"Am I gonna get superhuman strength in my hand? Because, you know, superhuman looks, I've always had 'em. Born with it. But superhuman strength? Could you imagine the possibilities of that?"
Rapunzel laughed. "I'm pretty sure your hand is gonna be fine."
"Aww, I was hoping for something cool."
Rapunzel watched curiously as Eugene stoked the fire. What a strange man. He didn't even have pointy teeth.
"Well, Blondie, I'm gonna go wash my clothes. They're disgusting. They smell like horse."
"Okay, Eugene."
Eugene spun around on his heel and headed towards the river.
I think he might like me, Rapunzel thought. He's so nice to me.
She sat pondering this for quite some time. What was it like to have someone like you? Did that mean they wanted to spend time with you? Talk to you? Hug you?... Kiss you?
It was all very new and quite strange. She shook her head to clear her mind. Did she like this Eugene Fitzherbert? Did he like her?
She had only spent a few hours out of the tower and already things were getting so complicated.
And when Eugene came back from the river with only his pants on, it only made things more complicated. His toned arms and chest seemed extremely appealing to Rapunzel for some unknown reason. It stirred something deep inside her that was hard to explain. What was this feeling?
Eugene looked at Rapunzel quizzically, then looked down at his half-naked body. He started to laugh.
"What's the matter? You've never seen a shirtless man before?"
"I've never seen a man before today."
"Oh, that's right." He chuckled, then sat down next to Rapunzel on the fallen log she was using as a seat. Rapunzel lifted her hand for a moment, as if she wanted to touch him, to feel how those muscles felt beneath her fingers, but then she pulled back, her face blushing. She didn't know much about social situations, but she assumed it was impolite to grope a man's chest.
"It's okay, Blondie, touch all you want. I'm happy to provide a learning experience," he smirked, although deep down, he was extremely nervous and very, very embarrassed. But a man has to keep up his fake reputation, and blushing and turning away was a sissy thing to do.
Rapunzel hesitantly ran her fingers along his arm, then moved towards his chest, then down to his abdomen. Eugene took in a shaky breath. This was just as embarrassing to him as it was for Rapunzel. She pulled her hand away.
"So, did you learn anything?"
"Yes, I learned that I'm strangely fascinated with muscles..."