"Do we have milk?"

Nicholas looked through his terrible memory, trying to remember if they did have milk laying around in the apartment, and of course he wasn't sure. He reached out to open the clear fridge in the grocery store, grabbing the cold milk carton, and gently placing it on the cart. 

Elijah raised a brow at him.

"Better to be safe than sorry," shrugged Nicholas, pushing the cart forward with Elijah hot on his tail. 

"Why didn't you just make a list before we went shopping?"

"I forgot," he muttered.

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Nick. I tell you this a million times," he said, giving Nicholas a look. 

"A million isn't enough."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Elijah said, sarcastically. "I'll be sure to contact you when I'm feeling particularly clueless."

"That's what friends are for," grinned Nicholas, knowing that he was getting under Elijah's skin. 

He glared, "You're really painful to be around sometimes."

"Painful is a weak word for a college student."

"What do you suggest I use then?" asked Elijah as he eyed the ice cream section. 

"Agonizing, harrowing, distasteful, vexatious, excruciating, tedious-"

Elijah cut him off. "Shut up! I get it you read a lot. My brain is already hurting from all those words," he groaned. 

Nicholas chuckled, watching his friend rub at his temples, mentally murdering Nicholas for the headache. These were the precious memories that Nicholas held close to his heart. He never really had friends, especially not after the disturbing accident. Not even his parents thought he was worth the struggle. 

Elijah was different. He believed God more than he believed in his gaming skills, which was saying an awful lot for a gamer like Elijah. He had more games on his console and Steam account than Nicholas did, way more. They were two competitive gamers that found enjoyment at angering strangers on the internet. That was the very essence of their friendship.

However, Elijah had a contentment that Nicholas never knew the meaning of. When Elijah felt down, he prayed or read the Bible. He had a spiritual awakening, which made Elijah adored by all. It bothered Nicholas at times because he knew that he would never feel the pleasures of life like Elijah did. 

"Hey, Elijah?"

"What do you want?"

Nicholas smirked, "You certainly are toxic, need a little NaCl with that?" 

When Elijah saw Nicholas pick up the salt container, he pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling deeply. Nicholas chucked the container into the cart, hearing Elijah mumble a string of unfriendly words. 

"Pretty sure a Christian role model like you shouldn't be saying such words," teased Nicholas.

"Have you met yourself?"

Nicholas gave a sideways glance at Elijah, his blue eyes glimmering with jest.

Elijah simply ignored him, walking further ahead, and his plaid button-up clinging to his body as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. Nicholas laughed quietly to himself, feeling carefree for a sliver of time. It had been a while since he allowed himself to be this unbearable to Elijah, and Nicholas believed part of the reason was Dina. She was influencing him in more ways than one. 

He heard a slight giggle from the adjacent aisle. Nicholas froze, feeling his body react to the light-hearted laughter. I know that voice, he thought. She's here?

Without realizing it, Nicholas had shifted away from Elijah and was turning onto the aisle of the voice. Her soft words rang in his ears like a siren's song luring Nicholas to his doom. His footsteps were heavy against the white tiles, people became a blur behind him, he was mindless as he spotted the familiar headscarf wrapped tightly around her head. 

He stopped. 

Dina turned around, smiling at the little girl besides her. Her teeth were shining, reminding Nicholas of all the times that smile was directed at him. A warm, fuzzy feeling erupted within his chest, his gaze intently watching her every movement. Her lips moved and formed words that were soothing to his ears. 

Did she not see him?

"Dunya," smiled Dina as she gazed at the little girl. "You look silly in that. Take it off."

The little girl, with no scarf around her head, refused. "No way! It looks funny. I wanna scare the boys in my class with it."

Dina rolled her eyes, pulling the sleeve of the tall man beside her. The man looked to be in his late forties. He stroked his beard, thoughtfully, as he glanced at the two girls. His skin was the same golden complexion as the young ladies, his black hair was the exact same compared to the little girl, Dunya. Her father and little sister.

"Dunya, don't scare your classmates with that hideous mask," scolded their father. 

She pouted, "Baba."

Nicholas realized that the mask she was wearing was big goofy glasses with an overly bushy mustache attached to it. He wondered why the girl wasn't wearing the same headscarf as Dina. Was she too young? Nicholas didn't know the most about Islam, but he knew that there was a symbolic meaning behind the headscarves. There was even a specific name. 

"Whatcha' up to, stalker?" a voice breathed into his ear. 

Nicholas jumped, turning to the intruder with a cold glare.

Elijah stifled his laughter. "Stalking is a bad look on you, Nick," he winked. 

"Quiet down!" hissed Nicholas, clamping a hand over Elijah's mouth. "I'd prefer not to be caught."

Elijah peeled his hand away from his mouth, his lips twisting into a cocky grin. "So you admit to being a stalker?" he questioned.

"Of course not," scoffed Nicholas, his eyes wildly searching for an excuse to cover up his real intentions. "I came to get hot sauce."

"Dude, you're white. You hate spicy."

"How dare you stereotype me?"

"Because you hate spicy and breathe fire whenever I trick you into eating some," stated Elijah. 

Nicholas felt his face go red. 

"You know why I like being black? You can never tell when I'm embarrassed. Sucks that I can't say the same about you," he chuckled. 

"Shut up," muttered Nicholas as he pushed the cart out of the aisle. 

Elijah jogged up besides him. "You're not even going to talk to the girl you're crushing on? How rude," he commented. 

"I don't have a crush."

"Right, and I support our foreign policies," said Elijah, dryly. "Don't lie to me, Nick."

"I don't even know her."

"I guess staring is just the universal way of saying hello."

"Precisely," agreed Nicholas, even though he knew that Elijah was using sarcasm against him. 

"Nick has a crush," cooed Elijah, poking his arm.

Nicholas scowled, "Leave me alone."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Nick."

Nicholas halted his steps, his head turning to Elijah with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?" he asked. 

Elijah shrugged, slightly smiling. "Nothing."

Nicholas sent a skeptical look Elijah's way, wondering what he knew. Elijah was oblivious to it and continued on his way, searching for the extra items that they needed. Nicholas sighed. 

Her name was stuck to his mind, glued for eternity. Nicholas thought back to the scene before. She didn't even notice him. For some reason, Nicholas felt disappointed. She was the girl he could never have, never touch, and never love. She was the forbidden fruit that drove him insane, but he couldn't let her go. 

Why, though?

----

Am I the only one who sheds a lot of hair? Like I can't tell if it's just me because #LongHairProblems or because the weather hates me. 

Isn't Elijah the best character ever? Gotta bring in the diversity in characters with lowkey Trump jokes (FBI, if you're reading this, please don't put me on the Most Wanted list).

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