Chapter 44 - Insecure
On their way to the treehouse, the squirrel was being distracted by anything and everything. She always gasped in awe every time her hawk-like eyes spotted any living creature, of course, with the exemption of human beings.
"Whoah! So cute!!" He heard her screeched. When he looked at her, she was crouching down just next to a rock.
Curious, Kira stood behind her and bent down to take a look at the thing she just called cutely. He saw an ash-colored frog on top of the rock.
"Don't tell me that thing is the 'cute' you are talking about…"
"Mm. It's so cute, right?"
". . ."'Cute? Squirrel, are you serious? A girl like you should be freaking out by now!'
Kira shook his head in disbelief but he soon sighed in defeat. Why am I still surprise? Sigh…
Just as Kira was about to lean back, his eyes turned wide because suddenly…
The frog jumped on him. It landed on his neck, causing Kira to shudder as he stumbled back in shock.
Kira was disgusted as he rubbed the spot where the frog landed with his sleeve.
"Ugh! What was that?" he groaned but what he heard from his squirrel was, "Whoah! The little frog likes you."
". . ."
Speechless, Kira quietly sat on a rock right behind him.
He looked like a pretty young prince who just went through a really taxing battle. His damped and messy hair made him looked like a character in a movie. Well, both of them. Everyone who sees them just turned their heads and stare. Some even took pictures of them thinking that they might be some idols famous in other countries.
After staring at her awed expression, Kira sighed and then, threw back his head to stare at the sky when…
Suddenly, the rock he was sitting on wobbled. Kira was startled and lost his balance. 'Damn!'
Knowing that he would fall, Kira immediately stuck out his hand behind him to at least support himself from the fall. However, he didn't fall. Someone pulled him like a flash. The moment he regained his senses, he realized that his head was on someone's bosom.
And that someone was no other than his one and only squirrel. Again, he was dumbstruck. He could feel her hands wrapped around his head as she steadied him. She was gripping him close as if she was so determined to protect him.
"Are you alright?" she asked as she slowly let go of his head. "You can't sit in that, it's dangerous."
Kira looked up and saw Zeri's worried face. But he didn't reply, his Adam's apple just bobbed up and down as he gazed up at her.
And then, suddenly, he stood up and abruptly turned his back away from her, hiding his face.
"I'm fine." he finally answered. He felt his face burning. He was fl.u.s.tered by the unexpected and obviously accidental hug. However, his embarrassment for being saved by her was making his senses disarrayed. 'Darn it! Why is this happening? Why is everything ending up the other way around?! I should be the one to… the one to… ahh!'
"We're almost there. Are you really alright? You look exhausted. Could it be that you have some health conditions?"
Zeri moved to look at his face as she speaks but Kira kept turning his back from her. His actions made Zeri frown.
"I'm fine. I'm not tired nor sick." He replied. He still refused to let her see his face.
"Are you sure? If you can't walk anymore, just tell me. I think I can carry you until we get there."
Upon hearing another outrageous line from her, Kira snapped towards her.
"You…" he didn't even know what to say. He was praying that this girl was just joking but he could just tell that she was serious and it's driving him insane! 'Damn it, Zeri Kim!'
"What's wrong? Your face is…" she reached out her hand and was about to touch his face but Kira caught her wrist.
"Zeri Kim, how many times do I need to tell you that I'm fine, huh?"
"But your face…"
"What's about my face?!"
"It's red."
". . ."
Kira gritted his teeth as he quickly turned his back again. "It's just your imagination. Let's go!" he said as he dragged her away.
Finally, they finally reached the treehouse. Zeri immediately ran on the footbridge. She was excited and she didn't even flinch when the footbridge wobbled.
Kira's plan to spark a romantic scene if this girl would at least show even a little fear by offering her a piggyback ride to cross it but… as expected, she didn't even need even a little help from him. This thought made him feel worse.
Before he met this girl, Kira always complains about how clumsy and troublesome girls are. Of course, he won't ever say it out loud but the girls he dated before sometimes annoyed him especially when they kept on stumbling and falling on their own to the point that he thought that they were purposely doing it to get his attention. As a man, he would always pick them up and the girls loved it. But now… he found himself waiting for those things to happen. He was waiting for Zeri to feel tired or at least accidentally stumble but none of the things he was expecting happened. The girl definitely didn't need any help or even support at all. Kira never thought that this would make him feel like this. He had never felt this helpless and never been this insecure in his entire life.
"Hey!!" Kira was brought back to present upon hearing her voice. The girl was already on the other side of the footbridge and she was waving at him with a wide smile.
When Kira just stood there watching her, the girl suddenly ran again, towards him.
"Hey, don't run!" Kira yelled but the girl didn't listen.
"Are you alright? Wait… could it be that you're afraid of height?" she asked innocently.
"I'm not, okay? Let's go." Kira unenthusiastically replied and he stepped on the footbridge.
"Okay, let's go!" Zeri hastily walked away again.
As Kira watched her back, he suddenly halted in the middle of the footbridge. His eyes widened and then suddenly, he gritted his teeth. 'You're such an idiot Kira! How could you not notice this?!!!'
Kira's face suddenly darkened as he stood there and he looked angry, angry towards himself.
Zeri who was waiting for him on the other side looked back and got confused.
"Are you alright?" she asked again. Kira didn't reply and just hastily approached her.
Zeri stood in place as soon as she saw his expression. She looked confused.
"Where're your shoes?" he immediately asked. His voice was cold. Zeri never saw him like this before and he never spoke to her like this before.
"I left it in the boat." Upon hearing her answer, Kira's jaws tightened.
"So you climbed up here barefoot?" his voice became even angrier. But for some reason, Zeri felt that his anger wasn't pointed at her.
"Ah… it's not a big deal with me. My feet are alright. The pathway is…"
Without waiting for her to finish her sentence, Kira snatched her wrist and bent forward in front of her. "Hop on." He said, his voice sounded like an order.
Zeri could only blink.
"Hop on or we're not going to the treehouse." He threatened causing Zeri to frown in confusion. She looked even more confused and torn. But then, she obediently climbed onto Kira's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.