CHAPTER 103
I do not own Skip Beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.
~~Magical Summer Trip~~
~Part~8~
~Half Moon Bay~
Kyoko led him on the thin dusty path for a little while, their steps following the beach with its vibrant washed golden tones on their right. Their small pathway embraced the rounded end of the beach until their feet crashed into the flowing warm sand, their little track no way to be seen forward. With no hesitation, she pulled him onto the beach and forth. Ren tried to see where they were heading but ahead, the oddness of the shore angles blocked Ren's sight from seeing past a small building carved directly into the left rock wall end. As the more onward they walked, the higher the beginning of the cliff rose, separating them from the centre of the town, it seemed. With one look to Kyoko, he silently asked if she was sure of her but she just smiled and proposed they removed their shoes, since they were walking on the coast, anyway.
They resumed, and Ren took the time to enjoy the caress of the sun and the light wind brushing against their backs and the twirling sand grains around their calves. This time spent outside after working nonstop for so long was a blast of relaxation for him, and he was enjoying tremendously being here in the free air, with Kyoko.
It was only upon nearing very close to the gigantic scar rock he noticed the sand beach didn't end there and progressed further. It had been a very cutting edge of land meeting the shore, and when they were done rounding the sharp wall, a crescent of beach met their sight again, leading away into the horizon. And following the other side of the land, the cliff downsized just as parallel as from where they came and another part of the town could be seen appearing. Commerces and cafes, though fewer than back on the disputant side, were peeking on the top curve of the crescent, right beyond where the beach ended.
"This route is only achievable when it's low tide, no?"
Kyoko smiled and nodded, pointing at the cliff they had just bypassed.
"It is flooded at least a few metres high around the pointy edge here when it's high tide."
They got to the top of the curved basin and soon enough Kyoko led them to an area with cute cream parasols shadowing humble square tables draped by white table linens settled directly into the plush warm sand, and surrounded by wicker black chairs. More tables led to a woody polished establishment he guessed was the main structure of the restaurant but Kyoko stopped them on one of the outside tables nested near the sea.
"If that's okay with you?"She said in lieu of proposition as she stopped near one table. As he nodded, she sat and he followed.
They ordered some seafood, and as they waited Ren took the opportunity to take in their surroundings. From where they sat, they couldn't see any road and even the small part of the town on this border was barely peeking. The only human structures visible were the few establishments bordering the beach. But even more, on both ends of the beach, only nature and the ocean could be seen. The wall rock they got around just earlier, in the sense he was looking, rising on his right now, blocked any opportunity to see the rest of the town. And on his left, he could see the bank and the sea, as well as a small wood area appearing from just a little closer to them. Sitting here, right in the middle of this crescent, it gave any visitor the impression they were on an island.
"It is truly remarkable."He said, shifting back to face Kyoko.
"Feels like we are pretty isolated, huh?"She responded with an exalted smile, looking so at ease and happy to be here. She looked so joyfully free in this instant. The wind was playing with her locks, twirling them aloof like some thin veils surrounding her. Sun was dancing in her hair and on her skin, and facing away from the ocean as she was, he could catch a little of gold from her eyes. Highlighted by the blue background right behind her. She looked vibrant with life. Belonging right where she was. He was reminded once more, how anything she loved magnified her joy and beauty.
The smooth powdered texture flooded between his toes as he tilted his bust toward her and crossed his arms, resisting his impulses.
"How did you find the place?"He asked, feeling his own relaxation seep in at the pleasure to be here with her, and grinning in the same fashion.
She waved easily at the view.
"It was nothing that incredible."She said with a chuckle at his raised brow. "Really. I like the long ballads and did a lot of them on my free time. I was attracted by the hiking possibilities."She explained. "So, I asked where I could find the paths leading to the greenery areas and fell upon this."
"So, you are trying to tell me you don't have to be a local to know this area, normally?"He asked with amused scepticism.
She hummed in response before shrugging and he couldn't help to recognize his own habit in the move. He smirked knowing she would pick he had noticed and she shook her head with a snort.
"Fine, you are not wrong. I guess I was lucky, then."
