⚔ The Right Way ⚔

"No no Kallm ji! That box goes here!" Corin lifted her uninjured hand to her forehead and sighed. The whole day she had been trying to get Kallm to put the boxes of their new delivery in their rightful places, but it seemed he enjoyed getting it wrong.

Corin itched to pick up the boxes herself and push him out of the way, but she knew Lirat would scold her. And so she hung back, simply lending her brain to Kallm's brawn.

Corin couldn't lie, she enjoyed being able to see Kallm and loved it when he laughed. His joy took over their store more than once, leaving both ladies smiling at the young man. Even Lirat had taken an instant liking to him.

"Over here?" Corin shook her head, pointing to a spot closer to where she was. Using her free hand she was stacking up the shelves, glad to finally be of some help.

It had been a week since her unfortunate accident, well, fortunate really because she had finally met him. Again.

She knew he remembered her, but she didn't know why he continued to want to be around her. Perhaps it was guilt for landing her in a cast. Or perhaps he was here for revenge.

Corin's blood ran cold as she glanced at Kallm from the corner of her. He was talking to the boys of a customer. They seemed to watch him with adoration as he kneeled infront of them, gently ruffling the younger ones hair. Could he really know what she had done?

"Corin?"

"Ji Aunty ji?" Corin got up from her spot and made her way to the front counter. She couldn't think like that.

"Can you show this young man where we keep our laundry powder?"

Corin nodded, and without looking up she moved to the other corner of the store. She automatically checked the scarf on her head and gestured to where their assortment of cleaning supplies was.

"You wouldn't mind helping me a little more, would you?" The voice behind her spoke and Corin turned around, looking straight into deep blue orbs. She took in a deep breath and nodded, unable to look away.

The stranger gave her a lopsided grin and picked up two of the leading brands.

"Which would you prefer Miss..." He looked at her expectantly, the wolfish grin on his face not leaving and Corin felt the blush rise up her face. Why was he having such an effect on her?

"Corin." She managed to stutter out before realising she had left half his question unanswered. His eyes held amusement as he waited patiently for her to answer him. "Well, ji, you see, it depends."

"On what, Miss Corin?" It seemed he enjoyed taunting her. She noticed the exact moment his eyes zeroed in on the blush rising in her cheeks and when he realised it was because of him. His eyebrows shot up and he took a step forward, turning to face her completely.

His sandy hair fell around his ears, but wasn't long enough for him to tuck it behind. His straight nose tilted to one side as he continued grinning at her and Corin couldn't for the life of her think of what to say next.

"If you have a top loader, go for the purple one. For a front loader, the orange one." Kallm's authoritative voice sliced through her and Corin ducked her head. Oh no.

Kallm placed one hand behind Corin and before she had time to protest he gently nudged her towards the counter. She took a final glance and saw the man putting both detergents away. He caught her eyes then and winked, finally putting both his hands in his pockets and strolling out of the store.

Corin's eyebrows furrowed. That was awfully strange. She had never seen that man in this store before, and for him to come in and not even buy anything, even after specifically asking for something was unusual.

Pushing it to the back of her mind, Corin instead focussed on the fact that Kallm, though having his palm behind her was not actually touching her. Deviously, Corin had half a mind to stop abruptly, forcefully making him place his hand on the small of her back, then thought better of it.

She glanced up at his face and saw that he was wearing a grimace. He finally got to the front and stepped in front of Corin. He looked at her and she could see the questions in his eyes. But why was he so concerned?

Lifting her hands to her head, Corin pulled the scarf right and stood her ground. She had no idea what had Kallm acting this way.

"Corin,"

"Corin! Could you come here for a moment sweetheart?" Lirat called out and Corin glanced apologetically at Kallm before walking past him towards her aunt.

Kallm punched his palm and threw a hand into his hair. He didn't know what had come over him. He just knew, that when he saw that man that he had to interrupt. He hadn't meant to be rude and he hadn't meant to scare Corin either, but seeing her being stunned by a man other than him didn't sit well.

His attention was moved from his own problems to an elderly lady walking in with a basket. Moving forward, he realised he had to do something about this. And fast.

⚔ The Right Way ⚔