Yuxuan (REMASTERED)

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Yuxuan," I called out. Yuxuan was having a deep conversation with Sheng, who was standing just outside of the perimeter of where the new camp was being built.

When he heard me, he turned his head slightly. I motioned him over, but rather than acknowledging me, he continued to speak with Sheng.

I thought hard about it. I couldn't just play along with everything being handed to me. If Yuxuan was truly being affected because of my lack of communication, I had to be honest with him.

So, with that in mind, and butterflies tossing around in the deepest part of my core, I walked forward.

I grabbed his arm and interrupted him. "Yuxuan, can we talk for a moment?"

Yuxuan muttered a few words to Sheng, who placed his spear in front of him and stood strong, facing the trees opposing us. I guessed Yuxuan told him to keep a close eye on any intruders.

"There is something I need to tell you."

"Talk." Yuxuan nodded at me.

I opened my mouth to speak. However, when I realized how many people were around us, mostly the men and Feng lingering, I wrapped my fingers around Yuxuan's wrist and led him away.

He wasn't pleased by the action, but he allowed me to.

"I don't know where to begin... but..." I took a deep breath.

It seemed that those butterflies in my stomach were wreaking havoc. My words were going to be hurtful if he even understood me.

"Yuxuan, before Hansel and I arrived here, we planned to stop in Thailand and do more research on the elephants..." I paused, waiting for him to take in the information.

He just stared at me blankly. I continued, not able to tell if he was getting it. "Hansel is a zoologist. And that is... um, to study animals, and I'm his assistant, you see. But our ship... a large boat that brought us here from London port, wrecked in a dreadful storm."

Why did he have to look at me like that? Yuxuan's stern gaze pierced through my soul.

"We made our way to this land. And we've faced many challenges on our first few days here. I was separated from my group, and you saved me... and from that point on, I suppose things had become complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Not complicated, everything just... it happened so fast."

"Alex," Yuxuan moved closer to me when a single tear cascaded down my face.

"The truth is..." I quickly wiped it away and looked at my feet, avoiding his eyes. "We can't do this..."

"Can't?"

"We can't... do this... it's just... I can't do this... Yuxuan, I want to go home."

"Home?"

"To London...London is my home..."

Yuxuan furrowed his eyebrows, trying to piece everything together. "Alex goes home... to London..."

"Yes..."

"With Yuxuan? London not far... We go..."

"We can't go together. I'm saying I want to go back. And London is an entire ocean away."

"Alex goes... and return...."

"No. Yuxuan... I..." I sighed. "It will be very hard for me to come back." I knew once I got back to London, my father would berate me and scold me for coming back so late.

"I don't even know where this place is..." I mumbled the last part under my breath.

"What happens... when Alex goes...?"