Their plates arrived preventing him to comment on this, and they ate in easy banter for a little while.
They were barely done with their meals that he crossed his arms, cutting to the chase.
"You have something else to show me, right?"
Her eyes gleamed with surprise but also with clear admission.
"How did you guess?"
"You ate too fast. And you fidgeted a couple of times, as if it was a hurdle staying put."He said, lips tilting in remembrance – it wasn't often anymore to see this new Kyoko become fidgety – , before pointing at her face with his thumb. "Also, you showed me a couple of excited grins. As if you were thinking of something ahead, and they didn't match with what we were saying."
A light hue made its way on her face as she mumbled a question about how he could be so perceptive, and his eyes zeroed on her cheeks. He imagined his fingers if they had been to caress the light round of them, feeling the warmth that would have pooled up there. He imagined his index tracing the gracile sylphlike traits of her face, his thumbs brushing the pulp of her lips, the softness of her lashes, and the cuteness of her nose.
He chuckled at her, letting her know he had heard.
"Just paying attention to you."
He felt proud when the redness worsened on her face, though only for a second before she made it disappeared.
She sighed and nodded.
"You are right, though. I have something else to show you."She waved at a waiter then, and the man made their way to them.
Ren was faster than her, however, and he had pulled his phone out before she could grab her wallet. She grabbed his wrist just as he was presenting it to the barman.
"Don't you dare. This is on me."She threatened, keeping a death grip on his wrist. He changed tactics then, and he circled her waist with the arm still in her clutch and in a light hold and push, he made her plop on his lap. From the surprise, his wrist was now free from her shocked grasp. And Ren took full advantage of the opportunity to give his phone to the amused waiter, while she shot daggers at him.
"You can let me treat you time-to-time, you know." She let out, grumpily.
He laughed at her sulking face and couldn't help but to hug her close, feeling madly grateful when she let him and didn't pull back.
She didn't look at him, though, and he brushed some locks aside in hope to attract her eyes back to him.
"You drove us here and are showing me a beautiful place, it's only normal I would participate."He said merrily.
She crossed her arms, nonplussed.
"Or you could let yourself be treated."She countered, challenging him to say something against it. "After all, you are my guest this time."She added.
He took some dramatic air, and putting the back of his hand on his forehead, declaimed with an exaggerated tone:
"Oh Milady, spoiled, you challenge to make this humble man. I cannot suffer the possibility to take advantage."
She both laughed and rolled her eyes at him. But she shocked him when she caressed her palm against his cheek and mimicked his move as she cleared some of his strands the wind had misplaced.
"Oh, fair sir, what would you do if I were to allow the risk?" She replied. He didn't continue. The lingering feel of her earlier touch had distracted him, sure. But it was the tenderness that had dawned in her eyes as she stared back at him and that was lightening her face still, that turned him inoperative. There was just something…
Something so unfeigned and unpretentious. Something so open and real in her eyes. On her face. Something essential. As if he was glimpsing at a tiny part of her core foundations. It was so gentle.
It had locked his throat before he could think about breaching his lips.
His fingers grazed her face, on the left, just under those eyes full of wonders. He wanted to decipher all the secrets of that look.
Pain appeared in the depths of those eyes and then, a hood trap fell back between him and those responses. Like a curtain fall, shadowing the emotions inside.
His thumb brushed her left lashes as he asked, lost.
"You okay? Right now, you were – "
She pulled away and stood before nodding.
"I'm okay, don't worry."
He wanted to ask. He wanted to know. In that one second, there had been so many emotions swirling. As if he had touched on something he shouldn't have seen.
Yet, the heartfelt sensation he had had, as if he had never been this close to understand, to see her. The connexion with her so raw, the proximity between them so narrow.
He let out his breath, clearing his throat, decision made. He had grasped she didn't want him to push. He would respect that. Even if it was killing him to not be able to ask.
"So… What did you want to show me?"
She blinked for a second before perking up, and grinning widely.
Then she grabbed his forearm.
"Come, I'll show you."
