when the words leave charlie’s lips, nuri is startled, almost struck frozen by her honesty. her appreciation for him is hardly necessary, nuri only being kind to his friend’s girlfriend out of the unspoken rules that lie between years and years of friendship. ‘oh no, really. it’s nothing. it’s really no bother at all.’ nuri’s resting heart rate was usually at something that would be deemed ‘stable’ by any medical professional; he ate healthy, exercised regularly – the only thing that really effected his health had to do with his smoking, really, and he liked to think of himself as someone who’s able bodied, someone who can really take care of himself. but the moment that charlie looks at him from beneath her lashes, he can feel his heart taking off, like it was intent on winning some sort of race, leaving his sense of rationale behind and making him forget everything he was supposed to do, everything that he was supposed to say. she had his heart in her grasp and she didn’t even know it, probably wouldn’t even care if he laid his hand out, with all the hearts faced up, ready and willing to give it all to her. and wasn’t nuri pathetic, for thinking all of this because she flicked her hair over her shoulder, because she fluttered long mascaraed lashes and made him look at her like she hung the fucking moon? he must be, because as she’s talking, her demeanor has started to make his breathing go short, her words and the meaning behind them and everything she’s saying and everything she isn’t has sort of started to overwhelm him more than he could handle. so instead of responding right away, he finds something to do with his hands, idly twists the rings that he has tucked onto his slim fingers, because had she just asked to hang out with him? alone? one on one, without levi, just the two of them? he doesn’t know what the fuck is happening, not at all, because he must have been dreaming, or something equally bizarre, to have charlie actually looking at him with – well, with what he could only deem as interest – and he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. this was not good. ‘i don’t think i’ve really ever met someone cooler than you, charlie.’ nuri admits, and moments after he’s mortified. he can’t believe he could even come up with something that’s so lame, and he’s silently reprimanding himself, trying to think of something else to say that would save him from that trainwreck. but instead he breathes, because apparently he was holding his breath without even noticing, and his heart was beating violently against his chest now because charlie’s feather-light touch was brushing over the outline of the lotus on his forearm and fuck, he really can’t do this. ‘really? thanks.’ he breathes, his voice a little less unsure then it had been, as he shuts off his mind and conscience, and lets his body move towards her, rounding the counter so that he’s in front of her where she’s perched on the bar stool. he would only have to move an inch to be standing in between her long, long legs, that seemed to never end, really, and that were only accentuated by the tight dress and a shimmer that must be natural. he wanted to die. ‘i have a shit ton, actually.’ he moves his other arm, lets his hand rest on the counter, so that she’s surrounded by him. ‘which one do you like best?’
nuri steps closer to charlie and she indulges in the scent of him, an enchanting blend of cigarette smoke and cologne that ignites some sort of fire under her skin. 'that's a lie.' she informs him, her pointer finger lazily tracing the outline of the lotus flower inked onto his forearm. 'there are plenty people cooler than me.' her eyes glance up to met his and for a moment she is lost in them; lost in the perfect mix of brown and shades of green, lost in the cute, tiny, freckle that rests just outside of the iris of his left eye. maybe it was her imagination, or maybe it was her wishful thinking - but they way he was looking back at her left some sort of butterflies in her stomach, the sort of butterflies she hasn't felt in a very long time. 'i happen to think you're really cool. i mean, look at you.' she gestures to him with her hand, the hand that isn't still resting idly on his arm. 'you're like a walking piece of art." charlie smiles to herself, he was a piece of art, that was for sure. everything about his appearance seemed to be handcrafted, sculpted to perfection. she had never seen anyone like him, ever. he closes nearly all of the space between him and charlie starts to feel dizzy, a feeling of lust taking over as he rests his arm beside her, surrounding her. she examines his arms, her hands traveling everywhere her eyes do until she lands on his hand. 'this one.' she picks his left hand up, her thumb brushing over the mehndi styled tattoo that covers the top of his hand. she looks up again at him, eyes full of lust and wonder. 'do you have any more?' she asked as she notices the peak of black just above the neckline of his shirt. standing up, she reaches for the hem of the garnet, her fingers dancing along the fabric, eager to peel it off. 'can i see?'













