"You're awake now." Chryxso's worried look hovered over Mayu's sweaty face. Her face flushed a deep red in embarassment. She looked around and breathe relief when she saw that no one else is around. How embarrassing! Did I sleep talk again?
"Of course, I'm not that greedy with sleep." she snapped. His worried expression became dull and he fixed his position again.
"You were having a bad dream," he said. Shoot! I really sleep talked again, Mayu groaned.
"It's not a bad dream. It's a story I wrote." she smiled trying to hide the embarassment she felt. Chryxso looked conflicted but when he heard her happy voice, he shut his thoughts away.
"So you dream about your stories?" he asked.
"Not all," she got up from the blanket that she laid down earlier and grabbed the basket for lunch. She rinsed her mouth before she spoke again.
"You hungry? I'll go cook now."
"Uh," he did not reply, looks like he's not interested about my crazy dreams. She quietly started fire on the charcoal that they brought and started to grill the meat. She sat beside him while waiting for the meat to get cooked. She hesitated before she spoke again.
"I had a bestfriend."
"You don't have to-" sensing her discomfort, he replied.
"Nah, it's okay. Maybe it's time for me to review some stories. You're not the only one who has a gloomy past."
"Hey, my past is not gloomy." he protested. She pooh-poohed.
"Fine. She went missing three months ago. She was having a vacation at my place in the province during that time. Actually I arranged for her to meet my brother who's arriving overseas. I noticed their growing attraction for each other and I'm happy playing cupid. I wish I never did. I asked her to pick my brother up from the airport. I lied that I'm too sick to pick him up, I can't remember now. What I do remember is that she agreed and went ahead. Her car skidded when it poured, flinging the car over a ravine. They never recovered her body." She let tears stream her face and she kept clearing her throat to hide her stammering voice. For once, Chryxso did not speak and let her be. She looked at him and he gave off the feeling that says 'it's okay' and she felt thankful for that. Sniffing away her tears, she continued.
"I wrote two stories because she kept on asking them of me. She asked me to make a story where everyone has a happy ending since not everything ends happily in real life. I've already finished the first story, which is mine. I can't finish hers, I suddenly don't know what to write or what emotions to put. I miss her so much," she tried to sniffle her tears. Chryxso stirred and reached out his arm to pat her while she silently wept.
"I always though of things like, what if I decided to pick my brother up instead or if I just told him to come over by himself. My brother was never the same ever since. I sometimes hear him laugh but the happiness does not reach his eyes. It's all my fault. In fact, you're right, I don 't have anything good to do with my life so why didn't I just disappear."
"I'm sorry," he just softly said as he brought her to his embrace and carressed her hair.
"It's so hard to keep going. I don't know how long we should wait or if we we're really waiting for someone still. What if her memory fades, how will she come back home? What about my bro-" she sniffed again, unable to continue. When he felt it time to ask, Chryxso spoke again.
"Didn't you try to find her?" she wiped her tears and tried to answer him.
"We're still doing our best to find her. Her parents and relatives have all died so we're the only family she has left. The agony is on the part of waiting."
"Yumi-" Chryxso did not know what to say at this point.
"I oftentimes hear my brother in a discussion with our grandfather. Gramps is pleading that my brother give up on the search but he looked so desperate and frustrated that he won't even listen to him. I'm so sorry." she cried this time.
"Yumi-" Chryxso's voice strained at this point.
"And why should we stop searching? She's family." she continued.
"Yumi-" she stopped crying and threw him an annoyed look. Her tears now dried up.
"What is it? I'm trying to tell you my story and-" she snapped.
"I just thought you'd like to know that I think the meat is getting burnt now. The smell is suffocating," he cough away as smoke flew towards them.
"Huh?" she raced towards the meat being grilled and hurriedly flipped it over, it almost got burnt. Alas, am I getting teary because of the smoke? So annoying!
"Whew! That was a save!" she gave him a thumbs up though she knows he won't see it.
"Okay, let's continue with your story." She pouted. Is this guy stupid or very stupid?
"My momentum's already over, I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"You should've told me that you eat burnt meat," he helplessly replied but curled his lips into a grin when he heard her annoyed voice again.
"Hmp, pass me the basin."
"I would if I can see where it is," he started feeling around the area.
"No!' she tried to stop him and got their heads bumped in the process.
"Aw!" they both held on their own foreheads, trying to ease the pain. She immediately grabbed some ice cubes, covered it with a small towel and gave it to the guy. She covered hers with one as well. Ugh, that woke me up.
"Here so it won't get larger."
"Are you trying to kill me Yumi?" his irritated voice is activated once again.
"Just sit back if you don't want to get in any other accident. " she turned her focus on grilling the meat again. She snuck a glance at the guy and was able to make out an outline of a little bump on his forehead. She grimaced, it means, she has the same bump, maybe larger on her own forehead. She scooped some food and walked towards him.
"I havent grilled everything yet but we can start eating now."
"Did you make rolls?"
"I don't know how to make rolls. Let me just feed you," he looks so hungry that he did not even hesistate to open his mouth as she raised the spoon to his face.
"Mmmmn. You're a good cook." he did not hold back on his compliments.
"Thank you. Hold on," she stood up and took all the grilled meat with her. When she came back, she saw him picking food from her plate.
"Hey, that's my plate!" she looked at him accusingly. If you ate on my spoon, aren't we indirectly kissing! Oh gosh! My purity!
"Why? Do you have a contagious disease?" she looked at him, shocked. How dare you!
"What?" Sometimes, his topics are really off-topic.
"I'm already starving here and how would I know if it's your plate or my plate I'm picking from? The food tastes the same anyway." she gave up. She instead picked up a larger plate and shared her meal with him.
"You're a messy eater." she nonchalantly commented while helping him wipe his face.
"Can't help it, I don't know how to eat with bare hands."
"Then why are you eating with your bare hands?" she grabbed a spoon and gave it to him before she scooped up some food and gently pushed it in his mouth.
"Oi, oi. Be gentle, I might choke." but she did not listen. She playfully shoved more food in his mouth. Things took a surprising turn when he suddenly held onto her fingers with his lips and grabbed her hand. She felt her cheeks flush so she tried to pull away from his grasp. He just continued chewing casually.