“Am I heavy?”
Tay carried me like a monkey dangling from a tall tree. It wasn’t what I wanted. This was due to Tay forcing his back in front of me and threatening, “I won’t go unless I carry you.”
Tay said that he was carrying me because my shoes were all wet, but it was the truth because I had gotten wet from the rain. I had no choice but to comply if he wanted to carry me on his back, but I would have been heavier than usual because I was wet. No matter how thin and small I was compared to Tay, I was also a man with a certain amount of muscle.
“Am I not heavy? If it’s heavy, drop me off…”
I asked Tay the unanswered question one more time. With his hand supporting my ass, he lightly patted my buttocks. As soon as I understood what it meant, I closed my lips.
“It’s light.”
“…”
“You should eat more.”
Tay said it after taking a few more steps. I just stayed still with my arm around his neck. I rested my cheek on his broad back. My cold, sticky skin felt naked because my top was wet.
I wrapped my hand around his neck and rubbed Tay's back or shoulders with my hands. Why was his skin so hard? I knew it was all muscle, but he seemed to be of a different race than me.
Tay told me to eat a lot, but I had a very small mouth in comparison to my peers, and Tay was the type to eat a lot.
When it came to chicken, when most people my age could eat a whole chicken by themselves, I couldn’t finish one. However, Tay was able to eat two of them alone. If he did well, he could eat up to three.
Do I need to eat more in the future if I want to spend time with Tay? I stared at the calm sea while thinking hard by myself. The smell of wet sand, the sound of waves crashing on the beach, and the salty aroma of salt. I’d been to the sea with my family before, but this was my first time seeing such a romantic night sea.
“…”
I was embarrassed and shy somehow, so I strengthened the arm that was wrapped around Tay's neck. I touched my cheek, buried my nose on his back, and kept my lips still. Tay slapped me on the buttocks again when I wriggled and couldn’t settle down properly.
“Stay still.”
“…Okay.”
Anyway, that’s what happened.
~
When we returned to the accommodation, it had already been cleaned up. There was no one in the living room. Even when we entered the building, I was still carried on Tay's back. This was because when I wriggled to get out of his back, he said, “Pretend to sleep because it will be annoying when they ask.” and suggested a useless alternative. I couldn’t help myself, so I opened my eyes and then I heard the sound of a previously closed door opening. I abruptly closed my eyes tightly again.
“Where did you find Newwiee?”
It was Book. I pretended to be sleeping. My heart pounded because lying did not suit my temper. It was clear that Tay probably felt my heart beating fast.
“He was drunk and sleeping in the pavilion.”
“A pavilion?”
“Yeah. It was at the very end.”
“Ah…”
Tay lied calmly. If it’s lying, wouldn’t he be skilled at it? Was he pretending to be light-hearted when he said he loved me so much? In an instant, something soared.
