I WILL FIND YOU.

Chapter 16: Strawberries

"Our hair won't dry if we stay inside. We need to sit out in the sun." Minda said after returning to his room. Kai agreed and moved Minda towards the garden.

"Wait, you can't go outside dressed in nothing but a towel even if we did tell Auntie Feifei."

"It will be awhile before my clothes dry." Kai responded.

"I know but... It's inappropriate." He whispered with a light blush. He was having a difficult time not staring at Kai's bare chest as they talked. Kai noticed his discomfort but he thought Minda's flustered appearance was amusing.

"Maybe you can wear one of my robes until your clothes dry?" Minda suggested. Kai was obviously a lot taller and bigger than him but without using his brothers clothes he couldn't think of anything else he could wear.

"Okay." Kai said as he changed directions and went to the wardrobe instead. Inside he found a white robe. When compared to the other clothes it seemed the largest.

"Is he really that much bigger than me?" Minda thought as he watched Kai struggle to fit his thick biceps through the sleeves. He managed to get it on and tied the belt around his waist. When he walked back to Minda's side his broad chest was exposed because he couldn't fully close the robe.

"I guess it will have to do until your clothes dry." Minda said with a light blush. Kai smiled and proceeded to push Minda out of the room and into the sunny garden.

...

The two of them sat in the warm sunlight. Kai sat back and listened to Minda chat about the area. How when he was a child he would go with his brothers and roam the mountain.

"His hair is really beautiful." Kai thought as he watched Minda's hair move in the breeze. The way his hair caught the sunlight made it shimmer like the threads of a spider web blowing in the breeze.

After some time passed Minda touched his hair and noticed it had fully dried.

"My hair dried a lot faster than I thought. Kai, I bet your clothes are dry by now." Minda said.

"I'll go check."

Minda watched Kai walk away. His chest feeling heavier with every step Kai took. Alone again he looked down at the stone on his lap.

"I should stop carrying this around." Minda thought. He picked it up and tried placing it on the ground next to him but couldn't bare to let it go.

"Maybe I'll keep it in my room." He decided as he quickly lifted back up and put it back on his lap. His hands shook as he held the stone and stared off in the direction Kai had left in.

...

When Kai returned he brought with him the basket of dry clothes.

"They're dry?" Minda asked.

"Yes." Kai said.

"You can change in my room." Minda suggested. Kai didn't object. He took the basket of clothes and went inside. Minda watched him disappear behind the screen. While he was changing Minda asked him about lunch.

"It's almost lunch time. What do you want to eat?" Minda asked.

"Anything is fine with me."

"How about some spicy noodles? Auntie Feifei makes some really good noodles." Minda suggested.

"Okay."

"Do you want anything else?"

"It's your choice."

Minda was a little irked by Kai's lacklustre response. He hoped to learn more about Kai's likes and dislikes but he was as tightlipped as he was back in the dungeon.