Chapter 17 : Forest Intrigues and Manipulations

I found Lisa standing next to the rubble. I said, 'Oh, it's you. You startled me.' She began to laugh , 'I'm sorry. How are you?' I sighed and replied, 'I'm working... What are you doing here?' She answered, 'I love wandering, for the thrill.' I asked in surprise, 'You enjoy what? The trees and wood?' She replied with annoyance, 'Is there anything else around here?' 

She has a valid point. She approached me and asked, 'Did Lorus leaved you alone to carry the wood?' I answered, 'Yes, I think I'll put my truck to better use and maybe...' Lisa interrupted, 'Enough small talk. The real reason I came here is to rescue you.' 

"I asked in surprise, " rescue me?' She began to laugh, 'Yes, I will rescue you. Come, follow me, here.' I asked, 'What is it that you're rescuing me from?' She said, 'Just come here and hide.' I sensed urgency in Lisa's voice, so I decided to listen and hide.

 We turned behind the debris, and Lisa started whispering, 'Just wait here for a few minutes.' I started to panic, 'Why? What's outside?' She laughed, 'Hahaha, don't be afraid. Trust me. And believe me, you don't want to know.' I asked, 'Why not?' She grabbed my hand, 'Just do as I say, okay.' 

I decided to take a peek, despite her word , against my better judgment. I raised my head and saw a Lola heading towards us." "Hello, hello, Rick, where are you?"

 I lowered my head and asked Lisa, "Why are we hiding from Lola?" She replied, "Ohhhh... because she's Lola. She's a lady anyway, the perfect girl. Leave her and relax." It seems that Lisa is jealous of Lola and doesn't want me to get close to her. 

Then Lola started speaking, "Rick, Alfred told me you'd be here..." I looked at Lisa and asked her, "You don't like Lola, do you?" She answered, "I love her; we get along well together." I asked, "So, what's the problem?" Her eyes started to wander, "It's just... I don't want her to... Can we stay here and talk? Please." Hmm, I want to stay here and talk to Lisa about what happened, and we can enjoy our time in the forest without any disturbance. I'm sure that won't happen if Lola is still around.

"So, I said to Lisa, 'If that's what you want, let's wait until she leaves.' After waiting for a while, Lola decided to leave. I looked at her and said, 'There, she's gone.' She replied, 'I can see that.' I asked her, 'Honestly, what's your problem with her?' 

She answered, 'There's no problem. I just wanted us to talk alone.' 'You'll tell me something important,' I said. 'Yes, there is something important,' she replied. I asked, 'What is it?' I noticed she was hesitating, perhaps trying to think of something. 'You're lying. Aren't you?' I said."

I saw a look of sadness on her face, 'I don't want her to do to you what she does with everyone.' I asked, 'And what is it that she does?' She replied, 'You know, she makes you lose your mind and fall in love with her.' I pulled her towards me, 'I'm a big boy; I can handle my own responsibilities.' She said, 'I mean, what happened between us was beautiful. What if it doesn't happen again?' 

I told her, 'You're the one who said no relationships.' She answered, 'I did, I know, that's true.' I started to smile, 'So, my charm made you change your mind?' She hit my chest and said, 'No, not that. I just don't want her to steal my horsie again.' 

I asked, "A horsie?" She jumped into my lap, "Why not? I love to ride you." I said, "You mean a male horse, don't you think?" She smiled and said, "Hmm... no, I prefer horsie." 

I stood her down, "Okay then, I still have work to do." But she clung to me, "You can take a break. I won't tell anyone." I said, "Isn't that what I've been doing so far?" She replied, "You need to learn to take work easy, or Lorus will keep giving you tasks." 

She has a point, but I countered, "They hired me for those tasks." She said, "I know, but you have to work a bit slower. Control your pace." I asked, "And what will I do with that extra time?" She smiled, "Maybe... you can spend it with me and maybe kiss me."

Then she pulled me towards her, kissed me briefly, and then pulled away, saying, "Tsk tsk, not much of a memory, huh? Hahaha." I laughed and replied, "That's funny because it reminds me of..." 

I decided to be honest with her about what Lola told me about her last night and how she sleeps with everyone. "I heard you do this with any new person... sleep with them," I accused. Her face tensed, "That's not true. Have I slept with some guys? Maybe. I'm sure you've slept with some girls too. But I did it only once with them. Scratch that itch wherever it is." 

I asked, "So, I'm special?" She answered, "I don't know... we'll see. But you're the only one I've had for several months, even if we're not together. I won't sleep with anyone else." I asked in surprise, "Why not?" She laughed, "I don't need anyone because you have a plenty to give."

When she said that, I pulled her to the side of the wall and lowered my hands downward, "Maybe I'll give you a little at this moment." She responded, "You'll like that, won't you?" I said, "I'm just listening to you and taking a break." Lisa smiled and pushed my hands away, "Maybe later. If you play your cards right."

 She began to leave, and I asked, "Where are you going?" She replied, "I'm going back to running. Still got to do that." I said with disappointment, "But you wanted to get rid of Lola... so I thought..." She responded, "Maybe have sex... keep dreaming. See you later, weirdo." Lisa left, and I still hadn't fully grasped what happened. After a moment, I realized she just wanted to get rid of Lola and keep her away from me. Oh, she manipulated me. Anyway, I'll go back to work.