'Am I doing it right?'
Ashton slowly raised his head to look at her and was in cold sweat. Her emerald eyes were already fixed on him. He felt as though the butterflies in his stomach were gorging their way out. He tried to pull back his head as he sensed his confidence drain out of him.
'What the hell!' Ashton was mystified.
He couldn't get his tongue out. It was glued on to something.
'Oh God! He cried out indistinctively and tried to pull it out forcefully during which he saw that it was stuck on to her tongue tip.
Lyza stayed calm and composed all throughout. She tried to calm Ashton as he started panicking.
"Try wetting the area with saliva." She suggested as she struggled with speaking.
'Ahh…This is awkward. I thought of not using the tongue the first time and look where I landed' He thought as he followed her instructions.
As Lyza saw her every move fail, she tightly held on to Ashton's face with both of her hands and started pulling her tongue forcefully. Both of them fell backwards in opposite directions due to the power with which it came undone.
Ashton stood up as he rubbed down his hit head as the clouds of mystery surrounding Lyza slowly came undone. He saw Lyza clutching on to wall in all fours with her nails deep down the hard cement.
All the peculiar incidents surrounding her, flashed right before his eyes.
'Her ever-growing hair, her clawed nails, her green bewitching eyes and her unique charm'
Ashton tried to wrap his head around the things happened recently. 'She is indeed a lizard!'
Lyza came down almost immediately after the incident and started looking at Ashton's face and her clawed hands recurrently in shock.
As Ashton stood in front of Lyza without moving a muscle, she pointed at his face, both sides of which were covered in scratches. The reddish streaks extended from his nasal ala towards his ear.
"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Lyza couldn't control her tears and started sobbing.
'Even this mystery will become ordinary one day!'
Ashton tried to convince himself as he slowly walked towards her and held her in his arms. He had in his heart from the beginning that whatever she told him was true and that he was just postponing the inevitable. He was just looking past the truth to build on his chance to create himself a paradise. He was being selfish.
"Shh. It's okay!" He told.
[THAT EVENING]
It was an unusual evening unlike Ashton used to have. He felt much brighter and upbeat. He was tired yet full of enthusiasm. He wanted to question everything he once thought was right.
He was sitting on the ground leaning his back on the couch. His eyes were on the television but his mind was somewhere else as Lyza came and sat beside him.
"What are you doing?" Lyza asked with her eyes glued to the screen.
"Ohh. I am watching TV. This program is what the most intelligent of us watch"
Lyza pointed at the screen and asked, "What is that?"
Ashton looked at what Liza was asking about.
"Oh. That is Pikachu. He is like God of thunder for us humans" He said in a serious tone with a mischievous grin on his face.
Ashton started to construct stories about the cartoon character's valour as if it happened in real life.
Lyza listened to them intently and lied down on his laps as Ashton slowly grazed his fingers through her long hair.
They lost their moment to a loud bang on the front door.
"Anyone home?" Jerry called out from outside.
Jerry and Jess thought of dropping by after hearing Ashton is sick. They had brought a container of 'get well soup' for their beloved boss.
"I am sure his sickness is because of the chicken wings we had the other day. Even the 'mighty Jerry' couldn't control his bowels after eating that. Think about our delicate boss then! May be he is not able to get up from his bed!" Jerry exclaimed and tried to break open the door.
Ashton was quick on his feet to stop Jerry from barging in.
"Quick! Hide!" He cried out to Lyza as he paced towards the door.
[LIVING ROOM]
Jerry spoke first to break the uncommon silence around them.
"Did the cat scratch you last night while you slept with your mouth open?" Jerry asked noticing the scars on Ashton's face.
"Mind your business." Ashton cut him off and glared at him.
"Ahh. My business! Speaking of which, I will be right back" Jerry told and left the table.
Ashton went into the kitchen to get bowls for the soup earnestly looking around thinking where Liza had gone. He was shook to hear a loud shriek from his room.
"Oh my God!" Jerry came panting to the living room
"There is a ghost in your washroom" He cried out.