When will I face you again, look into your eyes and say "I miss you"
Zankaβs leg wouldn't stop shaking from anxiety. He kept looking at the clock and the dining room door every time it creaked open.
Enjin was sitting across from him, smoking one cigarette after another. Zanka could count every single time Enjin mocked his game whenever he showed his cards to Bro and Gris.
The kids went in and out of the room, sometimes carrying candy or milkshakes. Even Semiu and the Boss had the chance to hang out for a bit, but you didn't even bother to show up.
Zanka took a deep breath and went out to look for you. You weren't in the living room, you weren't in the yard, and you clearly weren't in the gym. But it was still too early, and there was no reason for you to be in your room; even so, Zanka went to take a look.
He knocked once, and nothing. He knocked again, and nothing. He was starting to get worked up. He knocked once more, and you finally spoke.
Zanka opened the door with tremendous speed. You were sitting on a small two-seater sofa in front of a small coffee table, which formed a little lounge area inside your room. In your hands was a small notebook you used for drawing whenever you had time. You glanced at the boy out of the corner of your eye and went back to what you were doing.
Zanka was surprised by how little interest you showed in him. You didn't smile, your eyes didn't spark with that particular glow they always had whenever you saw him, and you didn't even say hello.
"What are you doing?" he asked timidly, approaching you.
"Nothing," you answered dryly. Zanka's chest ached, but he didn't dare say anything else.
He sat down next to you, his knee touching yours. The moment he did, you stood up, and that hurt him even more, but he didn't follow you. Only his beautiful eyes did, tracking your every move: when you put the notebook and pencil away in the second drawer of your desk; when you took out the lipstick you liked so much (and that he loved too) and started doing your makeup in front of the mirror; and, of course, they followed you when you simply sat on your bed to read a magazine you had lying on it.
Zanka sighed, leaning back against the sofa and letting his head rest on the headboard. You didn't flinch. He got up and lay down next to you, face down. His eyes were still fixed on you, and of course you could feel that intense gaze, but you pretended you couldn't. He sighed again, this time resting his head on your lap. You lifted the magazine and looked down at him judgmentally.
"Is something wrong?" you asked, tightening your grip on that silly magazine to stop yourself from caressing his cheek. He looked a bit pale, but he still looked so attractive. The deep blue of his eyes hypnotized you every time you looked at them, not to mention the way his earrings draped over your legs.
"You're ignoring me," he said almost in a whisper. His hands reached for your waist to hug you, but he stopped before touching you. "Did I do something wrong?"
Your heart skipped a beat, and you had to do everything in your power not to throw yourself onto him and shower him with kisses.
Both of you fell silent. He didn't push it, and you didn't tell him the real reason behind your attitude: this morning, he hadn't said goodbye to you before leaving for a mission. You had been standing by the door when he simply walked right past you, and of course it hurt. In this line of work, you never knew if you would make it back alive, and one of the golden rules was to say goodbye...always.
Zanka sighed yet again, and when you turned to look at him, he was almost on top of you. His cheeks were pressing against your stomach, and he was already wrapping his arms completely around you. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored, especially by you. He wanted your eyes to look only at him, and when they didn't, he crumbled.
You set the magazine aside and stroked his hair.
"Forgive me," he said softly, "for not saying goodbye today." You didn't reply, waiting for his reasons, which weren't long in coming. "Rudo pissed me off early this morning. It's no excuse, but please forgive me."
You smiled faintly, remembering the minor argument Rudo and Zanka had this morning over who would sit behind Enjin, even though you knew perfectly well that spot belonged to Riyo.
"It's okay," you said, continuing to stroke his hair as he clung even tighter to you. "But I expect you to make it up to me later."
