"You liked him. Why didn't you say something?" Manchu pressed later that night while they sat in her room.

"Him who?" she asked, pretending not to remember. Truth was, she couldn't stop thinking about the man.

"Don't play that game with me, Dee. If I hadn't been there, you would've passed out on the ground when he looked at you. I thought you might even with me there."

She gave an indifferent shrug. "What am I gonna do about it, huh? He's older than I am..."

"He didn't look much older than twenty-three, if that. What's five years?"

"He's too good looking not to have a girlfriend already. Plus, what do I really know about him anyway, other than he runs a scam booth at the carnival. The carnival that is being packed up as we speak."

Manchu shook his head. "You'll never find anyone at this rate. You could've at least asked his name."

Dee rubbed her temples. "Manchu, could we please not go into this right now. I think I just want to take a bath and call it a night. I have watch at 3 AM anyway."

Standing up, he kissed the top of her head. "Fine, Ai. But you must stop being so shy at the wrong moments. He seemed nice enough. And if he wasn't, you could kick his ass." The last was said with a smile as he caressed her cheek before leaving.

After undressing, she wrapped herself in her robe, and stood in front of the mirror. She now loved the shape of her body. It had curves that were pleasing to the eye and they were all real. Her limbs were lithe and had firm, yet had gentle muscles; none of that ugly bulging that she had seen on some women. Smoothing her hands down her body, she sighed as the thought of the carnival barker passed through her mind. The feel of his warm fingertips ghosted over the spot he had touched on her wrist.

Here she was almost seventeen, and a boy had never kissed her. Manchu was like a brother to her, so that never counted. Thinking about it, she couldn't even decide if any of the guys she knew in the triad were interesting enough to just even kiss. Shaking all thoughts of boys from her mind, she swung her bath case over her shoulder and headed for the warm, soothing waters.
Next / The Ring Main / Triad Main /