Rain Drops

Chapter 8

She sighed internally before following suit, hoping that she was able to get him out of this mess. "I didn't mean anything I said earlier." Although there's no sign of regret or embarrassment in her voice, it was still evident that her feelings hadn't changed whatsoever. "You don't have to say sorry. I should've been more understanding." He scratched the nape of his neck while rubbing his arms nervously, a habit that people often do when they feel embarrassed. "It's pretty cold right now anyway so it's best for us to continue our conversation in the warmer environment." "Yeah, you're right," she nodded in agreement. The silence that followed lasted for a few moments before the stranger asked, "So do you live nearby or somewhere else?" "No, I just moved here last week." "Wow... I guess we're neighbors," he remarked while shaking his head, a hint of shock written across his facial expression. "You know, I've lived in a different city my whole life. I don't really know how you manage to live in a place like this." "Thank you." She blushed slightly in embarrassment and quickly averted her gaze. "Hey, it's alright." He gave her a friendly smile as she lowered her gaze. "I think we'll get along well." He paused for a second and stared at her intently, observing as her cheeks became redder than before. "Actually, it's probably my fault for asking a silly question like that." He began to feel nervous for some strange reason. They continued moving forward in relative silence. They didn't have much to talk about since both of them were very quiet people. They soon arrived at a small lake located in an isolated area. The water that was surrounded by trees and shrubs was calm, reflecting the moonlight as though it were a mirror. "I never noticed that we're here," he whispered while gazing into the reflection of the lake. "This area looks very similar to one in my hometown." "Are you from another town?" "Yes, but not exactly." His face darkened, causing her to frown with concern. "Is everything alright? Did something happen in your previous hometown?" He shook his head lightly and smiled weakly at her. "Nope, everything is fine. Everything is just a little annoying that's all." He laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Although, I can imagine that if I had met you there then I would have definitely recognized you." He looked down at the ground, as though deep in thought. "Actually, I have to admit that it would have been easier if I didn't encounter you. That would mean that I didn't have to go through all of this trouble. Now all I can do is hope that I won't meet you again." He shook his head lightly as he gazed away from her. "You're the person I need to help me the most." She placed her hand on top of his shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Thank you for saving me from that monster, and thank you for helping to save the people living in my village as well." His eyes opened wide in astonishment after being touched by her actions. After realizing what had happened, he immediately took her hands off of him and pulled his own hands away hurriedly as though they had been burned. "Don't misunderstand! I'm just joking!" He frantically waved his hands in front of her, trying to make her relax. However, she kept looking at him strangely, as if she could read the thoughts in his mind and comprehend exactly what had just transpired. He couldn't blame her though. He could barely control his emotions as well, especially since his emotions started showing themselves a few days ago. "I didn't mean any of that." He let out a sigh of relief. "There's no way that I would actually ask you out on a date. Besides, I don't even have time to think about romance. My job isn't easy and I don't have time to waste on that stuff." He tried reassuring her by speaking softly, although he had a rather serious tone, which caused her to flinch slightly in response. "Well, you can take your time and consider the situation." "I will." He slowly stood up and began to turn around without saying anything else. As he did so, he glanced over his shoulder once more and gave her a smile, revealing his white teeth that he seemed to be proud of. He then walked towards the entrance of the cave. Before leaving he added, "It was nice meeting you, Agatha." He stopped briefly and glanced at her for an additional moment, but his eyes soon shifted upwards toward the sky. After taking one last look at her figure standing in the darkness behind him, he continued walking towards the exit, not knowing where his legs would lead him until it was too late. Chapter 10 For a long time, I had been lying on the floor. The sound of the rain pouring against the roof outside seemed to fill the silent room, although the rain was accompanied by occasional flashes of lightning, indicating that the storm had yet to subside. It was hard for me to concentrate since every single sound was causing pain to my head. The noise seemed to be louder whenever it struck thunder and it was even difficult to concentrate on listening to what the owner of the room was talking to me about. "... and then I heard this crazy woman say that he wanted to kill himself. At first I had believed her completely, but eventually the truth came to light. Even though I didn't trust her words at first, I still trusted her intuition even though I still wasn't entirely convinced about her motives. So I tried to convince him to reconsider what he was doing and to come back to his senses, but to no avail. I was worried sick that he might really hurt himself and had to force myself to leave him alone, which I later regretted.