Running The Next Lap

As Anthony jogged away from Mari, all he could think about was how mystical this woman was.

And also, how badly he wanted her.

It was a weird feeling in his chest. He couldn't understand why he wanted her so badly.

'Oh, wait. It's because she's beautiful!' Anthony thought as he gave a maniacal laugh in his mind.

He knew after that kiss, that he had seduced Mari. It was really obvious. He almost couldn't believe he actually got her...

'Heh, I'm not a playboy for nothing,' Anthony thought to himself with his signature amused expression.

But soon he touched his cheek where he was kissed.

'But, maybe I should treat her a bit better than the other girls,' Anthony thought to himself as he remembered Mari's cute expressions.

She seemed so innocent. Anthony wasn't used to innocence like hers.

He was a rich young man with handsome looks. He's met a lot of girls because of his status, but it was usually only for one-night stands. He never actually dated those girls since they reminded him of his father whenever he looked at a mountain of gold. Pure greed.

Anthony was used to being with either gold diggers or prostitutes. Pure girls were a rarity for him whenever they came by. Especially girls who weren't stuck-up bitches like those damn rich noble dames he was usually matched with!

'God they're such bitches,' Anthony thought with a sneer as he remembered those entitled women.

But Anthony calmed down his annoyance as he thought about Mari once again.

She was beautiful with a cute personality. She didn't seem to be dating anyone, which meant she was most likely still pure of heart.

She was perfect for him. Him a rich man, showing his beautiful girl a world that she couldn't have ever imagined in poverty.

'Guess I better speed up,' Anthony thought as he ran off to the distance as he quickly made his sixth lap around the Kron military camp.

_______________________

'I wonder when he'll be back,' Mari thought to herself as she tapped the rock she was sitting on with impatience.

'It's already been three hours... I wonder if he's okay,' Mari frowned as she looked around with a worried expression.

But soon, she saw the man she was waiting for trudging toward her from the distance.

She smiled when she saw Anthony finally returning after all this time. She looked like a wife that had just seen her husband come back after a hard day of work.

"Hey!" Mari shouted with glee as she waved at Anthony.

Anthony picked up his head as he smiled at Mari sitting in the distance.

'Guess I unknowingly made it here quicker than I thought,' He thought as he was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events.

He was really happy because it meant he could get his reward sooner than he expected!

Anthony sped up his walking speed, and in a few minutes, he reached Mari's location where he proceeded to set his bag to the side and stretch his shoulders as he loosened them up.

"What took you so long? You were gone for three hours!" Mari said as she pouted at Anthony's 'clear' lack of punctuality.

Anthony gave a wry smile as he looked behind his back where he placed his bag down.

'Are you insane! Do you even see that thing!' Anthony shouted in his mind as he looked at the bag and back at Mari.

But instead of voicing his thoughts, Anthony sighed as he looked at Mari with a small smile on his face.

"It's because I was thinking about the kiss you gave me that I lost track of time," Anthony said as he gave a teasing smile to Mari.

Mari suddenly stopped nagging Anthony for a moment, as she looked to the side with a blush.

"Sorry..." Mari said in a quiet voice to Anthony.

Anthony looked weirdly at Mari when she apologised.

"What are you sorry for?" Anthony asked as he took a step toward Mari and held her hands.

Mari looked unwilling for a moment when she felt Anthony's grip, but she soon accepted it as she started speaking about her problems.

"Sorry that I gave you that kiss," Mari said as she took her hands away from Anthony's and kept them to herself.

Anthony became a bit worried when he heard this.

'Does she regret kissing me?!' Anthony suddenly thought in shock and worry as he saw Mari's downtrodden expression.

'Alright, cool yourself, playboy. She might mean that 'I' didn't like it when I got the kiss,' Anthony thought as he tried to calm himself down from his previous shock.

'Just encourage her and it'll work out,' Anthony thought in his mind as he placed his arm on Mari's shoulder in a show of worry and compassion.

"What are you saying sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong with that kiss," Anthony said as he rubbed Mari's back in a gentle manner. Trying to alleviate any stressful emotions she might be feeling at the moment.

"Also, I'm still waiting for the reward you promised," Anthony said as he turned Mari around with a smile.

"So, you don't hate it that I kissed you without your permission?" Mari asked as she looked down while twiddling her thumbs.

"Of course not. Why would I hate something that was clearly an expression of love? Also, I don't dislike it. In fact, I actually quite like you," Anthony said in a calm and gentle voice as he explained his feelings to Mari.

Mari looked up in shock for a moment, before she looked back down with a blush as she seemed to resolve herself to do something.

"Then... I'll give you that present as I promised," Mari said as she suddenly stood up and took Anthony's face into her hands as she placed a kiss upon his lips.

Even though it was a courageous kiss from Mari, it was still just a surface kiss on Anthony's lips.

After a few seconds, Mari separated from Anthony as she looked at him with the same embarrassed blush as before.

"Go and do your other lap. I'll give you another present when you return," Mari said as she turned her back to Anthony who was looking at her as if she was the girl of his dreams.

"Oh, and also, just because I gave you a peck on your lips, it doesn't mean that I'm some shy or naive girl you hadn't seen before," Mari said as she continued showing her back to Anthony as she talked.

But, she still gave a peek behind her shoulder as she gave a few last words before Anthony left for the seventh lap.

"I just didn't want you regretting anything after I gave you that kiss. I wanted to make sure you didn't hate it," She said as she quickly turned her head around before Anthony could see her blush.

"Now go... and come back soon," Mari said as she waved Anthony away while she brought her knees closer to her chest.

Anthony stared at Mari absentmindedly as he processed everything that just happened in the last minute or so.

In the end, he shook his head and nodded to Mari as he turned his back around to grab his bag once again.

"Alright, you better keep your promise this time. I'll be back in a jiffy," Anthony said as he gave a small smirk to Mari before he ran off into the distance for his seventh lap.