Vanished (I LUV U.) - Abide With Me Book 1

Chapter 13 - Love

The end is near... one more week... four more chapters... this is the end for you. 

(Joke!) :)))))) But seriously, the end is coming... I'm going to be updating daily now. It depends if you can catch up. But even if you can't read it right now, please please read it! XD The end is going to be...explosive!!! 

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Chapter 13 - LOVE

June 6, 1499

“Is she okay?” the janitor asked.

Observing Alaya’s strange state, Zenzu said, “No idea.”

Alaya had been playing with the orange lilies growing close to the riverbank for half-an-hour. She did nothing but play with the pollen on their anthers and hypnotize herself by staring deep into the flowers.

“Maybe it’s her natural way of coping with loss,” the janitor theorized.

“Or maybe she’s in an unnatural state of mind,” Zenzu said. “Spill it. Why’d you have to hook me up with her?”

The janitor gripped the skin on his forehead. “Like I said, it’s utterly complicated. There are many reasons. But the clearest one right now is that-” He paused, leaning towards Zenzu and pointing his finger to Alaya. “-do you really think someone like that can last a day in the wilderness?”

Zenzu instantly saw the reason. “True,” he agreed. “But she’s survived on her own for two years. She can do fine on her own, can’t she?”

“Alaya’s one of those fragile people out there. They’re all tough and cool at the start, but when something breaks their hearts, it’s like they never did those great things at all!”

Their conversation was stopped when they heard Alaya giggling silly. The janitor turned back to Zenzu and stared deeply into him with his glowing blue eyes. “Now you know one of the reasons, do your job as her, err, husband. Got it?”

“Got it,” Zenzu answered idly.

In a blink of an eye, the janitor disappeared. Zenzu walked towards his wife, now rolling around in the grass.

The warm rays of the sun were suddenly blocked. Alaya looked up and saw Zenzu’s big head eclipsing the sun.

“Hi,” she said rather strangely.

“Quit it,” Zenzu said. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. Alaya giggled along, enjoying the little ‘ride’ her husband gave her. Looking at her closely, there were itsy-bitsy grains of pollen scattered over her nose. Her bangs stuck out as a result of not taking her regular bath.

“Stop laughing!” he ordered. The exiled princess continued to laugh.

Angry, Zenzu grabbed hold of her head and shook it twenty times. When he finished, Alaya’s grey eyes wobbled in their sockets like they were just glued-on googly-eyes. “WAKEUP!!” he shouted into her ears. Zenzu tried his best not to slap his wife in the face, but the annoying tone of her laughter made it extremely hard.

Suddenly, she lazily wrapped her arms around the irritated boy and said, “I love you.”

Zenzu’s angry mood slipped away. His cheeks blushed red. He felt Alaya’s warmth jumping into his heart. Even when she smelled like dirt, she smelled good. The sun seemed to shine its spotlight on them. Slowly, he embraced her and said, “I lo-. No. Umm, thanks. That’s it. Thanks, Alaya.”

“That is all you can say to me?” Alaya’s voice returned to her usual defiant tone.

“Pretty much,” Zenzu said with difficulty, trying not to make eye-contact with his wife.