Dear Sweetheart,

Unpredicted Touch

What's the worst feelings for someone could have?

For Lara, it was not able to anyone about what happened the other day. She can't bring herself to tell Daniel on how she met with Carl. And also how Carl's knew about them. She don't want Daniel to be worried. To her BFF too. She don't want Joy to have misinterpretation on her meeting with Carl.

It's been a week since that day and Lara's heard nothing from Carl. She guessed nothing really happened and Carl's still tells no one about her and Daniel.

"Ha!" Lara flinched when Joy surprised her from behind. Joy laughed with Lara's reaction.

"What are you thinking that makes you don't hear me calling you?" There's a little laughed left from her mouth.

"Nothing. I guess I'm really not hearing you" Lara denied what's on her mind. She tried to act natural so Joy don't notice it.

"So, shall we go now?" asked Lara. Joy nodded and they walked into the mall side by side.

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Carl drove his Jeep wrangler towards the Standview Beach. He joyfully whistled and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel along the Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk'.

Then he swiftly took a turn to an alley along the trees and bushes. Thank goodness he drove his jeep as the path were uneven and rough.

After a 3 minute drive in the alley, he reached to a wide area where a majestic view stretched out in front of him. He saw a red chevrolet parked there. He smiled as he thought his plans were going to work.

He parked his jeep next to the chevrolet. He noticed a bundle of clothes on the top of the roof, means Lara already jumped into the water.

Carl jumped out from his jeep. He pulled off his black shirt over his head, left him with a navy swim trunk. Carl walked to the end of the cliff and cautiously looked at the bottom. He can see Lara's swimming in the water, unnoticed on his arrival.

He took a deep breath as it was his first time for cliff jumping. He touched his left chest where his heart beating fast. After a several time contemplating, Carl made up his mind and jumped off the cliff with his eyes closed.

Splash!

Carl successfully dived into the water and swam to the surface. He gasped for air. The coldness of water made him shivered a little. He looked back at the cliff and can't believe he just jumped from there. Then his eyes were served with an astonished view of structural rocks wall. Momentarily, he forgot the reason he were there.

"How do you get here?" Lara asked him. Carl turned around and faced Lara.

"Oh hi! What a coincidence to meet you here" Carl tried to make it like they were met coincidently. Lara raised her left eyebrow as she was not convinced by that.

"Ah, I want to try a new hobby. One of my friend suggested the cliff jumping. It was not that bad. Do you cliff jumping too?" lied Carl. He was there with knowing Lara will be there.

"I did it. Time to time"

Carl swam closer to Lara, leaving them with only a feet gap.

"Great. I have a cliff jumping mate then" Carl took a closer look at Lara. The way the water droplets falling from her now-dark hair to her white, slender neck. Her steel-gray eyes when her eyes blinked slowly. His eyes shifted to Lara's slightly opened pink lips. As the gap quite close, he can hear Lara's breathing.

'Gosh! Can I resist this woman?'

Lara too, momentarily took a look at Carl. His chiseled jaw could make any women heart flutters. His deep green eyes stared straightly into hers. His broad shoulder floated above the surface. It's like a moment of silent between them.

All of sudden, a big wave came at their direction, swept them away together. Carl spontaneously grabbed Lara's shoulder and brought her closer to his body. Lara gasped and wiped her wet face when she realised she's in Carl's embrace. She's not sure if her fast beating heart was because of lack of air or because of Carl's touch. The time seemed stopped for a while.

Carl looked at Lara, suddenly froze after the wave. It must shocked her as well.

"Are you okay?" Carl brushed Lara's cheek with his one hand while other still grabbed Lara's waist, looking so worry if anything happened to her. Her cheeks flushed and Lara's breathing heavily. He tightened his grab around Lara's waist. No word came from Lara.

Carl once again brushed her cheek when suddenly, Lara pushed Carl's chest and swam further from Carl. Carl left flustered with Lara sudden leave. He swam after her.

