There he saw Stefani standing on a chair in a corner. Her face was extremely pale as if she had seen a ghost.
"What happened?" Jonathan asked, looking at Stefani and all around the room.
Stefani pointed to the bed. "T-There's a monster!"
Jonathan's heartbeat finally became slower after seeing his little fiancee safe. "Monster?" He looked over the bed. What monster was this kid talking about now?
"Under! It's hiding under the bed! It attacked me just now!" Stefani looked extremely terrified it was impossible to calm her down for now.
Jonathan ducked, checking what was under the bed that was making the younger look so scared. He sighed though as he found a grasshopper sitting prettily under it.
He stood up, staring at the younger. "A grasshopper?" Is Stefani being serious?
Stefani looked disgusted and scared even more now. "I-It's a grasshopper? But it's so big! How can it attack me earlier?!"
Jonathan sighed. "Just what do you expect its size to be? It's not attacking you, it was probably just hopping wherever it wants. Can you please go down from that chair?" The chair looked too old, it looked as if it wouldn't be able to support anyone's weight for no longer than five minutes.
"No way!" Stefani exclaimed, shaking her head.
It made Jonathan sigh again, wanting to run his palm on his face. Just what would he expect from a sheltered girl such as Stefani again?
Without making things any more difficult, Jonathan bent to the ground and reached for the pretty insect under the bed.
Stefani almost screamed again as she watched how Jonathan easily caught the monster. She watched how its long legs moved, its big eyes becoming wider when Jonathan squeezed the insect in between his fingers.
"Nooo! Don't kill it!" Stefani suddenly said, stopping Jonathan.
"What do you want me to do with it then?" Jonathan asked, almost nonchalantly. Stefani couldn't believe how soulless Jonathan was. How can he just kill an insect like it's nothing?!
"J-Just.. let it go outside," Stefani said.
Jonathan, without having more or less care for the poor insect, let it hop out through the window. Thinking about it now, there was really no way they could stay in this place for long. He couldn't let Stefani taste this kind of life after all.
"I-I can't believe a real grasshopper would look so scary like that..." Stefani was mumbling to herself as she slowly tried to get down from the chair.
"Careful!" Jonathan warned when he saw her.
Stefani ignored the older. She was just placing her feet down when one of the chair's legs suddenly broke, making a loud cracking sound.
Jonathan cursed under his breath as he swiftly moved and luckily caught the younger in time, though making both of them hit the ground hard, with Stefani falling on top of Jonathan.
"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked worriedly. He knew it. That chair didn't look good from the first time his eyes lay on it.
Stefani stared at Jonathan, suddenly feeling something inside her chest. What is it? Why is her heart beating so fast right now?
Jonathan's frown soon disappeared, his eyes only looking back at Stefani's own. There was something in the way Stefani looked at him that made Jonathan feel as if he was on clouds. Suddenly, time had stopped and they were the only people that existed once more.
Jonathan gulped down. He could hear the loud beating of his own heart, making it impossible to notice anything else at the moment.
"Stefani..." he whispered as his hand went up to Stefani's face, caressing the younger, his other hand still around Stefani's waist, hugging her protectively.
To his surprise, the younger didn't say anything or move at all. Her eyes were still wide in shock though, Jonathan couldn't read what was running inside the teenager's mind.
Slowly, Jonathan's thumb grazed over Stefani's right cheek, then slowly down to her soft lips, finding them yet again the most alluring thing that he has ever seen in his life. They somehow could find a way to make Jonathan lose his mind in an instant. There was this feeling of surrendering and dominating this woman before him. Jonathan didn't know something could make him feel powerless and powerful both at the same time. As it turned out, only Stefani could make him feel these wonderful yet difficult-to-describe emotions.
Without thinking any further, Jonathan moved up and was about to claim Stefani’s lips when suddenly there was a voice coming from the outside.
"Are you two all right? I heard the scream just now."
Stefani's eyes widened in full realization of what was happening upon hearing the stranger’s voice. She pushed Jonathan quickly as she stood up, making the older wince in pain as he fell back to the ground, hitting his back terribly.
Jonathan, still wincing, got up and went to open the door. "We're fine. Thanks for asking."
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Hanji asked.
"Yes." Jonathan glanced at Stefani to his side. "Stefani, this is Mrs. Hanji. She's the one who treated our wounds this morning."
Stefani politely greeted the woman, "T-Thank you so much for treating us.. and making us stay in your house."
"Don't mention it. It's not like every day there are tourists who visit this old ugly place. Ah, but I'm not disturbing you or anything like that, am I?" The old woman asked teasingly.
Stefani shook her head vigorously. "O-Of course not, Mrs. Hanji!" She then smiled kindly at the old lady.
"You know, you really have smooth skin now that I look at you. Your eyelashes are long too..." the old lady continued to talk as she stared at Stefani more.
Stefani gave out a shy laugh, trying to be polite with the old lady.
Jonathan, on the other hand, only had to sigh at the side as he watched the two interact with each other.
They almost kissed. Just a few more centimeters and Jonathan could've claimed those soft lips. Just when it was about to happen, someone came and they would stop. Like a fully destroyed effortly made castle, whatever he has built would crumble, almost all the time.
Damn it.
Why do women always, always, always have to interrupt him and Stefani?
Why?
Just why?