**NOOR**

We look through the images that Reyah has taken on her camera.

I can’t tell if I love or hate the way I look in them.

My face is glowing but it also looks oily.

My smile is awful.

Why am I stood like that?

I look so awkward.

"Beautiful," I swear I can hear one of the guys breathe out. They said it too quietly for me to identify the voice.

I turn to them, both guys stood together. Ayan is too busy looking at the pictures and Rehan is staring right at me.

Rehan thinks I’m beautiful?

I feel my cheeks go warm and quickly go back to looking at the images.

Reyah’s moved onto the pictures I took with Ayan.

My smile looks so pretty here, why can’t I look like that all the time?

I catch a glimpse of Ayan, he’s looking at our pictures with some intensity, almost as if he is studying it.

_Okay then.. _

I look my eyes back at the images.

Suddenly, Reyah says, "You guys would look cute together."

I blink.

My body starts to feel warm.

I look at her then at Ayan who has the most unbothered face I have ever seen.

How is he not reacting to this???

"Don’t be ridiculous," I chuckle, brushing it off.

"Yeah," Rehan speak up and shoves Reyah slightly. "Don’t say stupid things."

"It’s not stupid," Ayan’s voice cuts in sharply. He narrows his eyes slightly at Rehan.

I knew he’d be bothered by it, didn’t think he’d be bothered in this way.

**AYAN**

All four of us are gathered around Reyah’s camera as we look at the photos she has taken of her.

She’s stunning.

The way her face glows as the camera lights hit her face.

Lord knows that she looks even more beautiful underneath the sunset glow.

Her smile is gorgeous. It brights up her whole face and I want to be the reason for that smile.

"Beautiful," I accidentally breathe out.

I glance at Noor to see if she noticed. I let out a small relieved breath, she didn’t hear-

Nope. Yes she did.

I look back at the camera before she notices me already looking at her, my eyes glued to the small screen, not daring to let them wonder back to her.

_Act natural, Ayan._

No ,Ayan, breathe. If she notices you’re not breathing she’ll know something is up.

WAIT. NO. STOP. DON’T BREATHE.

She’ll notice you let out a breath that you were holding.

Just don’t breathe.

You’ll survive.

You won’t survive if Noor hears you call her beautiful in the most serious way possible.

Don’t.

Breathe.

She looks away.

I let out a breath.

Slowly.

Subtly.

I breathe again.

Just barely.

Reyah pulls out the pictures me and Noor took together.

I study the image intently.

I’m not sure if I already mentioned this, but her smile is so fucking beautiful.

In these pictures, I’m the one making her smile like that which makes me see her shining even more.

Fuck she’s beautiful.

I think I’m going to die.

I always knew she was pretty, but now it’s like it’s actually affecting me.

The way I think.

The way I speak.

The way I live.

Suddenly,Reyah cuts through my loud thoughts, "You guys would look cute together."

My eyes widen slightly and my lip twitches he’s up slightly to smirk but I fight the smug smile.

I can practically feel Rehan’s anger radiating off of him.

I try to make it out as if I’m unbothered by her comment.

I’m not.

For some reason, it brings me this weird feeling.

A nice one.

Probably smugness because I one upped Rehan.

Nothing else.

"Don’t be ridiculous," Noor chuckles, brushing it off.

The feeling goes away.

It gets replaced by another one.

I don’t like this feeling.

"Yeah," Rehan speaks up and shoves Reyah slightly. "Don’t say stupid things."

"It’s not stupid," my voice cuts in sharply. I narrow my eyes at Rehan.

It’s not stupid.

It’s perfectly logical.

A girl and boy who have known each other since they were nine.

The girl hates him but he loves-

Wait.

What?