Chapter 24 - Asked To Strip

The heat from the body behind felt scorching hot to Xiu even through her clothes. That tickling sensation near her ear made her so startled that she jerked away from him like a scared fawn. In her startled state, she was about to fall backward but a pair of strong hands held her round shoulders firmly to pull her back.

Her nose hit something hard but it smelled heavenly.

Her eyes could only see a sturdy n.a.k.e.d chest. She lowered her eyes only to find a lean, Olive skin which was perfectly sun-kissed. It looked irresistible as water droplets were trickling down and glistened because of the sunlight falling on his body. His muscles were symmetrically balanced on his chest and his arms. And it gave an allure to his V-line.

Sh*t! He wasn't wearing clothes! There was only a towel wrapped around his lower body loosely and it actually seemed like it could fall at any moment now.

"If you're done gawking..." she felt the calloused pad of his pointer finger touch her chin as her face was lifted up and he continued, "My eyes are up here."

Feeling like she'd been caught while she was on an endeavor to find where that V-line led to, she awkwardly coughed and lifted her eyes. But the sight before her taken her by surprise. That strong, chiseled jaw was very familiar to her. However, that pair of gray orbs were even more familiar as they stared back at her with no visible change in them.

Staring into those eyes, Xiu felt like walking in the first snowfall of the season. His eyes held the chill which was akin to those snowflakes that fall from the sky to drop their kisses softly. It was like looking at a sprinkle of white flurries. Somehow, his eyes managed to make a comfortable feeling to rise in her heart which slowly surged through every cell of her body. Those gray eyes were exhilarating, and bright as if beckoning her caged soul to spread the wings and take the flight.

Realizing how engrossed she was in that pair of eyes, Xiu shook her head and stepped back to create some safe distance between them. "You don't need to touch me. I can help myself." Xiu spoke out gingerly with each step.

"Old habits die hard, right Ms. Pervert?" That mellifluous voice sounded again.

Xiu finally realized why he was familiar. She just met him a couple of days ago or more like, embarrassed herself in front of him. She lowered her head. 'Wait! I can't let him see my embarrassment.' With this thought, she felt invigorated and stared back at his handsome face in a defiant manner.

"Who are you calling a pervert?" The way her voice raised definitely showed that she was feeling embarrassed.

Darren looked at her up and down in a slow manner with his finger tapping at his chin before saying, "Look at yourself and then at me. See the difference?" When Xiu frowned in response, he added, "You're fully clothed while I'm half-n.a.k.e.d."

Of course, Xiu was aware of this glaring fact, after all, his upper n.a.k.e.d body was right there before her eyes seducing her. Who was the shameless one here?! She was the one being seduced, not the other way around.

"Oh, please!" Xiu scoffed while averting her eyes away from him as she continued, "There is still a cloth on your body."

Darren's mouth twitched as he said, "Why do I feel like you're really disappointed?"

'Of course, I am!' Xiu screamed in her mind before reminding herself to act gracefully. It was not the time to show her other-self. But she felt nothing wrong with her gaze, after all, if beauty was standing before you, it's only right to do justice by appreciating it. Xiu might have lost her old beliefs of one true love and blah blah blah. But she certainly was a woman and a young one at that too.

She'd be acting weird if even this kind of beauty didn't manage to entice her. This kind of ravishing beauty was meant to be appraised like those paintings.

"You're talking nonsense." Saying that she took another step back and lost her momentum. Her arms flailed in the air and she opened her mouth to scream but all her screams were muffled by the water which she fell in. Standing on her feet in that five feet deep pool, she coughed to get the water out of her lungs.

"You!" She looked at Darren standing right beside the pool, not even caring that she was in the water. "You didn't catch me!" She screamed at him in anger.

Darren looked at her aggressive and resentful face, feeling intrigued. "I remember someone saying, 'I can help myself.'" He quoted her earlier words making her feel even more annoyed at him.

"You! Son of a Biscuit!"

'Biscuit?' Darren was amused to hear this kind of cursing. He really wanted to laugh out but held himself back.

"Turn away!"

"Why should I?" He retorted solemnly.

"Because I am fully drenched." She stated the obvious with a roll of her eyes.

"So what?" His words really irked her to her limits.

"Yah! Can't you see?"

He looked at her curiously as he said, "I am trying to see."

Her eyes widened at his words and she crossed her arms before her chest in a defensive position. "You pervert! Demoralized lunatic! Look away."

Darren obviously didn't bother listening to her. "I really hate these double standards of our society."

"Huh?" Xiu was dumbfounded at where he was going with this.

"You seeing me half-n.a.k.e.d is not counted as offensive but me seeing you in drenched clothes is suddenly offensive? What logic is this?" He stared back at her urging her to give him a reply.

"That's because you're a man," Xiu stated as if it was common sense but who knew her words would come to bite her.

"So, just because I'm a man, I'm not entitled to have self-respect? Why does your prestige as a woman matter but mine as a man doesn't?" His words left Xiu in a stump.

She found her voice after a moment as she said, "You're being unfair now."

"I don't think so. I'd be unfair if I asked you to strip as well. Because only then we'd be even. But I didn't do such a thing. Why? Frankly speaking, first, I don't want to act like a hooligan and second, I really don't think there is much to see there."

Xiu's mouth was agape at his words. He didn't just shade her bust size, right? She was seething inside with rage as her whole body trembled while she gnashed her teeth.

Not knowing what to do, she looked around and didn't find anything to hit him with. So, she held the closest thing she could that was his... towel. She felt triumphed as she thought she would hear him scream but she was even more disappointed when she saw that he was wearing boxers underneath that towel.

'What the hell! Who does that?'

Darren watched closely as her face changed shades again right before his eyes making him fascinated.

"Satisfied?" His voice somehow turned deep.

"What are you implying? I just wanted to dry myself." Saying that she walked out of the pool and wanted to use that towel but couldn't bring herself to do so.

Following after that, her vision darkened as something soft fell on her head and as she touched it to see, she realized it was a towel. A very comfy one. She looked back at Darren who was now fully clothed in a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt.

She didn't want to argue anymore as she said, "I didn't come here intentionally. I lost my way to the Spa."

Darren's brows lifted up as he stared at her back while she wrapped her dried her hair with the towel. He could have offered her clothes but he had only male outfits and he felt that she wouldn't want to change here.

"How can you lose your way to the Spa?" He questioned disbelievingly.

"Why can't I?" She asked while pulling the towel around her shoulders.

"Follow me," he said and beckoned her.

With a frown, she followed him cautiously. It took them five minutes to cross the peach woods and he pointed at the side. Xiu realized she was originally on this path with everyone when she lost her way. But when she saw that there were arrows carved on the woods, she really felt like smacking her head.

"Now tell me, with these big arrows pointing you in the right direction. How dumb one has to be to even lose their way on this path?" His words felt like jabbing at her heart and ego. But he didn't stop as he said, "But then again, I shouldn't expect much from someone who managed to lock herself in a Men's Bathroom."

Xiu shut her eyes closed at that dark history's reminder. She rushed away from him disregarding him completely.