Chapter 48 - One More Deal

(From Ella's Perspective) 

"Well, then I got inside the hole because I was curious. You know, there is this thing called science in my world that can explain everything that happens in this world. Like why do we come back to the ground when we jump, what are the elements in the world made of, what kind of things happens inside our body, why grasses are green, and everyday stuff like that. I thought that science would explain that too, and got curious. I mean, I had never seen or heard about anything like that. That's why... I was just a bit... too much curious," I said. 

"Curious, yes," he said tiredly. 

"And then I went to check out where the sound was coming from was out of curiosity. I mean, it's not like you hear that kind of sound when there is not supposed to be a turned-on fireplace anywhere near. I could not resist my curiosity. It's not my fault."

"Curious."

"And I touched your fur, not a monster's."

"You didn't even know me that time, Ella."

"I know. Well, anyway, it was truly because I wanted to see if his fur was soft or not. I mean, you live once, right? So, it's better if you live your life to the fullest," I said. "I mean, I don't want to have any regrets."

"In the way you're filling your curiosity, I don't think you'll have any regrets."

"Perhaps not," I chuckled. "Anyway, you know why I'm working in the castle. I already told you about it."

"Because you don't want to be a burden," he muttered. 

"Exactly!"

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I know, but there are some things that are so stupid that if you talk about them, your brain cells will start dying... in a very painful way and I prefer to keep my brain cells alive. You know, I have to survive, right?" I said, smiling. 

"I thought you always speak the truth."

I looked at him, I did not know in what- surprise nor did I know it all along that he could see through me- my smiles, my eyes... Perhaps he always knew what I felt. 

"I do," I said, trying to be confident. But my heart seemed to beat faster. It always did whenever I was forced to look into some parts of my life that I wanted to forget. 

"Do you?" he said, suddenly coming closer to me. 

"I..."

I could not finish, not because of something that he did, but because my mind was thinking about other things. He brought his face down so he could look straight into my eyes. I was sitting in the chair and he had his elbow rested on the table as his eyes devoured me. Was he going to kiss me? But he said he would not. It was part of the deal that he would not kiss me again. 

"Are you expecting something?" he asked teasingly. 

"No," I said quickly, so embarrassed that my face surely looked as red as a ripe tomato. "What would I expect?"

He laughed and pulled his face away, which I was grateful about because being that close to him was giving my body silly reasons to burn up with the heat. 

"You know what I mean," he said in his teasing voice. 

"You're weird," I muttered while wondering if he was the weird one or I. "Anyway, I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Please, Leandro."

"No."

"Leandro let me come with you please."

"No."

"Stop being a bat!"

"Why am I a bat now?"

"I don't know. That's what came to my mind first so I said it. Now please let me come with you."

"Then we'll make a deal."

"Deal? Again? I thought you were over deals," I said. I wondered what kind of deal he wanted to make this time. Would he tell me to let him kiss me? The thought made me blush, it also_ made me look forward to it. I did not know why I was being so turned on at the thought of him kissing me. It seemed like to be a long time since he kissed me and I was already missing the feel of his lips on mine. 

"Yes, a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I asked, my voice a bit shaky for some reason. Did he notice it too? I could not bring myself to look at his face. I did not want to see him smirking though he looked very handsome when he did that. 

"You will tell me about your life back in your world," he said. 

Whoa! I did not expect it at all. Whatever I expected was surely far from it. Silly me! I was thinking about feeling his warm lips against mine again. But why did he want to know about my life? It was not something interesting. 

"My life was boring and filled with stupid things," I said. 

"It's the deal. Accept or deny, it's your choice," he said dismissively. 

Huh, he did not change. Just like the grumpy person as he was before. But he was showing another part of him as well. I wondered if it was because of me. But either way, I seemed to_ like him all the same. 

Wait, what? I liked him? But how could I? He was just a stranger. He was trying to take... but was he trying to take advantage of me? Then he could do that last night when I was out of my mind. He could do things to me, but he did not. He had been there for me, held me tightly in his arms, calmed me down, and moreover_ he said that I was his. Well, he said that in my dreams, but he said it nevertheless. 

"Alright, but tell me you won't laugh at me."

"Why would I laugh at you?"

"Just tell me."

"Okay, I won't laugh at you."

"And you won't tease me."

"You mean I won't tease you about your before life?"

"Before life? I like the sound of it and yeah, you can't tease me about my before life."

"Okay."

"And... And you won't look at me with_ pity," I mumbled. 

He truly looked at me with pity and I had not told him anything yet. I felt my chest hurting again. How many times did I have to tell people that I was not a matter of pity just because my face looked too childish for my age? 

"Why would I pity you?" he said after a while of uncomfortable silence. "Pity is for someone who is weak, who can't do anything properly, who is a cry baby, who is not smart. But are you that? Let me tell you something, little Ella. You might do things that are not something normal people will do, you also blabber a lot, and sometimes you make me want to do things, but you're not a coward, you're not weak, you're not stupid, too curious but not stupid."

His words... I felt as if my heart had been held gently and was being taken care of as the most precious thing in this world. No one had ever told me this before, but I knew I was strong, at least I believed so for a very long time. And this belief made me how I was today, or perhaps I would truly be a cry baby. 

"You just praised me, did you notice? You changed a lot, Leandro. Why is that? Anyway, what do you mean by I make you want to do things? I don't remember telling you to do things for me," I said. 

"I didn't say you tell me to. I said you make me to. There is a difference."

"What do I make you want to do?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I think we both know the answer to that," he said smirking. 

"No, I don..."

Suddenly I realized what he was talking about. He might be a bit of a handsome guy, but he still was a bit of a pervert. But I liked him this way as well. 

"Whatever you say, but I know that you know what I meant. Anyway, so is it a deal then?"

"Yeah. What else can I do? You're being a duck again," I grumbled. 

"We'll head out at seven tonight. There is a lot of time left. You can sleep more if you want."

"Yeah, that's a good... Wait! Leandro!"

"Why are you shouting? I'm right here and as per I'm concerned, I'm not deaf," he said lazily. 

"Remember the first night we met?"

"How can I forget the night when the curious cat touched the monster's fur?"

"No, not that time. I'm talking about the time when we were in the cave and I was telling you how I ended up here. That time, after I told you about the hole, you said that you thought it was impossible. What were you talking about at that time?"

"You really have a good memory I have to say and a perfect timing to say something."