"Jessie!"

All of us glanced at the lady waving towards our direction.

Finally, a distraction from a very awkward situation.

"Stella!" Jessie waved back smiling and so do Jake, "she's my elder sister, " Jessie told us, still with his grin.

I also gave her a wave and she started to jog in our direction.

She has a very friendly smile when she stoped in front of us, "Hello, So you two are the guests they've been talking about, " she smiled at Me and Zack.

Guest? Trouble makers, I should say.

I smiled back.

"You two, " she turned to the two vigorous men, "you two should go back where you two should be right now, " and then she turned back to us, "I'll take care of them, " she smiled.

"Oh, that's right it's three, " Jake spoke in realization after glancing on his watch.

"We'll get going, " Jessie smiled at us and so do Jake before they start walking away.

When the two men, I don't even know if I should call them men, are out of sight the lady faced us, "I'm Stella, Jessie's elder sister, " she introduced, "he might look so terrifying but he dances ballet at home, " she continued.

I chuckled, "I'm Mathea, and this is Zack."

The corners of Zack's lip lifted in response.

Stella's forehead creased as he examined the both of us, "Are you two related or something?"

Zack and I took a quick glance at each other.

Why would she thought of that?

"Both of you are charming, " she raised a brow, "I guess, you two are just friends?"

"Yes, " I nodded.

Zack glanced at me.

"I guess not for him, " Stella chuckled.

"She's right, we're just friends, " said Zack in deadpan.

"Oh, well, " she looked away, "I think we should try doing something fun, Aunt Messy told me to treat both of you as our special guest, so maybe a tour would be fun?"

"Umm, we're actually here to pay fo-"

"Oh, forget about that, " she cutted my sentence, "follow me, " and started to walk away.

Zack gave me a shrug when I glanced at him in confusion.

How could they treat us as their special guest after we made that terrifying lady burnt out of frustration a while ago?

Zack followed after Stella leaving me still in wonder about what the hell is going on. I jogged towards them as we head to a pond.

"This majestic fish pond is been here since I was eight, I'm now thirty-six, so it's been twenty-eight years, " she let out a wistful sigh, "time flies so fast. "

I watched the colorful kois softly swim around the pond before I felt something pinched me on my right thigh.

I yelped in horrify when I saw a giant white bird standing on my side. Zack and Stella turned to me as I yelped in pain when the bird pecks me again.

"What is that thing!!" I shrieked stepping away.

"That's a goose, " Stella's lips curved into a calm grin.

The white terrifying bird stepped after me but towards the direction of Zack.

"No, not me, " he quavered.

He yelped and ran away when the goose began to spread its wings while uttering ugly quacks then started pecking after him.

I laughed, holding my tummy as I watched the goose chased Zack around but that doesn't last that long when Zack started running towards me and now both of us we're being chased by a mad goose.

I kept on glancing at my back but it just made me more terrified seeing a huge white ugly bird running after us. I felt Zack held my hand as we began to cross a small red bridge.

At this moment, I don't care if we were being chased by a mad winged monster but if I could run with Zack like this, I'm willing to run all my life.

I stared at him and I saw things began to switch into slow motion. I saw his eyes slowly blinked, the way his chest raised in fell every breath, his brown hair messed up as he glanced behind us, the way his lips are partly closed, and now, he looked at me, then a smile slowly formed on his lips and his eye's pupils began to dilate.

He stopped.

"It's gone," he spoke with his grin.

I looked behind me as I dragged my self back into reality and sighed in relief when the goose is nowhere to be found.

I glanced back at Zack and he was looking down at our hand, still holding my hand like he had no plan on letting go.

"It's still here," he purred, caressing my wrist.

I glanced at the bruises around my wrist but the first thing I realized is that there's something missing. I pulled my hand away from Zack's hold and start looking back with terror gripping my wrist.

"My bracelet!" I screeched, "I... I can't lose my bracelet."

"Is it that important?" he stared at me with concern.

"Yes, " I looked around, "it's all I have."

I started walking back to the bridge, scanning the ground hoping that I can still find it, but the stringed bracelet seemed to play hide and seek with me. Zack followed after me searching in the near grasses.

"Would you grand me a wish if I found it?" he spoke while crouching down in the grassy area.

I turned to him and he glanced at me, "I still owe you something, " I said.

He looked away, "That doesn't count, " he grinned.

I peered at him, "I just want my bracelet back, "

He stood up and faced me. He gazed straight into my eyes and I replied by staring at him in confusion, a smirk curved at the corner of his lip before he raised up his hand with my bracelet.

"And now you also owe me a wish, " he smiled.

I was in deep relief, that I immediately snatched the bracelet from his hand and frantically hug him. The green grass touched our skin as we fell down losing our balance and ending up with an awkward position, I was above him.

There was a moment of stillness between us as we stared at each other's eyes. His gazes are deep, like a deep poem attempting to unfold an emotion that even itself doesn't know what it is.

"Ehemm-ehemm, " we immediately stood up when we heard a forced cough.

We awkwardly stood straight, not sure where to glanced at.

Stella grinned at us, "This is not a perfect place to do that, " she let out a chuckle.

"It-It's actually not what you think it is, " Zack spoke trying to explain.

I looked down feeling my cheeks burned.

"Okay, let's not talk about it, " Stella grins before she gestured us to follow, "follow me, I have something for the both of you."

When Stella started to step away, Zack held my wrist and that made me turned to him. He grabbed his handkerchief from his jean's back pocket and started tying it gently around my wrist.

"Let's make sure that you won't get bruises like this anymore, " he uttered as he wrapped the soft fabric around my wrist.

After tying his maroon hankie around my wrist with full manner, he took the bracelet from my hand and knotted it right above the maroon fabric.

There was a weird sensation of déjà vu when he wrapped the bracelet around my wrist, it felt like he had done that before.

He stared at my hand for a moment before he looked straight into my eyes, his eyes narrowed and his brows knitted like he was trying to figure something out.

"Hey, guys! What's taking you so long?" I immediately pulled back my hand before I turned to Stella at the other end of the bridge.

I glanced back at Zack with a smile before I spoke, "Let's go. "

He was still drowned with his thoughts when I turned away, but right before I took a step he grabbed my arm.

"Wait, " he uttered.

I glanced down from his hold before I turn around to face him.

His eyes are locked at the bracelet around my wrist before something flashed into his eyes that caused him to let go of his grip and looked away.

"Let's...walk together, " he uttered.

°°°

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