Perhaps it was because they had seen each other nearly naked before, or maybe because the river’s clarity left little room for awkwardness—but there was no embarrassment between Easther and Zaki Lee as they washed themselves. Well, except for Zaki Lee’s own discomfort at certain natural protrusions he struggled to control.
She’s still a child. She’s still a child… He repeated the mantra in his mind, an attempt to suppress thoughts he knew he must not entertain. Yet, watching her peel away the tattered clothes that barely concealed her flawless body, he could not help but feel conflicted, abhorring his own reactions.
Easther, for her part, remained oblivious, entirely naïve to the difference between men and women. Zaki Lee resolved that he would eventually teach her the basics—how to reco
