he isn’t expecting warmth , he isn't expecting anything at all , really . not after weeks of silence , after watching whatever they had unravel thread by thread . but their words settle somewhere deep , tucking into the quiet spaces of his heart where things like hope don’t usually live . he wonders if he looks long enough in their honey-soaked gaze , maybe he can understand what they aren’t saying . will he see the outline of something still lingering between them , faint but not gone ?
azizi's lips twitch , something close to a smirk but softer , more like muscle memory than intention . “ that’s new , ” he muses , tipping his head slightly . “ i almost thought you would tell me to fuck off . ” he slips his hands in his pockets , an absent motion , like grounding himself in something tangible . yasmine hasn’t walked away yet — a month ago , he might’ve let that mean something . he might’ve let himself reach for more , but now , he's not sure if he has the right to . “ i’ll take what i can get . ” the words slip out quiet , as if he’s talking more to himself than them . then , a shift ; a slight tilt of his chin , something lighter curling at the edge of his voice . “ it's good to see you , yasmine . i've missed you . ”
the words sent a tremor across their skin . their heartbeat racing and a bead of sweat forming at their hairline despite the cold air . his words snake from his lips and wrap around their throat , cutting off their air and their ability to see straight . yasmine stumbled , looking around for a rock or crack , not wanting to note what his words did to them . " well , if you miss me so much , you know where i work . " the words , meant to be teasing , came out colder , harsher than they were in their head . the hurt , the anger , the guilt , and as always , the loneliness taking hold of them and making them their puppet . the words they wanted to say clawed against their chest , wanting to let him know how much they missed him , how much they had come to rely on him in nine short months . but yasmine couldn't hurt him . couldn't punish him for the curse they had been born with . instead , they had to let him go , couldn't let him slip beneath their fences one again .
their fight showed yasmine the holes in their armor , reveled their weak spots and taught them another lesson . but that didn't mean they couldn't speak as acquaintances . after all , that's why they were here . to be a regular townsperson . eyes hung loosely at their side as they walked stiffly like a solider . " sad , isn't it ? " eyes on the booths rather than their companion . " did you know these people well ? " awkward small talk fitting for an awkward pair .