She pulled at his arm lightly, urging him excitedly to hurry and he couldn't help but to laugh the open eagerness of her spirit as he accelerated his steps on her track. An avid interest crept its way inside of him, unable to stay unfazed when faced with her stirring gaiety, and he wondered what she wanted to show him. Getting work up wasn't something she did often anymore.
Their feet came to a flurry stop in the soothing sand as they came face-to-face with the forest he had seen earlier, and she told him to slip back his shoes. Not a word more. Most mysterious. A secret and delighted tilt of her lips his only clue. But lost on him by the fuzzy havoc that dangerous expression set inside of him. Sparkling into creation daydreams, and sensuous fantasies in his eyes with the brush of an ephemeral expression. Colouring with life make-believe images of her gifting him with that expression just before their lips would meet. In the instant before their bodies would talk for them. Pictures where she would be tempting him, wanting him, teasing him, touching him.
They donned back their shoes and delved into the shadows of trees and bushes that welcome them with cracks of branches under their feet and coolness wrapping on their moderately sun warmed skin.
Setting a fair pace, Kyoko led him on a minuscule footpath for a good fifteen minutes, not replying if he even suggested a question about their goal. After some more rises and downs of what appeared to be more and more of a trek with the growing number of rocks and asperities, they reached a tiny stream that had carved its way one metre down into the ground, and was overlooked by a wood footbridge.
She guided them on it, still refusing to cave to his inquisitive eyes and frustrating his curiosity. She shook her head.
Progressing, they walked up the climbing section of the path, surrounded by vegetation of all sorts. Ferns and moss growing everywhere in the underbrush of pines and leafy trees, and turning denser by every metre. Rays of light were splashing on trunks bark and ricocheting on low greens and ground where breakthroughs into the canopy had let the light shined in the woods.
They carefully walked down the other uprise side of the path and taking a curve, Kyoko abruptly led them away from what had remained of the track to advance right into the underwood. When he stopped briefly at the junction, hoping he would finally get some clues, she waved at him to follow her with even more mirth.
"Only a couple of minutes left."She said.
He set after her with an amused face, stepping over thicker branches and bigger greens on not quite tipping ground, and very soon his ears caught up to the crystalline never-ending gushing rush of water not so far ahead. And when his legs reached where she stood, between the last trunks, his eyes caught the luxurious sparkles of sun spraying a consequent morsel of vibrant grass and tiny wood flowers barely ten metres away from where they had come to a stop. He was starting to figure out why Kyoko wanted to bring him here, but his suspicions morphed to certitude when as they pushed the last inches forward, on the far right end, his gaze landed on the source of the sound he had been hearing for a few minutes. A stream passably more important than the one they had crossed earlier gurgled softly at the lowest point of the floors. But the major cause of water was elsewhere. A gentle cascade rushed down some rocks and tinier stones in the opposite side from the one they were coming from, falling leisurely in sprinkles of lightened drops and foamy bubbles at the heart of the stream.
"It is not exactly the same as the one we used to know…"Kyoko said as she made her way onto the grass and into the intricate mix of rays' rain. Light was varying from the angles of the trees and wind made the leaves or the tinier trees curve, accentuating the sun one second, shadows the next. Ren entered the illuminated grounds behind as she set up another move.
She walked a dozen steps by and down the stream, reaching more bushes and leaf-ies, grabbed a low thick with luscious leaves arm of one tree and paused to look at him with another smile, "But it is still quite awesome, I think," before bringing the branch down several inches.
Sun blinded him for a second before his eyes perceived what was revealed, and he couldn't help the little whoosh of air that escaped him when his sight settled on what he was seeing, peeking merely metres away. As, piercing unapologetically through the foliage, blue twinkling with movement, brightened under the light, the ocean winked at him.
How and when they are circled back toward the coast was beyond him, but here it was.
He walked to where Kyoko was, staring through the opening she had created at the sea, separated by only a remotely tiny bank of sand on this portion of the coast. He was smiling widely.
Then he sat on one of the thicker branches hanging low, taking a round awed look around. It reminded him of – … So long ago.
This place was truly priceless.
He turned back to her.
