Her eyes met his gaze again before she quickly looked away. That fluttering feeling was back, causing her heart to pound fast and furiously.
During this entire time, the man was busy deshelling prawns for her. As she checked him out by looking out of the corner of her eyes every now and then, she could not help wondering...
âAre you full already?â
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not hear him.
âHello?â
There was still no response from the lady.
When he saw her dazed look, he stopped what he was doing and used the serviette to wipe his hands.
âAre you still not full?â
The woman was glancing down, seemingly lost in her thoughts, and showing no sign of hearing him.
The man sighed to himself.
âLetâs go.â He tugged at her arm and was about to lead her away when the lady was frightened by his actions.
âWhat are you doing?â
âWe canât stay here anymore. Those folks will return soon.â
After taking the serviette from the dining table, he used it to wipe the corner of her lips before leading her away from the table by keeping her hand in his.
She furrowed her brows deeply, but her heart was strangely elated when she caught sight of their clasped hands.
They climbed out of the window they had entered from. This time, he doubled up his speed to take her away from this place, but the lady let out a cry out of the blue.
âMy bunny!â She had left the plushie on the chair because she had been in a hurry.
âDonât stop walking!â The man stopped, only to shoot a fleeting glance at her empty hands before pulling her along with even greater urgency.
She was crestfallen at the loss, but there was nothing she could do except obey his orders dutifully.
âWe canât retrace our steps. I have a bunny thatâs better than the one you were holding earlier. You wait for me on the main street tomorrow and Iâll give that bunny to you.â
âWho wants your bunny anyway?â
The man grinned at her mischievously. âItâs only right that I compensate you for your loss.â
âYou!â
âGet them!â
There was a commotion behind them all of a sudden.
He started to run, dragging her along to a nearby passageway to take cover.
âHey, tell me, what is that place you brought me to just now? Who are these people and how did you discover that place?â
âPromise me youâll be my girlfriend and Iâll let you in on the secret.â
The woman didnât know what to say to that.
âStop running!â
âTheyâre here!â
âCatch them!â
A group of people appeared out of nowhere to chase them.
The poor lady was panting from exertion by now as they continued to run from the mob behind them.
Suddenly, the man stopped in front of a door, gave it a kick, and led her through.
With his hands clinging tightly to her small, tender hands, he led her into a room.
The place resembled a treasure vault with a multitude of boxes of all kinds of jewelry, diamonds, and precious stones.
The womanâs eyes lit up, and she shot more than a few occasional glances at the treasure trove.
âDo you like these things? We can take them with us if you want.â He leaned over and whispered into her ear.
Somehow, his voice sounded strangely familiar and reminded her of the voice ringing inside her head previously.
âH-How do we do that?â she asked with a start.
âWhere are those two?â
âThey are close. Search through all the rooms here and make sure you check behind every closed door. We must find the two of them!â
âUnderstood!â
The ruckus grew louder outside their door, and the woman threw a panicked look at the man.
Surprisingly, his face showed no sign of apprehension as he urged her to pick her favorite items. âTake what you like from this pile, but you canât bring too many things. It wouldnât be convenient to carry so much stuff with us.â
âTheyâll barge in any moment now.â She was positively worried by now.
The man opened one of the boxes and started to study the beautiful items one by one. He was picking something suitable for her.
âThis one will look nice on you.â He took a hairpin and bound her loose hair with it.
âYou!â
âShhh... Donât talk. Youâll attract their attention.â
As the woman was trying to formulate a reply, the man added, âDonât let anyone see you with your hair down in the future except for me, alright?â
âWhy should I listen to you?â
âYou look beautiful with your hair down, so Iâll get jealous if other men see you looking like that.â