"Pretty Lady, would you mind if I join you?"
Reflexively glancing at the voice, my eyes widen in shock and panic.
"W-what at are you doing here?!" I gasp. It's too late for me to escape.
"I should be asking you that Tin." He stares at me intensely, "Why are you...this?" He asks gesturing at my clothes and face.
Damn it! I was too confident in thinking no one will know me here.
"Don't tell anyone." I hiss, as I gesture for him to sit. "Or I will kill you."
"Don't worry, I know you probably have your reasons right?" He says as he sits opposite me.
I nod. "Actually, my mum planned to have me dressed like this today."
"But now that I see you like this, you're definitely a girl. No wonder, I always felt you were too feminine." He says with a nod.
"Wade Rider, don't you dare tell anyone." I say coldly again. If he blabbers it out to Panda King, not only my job but my life will end.
"By 'anyone', you're not possibly talking about Panda right?" He smirks.
My face heats up as I glare at him, "Shut up. I mean anyone."
"Too late." He suddenly whispers, standing up and grabbing my hand.
"What are you doing?" I hiss but he shakes his head and points in the other direction.
Squinting my eyes, I can see Panda King himself, walking in our direction. What the hell?! Why is everyone here?
"If you don't want him to see you like this, follow me." Wade says as he drags me inside with him.
I quietly do as he says and I can feel eyes on us as Wade walks with his hand still holding mine.
"Let go." I whisper as the eyes stare at us.
"No. If I let go, it will make us more suspicious. If we dance, Pan won't be able to see your face."
Was Wade always this smart? But there's a problem.
"Wade, I can't dance." I admit as he grabs my waist and pulls me in front of him.
"Don't worry. Just let me lead and you'll be fine."
I nod and he places one of my hands on his shoulder whilst holding the other with his and his other arm around my back.
My nerves make me stumble clumsily as he slowly takes the lead and I try to follow without stepping on his feet.
"Just look up at my face. You'll be fine once you look up." Wade says softly as we slowly dance.
"Okay." I pull my gaze away from his feet and onto his face. Even with his odd coloured eyes and hair, Wade is indeed a handsome man in his own right.
"See, you're doing fine now." He smiles at me and I realise that we're still dancing but I feel more relaxed and my feet seem to be moving smoothly with his.
"You seem familiar with parties." I say as we twirl around.
"My family are on par with the Kings. We usually get invited to many balls and parties so I'm used to it." He explains.
"You're not going to ask?" I say as I stare into his red-pink eyes. He is unpredictable.
"What?"
"About my reason for being a male bodyguard." I say quietly.
"I'll wait for you to tell me when you're ready. I'm fine with just knowing that you are a woman." He smiles gently, "A beautiful woman."
"Hey, stop being so cheesy." I say, blushing at his words.
"But I'm really happy." Wade says seriously, staring down at me intensely.
"Why? You're weird." I say, shaking my head as we continue dancing.
"BecauseIlikeyou."
I frown, what did he say? I didn't hear him clearly because he just mumbled something.
"What did you say?" I ask.
His face is flushed as he stares into my eyes, "I like you Tin, no, Tina."
With the amount of times my eyes are widening today, I might end up losing my eyeballs.
"Wh-what?" I ask. What is he saying? "We're friends so of course you like me."
"No. Not as a friend. I love you as a man loves a woman." He explains, his face scarlet.
"You...love...me?" I ask quietly. He is being weird. How can he love me? We haven't known each other for long.
"Don't say anything Tina. I don't want an answer right now." He pauses, "Sorry for making you uncomfortable."
I shake my head, "It's not that. I'm just surprised." I admit. "I've always been a man in everyone's eyes."
"Panda has gone. Shall we rest?" He says, glancing around.
I nod. "I'm going out for a breather."
As fast as I can, I walk out of the hall. What is going on? Why did Wade Rider suddenly confess? He seems serious about it. But how could he have fallen for me? We've just been bickering all this time. It doesn't make any sense.
I groan and sit on the marble bench around the waterfall. How do I even respond? I haven't thought anything more of him.
"Why are you doing this to me?! Do I not have enough troubles already?!" I shout loudly into the cold darkness of the night.
A chuckle from beside me, causes me to turn my head but just as quickly, I revert it back. Why has another trouble arrived? Is my life one, big, ongoing joke?
"You came out to breathe too huh?" Panda King says. I refuse to look at him. I can't risk him recognising me.
"It's fine, you can stay here." I say and stand up quickly. I need to leave.
"Hey, wait..." I ignore his voice as he calls me.
Panda King, why are you everywhere?
Why does my world suddenly revolve around you?