"I don't know what's more amazing…"He began. "That you found such a place leading back to the ocean…"He said before smiling at her fondly, "Or that you managed to find a spot here that looks like our clearing."
She grinned sheepishly, looking especially pleased he had picked the resemblance. How could he not? In his memories, the stream they had spent time by together had been bigger, more like a small river. And there were many polished stones and huge rock they could sit on in that Kyoto clearing. Here the bank was sand-like rather than covered in stone. Yet… The assemblage of it all, the way light brightened and shined directly on the stream. The area the flowers gathered. It had that- …-feel.
"Minus the ocean."
"Minus the ocean."
"Now, you get why I needed to show you."She said, glowing with life as her hair flocked in the wind the coast brought, and as she sat on an opposite branch by his side.
Words failed him and though he nodded, he stayed silent as he imbibed in his surroundings and the stunning sights. His shoulders slacked as he leaned on the tree behind him. He had always liked being outside. But he adored being with her, surrounded by nothing but nature and fresh air. He had forgotten how right it felt.
She didn't add anything and they remained resting each on their tree a long while, the lullaby rush of waves and the discreet babble of the stream by their feet, rippling its way determinately out of the woods and toward the ocean. He could have fallen asleep, he could have stayed here forever, in quiet understanding with her and his environment.
He looked at the small bank of sand, old memories surfacing. Softly, his lips let out a light tease.
"Though, last time you were curtsying to a plate hamburger stone."
She chuckled but poked his side.
"Ouch."
"I was six. No mocking."She ordered, and he saw her turn her gaze to the cascade, smiling to a secret thought.
"The parts of myself of that time are a bit blurry," she started, "but all the memories that didn't fade look as magical as in the past."
She turned to him with her own teasing face appearing.
"And I particularly remember someone doing his best to fly and jump high in the sky, pretending to be a fairy."
He looked away, shaking his head and refusing to be teased for one of his fondest tokens of his childhood, and replied.
"You are the one that made me one."He murmured, too low for her to catch it. Then, an idea popped in his head and he bent toward the ground.
"What are you doing?"He heard her ask as he undertook to pull the bootlaces loose, before removing shoes and socks.
"This place should be honoured up until the last reminder, don't you think?"He said and stood, testing the greyish sand for stability under his feet and taking a few inches forward as he shot her a boyish look.
She gaped as understanding came, and it's already half-laughing she replied.
"Seriously?"
One arm pressed against his front, he bent at the middle and bowed to her.
"Watch me fly, princess."
He delved his knees down, lowered his gravity centre, and jumped.
His legs flew upward as he somersaulted on himself, spinning on and on in whooshing whiff of iodized wind that messed with his hair, and her happy laugh reached his ears. He did a couple of times, just for the sake of hearing cheer for him.
He landed on the ball of his feet, and looked back at her.
"I can't believe you really did it. It is truly like old times."Her face was split in two so far her hilarity and ravishment had stretched her traits.
"I like to do things thoroughfully." Voice pretending to be severe and deadly.
She snorted.
Too easily, his left arm lifted, graceful as he drew his fingers, extending his hand to her.
"Want to try it together?"He proposed.
Her fingers met his as she stood, her face puzzled in wonder and curiosity, and he pulled her to him.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Climb on my back."
And as he told her that, he pivoted, presenting her his shoulders before crouching.
"You can't think of doing what you just did with me on your back?!"She exclaimed after a minute of silence.
"Why not?"
"Ren, I'm too heavy."She protested and he tilted his head toward her with a 'what absurdity are you sprouting face', and remained in position.
"No, you are not, I promise. Come on."
"You jumped pretty high earlier. Are you sure you will be able to move as you wish with me on your back?"
He turned his head in her direction again.
"Are you afraid, Miss biker girl?"
She grumbled at him.
"I'm not. But I don't want you getting hurt, and – "
He arched a brow at her but then gave her a reassuring face.
"Trust me."
She sighed and gathered her arms around his shoulders, then neck. Her breath brushed out in his hair and he twisted his arms backward to circle her thighs. He lifted her legs around his waist, trying to avoid any inappropriate thoughts and standing first to adjust her position, he felt her fall flush against his back. He felt way too much how braless she was, and he breathed in deeply. Torture was fast to become a regular companion to him.
