what they had in real life. On one hand he was really happy for them both. His best friend and his little sister were so good together he was surprised it had taken them so long to realize their feelings for each other. He knew they had the kind of love that would last. A small part of him wanted that, although he would never admit it to his friends. In their eyes, he was a suave ladies man who couldn’t be tied down to one woman. In reality, he wasn’t sure he was that guy. It was more of an act he put on, one that he was unwilling to let go of, for reasons unknown even to himself.
Elias tore his gaze away from them and took a swig of soda from the can in his hands. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one that noticed how close those two were getting.
Mutta and Mikael were exchanging knowing looks with Even. Before long, Mikael said, “So Yousef, how much did you miss Sana while you were in Turkey this summer?” he wriggled his eyebrows, grinning at Sana, waiting for her reaction.
She glared at Mikael before giving an apologetic look to Yousef.
Yousef visibly shifted in his seat, clearly anxious about answering the question in front of everyone, including Elias.
Elias turned his head, curious to hear what he had to say.
Yousef hesitated slightly before saying, “I missed all of you guys. I was away for a really long time.” He gave them an amused grin.
“Yeah but there’s one person here you missed more than all of us,” Even replied cheekily.
Elias saw Yousef’s face become flustered, the heat rising to his cheeks as he subconsciously glanced at Sana. She met his eyes, smiling shyly at him.
Adam wolf-whistled before letting out a cheesy grin, glancing up at Sana and Yousef who both grew noticeably redder in the face. Elias watched as Sana pointedly faced forward staring at the blank TV screen, avoiding their eyes.
Yousef gave Adam a warning glare, silently telling him to back off. Luckily for his sake, Adam wasn’t paying attention and grabbed the remote before turning the TV on.
The movie opening credits started playing as Elias settled into his seat, getting comfortable.
Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder boomed through the quiet halls of the apartment.
Yousef jumped in his seat and grabbed Sana’s hand unconsciously. She looked down where their hands met in the middle before gazing back up at him. Elias watched Yousef search Sana’s face before hastily letting go. Elias caught the tail end of a small smile appear on Sana’s face before it quickly disappeared.
Without warning, the lights flickered on and off above their heads and after a few seconds, the power went out completely.
“Oh what the hell? The power is cut? I can barely see anything,” Adam complained.
The howling winds and torrential downpour outside drew Elias’ attention as he looked outside the window to see lightning flash across the sky.
“Yeah and I don’t think it’s coming back on any time soon,” Elias muttered. He got up slowly and made his way over to the drawer in the semi-dark room, grabbing a couple of candles and matches and placing them on the ground where they were sitting in a group. He lit each of them one by one until the room was cast in a warm orange glow.
“Now what are we going to do?” Mutta asked.
“We could play a game,” Even suggested.
“Yeah let’s play truth or dare,” Adam said.
Sana rolled her eyes next to Yousef. “What are we 12 years old?”
“Yes,” Mikael and Yousef answered at the exact same time.
Sana threw Elias an exasperated look which he returned before shaking his head, half amused.
“Okay, fine but please if anyone picks dare, we’re not going through what we did last time when Mikael tried to make a blanket fort on the roof of our apartment building. We still can’t get that last pillow down from there.” Elias said warningly, glaring at Mikael who smirked.
“Who’s going first,” Mutta called, looking at each of their faces.
“I’ll go. I choose dare,” Adam interjected with a confident smile.
“I dare you to go to the kitchen and eat two of the green chilis sitting in the bowl on the counter,” Sana said, a devilish grin on her lips.
Everyone grimaced slightly at Sana’s proposed dare, looking at Adam sympathetically.
Except Adam didn’t waver for a second. He got up abruptly, taking one of the lit candles with him, and made his way over to the kitchen. When he returned a minute later, he held up the green chilis in his hand triumphantly.
“Three, two, one…” Mikael and Mutta counted him down. “Go!”
Adam squeezed his eyes shut and shoved the first one into his mouth, chewing rapidly. His eyes were watering, tears streaming down his face but he didn’t stop until both chilis were completely gone.
He swallowed the last of it, “I did it y–oh my god!! This was a huge mistake, he coughed and heaved, breathing in and out heavily, fanning his mouth desperately.
Suddenly, all of them lost it, laughing uncontrollably. Sana clutched the sides of her stomach and Elias couldn’t breathe from laughter.
“Water! I need water now,” Adam yelled. Mikael still laughing, got up and ran to the kitchen and got some water for him. Adam scooped the glass out of his hands and drank the whole thing frantically.
Elias wipe a tear from his eye. He hadn’t laughed this hard in a long while and it felt good to just goof off and have fun with his friends. He wasn’t even thinking about Laila and his problems.
“Ok, ok,” Mutta said after everyone had calmed down and Adam’s eyes had stopped watering. “It’s your turn Elias.”
Elias shifted in his seat, a visible why me? look plastered across his face before he said, “Wow, okay I’m almost scared to choose dare now, so I’ll choose truth.”
“What happened to you last Friday?” Mutta asked.
And just like that Elias was drawn back to reality.
He knew he couldn’t avoid it forever, but he wished he could just forget that night ever happened.
His face must have shown what he was thinking on the inside because at that moment, Yousef said, “Elias, it’s ok, you don’t have to talk about it.” He gave Elias a reassuring smile.
Elias nodded slightly, glancing at Yousef and then the rest of them, He took note of the earnest expressions on their faces. He knew his friends and sister were worried about him, yet they tried to hide their concern behind easy smiles and carefree jokes. He wanted to tell them everything, but he was also scared of what their reactions might be.
“You know how Laila and I were sort of a thing before she left a couple of months ago?” Elias started.
They all nodded.
“Well the Friday before last, after Noora said that Laila had gotten back together with her ex, I…uh….got drunk and there was a fight.” Elias avoided Mikael’s eyes deliberately. “And I…sort of hooked up with Isabel.” Elias winced slightly, as he remembered what had happened. “Then two days ago, I went out and got drunk again and stupidly texted Laila to meet up and I told her everything and now she’s mad at me. Also it turns out that she never actually got back together with her ex while she was away, but she still has feelings for me. Or had them anyway.” Elias stopped talking at that point, too embarrassed to continue.
“Elias…” Sana gave him a troubled look. “I’m so sorry. I knew something was up with you but I had no idea, I should have talked to you about it.”
“It’s okay, I’ve just been trying to move past it. I told her the truth, the ball’s in her court now, I just have to wait and see if she’ll forgive me.”
“Of course, she’ll forgive you,” Adam said, like it was the most obvious thing ever.
“Yeah and at least you apologized,” Mutta added.
Even patted Elias on the back consolingly. “It will all work itself out, Isak and I went through a lot of ups and downs, but we made it through.”
“You know you can talk to us right Elias?” Yousef asked, his worry-filled eyes landing on him.
“Yeah, I know,” Elias cast his eyes downward and breathed out a deep sigh, feeling a slight weight lift off his shoulders. When he looked up again, he waved his hand impatiently and said, “Okay, enough about me, let’s get back to the game.”
“Are you sure?” Mikael asked.
Elias nodded, “Don’t worry I won’t make you eat any green chilis,” casting a dubious glance at Sana behind him.
She rolled her eyes. “That was funny and you know it,” she said crossing her arms.
“Who’s up next. I vote Yousef,” Even said eagerly, pointing at Yousef.
Yousef shook his head. “Fine, I pick truth,” he winked at Sana.
“What’s your credit card number?” Even asked innocently.
Mikael smacked the back of Even’s head playfully, a mischievous grin on his face.
They all erupted into raucous laughter for the second time that night.