Lara climbed out from the water when she reached the bank. Carl followed and ran after her.

"Lara, wait. Why? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?" Carl called for Lara but it didn't stop her. He ran faster to catch Lara by her arm.

He can see her eyes showed that she's terrified. The confident looks in her eyes were no where to be found. In front of him just a weak and vulnerable woman.

Carl held Lara's shoulder and bended a little. "Hey, what's wrong?" He tried to make Lara talked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to go home" said Lara, avoiding Carl's eyes. She wrapped herself with her arms, trying to hide her naked body. She felt too exposed in front of Carl in her navy blue bikini.

She stepped back away from Carl when she noticed a line of blood running down his abs.

"You're hurt" said Lara. Carl looked down and found his upper abs was cut and bleeded. He held it to stop the bleeding.

"You must being cut by shells or rocks during that wave" Lara sounded worried. She knew that stings feeling when the cut meet with salted ocean water.

Lara suddenly grabbed Carl's hand and brought him to her car. There, Joy rushed out from the car, looking so nervous. She noticed Lara and Carl came with Carl's hand full of blood even he tried to stop it.

"Oh my God! What's happened? Prince Carl, how can you be here? Lara?" Joy nervously asked among the chaos. Carl sat on Lara's passenger seat. She saw Carl was covered in blood.

Lara opened her trunk and pulled out a box of emergency kit from it. She kneeled in front of Carl.

"I'm fine. It's not that hurt" Carl reassured Lara. Lara moved Carl's palm from his abs and revealed a deep wound on his upper abdomen. She wiped away the blood with a soft towel. Then she grabbed a water bottle and poured it on the wound to clean the dirt or debris. Carl's flinched as he tried to hold the pain. He take his word back that it's not hurt.

"This might stings a bit" Lara warned before she carefully applied a thin layer of antiseptic ointment on the wound before cover it with a dry, non-adherent dressing. Carl clenched his jaw and fist as he held the sting.

Carl's body stiffened when Lara moved closer to wrap the dressing around his body. He nervously gulped when Lara's face just inched away from his.

"All done. You must changed the dressing again tonight" Lara stood back after finished helping Carl. Carl also out from the car.

Then they realised Joy looked at them with questioned looks. This brought them back.

"This is my friend Joy. and Joy... you knew him already" introduced Lara.

"Hi. I'm Joy.... Gosh, I'm your biggest fan, Your Highness" Joy shrieked with excitement when she shakes hand with Carl. Lara smiled with Joy's being too happy.

"Please, just call me Carl" Joy nodded with smile stuck to her face.

"We'll go first" said Lara and she grabbed her clothes on the rooftop. Lara put on her black hoodie. It's big enough to reach down to her middle thigh. She walked to the door when Carl suddenly stopped them.

"Wait. If you don't mind, I want to treat you and your friends for a meal" Carl looked at Lara, asking for her willingness. Lara wanted to refuse the offer when Joy abruptly interupted.

"Sure. You can set the time and place" Joy excitedly answered Carl. Lara widened her eyes as she can't believe Joy.

"Great. I'll tell you the details later" Carl walked and entered his jeep when Lara drove away from the area. Lara took a look at Carl's jeep through side mirror.

"Ahhhhhh... I'm not day-dreaming right? Can you pinch me?" Joy extended her right arm so that Lara can pinch her. Lara softly pushed Joy's arm away.

"But how do you know with Prince Carl? You never told me before" Joy suspiciously questioned Lara. Lara never mentioned about Prince Carl to her.

"Daniel was his personal guard. Apparently, Daniel told him about us." Lara nervously answered Joy's suspicion towards her. She suddenly reminded of what happened during the wave.

'Was it nothing's really happened back there?' 'Why her body responded that way when his fingers touched her?'

Maybe she was taken by surprise with Carl's sudden touch. She consoled herself by saying it was only an emergency acts from Carl. She tried to brush it off from her mind as she drove along the way back home.