He could still feel her tenseness and reluctance against him.
"Am I a fairy or am I not?"
"A reckless one."She replied but he heard her amusement creeping back.
He chuckled and pushed his head back, shaking to brush her face with his strands.
At last, she laughed.
"That tickle! I'm going to sneeze on you if you continue."She threatened.
He chuckled.
"Hold tight."
She did as instructed, crossing her legs around his torso, and this time, the feeling of how fiercely she gripped his waist nullified his attempts at keeping his head clear.
Damn, she has strength…
His mind conjured another position she would be able to clutch him, around his hips, preferably. She asked him if this was fine and he nodded as he asked her to give him a second to secure her properly while he used the opportunity to cool down. He had to count to twenty and then again, and brought to the forefront of his mind horrendous images before feeling remotely less heated.
"We are good."He told her. "Ready?"
She barely had time to say yes, he was bending and lowering his body. He propelled them in the air.
First, he tested how to adapt his gravity centre with her when in the air. And he felt the blow of air as she relieved over the fact he had just propelled them in a vertical line. Without spinning. He gave her a sly expression and she threatened to bite him for messing with her again. That sobered him as new images assaulted his sanity.
"Please do."He let it slip and heard her distinctive groan of exasperation as she pulled at his hair lightly.
"Insupportable fairy."She said to his ear and he snorted with a small proud nod.
He tightened his grip on her then, sighing in content at the easy proximity.
"This time is for real."He lightly said, dipping his pelvis a little further for the added weight and stability when he would twirl. He jumped. She shouted in surprise when they left ground, clinging to him as once more his legs found themselves up, raised up for a tenth of second before tipping down again. They swirled. He landed and did it again. Jumping higher now that he was sure of the motion-feel he would get, with her in her monkey position on his back. She locked around him tighter as they spun again and she broke up when he switched to double twirls.
His lips twitched as he heard her and he forgot anything and everything but this moment. This figment of perfection with her, laughing together. Flying together…
He pushed higher.
"Woohoooo! Hahahaaha…hahaha" She blew out in free surrender of this instant that reminded him of when they were little, of how she would burst with life at every little joy.
Her repeated unbounded shower of merriment and laughs caught up with him, and his laugher joined hers as they played. Unbothered by the world, just as carefree as when they were little. It warmed his heart to no end as dust of rigidity, good manners, maturity and seriousness crushed away, pooling at their feet as they fooled around.
She dropped from his back as he landed once more and in a swift removed her shoes too. Splashes echoed as he turned to see her pants rolled up and feet deep into the stream. He only had a second to catch her sight before a stream of droplets rained on him in countless little dots of wet spots.
She grinned happily, tempting him. He jumped after her. She jumped back. At the very last second. His feet dropped right into the low depth of the tiny flow of water, and he blinked. The force of his jump had compensated and splattered water everywhere. Especially on him. She cackled, bending at the belly.
He shot a sadistic smile.
"I'm going to drench that smile of yours."
She retreated in screams of glee and he ran after her.
They raced silly after each other for a while until they were both exhausted and thirsty, breathing hard from all the running. Their hairs were dripping with cold water, and most of their clothes were wet.
They sat on the ground, catching their breath, faces split in two.
He was just done evening his respiration when he felt her touch.
Softly, he felt her arm move around his waist and she hugged him sweetly against her right side for sixteen blissful seconds before releasing him to instantly mourn the disappeared sensation. He was left speechless when he was met with eyes with a sprinkle of the former elation left in them but most of all filled affectionate gratitude. The gold in them shined as her lids fell a little, shimmering out a redoubtable treasuring stare that brought to thudders his poor heart. The faithful intimacy that glimpsed in her gaze losing him in the charming mystery of that expression and shattering more of his defences.
"Thank you." She let out, then. "I truly felt like I was flying. With you…" She added, as if in an afterthought. "I truly loved that."
