Lili took her backpack from the boat and, frowning, she turned around, heading up the small uphill up to her cottage that she was currently staying in.
"What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed at the male figure standing by the only way up to her cottage and made a step back.
But it was early in the morning. The morning dew still hadn't been dried by the sun, and Lili's shoes just slipped on the wet grass. She could feel herself falling forwards, and got ready for the impact.
What happened expected neither she nor the person coming to help her not fall. As he was making those steps, his shoes were as betrayed as Lili's and he slipped, falling down his ass, just in time for Lili to fall on top of him.
If you were waiting for some romantic moment like in movies, you would be far from the truth, as his body did not stop moving down, and now there were both dangerously sliding down the small cliff that was there.
Thankfully, he stopped in time, finding a bunch of grass that he could put his feet on and stop them sliding. He had to do all of it because Lili was too stunned to even move.
She fell in his lap. What the fuck was going on? Did his lap and her face have some kind of magnetic attraction? Lili quickly got up, thankful for the hand he offered her, getting up together with her.
And as soon as she was up, Lei made three steps back, getting enough space in between them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that," he said and made another step to the side. This way, Lili could comfortably get up the hill without meeting him.
"What are you doing here?" Lili asked once more, as if nothing happened. Lei looked at her with pleading eyes.
"I can't let you go through this alone. And I don't want to," he said. Lili felt a slight tug in her chest. Still, she couldn't stop observing every movement he made and was prepared to run if he moved.
But Lei didn't move an inch.
"You should go back to Hong Kong. I'm not good enough for you. Or your family. I'm dirty now," she said, all she had on her mind.
Lei had to fight himself to not move, knowing it would scare her even more. But it pained him so much to see his lioness like this. At the same time, he wanted to be here for her. To make her better.
"You are just perfect for me. There is no way you are dirty. Lili, you may feel like that, but for me, you are certainly the purest and the best person in the universe." Lei wanted his words to be straightforward, describing how he really felt. But it just took Lili aback. She was staring at him with his mouth open.
Then out of nowhere she reclined her head, looked up at the sky, and pure laughter that was so out of place, frightened Lei a bit. And even more when he stopped and with a straight face, she looked at him.
"Lei… you always surpass my expectations. I always thought you were more like Li Shang than Phillip. But guess you have Prince Charming in you too." Lei was staring at her, confused. She started walking up again.
"Come with me, but keep your distance. I don't want to fall once again." Lili said, pointing at the distance in between them. Lei nodded and followed as she said. It wasn't a long way up, but by the time he walked up the stairs, he found himself short of breath.
Lili placed the bag she was carrying on a table under a small window that showed the inside of the cottage and pointed at the chair that stood on the wooden balcony.
"Sit there. I will make you something." She said and unlocked the door, going inside. After a while, she emerged with a glass of water in one hand and two small white canisters in the other.
"I can't get you more. I don't have water, but I was going to get some after coming back." Lei was confusedly staring at her. Holding back by the length of her hand, she placed the glass on the table before her. Took one canister to the empty hand and then smashed them against each other, suggesting they were empty.
"You don't have running water here?" he asked. Lili laughed once more, but now her smile stayed on her face even while talking to Lei.
"Let me show your pampered ass something." She pointed at the back of the cottage and then turned around again.
"There is a well there. But we share it with others, summers are dry. And there is a perfectly working spring in the woods that gets tested more often than the well." Lei was staring at her as if she grew a second head. But he didn't have enough time to wonder what was going on. Because Lili threw the small canister lightly at him and Lei had a lot to do to catch it.
"You said we should go through everything together. So be here and help me. But my body still reacts to men with fright, so please keep your distance." Lei nodded slowly and slowly got up from his place. It was almost in slow-motion and when Lili saw it, her chest was doing that strange feeling again. It felt like something was pressing it, squeezing, and then shaking in her chest.
Lili went down the stairs and hoped Lei would follow her. He did. They walked down the hill and continued even lower, but different way than the cove was. They actually went the way Lei had come up there, but further into the wood. Following a small stream until they found a small wellspring.
It was tiny, but the water that was flowing out of the pipe seemed clearer than water in his home. He came closer to Lili, who stood on the stones in the stream. She grabbed the mug that was there, washed it, and then gave some water to Lei.
He took it, trying that their hands wouldn't touch, but it was futile, their fingers still brushed against each other, but now it was Lei who almost jerked his hand away. Her fingers were as cold as ice. And the moment he drank the water, he knew it was because of the stream. It was so cold. Cold, but delicious.
Lei looked down on Lili, who was busy filling in the canisters. And smiled to himself.
"I love it here," he said. Lili turned to face him.
"You'd better do. You should be glad I let you stay and show you everything," she said, but Lei saw that she wasn't that serious. A small hit of a smile could be seen in her eyes.
He really loved it here. He wasn't that surprised now that Lili chose this place. It would help them both.