Noah stood waiting outside of the main hall, where dozens of other students were milling about in their evening wear, chatting excitedly amongst each other. Checking his watch, he barely noticed when Naima descended the stairs and began to approach him.
He glanced back up, and his eyes were drawn to her white, flowy dress with a bright, colorful floral pattern. She had substituted her signature yellow headscarf for a large, red flower, which was pinned to the side of her dark, coiled hair. Naima’s look was effortless, yet confident.
She beamed at Noah, whose eyes lingered on her for a moment too long.
“Naima, you look…wow!”
“Thanks,” she said, standing up a bit straighter. “Are you ready to go in?”
“Sure,” he replied, adjusting the tie on his dark suit before walking through the gr
