17.0

While having their dinner, Luna and Nimrod both had their attentions to the door when there was banging outside it.

"Luna!" called one familiar voice to her.

"Woonie?" Luna stood up from the dining table and went to answer the door. Nimrod remained on his seat, ushering Luna with his eyes.

When she opened the door, she was greeted with collective number of people in the neighborhood and the whole Jung family was even there.

"Are you alright?!" Woonie and Gray immediately asked her in worry that she was astonished of their presence there.

"I am. What brought all of you here?" she asked.

"What brought us here? We saw the news!" Woonie exclaimed in upsetting tone.

"Oh." Luna could only responded.

"Jeez, look at you." Gray flickered her forehead lightly, quite relieved that she was alright.

In a while the people in the neighborhood were exclaiming their worries towards her.

"You can move in with us, dear." Mrs. Jung suggested but Luna only shook her head.

"No need Mrs. Jung. I'm gonna be alright here since my childhood friend will move in with me starting tonight."

"Childhood friend? You practically grow up here." Woonie said.

"I know but I also have my childhood friends in some provinces." Luna lied.

There were still collective discussion among the elder people with the Jung family, can't really feel comforted after what had happened to her.

"I"ll be fine here, really. You guys should go home. It's cold out here and I'm thankful for your concern." Luna appeased the people in smiling face.

Not a while, all the people's attention went to her side when someone materialized in there.

"Luna, your phone has been ringing for ages inside." Nimrod said which made Luna turned to his direction before she looked to the people outside.

"Uhm...you guys, this is Nimrod, the childhood friend I was talking about." Luna introduced before she turned to Nimrod to properly introduce himself. However, he seemed have no plan in doing it as she could felt his dislikes of other human in the vicinity. So instead of pushing it further, she thanked the people, said her goodnight to them while trying her best to ignore Woonie's inquiring look to her.

"Thank you again. I shall treat you in the diner." Luna only said before she closed the door behind. She then turned to Nimrod . "You should have introduced yourself in there, Nimrod-ah."

"I don't care on these humans at all."

"I am human."

Nimrod only looked at her blankly and didn't say anything before he turned back towards the kitchen, leaving Luna wondering if he hated humanity after what happened to him. Maybe if she wont be careful, she too will be added to his hate list or much worst, like he said, she will be annihilated.

What a grumpy alien guy, she thought before following him to the dining table.

As the night progressed, Luna found herself tracing herself towards her own room. She was greeted with messes in the floor and some broken bulb shards in there. Once again, she was reminded of the incident that she fell back two steps behind but she was met with Nimrod's steadying hands to her shoulders.

"Want me to take away that bad memory out of you?" he asked gently while she looked up behind her and was met with his own greenish eyes.

There was a moment of silence between them as it took her a while to ingest what he just said to her. "I-I thought you're forbidden to use manipulation?" she stuttered distracted at how he looked so handsome upclose with his warms on each of her shoulders, she felt her heart jolted.

"I'm not forbidden. I just wont use it casually to maintain in low profile."

"Then don't."

"How about you?"

Luna turned her eyes back in the mess of the room before she sighed. "I will get over this."

"Hmm." he only responded in low voice before he let go of her shoulders and walked further inside the room and decided to clean up the mess in there.

Luna tilted her head in wonder since he really didn't suit to either pick up the things in the floor or clean up the mess. To her eyes he looked rather graceful and elegant while he did so.

"I-I'll do it myself. Y-you can...clean up yourself first before you...sleep." Luna stuttered and the same time realized something. Where would he sleep? She wont definitely sleep with him. It will be very much inappropriate. Then her attention snapped to him when he turned to her .

"I will sleep in the room downstairs, Luna." he said which widened her eyes.

"Can you read minds?"

"Yeah. Yours is very loud." he said.

"Omo."

"I guess your grandparents wont mind?" he asked, looking directly to her before he nodded as if reading her mind. " I guess not."

Before Luna noticed it, her room was cleaned up and Nimrod was tracing his way towards the door and stopped just in front of her.

"So? How about my petting in the head, Luna?"

Luna had no idea if he was teasing her now since she was used to pet her cat in the head every time before she sleeps.

"Are you really...a cat?" she asked in low voice while looking at his eyes. The night insects chirped gently outside, indicating that the darkness totally reigned now.

"I was." he said before he lifted his head to her head . "You're so tiny."

"You're just tall." she just responded while it earned her a small brief smile.

His hand traveled down to his cheek before he murmured something under his breath that it made her felt tingling sensation on her body that she felt so sleepy.

Luna fluttered her eyes closed and felt herself collapsing to the floor but she was met with two pair of strong arms enclosed her. Then her feet left the ground as if she was being lifted up. In while, she felt her body in a soft mattress. Even in closed eyes, she liked how her head was gently caressed with a warm hand until she totally drifted to her own dreamland.