Unconditional

Chapter 12

"I am not cutting off my hands." Malikai's eyes widened, shooting me a crazed look.

"You have to choose! Quickly, we are running out of time!" I took a sharp inhale, glancing over at Malikai, a desperate look for action.

"I- Fine! Just the thumbs okay!" Shaking his head in defeat, Mal reached over and pressed the left side of the screen.

Laying in bed, the two of us decided to keep ourselves distracted from the outside world as we looked through childish online games. Somehow, after giving up on most no more than a second in, Mal and I seemed to briefly take interest in would you rather. Finding a random site on the internet, it gave two trashy options and a forty-five-second timer between each question, rotating between us.

Dramatically wiping an invisible sweat bead from my forehead, I sighed, "You really push your limits there boy. You had less than TEN seconds on the clock. I'll have to remind myself not to choose you for timed things."

With a gasp, Malikai replied sarcastically, "I'm hurt. Did you not see the total, at least nine seconds? That's a lot. I'll have you know I always finish first." His boasts falling into my ears and straight to my head.

"Oh, I bet you do," I replied with a smirk, stifling a laugh as I pressed my face into his pillow. My fingers gripped the soft fabric as I bit into my bottom lip.

Lifting my face, my gaze met his surprised face. Malikais' lips parted in an 'o' realizing the meaning of my comment before raising an eyebrow.

"Don't make me prove you wrong," He muttered before handing my phone back to me. "You're turn darling."

My eyes shot open at his remark, my face heating in a matter of seconds.

Quickly hopping onto the previous topic of our game, I began reading aloud my options as they popped up.

"Unconditional love or unlimited money." My eyes scanned over the two options both tempting but I knew my answer easily. Shifting my body to Malikai beside me, the faint sound of the fabric rubbing against my clothes countered the momentary silence.

"Love," Mal answered, "Money is equivalent to dirt without love. I would much rather live broke with someone loving me unconditionally than live lonely and rich." His eyes drifted distantly before wandering to me, waiting for a response of my own.

With thirty-two seconds left, pressing the left side of the screen, I chose unconditional love. "Yeah, that was a silly question. It doesn't make much sense to choose the second."

Passing the phone back to Malikai, he pressed the screen to start his turn.

My eyes scanned over the young man no more than a few inches from me. His eyes sunken in causing small shadows as the light of the phone projected up towards his face. The stress and prior sobbing were most likely the culprits of his abnormal look. Nevertheless, his beauty showed through his depressed exterior, that wasn't something that could be hidden.

"Would you rather read human minds or speak to animals?" Mal puffed his cheeks before letting out a long exhale, "Man, that's not fair,"

Chuckling lightly I leaned my shoulder against Mal, "As much as I love animals, I think my want to know what others are truly thinking is greater, plus it would be much more useful." More than anything, knowing what others' true intentions are would make life a lot easier on the heart.

Malikai nodded, his chocolate blob of hair bouncing lightly atop his head.

"Agreeable, but believe it or not, I'm choosing to speak to animals. I really only care for you as a human, and I trust you enough to be honest with me." His eyes found mine as he winked, "Just let me know what others are thinking when the time comes, I'll fill you in on the furry friend's dialectical meanings in return."