103 Ripe Tomatoes

He and his heart had been wearing scars for years now, but it was the first time someone made him feel the beauty of those scars. Holding her hand was like a reminder that one couldn't force anything in life; either it's a conversation, friendship, attention, love, or relationships. We spend years trying to force things that deep down we even know are not worth fighting for. Sometimes, it was alright to let things flow naturally.

This was the lesson that brought Raelle into his life. Because he knew whatever was meant to crash had already crashed. Whatever he desperately tried to hold on to had drifted away from him in the end. It was time for him to let nature take its course. Even he'd have never thought that nature's course would lead him to her.

And now that he found someone who was willing to hold his scarred hand, his heart had begun to feel hopeful again. Maybe it was time for his luck to change. Perhaps if he held onto this hand, his aching heart would no longer burn. Maybe she'd be able to extinguish the fire of anguish that had been burning his soul.

Raelle continued to patiently wait for him to let go of her hand, she didn't try to forcefully pull her hand out of his either. She just glanced at his eyes that had been stuck on their intertwined hands.

"You really don't want to let go?" she asked. Shui Xian didn't look up but he shook his head in response to show his stance. "Okay, then. Come with me." Shui Xian's eyes lifted as he looked back at her. "We can go together."

Shui Xian stood up with a smile and said, "Okay."

Raelle eyed his smile from the corner of her eyes but didn't say anything. They went back to their room together. Although Shui Xian was reluctant, he still had to let her hand go when he changed his clothes. However, he was surprised to see that when he came out, he found her extended hand right before his eyes.

He looked at her red uniform with a black belt tied around her waist with her name embroidered in golden thread. He took her hand as they both came downstairs. Shui Xian brought her to the gym where the mats had already been arranged for their bout.

"Now, you really have to let go of my hand," said Raelle and he let it go. But his eyes didn't leave her figure as she stood before the glass walls looking over the swimming pool. The gym had two glass walls looking over the huge swimming pool and the garden on either sides. But he usually found her looking at the swimming pool for some reason.

Shui Xian shrugged his shoulders, "I wasn't planning on doing so."

"Don't you think there should be a reward for the winner," suggested Raelle.

"What do you have in mind?" he inquired.

"For now, I have nothing on my mine except for you," she replied very honestly and straightforwardly. Shui Xian had to say that for someone with zero relationship experience, she was certainly very good at flirting.

"You want me to offer myself as a reward?" He had a thoughtful look as he said, "But I thought you don't like taking a loss."

"How is it my loss?"

"Because I'm already yours," he replied. "Legally."

Raelle got into the right posture for combat as she looked at him and said, "I still think I won't be taking a loss here."

Shui Xian eyed her before he also mentally and physically prepared himself for the bout. Both of them attentively focused on the other's movements as they looked for an opening.

Finding an opening, Shui Xian's left hand grabbed the sleeve of her same side of the hand before his right hand went behind her neck. Taking a step back, he winked at her before lifting her body. Her body made an arc of 180 degree before her back was slammed against the mat.

As he sat on her trying to hold her body down, he smiled at her, "Aiyo, wifey, did you get hurt?"

"Save that concern for yourself," she replied before she elbowed his arm to break the posture that held her down and turned them over. Now, she sat on his body and placed her forearm against his neck to keep him down.

He grabbed the lapels of her uniform and pulled her face down, purposely keeping his lips an inch away from hers as he said, "I was hoping for you to reciprocate that concern of mine."

Even when they were struggling to turn each other over, Raelle still managed to touch the tip of his ear making his body stiffen for half a second as she said, "How come your ears turn so red whenever I touch them?" She lowered her face as she brought it close to his ear and added in a low voice, "Are they allergic to me?"

Taking his chance, Shui Xian moved his legs and dropped her on her back again. "Or maybe, with your touch, they take the shape of ripe tomatoes. Wanting you to take a bite."

"Oh?" responded Raelle before she arched her body up and used her leg to lift his body off of herself in a swift movement. She placed her hand on his bare chest that was revealed right before her eyes and said, "Then maybe I should take a bite, what do you say?"

She offered him a smile, and sighed, "Don't smile at me. It's ugly."

Raelle paused at those words and he took advantage of her distraction to latch his legs around her torse and locking her body in.