Lost to be found

Part 6

After the meal he took me around the village. To me, everything seemed to be a house but he claimed that they weren't. He pointed out a shop and we went inside. It was just what you'd expect in the middle of nowhere. They seemed to be well stocked which was good.

I walked around the store while he made his to the cashier. They hugged each other and started a conversation. I looked at the aisle in disappointed. Even though they were well stocked they didn't have it in variety. I guess I should get used to it.

I made my way towards the refrigerator and got a bottle of water; with all this walking I might just get thirsty. I rounded the corner to see them whispering while looking in my direction.

I guess he was telling him about how I got here. I would be curious too.

I approached the counter and placed the bottle there.

"Do you mind getting another for me Moya?" He took my bottle and placed it to his lips. I didn't think much of it and walked away, only to hear my name being whispered between them again.

I leaned against the fridge with my hands wrapped around me. I hoped to give them enough time to end their conversation. I wonder what he's saying about me? How much did Declan and his family tell them? Were they judging my circumstances? I felt from nails dig into my arm.

No. I'm just imagining it. I need to calm down. Think positive.

I then heard my name being called again. I made my way towards the cashier.

"What took so long?" I placed the bottle on the counter beside the first one which was still full. "I continued looking around the shop." He placed the bottle back in my hand and said goodbye to the guy. I gave him a little wave and exit the shop.

He gave me another cheeky grin, "So, do you like him?"

My lips pursed as I sighed. "I didn't even speak to him. I can't like him."

He chuckled. "You're very serious about love, aren't you?"

"It's not that I'm serious about it. It's more like I'm not interested in it at this point. I don't have much time for it." He raised a brow. That caught his attention. This isn't going to end well.

"How are you not interested in love? It's all around us. It's what made us." He stretched his hands outwards, pointing at our surroundings.

"I might have to correct you there Romeo. Love and hate are all around us. You can't have one without the other. Also, arranged marriages and business deals can also make us. In other words, money." I rubbed my fingers together to show the universal sign of money. He laughed.

"So, you are those type of people? Let me guess. You don't believe in love at first sight?" He stopped to look at me, actually taking me in.

"Of course not. That is foolish and I can assume from your tone that you do?" I had my hand on my hip.

"Yes, I do. Well, someone is going to have a hard time ahead of them. Speaking of someone, look who's here."

I looked up to see Declan. He was walking away from a large square filled with other young men training.

This seemed to be the centre of the village. It had trees at the edge, providing shade for those who wanted to rest. Men stood in groups across the field. They were sparing and might I say quite aggressively.

Those hits and punches seemed painful. I flinched just looking at them.

I turned away from them. It was hard to continue watching.

"Hey Nicholas and Moya!" The voice sounded nearer. I felt him stop just behind me.

He seemed much more jovial than before. I turned around to look at him. A smile plastered across his face.

They did a hand-shake and hugged. He stretched his hands out at me for a simple handshake. I shook his hand and it felt a bit awkward. Nicholas coughed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be jealous. Soon you can have a special handshake with him as well." I raised an eyebrow at him. What did I do that would suggest that I wanted a special handshake?

They both went silent and I tried my best to ignore it.

I flexed my toes. I had nothing else to distract me. The sandals that I wore were a size too big for me. I looked at Declan's feet. It definitely wasn't his. Maybe his mom?

"Are you taking a break from training?"

"Only a quick water break. Then we'll be jogging, cooling down and that's it. You're free to come watch if you want." He was now looking at me. Was this an invitation?

"Umm...Yes. We'd love to."

Nicholas draped one hand around my shoulder and the other on Declan. He gave us both a smile before we headed to the park.

We sat down under an oak tree. It was huge and over-powering. It provided us with plenty of shade as we leaned against the trunk.

As I observed them, I realized the difference in ages that each group had. Some group had adults in it and the others had older adults. Declan had the younger set of participants surrounding him. They seemed to really like him.

He seemed really comfortable with them even though you could tell that he was very tired. His breathing was fast from the rising and falling of his chest. Sweating dripped down his body in the cool weather that we had.

"Now you are definitely checking him out." Nicholas pointed at Declan.

"Are you really going back to this?" I leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes. Deep breath in and out.

"You seemed a bit tense back there with him? Something between you two?" I opened one of my eyes to look at him.

"I wasn't tense and there is nothing between us. We barely even had a full conversation. It's just that... he stares at me a lot and it's kinda creepy. Like the minute he entered the house he had been staring. I doubt that I saw him blink."

"What's the difference between him staring at you and you staring at him? You've been doing the same since we sat down. Your eyes haven't left him. Even now you're staring at him."

My cheeks flushed and I looked down. I hadn't even realized.

"Well, it's just that his words... no his tone was harsh. He spoke to me like I was his child or something." My eyes fell back to him. He didn't look so harsh now.

He actually looked quite happy. He stood at the front of the line, jumping in place. He was giving orders to the others in line. A small smile on his lips as he took off on a slow and steady jog. The others followed without a complaint.

"His tone might have been harsh but I don't think he meant anything by it. He had stuff going on yesterday. But has he been harsh at any time today?"

I looked down at my feet in thought. We had a short conversation this morning but he didn't seem harsh. He sounded more like he was in a rush than anything.

"We barely had a conversation. Look ok. I'm not into relationships. I don't know anything about him and liking someone that I just met after getting stranded on an island is the last thing that I want." My fingers gripped at the blade of grass. My nails digging into the soil. I wanted nothing more than to get up and leave but that is ill-mannered.

No matter how angry or upset you are, you are to never leave in the middle of a conversation. It is best to sit down and talk. Dad would always say that when an argument happened in the household. It was like a motto.

Oh dad. I could feel my throat closing as I held back tears. I can't here, especially in a public place. What would they think. They might assume that I'm crying for a stupid reason. Deep breathe in and out.

"Are you ok? Maybe we should head back home. It's almost lunch time for the trainees. We could grab something?" Nicholas stood up and held out his hand towards me.

"Yeah. I'd like that."