Rei was patiently waiting for Kira and Zeri as he sat lazily on a bench. When he finally spotted the couple walking towards him, he stood up. He noticed their appearance and he raised his brows. Drenched pair of puppies, huh… nice view…
As they approached him, Rei eyes fell onto Zeri's outfit when out of the blue, Kira suddenly blocked his view, surprising him.
Rei smirked at Kira's unexpected action but the young man just turned his back from him and moved closer to his girlfriend.
He watched Kira buttoned Zeri's jacket up to her neck while the girl simply stood there, quietly letting Kira do what he was doing.
Rei couldn't help but smirk at the sight of them. 'Sigh… this guy… you're already hopelessly smitten with her now, haha.'
The two then headed to a nearby hotel to get changed. Kira was surprisingly silent. He wasn't complaining anymore or rushing her.
By the time they stepped out of the hotel, Zeri was now wearing the comfortable sneakers she kept talking about since this morning. Her energy level was back to 100% again. She really was like a tiny ball of energy, rolling and rolling without exhausted.
Kira and Rei were silently following her from behind as she joyfully looked around. And then, she moved fast ahead of them.
"Zeri Kim, don't run!" Kira called out but the girl ignored him.
"Haha, your girlfriend is not listening to you at all. This is such a rare sight if you ask me, Kira." Rei grinned at him.
"Shut up Rei."
"Seeing you now made me realize that karma is real you know. Think of all the girls who desperately chased you –"
"I didn't ask them to chase me."
"Zeri Kim didn't ask you to chase her as well."
". . ." Kira glared at his friend and Rei finally dropped his teasing. He just shrugged and nonchalantly changed the topic.
"I heard there's a parade soon." He said, looking towards the crowded area ahead of them. "You better catch up on her or you'll lose her in the crowd." He smiled mischievously.
Kira helplessly sighed and run after her. Gladly, she didn't go that far yet because of the crowd so Kira was able to catch up with her.
"Where are you going?" he said, grabbing her wrist.
"Let's watch the parade!" there were stars in her eyes again and before Kira could start to protest, Zeri held his wrist and she began to drag him.
"Wait, what are you doing? Can't you see that it's way too crowded?!" Kira complained but the girl didn't seem to hear her because of the loud noises coming from the approaching marching band.
And before he knew it, he was already being dragged by her as she swiftly forced her way through the crowd. Kira, the prince who never once did anything like this was utterly overwhelmed.
When they were finally in the front, Kira was drenched with sweat. He had never experienced anything like this in his life. He was the only heir of a wealthy household. He could even rent this entire place for a day if he wanted to or even buy it but what the hell was going on? Him? The great Kira, was here watching a marching band in this crowded place all sweaty and exhausted? He couldn't believe it.
Kira's hands were on his knees as he panted. He glanced at his squirrel and there she was, awed and thrilled as her gaze was focused onto the approaching elephant and the marching band behind it. He could only look blankly, utterly confused.
The next moment, Zeri began clinging onto his arm. She was jumping in excitement as she kept asking him to look.
Panting, Kira wiped his sweat with his sleeves and did as she requested. He couldn't refuse her, especially when she was this happy.
When the marching band was finally right before them, Kira flinched because of the loud noise. He was never a fan of loud noises. He felt like his eardrums would burst so he covered his ears. Damn it! What the hell's with this place?!
Kira was so overwhelmed. It seemed like this too was a culture shock for him. The heat, the loud noise, the crowd, and everything was making him dizzy. He felt as though there was no enough oxygen for him to breathe.
"Squirrel… I'm thirsty…" he rested his head on her shoulder, gripping her hand hard.
When Zeri felt him weakly leaned on her, her oh-so-wide smile slowly faded. She blinked as she looked at him, and when she finally noticed that he was drenched with sweat, she began to be alarmed.
"Are you okay?" she asked, eyes wide.
"I'm thirsty." He answered as he tried to steady himself.
Zeri bit her lips upon seeing his face. He looked exhausted and pale. She looked around and immediately helped him out of the crowd.
She was supporting him as she brought him towards a bench under a big umbrella. As soon as she made him sit, she dashed away and then brought back a bottle of water and a wet towel with her. She was surprisingly calm and quick.
"Drink this." She gave him the water. After gulping nearly all of it, Kira threw his head back, closing his eyes. The water somehow made him feel a lot better.
He was trying to calm his breathing when suddenly, he felt a hand unbuttoning his shirt. He was quick to catch her wrists.
"Zeri Kim, what are you doing?" he asked, frowning at her.
"You have to loosen up your shirt." She was serious as always. As if what she was doing right now was a matter of life and death.
Her intensity made Kira's jaw dropped and before he knew it, the buttons of his shirt were already undone down to his chest. After that, she pressed a wet and cool piece of clothes on his forehead.
"How about you lie down? Here, lie on my lap." She said and Kira was so stunned he failed to react on time.
She was already pulling his head down when he managed to speak. "Wait… no need, I'm fine like thi –"
For some reason, Kira suddenly stopped protesting. He obediently laid down, and once his head was on her lap, he felt his ears turned hot.