Chapitre 24: It was Wine!

Dan chuckled while looking at the flustered Midori. He eased away from her before declaring, "It's my turn to use the bath now." He leisurely walked to the bathroom whistling.

Midori heaved a sigh of relief. She took a glass on the table and absent-mindedly filled it up with the carafe's contents. She made succeeding gulps until she finished the contents of her glass.

Then it dawned on her. It was wine! It was not her first time drinking wine. She is a year early for her age to do so, but her family thinks it would be a good training for her if she drank while they socialize on occasions.

'Stupid! Careless! Stupid!' she scolded herself while tapping her temples with her knuckles. She was flushed. She just had her bath but she feels hot.

Then she remembered that she was still only in a bathrobe. She went through her clothes, picked out a pair of jammies to wear, then arranged her belongings in the wardrobe. As she scooped up her folded clothes, a wrapped box emerged from the pile which made her smile.

She did not have enough time to go shopping for a present due to practices, so she picked out something ordinary and wrote a cheesy message to go with it. One of the reasons why she panicked when she was told that her things were already packed by others was that her gift might be left behind. Then again, it was obviously sitting on her bedside table. Her reliable personal maid was truly efficient.

She hid it at the back portion of a drawer, then she sat on the bed and browsed her phone.

She looked at the message again, she closed her eyes and then she poured herself another glass.

Dan deliberately took his time in the bathroom. He was contemplating how he can turn things around. She was frightened! He did not want that. He does not want her to be afraid, at least not of him. Make it pass as a joke? She will be mad at him. Look serious and just go with it? What if something goes wrong?

He eventually gave up on the thought and decided to act according to her expressions. He slowly opened the door and peeked into the bedroom. He sighed, then slowly walked towards the bed. He chuckled a little. He put on his loungewear. Then he walked towards the bed. He moved his hand to caress her sleeping face ever so gently as not to wake her up. Satisfied after imprinting her face on his mind, he moved to sleep at the sofa.

However, he saw her squirming, resulting to her leg hanging at the edge of the bed. He frowned and went back to drag her towards the center. When he let her wrists go, before he could take a step away, she stretched her arms and reached his waist, dragging him down back to the fluffy bed.

He gulped. He tried to take her arms off of his waist, but she was clinging unto him like a koala to a tree. He was then the one squirming. Suddenly, she pulled him closer to her so that they are facing each other.

"P-chan, stay!" she said, still half-asleep, while pouting.

He froze. Her hug was too tight, it was difficult to breathe. Still trying hard, he adjusted his arms and torso so that she would have an arm as pillow.

'It's only sleeping. Only sleeping!' he convinced himself.

However, his little buddy is definitely awake. He is flustered, internally panicking over the situation.

'This is not good! Why won't you cooperate and back down?! Just this once!"

As he was scolding himself and his little buddy, he heard Midori sob.

"Am I really not enough? If so...then why...why are you...why are you so good to me? Clothes...boat rides...why..." A tear fell on her cheek. Then she went back to sleep.

Dan was confused. 'What's she saying? Who gave her the idea that she's not good enough?'