[Kalim wasn't supposed to agree with his question. Kalim was supposed to laugh, or make a joke, or take it as a joke, not...not just agree with him. "Did you want to kiss me that badly?" "Yes." Kalim wasn't supposed to shamelessly agree with him, and it was only the hard won composure of years upon years of trouble that kept Jamil from melting into a flustered mess right then and there. What was he supposed to do with this? He didn't know what he was supposed to do with this. Kalim wasn't supposed to admit that he wanted (wants...?) to kiss him that badly. Kalim wasn't supposed to want him in general, at least not in any capacity besides an aide and...friend, maybe.
He's blushing. Jamil could feel it.
He's staring at Kalim's lips.
Jamil shouldn't be staring at Kalim's lips.
He could tell he was blushing and staring a little too long at Kalim's lips, but Kalim showed him mercy by dropping his gaze and letting him get back to his bullshit fry flatbread sandwich thing that...Jamil couldn't remember what he was doing with that but he'd figure it out...but then Kalim asks about the menagerie.
Jamil takes a moment to answer. He has to. He's being confronted with the evidence of his mood before (shredded carrots, pulverized onion) and also needs to try to figure out where he had been going with all of this, and on top of that there was everything that just happened. He has to nudge the onion with the tip of a knife, taking in how brutalized everything is.
But, time to do what he can with what he has.]
If we don't, someone might get hurt by a stray elephant.
[It's such a bad lie, but fortunately he has the bullshit fry to keep his hands and eyes busy. In goes the onions.]
And the camels can use more exercise. [In goes the other things, one by one.] The solution seems easy enough - have students ride them around - but I'd worry about the ones unused to camels overdoing things. [This is such a terrible lie, and he knows what discussions about the menagerie really mean, but it's the little lies Jamil has to tell himself (verbally, if not mentally) because otherwise he might crack, track down Floyd, and resort to desperate measures for a distraction as his brain's thinking too hard about this.]
no subject
He's blushing. Jamil could feel it.
He's staring at Kalim's lips.
Jamil shouldn't be staring at Kalim's lips.
He could tell he was blushing and staring a little too long at Kalim's lips, but Kalim showed him mercy by dropping his gaze and letting him get back to his bullshit fry flatbread sandwich thing that...Jamil couldn't remember what he was doing with that but he'd figure it out...but then Kalim asks about the menagerie.
Jamil takes a moment to answer. He has to. He's being confronted with the evidence of his mood before (shredded carrots, pulverized onion) and also needs to try to figure out where he had been going with all of this, and on top of that there was everything that just happened. He has to nudge the onion with the tip of a knife, taking in how brutalized everything is.
But, time to do what he can with what he has.]
If we don't, someone might get hurt by a stray elephant.
[It's such a bad lie, but fortunately he has the bullshit fry to keep his hands and eyes busy. In goes the onions.]
And the camels can use more exercise. [In goes the other things, one by one.] The solution seems easy enough - have students ride them around - but I'd worry about the ones unused to camels overdoing things. [This is such a terrible lie, and he knows what discussions about the menagerie really mean, but it's the little lies Jamil has to tell himself (verbally, if not mentally) because otherwise he might crack, track down Floyd, and resort to desperate measures for a distraction as his brain's thinking too hard about this.]
We probably need to discuss the menagerie. A lot.