Mandy ran to Runa and snarled while looking at Anna, who was walking away, joining her friends.
"She did it on purpose!" Mandy grumbled. She clenched her teeth and her gaze on Anna's back was so sharp that Runa was worried Anna's back would bleed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Runa. "It's just a drink, not an acidic liquid." She looked to see the condition of her outer, which was splashed with the drink. It feels sticky and smells disgusting. It's booze, but it looks like Anna mixed something into it.
"Take it off," Mandy ordered.
"What?" Runa was shocked and glared at her. "You want me naked?"
Mandy chuckled. "Don't overstate it. I only told you to take off your outer, not all your clothes." Mandy reached out and lowered the outer from Runa's shoulder.
There wasn't much Runa could do to fight back, because after all what Mandy said was true, Runa had to let go of her outer and clean herself.
"Now then, let's—" Mandy stopped and looked up, looking past Runa.
Runa looked at Mandy questioningly and looked back to follow her gaze. Arden stood behind Runa, his hand holding a small white towel. Runa just remembered that she had been with Arden. Where was that man when it happened?
"Put your arm up," Arden pleaded.
As if hypnotized by his words, Runa stretched out her dirty hand, and Arden wiped the white towel, which turned out to have been soaked with warm water.
Arden cleaned her arm and the other parts of her body that were exposed to the drink.
While Arden was doing it, Runa could only stare dumbfounded at the man in front of her.
The sea breeze blew, and Runa's body trembled with cold. Even though the outer was thin, but after Runa took it off, the cold felt even more biting.
Mandy, who was also observing Arden and was speechless at a loss for words, blinked and tapped Runa's shoulder. "I'll get your jacket in the car." And she hurried away before Runa gave an answer.
"That's enough," said Runa, as Arden was about to kneel to clean her feet. Runa held Arden's arm and prevented him from doing so. "I can clean it in the restroom."
He said nothing and just reached out to take Runa's hand, then he put the towel in it.
"What is-"
Runa stopped talking as Arden put his hand on the hem of his shirt, then with a single jerk, he let go of the shirt over his head.
Runa was wide-eyed when she saw Arden suddenly shirtless. All this time Runa had never really paid attention to any man's body, and although she had seen shirtless men several times every time she visited Delmara, nothing had been able to have the same effect that Arden had now given her.
Runa's face warmed and her chest felt tight when she stared at Arden's perfect muscles. Not too much and looks very precise.
Several tattoos adorn his skin. On his chest, near his heart, and on his upper arms.
While Runa was still admiring Arden's body, he raised his hand and slipped his shirt over Runa's head and distracted her attention. Runa blinked and took a breath. She hopes Arden doesn't realize that she's lost her mind while staring at his body like a pervert.
"Put this on," Arden said.
The T-shirt piled up on Runa's neck and shoulders and Arden's scent tickled her nose.
Arden took the wet towel back from Runa's hand, then he stood still, waiting for her to put on his t-shirt.
Runa put her hand through the armhole and the shirt was now wrapped around her body. It felt warm, and suddenly the image of a girl wearing her boyfriend's oversized clothes flashed through Runa's mind, and that made her face even hotter.
"Thank you," said Runa. She looked up and tried to smile, but she was embarrassed. "I will return it as soon as possible."
Arden shook his head. "Just keep it."
Runa tried to act normal and showed that she was unaffected by Arden's shirtless figure, but she failed. Runa looked away towards the sea and said, "I don't think I can keep it."
"Whatever," Arden said. "Whether you keep it or throw it away, it's up to you."
It was an answer that made Runa feel bad. She was about to straighten her words out, but Arden spoke first.
"I'll take my jacket." After that, he raised his hand and patted the top of Runa's head, before walking away from her.
---
Mandy walked across the parking lot, grumbling. She saw what happened to Runa earlier, and she knew Anna did it on purpose. But why? Mandy was very sure that if there really was a problem between Runa and Anna, it wasn't Runa who started it.
Then what really happened? Does it have anything to do with Arden?
After arriving at the car, she unlocked it and took Runa's parka jacket from the front seat. After that, she rushed back while imagining that Runa must be cold right now.
Mandy's steps stopped when she saw a sight that stunned her.
Anna was walking along the beach alone, heading for the forest nearby.
And behind her, a considerable distance away, Arden followed her. He's shirtless.
Mandy lowered her head and hid among the rows of cars.
Why is Anna going to the forest at this time of night? And why did Arden follow her?
Anna didn't seem aware that she was being followed. Or did they make it look like that?
Mandy squeezed the jacket in her hands. Curiosity was bothering her now.
She turned to look at Delmara in the distance. The bonfire looked like a blazing red dot. Then her eyes returned to Anna and Arden, who were getting further and further out of sight.
---
Runa sat on a bed of towels by the fire while waiting for Mandy to arrive.
She would ask Mandy to take her home after Mandy came back here, because it was almost midnight and, based on the agreement, Mandy had to take her home.
As the night grew darker, Delmara gets busier. The crowd had doubled, and the party was getting wilder. If this is the case, the police might come and disperse them, and Runa doesn't want to be caught and brought to the police station for questioning. Although the chances are low, but as much as possible, Runa does not want to worry about the scenario.
After about half an hour of waiting, and after she ran out of things to talk to Bella, Runa decided to follow Mandy to the parking lot. She could just ask Mandy to drive her home so they didn't have to come back here.
On her way, she passed the motorbike parking lot and automatically she looked for Arden's whereabouts, but she couldn't find him anywhere.
The hubbub of Delmara's party is now only a distant background, and it's a stark contrast to the quiet atmosphere of the parking lot. The lights glowed in dim orange color, and without being asked, Runa's memory led her to a terrifying incident in the classroom building some time ago.
Just as Runa was trying to distract herself, she heard a scream.
Runa was taken aback and turned towards the nearby forest where the screams had come from.
It was Mandy's voice.