Clary's mood worsens on full moon day, but her temper swings had taken a three-sixty degree turn before the full moon started. Sitting at home and mourning over the Olympic finals date raised suspicious thoughts in her grandmother's mind. It would be a matter of time before she told her grandfather, and he would escalate it to her father.
She is yet to tell her dad about the official schedule. The consequences are something she was aware of. He will force her to drop out of the competition or declare war against the international Olympic committee for schedule change. Yet one thing was sure. He will not let her out of the gates on the full moon night.
She drove to Cherry tree greenhouse alone to clear the unwanted thoughts from her mind. Her spirits lifted, seeing the new saplings she had nurtured by herself during the last visit have grown into cute little plants. And now she could happily carry them home.
Clary and uncle William, the nursery plant owner, worked in the field, mixing the fertilizers and depositing the black gold manure into the plant pots for extra nourishment. After completing the activity, she washed her hands and picked the plant pots and fertilizers to leave home. Since it was the weekend, Clary had full time for herself. So, she decided to tour the plant nursery to pass the time for some time here.
Her concentration was solely focused on the plants to see anything better in front of her. Oh boy! She clearly made a mistake. Just three feet away from her, a tall, exceptionally-built hunk stopped in his tracks. Clary was startled when he abruptly turned around, facing her.
"Please, no!" Clary cried, unable to control her foot brakes. Nervousness bubbled within her as she half-stumbled with nothing to grasp for support. Her body unconsciously pulled towards him like he was a magnetic field, exerting his gravitational pull on her. And the next thing Clary knew, she closed her eyes shut in anxiety as her body landed on top of a rock-solid surface.
Leandre opened his eyes, letting the brightness sink into him. Although his back hit the ground hard, it didnot hurt him, for this is nothing compared to the training that Duncan made him undergo. The rapid heartbeats and irregular breathing jarred Leandre, making him realize this girl was still on top of him. He could feel her fingers tightly clasp the hem of his shirt on either side like a Koala bear. Of all the things that happened today, why must be an encounter with a woman? And in such a strange way?
The compost she sprinkled on his body smelled like rotting vegetables. Leandre wished to turn the garden into a bathroom. He could run for the shower right away. He slightly lifted his head and noticed she buried her face in his chest. "Feeling comfortable there, little girl?'' Leandre's voice had a dose of sarcasm.
His mocking tone awakened Clary's brain cells, transporting her to the present. Realizing that she was still on top of him, Clary's cheeks burned up red. With the thought of getting up immediately, she lifted her body, only to realize a muscular arm wrapped around her waist, holding her captive.
Clary raised her gaze to meet his black orbs, eyes like the pools of ink drawing her with a magnetic pull. She averted her gaze immediately to avoid losing herself in the endless beauty. She didnot forget that he still held her waist, not to mention he called her little girl. This time Clary inclined her head to meet him with pride. "Feeling comfortable there, little Giraffe?" She mocked, pointing her eyes to his arm, circled to her waist.
Damn it! Leandre cursed, seeing how securely he wrapped his arm around her waist. He released his arm immediately off her waist. Little giraffe? Why did I bother helping this impudent girl? I should have let her fall on the ground. That would have damaged her front teeth permanently.
Clary got up, dusted the dirt off the dress, and looked for her plants, lying on the ground scattered. Oh no, my poor plants. She spent one hour mixing the fertilizers, only to see them ruined. She shot a furious gaze at Leandre, who was busy dusting himself. ''Son of a clipboard!" She muttered in a low voice.
Leandre, warding off the filth over his shirt, brought his hand to a halt, hearing her words. "Hey, little girl..." He asked, unable to believe for the first time someone compared as handsome as him to an object. "Did..did you call me that?"
"YES!" Clary picked the plants. "Because you ruined my plants."
"You sprinkled the filthy cow dung onto me, daughter of a lunchbox," Leandre said, catching her flow. If she has compared him to rigid cardboard, he should give her a satisfyingly quirky name that would hurt her pride.
''Daughter of a lunchbox?" Clary's lips curved into a satiric smile, seeing how quickly he caught up with her flow. "Giraffe sure lacks originality. Your improvisation of my phrase? It is as bald as the palm of my hand."
Leandre's lips parted like a fish in surprise. Not a word came out of his mouth to counter back. Does she have a vocabulary of weird words in her dictionary? Leandre gazed at her mocking eyes. He didnot notice earlier, but her green eyes! They stood out like jewels, truly one of a kind. Only if her inner personality was this good. "Look, little girl, you are arguing_"
''Can you stop calling me little girl." Clary gritted her teeth. She is not a school student. A University student and a President of a youth association for troublesome students.
''Then should I call you auntie?"
Clary stared at him blankly. ''I..I..''
''Cat got your tongue, little girl?" Watching her tongue-tied expression, Leandre smiled in triumph. ''Let's talk seriously. Why am I getting the accusations when it's is not even my fault in the first place?"
''If not yours..then whose? Can't you at least sense if someone is right behind you? Are your thoughts at lofty heights?'' Thank God, unlike the dramas, her face didnot straight away land on his lips. Losing her first kiss to this giraffe? No thanks.
''What about you? Can't you at least sense someone is walking right in front of you? Are your eyes under your feet? Or was I too handsome that you could not stop walking into me?'' He countered with the same intensity as her.
''Handsome..you? You look like a video game cartoon character whose face hadn't loaded all the way yet.''
Clary scoffed, sizing him from head to toe like he was prey, causing Leandre to shift from foot to foot nervously. With a spartan warrior built, a chiselled face, and a dapper style, he is definitely a knockout, but she will never give him the satisfaction. ''Look for yourself in the mirror after you return home.'' Giving him a scoff, Clary picked the plant pots and was off.
Leandre speechlessly watched her walk out of the nursery. Little giraffe. Son of a clipboard. A video game cartoon. Leandre exhaled a deep sigh, controlling the urge to knock her head.
''Damn this girl! Next time if she shows up in front of me...I will..'' Leandre stopped the wild thoughts of kidnapping her, slicing her neck, inviting the bats as guests to his home, and letting them drink her fresh dripping blood.
A car breakdown, and now an encounter with a nut, hearing her call him weird names. It's all because of that firecracker. Speaking of her, Leandre looked around and found no trace of Kalhys. Did she slip out of his hands again?