23 Why are my hands white?

Wakana watches him come back with a bottle of rice wine. He sits down in front of her with a stern face. He pours down the wine in the glass quietly. "You are too sober for this."

She agrees. She needs alcohol courage to live through the night. She doesn't wait for a second and picks up the glass. She ignores the pain and gulps it down. She slams down the glass. Her lips are wet with a layer of rice wine. There's a tint of rising exhilaration in her eyes. "More."

Sei looks at her with a half-opened mouth. His treacherous heart skips a beat. She's quite a drinker. He pours her another glass and watches her drink.

"More." She commands him.

He frowns at her. "You can hold your liquor well. How long have you been drinking?"

"What does that got to do with you?" She snaps at him. The ghosts are glaring at her now. She wants to numb her brain. This man keeps asking questions when he wouldn't believe a single honest answer from her. She wants to slap him, but her hand will hurt if she does that.

"You are drinking my rice wine." He rolls his eyes and takes her right hand. She's a little edgy. The alcohol will help her relax. "Just drink from the bottle. I can't keep pouring for you like a waiter."

She grabs the neck of the bottle and starts gulping down the wine.

She's going to have a bad hangover. An evil smile appears on his lips as he cuts away the glove with great care. She coughs out the wine when she feels a sharp pain in her hand.

"Too sober." He checks the wounds on her right hand. Thankfully, there are no shards of glass inside her flesh. The glove saved her tiny hand of hers. "Keep drinking."

She eyes him solemnly. "Why must I drink alone? It doesn't taste that good."

"Pour some for me then," He tells her. He starts cleaning the wounds first. He hears her hiss in pain. He clicks his tongue. Idiot! Why would she grab the salt like that? How did this idiot pass the national test to become a police officer?

"Done." She pushes the glass toward him. "If you don't drink, I won't let you hold my hand."

He scowls at her. She gives him a toothy smile. He shakes his head. The girl is extra cute when she's drunk. He doesn't like arguing with drunkards. He empties the glass and resumes cleaning the wounds on her hand.

Wakana takes several sips before she refills the glass again. "Sei, why are you good at this?"

"The question is why you are not." He finishes bandaging her right hand. He picks up the scissors again. "Why do you hold back?"

She flops on the couch. Sei lets out a curse when the scissor nearly stabs the wound in her hand. He glares at her. "Don't move or I will throw you off from the balcony."

She stretches her legs like a cat. "I like it when you hold my hand, Sei. It's worth getting hurt for."

He pauses and stares at her. What does that suppose to mean? She has a boyfriend, right? "Since you are quite candid when you are drunk, tell me your secret."

She lets out a laugh and looks at her secrets. The ghosts are flying around in the room. They want to get closer to her, but they can't get close due to a certain someone.

"Not drunk enough." He finishes the second glass of wine before working on her left hand. Her left hand is less wounded. "I don't think that you are incompetent, Wakana. You hold back too much. If you don't like this job, why are you suffering at this job?"

Wakana looks at him, not hiding behind pretense that she doesn't care. He looks alluring -- high cheekbones that attract gazes, a sharp jawline that can send butterflies in women's belly, a proud nose that demands attention, and sizzling light brown eyes that can even bend any woman on her knees. She has this urge to run her fingers through his soft brown hair.

She has watched him for so long. He was a quiet boy once. Now, he speaks without restraint. She was an outspoken child once. Now, she hesitates before speaking her mind.

Stirred by her blazing gaze, he pours himself another glass of wine. He's used to being watched like this, but she's making him jittery. She has never done it so boldly. Alcohol lowers people's inhibition. She's making him tenser.

He's nearly finished with her left hand when she suddenly places her hand on his head, stroking it softly. She grumbles, "I can't feel it."

"Can't feel what?" He ignores the little devil in his mind, whispering to him to take her right at that moment. He ties the bandage while holding himself back with all of his might.

As usual, she answers his question with questions. "Why are my hands white? Am I a ghost now?"

Hearing her stupid question, he is forced to look at her. "Those are bandages, idiot."

"Why my hands are bandaged?" She sits up and leans closer to him. "I want to touch your hair. Take these bandages off right now."

He grabs her wrist and smiles at her. "Wakana, go to sleep. You have done enough tonight. Thanks to you, I have a new level of tolerance for dumb people."

She sighs when she sees him smiling. He's so pretty. She can watch him all day and night. "Your smile is so pretty. You should smile more."

That's enough reason for him to stop smiling. However, he's curious about something else. She has been watching him with a clear interest in his appearance. "Is my smile prettier than your boyfriend's smile?"

She laughs and holds his face with her bandaged hands. It hurts a bit, but the pain worths it. The only sad part is that she can't feel his skin. She moves closer until their noses are almost touching. He feels her tingling breath on his face. Sei finds himself waiting, but his dishonest heart won't admit that he wants her to lean closer and kiss him.

She will realize that she has feelings for him and breaks up with her boyfriend who lives far away from her? Her boyfriend is not even here to take care of her when she needs that person. How did she live before they met again?

Wakana giggles and slaps his cheeks with her bandaged hands. "Sei, I can't compare your smile with his."

He turns gloomy. Is she saying that her boyfriend's smile is so beautiful that his smile can't even be compared?

Wakana sways to her right. He grabs her by her waist before she can fall on the floor. She bursts into laughter. "You are mad at me."

"Can you blame me?" He pushes her on the couch. "When you are an uninvited guest, you should praise the owner of the house."

She heaves her chest and lets out a deep breath. "Why are you always so grumpy, Sei Kun? I haven't seen his face. How do I compare? But your smile is really pretty. When you smile, I feel like kissing you a lot."

How did she not see her boyfriend's face? Who is she fooling? Minami Sei crosses his arms. "How did you not see his face and be in a relationship for seven years?"

And will she really kiss him if he smiles? She didn't do it earlier. Her words are extremely unreliable.

Wakana doesn't answer him. She has dozed off. Sleep comes before staring at the man she likes.