(CHAPTER 29: MISUNDERSTANDING)

"Luckily you came prepared huh." I stare at Toby as he poured some regeneration potion on my wound, before bandaging it up nice and tidy. The two of us sat beside a stream, as he work on my wound attentively. The longer I spend my time with him, the more I fell that he should be a girl. Who knows, if he is a girl, maybe I would accept him.

"Done." After applying the final bandage, she pack up the medic kit. "Nice" I give my arm a few swing, there is still pain, but it felt better. "Thank you." "Huh?" He seem to be surprised. I stare at him, trying to be sincere and yet not creepy at the same time. He blushed, keeping his head low, it was awkward for a few seconds.

"I think I will take a bath here." Staring at the stream I finally came out with an idea, or maybe a topic, or just avoid the increasing awkwardness between the two of us. "I am feeling all sticky. You want to join? We can do it together." I take off my shirt, stained with blood, dirt, mud and flesh. Luckily I bought a spare one firsthand. "We?!" He yelped, staring at me. His face is even redder than ever. "Yeah we, why not." I already take off my trousers, a piece of boxer is the last piece of fabric left on me.

"I will, I will bath there alright." He immediately turn around, facing the opposite direction. Before immediately grab his stuff and headed behind a gigantic boulder in the middle of the stream, hiding behind it. That reaction, that REACTION, of being shy towards the body of a same sex. He, he really is in love in me? Or maybe he is just shy? With all those question, I dip my body into the cooling river, enjoying my time. Cleaning every inch of my skin, I didn't want to bring some brain membrane and blood stain as souvenir.

"You done?" I step out of the river and put on a clean set of cloth. I felt better, refreshed, both mentally and physically. Who knows a simple dip would be such a relaxation. Upon seeing that he was not there, I walk towards the boulder, where he should belong. I could hear a distant splashing sound as I get closer, he is indeed behind it. Without any hesitation I poke my head over for a peek. I mean what's the problem, both of us are men right? Nothing to be shy about. Right?

Wrong.

"Eek!!"

"Eh."

Standing in front of me was Toby, covering his, correction, her chest with his arm crossed. While with another, he cover the part that even Adam and fucking Eve need to cover with some leaved. She stare at me, tears in her eyes. I stare at her, face filled with fucking confusion. "G, go." She whispered, pleading. But my dumbass didn't seem to get the cue, just keep staring at her like a stalker. "G-go, please." She is at the brink of crying, speaking with what's left of her dignity. But in my ears, her voice is like from a far away land, echoing in my mind. "Go!!" She screamed, tears burst out of her eyes. That finally bonk me back to reality. "S-sorry!" I screamed, dashing out of the way.

What

The

Fuck

Did

I

Just

DONE!!

"So…" I stand in front of her, yet didn't dare to look into her eyes. She is still soaking wet, with only a towel covering her body. She stare at me, there are more anger in her eyes rather than embarrassment. "You are a girl huh." I barely spoke those words out. "You thought that I was a boy!?" She leapt in anger. "For this long! Am I just a boy in your eye!!" She is real mad. Can't blame me, all her action, looks, flat, pointed him as a boy. Either she is too tomboy like, or either there is just something wrong with my fucking sense.

"I am sorry alright." I apologized, trying to calm her down. "I-I thought, you accepted me…" her voice shrunk at the end. So this is a fucking big misunderstanding. I look at her, she let out a "hmph" and look away, red in anger. But it was moment before she let out a sneeze before begin shaking in cold. She didn't bring any spare cloth, so I took off my cloak and gave it to her. It was a bit too large, but she seems fine in it, quite cute too.

"I suggest we grab some clothes at your house before going back for the money?" I spoke, she nodded as two of us make our way back to her house. "You, you always thought me as your friend right?" Halfway back, she suddenly ask, after almost ten minutes of not saying a single damn thing. Quite a miracle for a chatterbox like her. I decided to ignore that shit, but a slight tug forces me to look at her. "You, you think, that I am a burden, right?" She stare right into my goddamn eye the moment I turn my head to her. She bit her lips, the cloak cover half of her face, as she just stood there. Hesitating to speak something.

"I like you, you know."