Chapter 12 - Exhausted

Isn't it supposed to be a man accompanying the woman? Why is Horace facing something different from the normal routine once again?

Wouldn't his life have something normal in it? Can't he be any normal person? He simply sighed as he realized that he is once again going into deep thoughts while the main topic is actually so simple.

He looked at Arnia from head to toe to confirm if everything was alright with her or was she injured somewhere. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her, he shook his head and said "There is no need for you to send me. Thank you." He then, without waiting for her reply, just started moving away from her.

Is Arnia someone who would listen to someone's words other than herself? Definitely not. Hence she ran forward and followed Horace without feeling the least bit of embarrassment at his rejection towards her offer.

Instead her mind wandered somewhere else when he rejected. She thought that this man does not want to rely on others in spite of being unhealthy and felt even more pity towards him.

If Horace knew what she was thinking about him, he would definitely scoff at her and maintain even more distance from her than he had already been maintaining. He doesn't want to associate himself with anyone. Let alone a crazy woman who would have her mind running crazy and think that he was a sickly person after he had actually saved her from a great disaster.

As he knew nothing about her weird thoughts, he kept on moving forward without caring about the woman who had been following behind her like a parent who is afraid of her kid falling down at any moment as he was still taking his first steps.

She had really spread her hands wide open ready to catch Horace when he would feel weak and fall down suddenly. She took every step carefully so that she wouldn't miss the moment when he would actually 'faint'.

She then tried speaking, "Hey, walk slowly. How can I keep up with you, if you were so fast. It's not that I can't run. I am just scared that you will exhaust yourself if I start running."

Horace stopped in his place and looked at her, "Why would I be exhausted if you are the one who would run?"

She just shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Wouldn't you feel exhausted if you keep up with my speed?" She said in a 'duh' tone making Horace look like an idiot in this conversation.

Horace took a deep breath and said, "Can you please leave me alone? I don't want to run or to keep up with you. Please, you go your way and I will go my way."

Without waiting for her reply, he once again turned around and started walking in his route.

Arnia too did not care about his words and once again followed him and said, "Well, okay. I will go my way."

Horace asked while walking, "Then why are you still following behind me?"

She raised an eyebrow and said with a smug smile, "Who said that this is not my route too? Does this road belong to only you?"

Horace was stumped by her words and shook his head resignedly and walked forward without replying to her. He understood that he would never win a fight with her if it was a verbal one or a physical one.

He can thus only resign to his fate and accept his defeat and walk along his way without trying to fight against her. What would he even get by trying? He would only exhaust himself and feel even more defeated.

It is really better to ignore than trying to fight a useless battle. That is what his practical mind told him to do.

Looking at his defeated look, Arnia gave herself a triumphant smile and followed behind him happily. One in the front walking with a gloomy look and one in the back with a very joyous mood took one step after another simultaneously on a small street.

As they were walking they suddenly heard the sound of a little kid babbling. Horace raised his head and thought that he misheard and once again dropped his head to continue walking. That is when he once again heard the same sound.