Encounters~ Skilled Jewel Empress X Nation's Spoiled Prince

Sara noticed the presence lurking in the shadowy Guatemala bushes. Out of her military instinct, her right hand rushed behind her grip on the pistol secured on the metal strap, around her hip. She stepped forward as her sneakers trampled the sand gravels under them. Without any warning, her body lurched forward and very soon, a hand to hand scuffle ensued among the bushes. Soon, there was a muffled cry. Sara took the opportunity to land a kick on the opponent's knee, sending him on the ground. But, in the process, she ended up landing on top of him. They fell with a loud thud, sending the dust flying. Sara, being prone to dust allergy, started sneezing immediately. She continued sneezing and felt the one under her, shift positions. Without thinking, Sara threw her fist but the one opposite her caught it without any trouble.

On the other hand, Sara was still sneezing, making it unable to open her eyes. What surprised her was the lack of attacks from her opponent. She tried to throw another punch, but it ended up being caught.

"Hey! Are you alright?" the voice under her spoke.

Sara's eyes flew open when she heard his voice and she stopped sneezing. She was stunned to see the pair of blue eyes staring at her.

"Ri-Riley?"

On the other hand, Riley was equally stunned to experience Sara's outstanding combat skills. Earlier, he had come back here for some fresh air. Out of habit, he had chased a squirrel for fun and in the process, he got entangled in the bush. And, later on, he was awarded kicks and punches by an unknown entity!

And to his surprise and joy, the unknown entity turned out to be Sara.

He had not expected her to come here. But, for now, they were having an intense staring contest. Sara suddenly thought about how she had punched and kicked him earlier. Thinking about it, a faint blush rushed upon her cheeks. But, it did not miss Riley's keen eyes. He felt a fuzzy feeling bubbling in his c.h.e.s.t.

It did not take much time for Sara to figure out that Riley was actually sitting up straight and she was sitting on his l.a.p. Moreover, their position was quite awkward and embarrassing. Thinking about it, Sara blushed harder. She snapped out of her dazed state and tried to yank back her hands. But, Riley's grip was quite strong and in the process, she lost her balance and fell back. She closed her eyes, anticipating a hard hit on her head. But, that did not happen. Instead, she remained suspended in the air! Riley had grabbed her by her waist, just in time.

The sudden pull by Sara snapped Riley out of his daze. He felt his palms were empty as Sara had pulled her hands away. By then, Sara was already falling back. He had caught her, just in time. Then, he grabbed her towards him, making her sit in the same position.

Realizing that they were back in their initial awkward position, Sara tried to stand up immediately. But her legs gave away and she ended up losing her balance once again.

Meanwhile, Riley was quick enough to stand up and was just a moment away from brushing his hands and feet when he saw her fall. YET AGAIN!

He lurched forward and secured her in his arms. He smiled when he saw her naïve expression. Her eyes were tightly shut and her hands were clasped tightly together. Was she praying for an easy fall? Her face was bright red, coupled with her initial instances of sneezing.

Sara anticipated YET ANOTHER fall but she knew that she was secured in his arms. She prayed for the moment to last longer. But, the thought filled her with fear. The fear of losing him under unknown circ.u.mstances. She hurriedly opened her eyes and she saw his smiling face. This time, she steadied herself before she stood up straight, managing to put some distance between them.

"Do you hate me that much?" he suddenly asked out of nowhere; his voice carried hints of mockery.

Sara was alarmed and turned her face to look at him. That's when she noticed him properly. He was just wearing a white shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. They were a bit creased and dusty. His hands were tugged inside of the pockets of the blue pants he was wearing. His shoes were dusty and his hair was messy too. But, it did not make him look like a shabby country bumpkin. Instead, he was looking elegant and charismatic, yet carefree. He appeared extra handsome coupled with the moonlight glowing on him. He was busy looking straight ahead in the distance.

Sara turned away and heaved a sigh. Then, she replied in a quiet voice, "No, I don't hate you."

"Then? Why? Why are you so eager to run away from me?" Riley continued to speak, in a sad voice.

"I…" Sara found it hard to explain, but tried her best to explain, "You know that I have a special identity, right?"

"Mm-hm. I saw that", Riley continued in a detached way, "Are you a secret agent? Member of a Special Force or…"

"Or?" Sara pressed him as she glanced at the reflection of the moon on the surface of the pond, "Or what?"

"Are you from Underworld?" Riley looked at her.

"No", Sara growled in a low voice, eyeing him with disbelief. If she was, she would have long hidden him away in a secluded place, where nobody could find him, where no harm could touch him. That way, she would not have to worry about him being in danger.

"Then? Who exactly are you?" He asked, looking straight at her hazel brown eyes.

Sara turned away, avoiding his question. Then, she went ahead and picked up a stone. She tossed the stone at the surface of the pond. It took five leaps before it landed on the other end, making a flawless ripple effect. Soon another stone followed, creating yet another ripple effect. Sara turned to look at Riley.

"Am I a good student?" Riley asked with a smile.

Sara realized his words and gave a slight nod, "Yeah."

"So? Do you plan to tell me yet?"

Hearing his words, Sara could only sigh. After a while, she walked towards him slowly, with her hands tugged inside her windbreaker's pockets.

The next moment, she caught him off guard as she grabbed his left hand. Then, she started moving her forefinger on the empty space of his hand, scribbling some invisible words. When she was done with it, she dropped his hand and moved a step back to put some distance between them.