The Backpacker's Dream

23. Irritation in the Air

'What are you looking at?'

It was the second day of our stay in CC and I was lying on a grass basking the calmness and warmth of the sunset. Sunrays were playing hide and seek with fluffy clouds and the brilliant evening star was giving its glimpse time to time. Birds were chirping and the breeze was letting my hair play with my face.

Brayden came and sat near me and took an apricot from my basket. My eyes were wandering around and got fixed on one unfolding scene.

'Do you look at those tiny little children playing around with no care in the world?'

Brayden's eyes went in that direction and a small smile adorned his face.

'I was just looking at them. They don't care about race or colour, they don't understand each other's language and only converse in Yes or No.' I chuckled. 'But nothing stops them from conveying their emotions, they fight, they laugh and come together like a flock to take care of each other and that little one in Pram.' I took a pause. 'Those cute little boys are plucking flowers and singing some rhyme. I am assuming the little baby in the pram would be a girl.'

I looked at Brayden and said softly, 'I can't even convey my emotions to you what I truly feel, it feels like my heart is peeling from raw emotions but I am so happy that these children will be the future of this place. I am happy that humanity still prevails. All is not lost.'

Brayden took a deep breath.

'I never knew that you were this observant or I think you just have covered yourself in these layers of emotions.'

I snorted.

'I didn't want you to stop today. I felt like listening today. Hell, even I am surprised because most of the times which are like 99.9% of the times, I am always wondering different ways to shut your mouth.' He said it in a serious tone but looking straight into my eyes.

'For that, I can solve your problem.'

I got up and crossed my legs and inched little closer to him and took his cheek between my palms. He was surprised nonetheless.

'People across the world have found a solution to this problem. So, its world's solution not mine's. Don't blame me after that.'

He blinked.

'Whenever you feel like to stop me from talking....' I made duck lips pose and mustered all my hideous innocent strength and said it in a seductive tone, 'Just kiss me.'

'I would rather kiss walrus than you.' I brought my eyebrows together and more hard-pressed his cheeks. 'Are you doing this to irritate me?'

'Yeah. Why? Is it working?'

'Hell yeah.'

'Mission accomplished.'

We decided to wrap things up from here and head to mud house for our stay because apparently we were leaving early morning but then I found something strange.

'Hey, Rabbit.' He looked at me while dusting his blue ripped jeans. 'Why your cheeks became so warm suddenly? Do you have a fever?'

I picked up the basket and looked around to check that I wasn't leaving anything behind.

'Uh...uh. Its weather. My body temperature rises here whenever I come to this place.' He was looking anywhere but me.

'Strange body you have.'

We were taking a nice long walk under the starry night sky when Brayden stopped me. 'Your converse laces seemed to come untied.'

I looked down and groaned. I had the basket in one hand and other hand had half bitten apricot whose juice was dripping down from my chin.