Destined By The Waves

The Lurking Danger

Faith

I begin walking towards the forest and Joy quickly covers up the distance and walks beside me. He is unusually quiet after what happened.

The silence seems soothing to my ears though. The sounds of the forest and ocean are a bliss when compared to the noises of traffic and other human activities in the city. My mind wanders off to home and what I would be doing if I were there. I'd probably be snuggled in my cosy blanket with a book, or I'd be on my laptop, working on a new project.

But here I am instead, stuck in this strange place with an even strange person. I turn to look at Joy but he is lost in his own thoughts. I look back ahead as we continue walking, stopping occassionally to collect dried twigs and branches.

If there is one thing I understand about Joy, it's that he isn't as bad as the first impression he pulled off. He almost seems like a gentleman, almost being the key word. If I ignore his cocky, inappropriate remarks, he totally fits in that category.

He lets me have my privacy when I do my morning routine, he offered to wait when we decided about bathing yesterday, he even offered me to wear his jersey. I didn't wear it though. I felt kind of awkward to ask him about it again at night.

And, today he owned up and apologised for what happened this morning.

I had woken up early on purpose, to avoid waiting awkwardly as we take a bath. Anyway, things did get awkward one way or the other.

I discretely remember leaving him asleep in one position and coming back to him in another. But I didn't think much of it at that time. I had even looked in his direction as I was bathing, and he was lying down with his back towards me at all times.

So, I had to trust him when he said he didn't look. Why would he lie? And it was not totally his fault either. He didn't know I was going to bath at that time of the morning.

To think of it, he could have not told me at all, and I would have never found out. But, he did. And, he looked really, really guilty. Like he did something so horrible that he can't live with it. It almost made me feel sorry for putting him in that position.

Why was he so bothered though? I should have been the bothered one.

If I judge him by his sexual remarks directed at me, it is evident he feels attracted to me. So, if he were a heartless casanova, he would have rather enjoyed the show I unknowingly put up. Hell, maybe would have even made a move on me. Or, if he were some cruel monster, he would have raped and murdered me, and dumped me in the forest somewhere and nobody would have ever found out.

Too extreme, I know. But, a possibility is a possibility.

But, he did nothing like that. Instead, he apologized, genuinely. No inappropriate sexual remarks on my body or anything. Just plain, heartfelt apology.

So, I couldn't hold this against him.

As vulnerable and exposed it made me feel when I first thought of it, I couldn't bring myself to blame him. It appeared like a genuine accident.

And, after talking to him about his life, his family and his friends last night, I almost strangely trust him. So, I let it go.

But he still seems to be taking it hard on himself. Well, I can't help him with that, I don't want to come across as someone who is okay with being watched nude. And, I don't intend to encourage a repeat of it.

So, he can fight his demons at leisure, I am not going to intervene.

We are both lost in our own mind castles, and we fail to realise that we have walked a lot deeper into the forest than we did yesterday. Here, the trees are long and form a sort of canopy, keeping the sunlight out.