Day Six

"Martin, I can't really walk. Can you help me out?" Celine called him. Martin rushed to her side, let her rest her hand on his shoulder, and placed his hand on her waist. He helped her to stand up and walked to a sofa. This started to feel like a morning ritual to them both. She smiled at him and thanked him. He was not used to spending this much time with a girl or anyone other than work context. But she needed his help. And she had been nicer day by day, smiling to him so often that he couldn't remember if anyone had smiled at him this often. And as her wound was healing, she needed him for support.

He tried to understand her. Every time he experienced behaviors he couldn't explain to others, he translated the unexplained behaviors as from a different culture or due to a generation gap. And this time was no different. He was surprised that he appreciated her presence and warmth. He had been worried about her. She ran into some problems all the time, at least while she was on his watch. Being with her had its benefit that our closeness eased his worry. He was happy he could help her out.

"Celine, I think we don't have to go out today. All the activities might be a bit too much for you. I want to give your wound time to heal." He told the young woman who was looking at him innocently. She was a cheerful person that he, whose life was so dim, couldn't get used to her light, even though he tried to learn more about living life.

"No. I want to go out with you. I want to see your smile." That pleading sound in a British accent made him raise his brows. Maybe she was too tired from walking in the sun yesterday, and her personality was sweeter.

"I could smile at home as well. Here." And he forced a smile, all the teeth shown with his eyes solemn.

"Oh, I don't know you are good at acting." She said sarcastically.

"…." He stopped that fake smile and stared at him, his face expressionless.

"There. Mr. Professor." Her nickname for him made him frown.

Celine was the type of woman he didn't understand no matter how much he tried. And that was why he stopped trying and just let her be. And once he knew it, he was in the middle of the town with her.

Celine was actively walking from one corner of the souvenir store to another. Her wound must be completely healed—the fact that confused him about her behavior earlier this morning or was all the pain symptoms could be treated with the power of money and shopping. Because after Celine found out her monthly allowance was wired, she couldn't stop smiling and kept buying.

"Your foot is not hurting anymore?" He was observing her and asked. She was quite active, moving around the store and checking out each object on the shelf; unlink this morning when she moaned in pain by just slow pacing.

"Wellllll, it got a lot better but still hurts, here, ouch!" She purposedly put more weight on the wounded foot and walked. She cried out in pain. He narrowed his eyes, contemplating her carefully. He was trained in analyzing people's behaviors. He couldn't miss her profile.

"Ah huh…" What surprised him was why he didn't find out sooner. How could someone like him become so focused on caring for someone without paying attention to the other party's intention? It shouldn't take him this long to know that she pretended to feel hurt. At least for today.

And what was her intention?

His suspicion of her arose. She seemed innocent and harmless at first, but his thought started to change. In the world that he was from, trustworthiness is a currency, and it was running out.

One thought emerged in his mind.

Was she someone sent here to mess up with him? This method was not totally out of place. And him trusting her this fast was surprising even to himself.

Did he trust the wrong person?

He frowned at the thought. He hoped it wasn't true, but one couldn't be too careless.

"Martin?" Celine called him after he was lost in silence.

"Yes?" He didn't mean to sound snappy. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't trust her behavior. He started to fear the worst. What if everything that happened between them and everything he witnessed that happened to her were staged? Since the time she was robbed and asked to stay with him. Was her identity as a student real?

"Why do you look so serious?" She asked innocently.

"….."

"You are too complicated, do you know that? You told me you want to have fun going out. But once you are out, you only frown."

"But I never lied about my feelings."

"Do you mean that when you are with me, you don't enjoy it at all?" The girl stared at him. And if he didn't have doubt in her intention, he would translate her mood as feeling dejected. Similar to last time. Again, he had caused her more distress once again.

"No, it's not that, I mean…." Although he had questions about her, everything was still a hypothesis he made up, and he couldn't bare being the cause of her sadness.

But unexpectedly, she made him jump.

"Never mind! That means I need to try even harder!" She spoke loudly like some sort of an affirmation of greatness. And she led him to another corner of the store; he could only follow in bewilderment.

"The sunlight is quite strong. Do you have a cap? Here, let's wear it with me. This style is kind of cute." She picked up a cap from the shelf and smiled to herself without looking at him.

Since this shop offered a purchase price of a 50% discount on the second item, Martin saw the purchase as sensible; otherwise, Martin couldn't figure out why the two of us had to wear the same-looking cap.

"I'm glad you are starting to save money and buy things that deserve their value. Good job, this is a reasonable purchase." He assumed the reason Celine bought the two gaps, and he complimented her.

The young girl look at the promotion sign. She turned to him, looking thoughtful about the compliment, and laughed.

"Oh, Martin! Oh my! Haha. You are just too practical. Now, bow your head a bit; try this on." He was a bit confused, but he complied.

Celine tiptoed her feet up to try on the hat for him.

It was not special, a simple blue gap with the word Italia stitched into the fabric.

"A perfect fit. So, you will be wearing a blue one, so you will have an item other than in black, white, or gray. I will wear a gray one." She picked up a gray gap and wore it. She beamed at him.

He didn't know what to make of this. He never really understands the girl.