His eyes searched for clarity in hers. For the sticky fog to disappear and shine the truth that avoided him. But it didn't. And unable to voice his turmoil, to think the proper words, he brought her back against him, needing to feel her warmth against him. To hug her close. To cushion her body against his, until it would have anchored him enough again to remember how to pretend.
They let their clothes dry into the sun shining upon them for a little while, comfortable in silence, yet also tensed, before she proposed to take the other way to return. They stood and took their helmets. Stepping between the bushes and fewer branches, they walked the few metres separating them from the ocean before engaging their steps on sand again to return to her bike.
They progressed their way back slowly, in no hurry for once, and bathing in their schedule-free tiny moment with content. As they eventually reached Kyoko's bike and she made them place their helmets on the seats to check their clothes were dry enough – which didn't fail – considering the hot sun of above, she got a call. She picked it up after pulling out two water bottles and giving one to him, instructing him he needed to drink it all to stay hydrate. An express lecture on how heat could dash into dehydrating bodies and that she didn't want him to have a heat stroke. The midafternoon sunny blast was indeed pretty hot, he had to admit, and he dutifully and gratefully drank most of his water barely a minute into her call.
He ignored what the call was about, and she had taken a few steps away to talk, but he heard her curse fast after a few couple of words exchanged. Then she growled a mildly amused, mildly annoyed name, and he chuckled. So, it was Kayla.
That woman seemed to be testing Kyoko's patience. Which was not easy talk, considering how much she valued girl friendships. Both in the past and now. Granted, he could pretty much decipher the whys, as her friend pushed all the unmannered buttons that could grate on Kyoko.
But despite her grumbles and growls and curses, he could see shine affection and amusement on her face when Kayla was concerned. So, he wasn't that surprised when he saw her sigh with resignation before agreeing to whatever her friend was asking.
"Change of plans?"He asked merrily when she turned to him with a sheepish look after disconnecting the call.
She nodded, already apologizing to him before he could even say anything.
"She called because one of her friends was manoeuvring a booth on a university campus for this weekend event, and Kayla was supposed to help them out."Kyoko said.
"And she isn't available anymore, I gather."He guessed.
"On the contrary, she has been in place and managing the booth since she finished her photoshoot earlier, and even asked a couple of friends to help too, already."
"Then, what's the issue?"
"More than half the hosts of that booth quit before it started, they were supposed to be twelve and they were barely four to show up. So, her friend asked Kayla to help out for today. She thinks she can find replacements for the two following days but it was too short notice for the first day."Kyoko explained.
He frowned. That was pretty harsh. Functioning like that would be hard.
"What's the theme of that booth? Was it only for fun?"He inquired. He wasn't an expert in that area, haven't ever been to university or on campuses but he could guess it must have been a big deal still.
Kyoko shook her head, frowning, and leaned on her bike, messing her hair with frustration.
"She didn't say precisely. Just that her friend would have shut it down if it had only been for the activity itself but the funds are going to children, so she just couldn't and asked everyone around for help."
"Who quits such a booth knowing that?!"She mumbled to the side, and he smiled, admiring her compassion. But he agreed. If they had taken the responsibility of this, some associations and children might already be counting on the outcome help it would give. That was messed up and so unfair for the kids.
"That's pretty bad."
She nodded.
"So, her friend called some friends of hers, including Kayla and Kayla called me."
He pondered. Working with a third of the planned participants would be impossible. They really needed all the help they could get. Judging from Kyoko reaction, she considered Kayla had had a good reason to call this time.
"How much people did she find?"He asked. There was a minimum to make it work, so he hoped they would find enough people to replace the missing ones.
"Her friends found another person."Kyoko said. "With Kayla, it's two. That is why she called me and asked if I could help too."
"Would they be able to run the booth like that?"He asked, leaning on the dam as he finished his water.
"They think so. They are going through some options and calling other people for now."She said before adding. "That's why, if you don't mind, I was thinking about driving you back to my house before going there."
He crossed his arms at her.
"Maybe I could help too, you know," he protested. "They need as many hands as they can have. Did you really think I wouldn't propose to help too?"
She softened at him and he shook himself to keep seriousness. Not the time.
"I know. Thank you. I didn't ask because I didn't want to bother you with – "
He cut her by giving her an eye and she snorted.
"Your problems are my problems."
She smiled smartly, a teasing glint in the eye.
"It isn't, technically."
"It is your friend's, which make it yours, thus mine too. Let me help."
Her eyes glowed and she opened her mouth, ready to continue with the nitpick on play words, he was sure. Oh, did he love she felt comfortable enough to mess with him like that nowadays. He shut her down with a threatening grin.
"Don't you dare. Even if it's a friend of her friend, I would still be willing to help. Even more knowing it is for children."
Her gaze glittered even more and she nodded softly, a trustful knowing look in it. The faith in him it portrayed made him shut down for an instant. She talked again, then.
"Thank you. But it still wouldn't do. Her friend, Jane, is under the obligation to use hosts that are either students or that she knows personally. Kayla told me I actually met her a couple of times, which means I'm good but – "
He was all too ready to protest but she was quicker to continue.
"Yes, it is utterly ridiculous, considering the stakes." She agreed. "And that is why they are having so hard of a time finding replacements in such a short notice. It is apparently related to the important funds they could raise, if it ends up still going well."She said with reluctance. "There are two organizers for this booth. Kayla's friend is managing the booth itself and activities around it while the other is supposed to take care of security and accountability. That person doesn't want people Jane cannot vouch for a minimum and trust to come in as host."
Ren groaned, despite the new understanding starting to get light into. And even he had to acknowledge it made sense. Letting in people they didn't know rose potentialities of risks for the funds, and thus the children. Putting asides the pure and simple risks of robbing or losing some money, a disputable person could drive away people that could have been interested in whatever Kayla's booth was about in one single instant of misbehaviour.
"I could vouch for you, of course. If you still wish to help, that is." That got her a glare from him and she dropped the issue. "But there aren't that many chances the other organizer would take the risk, based on Kayla."
He admitted defeat.
"Alright, then. But I'd still wish to come with you, if it's okay with you?"He questioned and she nodded.
"But that might be pretty boring for you."She warned.
"Don't care."
But then, it seemed another thought went through her mind and she grinned.
"Actually, I just realized," she started, "there might be a couple of things you would love to see on that campus."
He gave her an exaggeratedly enhanced suspicious stare.
"Are you planning to drop me in a corner in some philosophical lecture or something?"He questioned with a dramatic dubious expression, painting anticipated pain and fright on his face. When truly, he was pretty sure he would love philosophy courses. "I'm not ready to die, please."
It got the effect he wanted, though.
She burst out happily.
"You are silly. Of course not. And you'll see. I think we need to go, though."She said before straddling her bike again.
He pretended pondering before nodding. But moved around the bike and placed himself in front of the bike and her, just as he did earlier this morning.
"Okay. But just one thing."He said as he put both of his palms on her hands, themselves already wrapped around the handles.
She looked at him with puzzlement but swiftly nodded, curious.
"I have a favour to ask."He said to her, in a teasing sweetly tone and she shook her head, aware he was doing it on purpose.
"I'm listening."She replied nonetheless, harbouring an unaffected steel front like a trader before concluding an evil pact. It made him smile.
"I want to learn how to drive a bike."
She blinked at him but grinned.
"Sure. I can advise you to the best instructors here and I'm sure even in Japa – "
He grinned but shook his head, caressing her hands enticingly while he turned pleading but intense demanding eyes at her.
"I want you to be the one to teach me. Only you."
Her lips breached in a round ô of surprise and she fell silent.
PS: Well, well, well... I can't believe i'm back already. But here it is. A new chapter. I hope you will like it. It was hard to write. The Summer trip is progressing nicely. But we still have a little more than a half to go through, at least. Maybe only a third of it done, even. Like that, it will give you all an idea.
I truly hope you are all enjoying yourselves. And yes, i know, another cliffhanger. You know me by now.
Now that it is said, have a good reading and i send you all good vibes and light and joy and love.
Feed me to get more torture. Kisses.
Mimagfan.
AUTHOR OUT.