A few hours later that Tuesday, I rode the loneliest road to Angel Rock with all the care in the world. My skin and my ears felt too sensitive to any stimuli. I had felt edgy all day because I couldn't take the idea that I might have got a target on my back from my mind.

I had avoided Dawn's promenade, as suggested by Siegfried. I parked Frankie in Shell's promenade and walked from there.

When I was deep into the woods of Angel Rock, I felt naively safe. Being covered by those thick bushes and huge trees all around me gave me that feeling. I just relished in it, knowing that Siegfried was near, waiting for me.

And there he was.

He was seated on top of the stone trench, giving his back to me and absent-mindedly staring at the sea in silence. He was surrounded by those golden-glowing fireflies I adored. I stopped walking to him all of a sudden, and I stood there taking it all in in silence.

Their amber light was cast on his skin in soft flickers here and there, enhancing his manly features as if he was a caramel statue. His arms were posed on either side of him, revealing his toned muscles. His broad shoulders were flawlessly defined by his workout routines. His hair was being combed by the sea breeze of the night.

I was mesmerised by the sight of him like that. The heart of Angel Rock was breathtaking, but Siegfried was second to no one and nothing in that respect.

All of a sudden, he scared away a firefly that was dancing over his hair like a halo. His hair had glowed in striking, golden hues. And then, his hair went back to that light brown hue under the pale moonlight when the scared firefly fled away from him.

I resumed walking when I realised that ogling him felt nice, but I couldn't wait to start meditating with him again.

He heard me coming behind him. I could tell because he moved his arms a little, and then he coughed to clear his throat.

"Am I late?" I asked him softly, coming behind him.

"No, you're not," he replied as if he was shy. "Are you okay?"

The view of the sea was spectacular from there. I felt like sitting by his side on top of the trench and talking with him about the other rebels and what might've happened in my absence that afternoon, so I squatted down by his left side.

"Do you mind if I sit her-...?" I started to ask, looking at his face when he turned it to look at me, but I couldn't finish my question.

I realised that there was something horribly wrong with him. My brief happiness at seeing him got dethroned by worry.

"What's happened?!" I asked in a hurry while I let my knees fall abruptly to the ground right beside him. I shot my left hand right at the right side of his face.

The far-right part of his right eyebrow had been wounded. He had three stitches there. The area around it looked swollen and bruised.

The millisecond I touched right beside the stitched wound, he shied away from contact.

"It's nothing. It looks worse than it really is," he replied seriously, not daring to face me.

"What's happened?" I asked him whispering while I insisted on making him look at me by putting my left hand on his right cheek. "Siegfried, don't tell me you've gotten into a fight with the guys over me this late afternoon after I went home. Or the girls. Is this some sort of prize for standing up for me?"

That was when he seemed subdued by my touch and words because he seemed to relax all of a sudden. He breathed out softly as he let me guide his face towards mine. The look in his eyes was intense as he stared at me.

"It is," he replied in a heartfelt whisper.

"Siegfried..."

"Things are no longer out of control. Don't worry. Those assholes won't put a finger on you – or Agape either."

His words carried the scent of distrust and resentment. Then, he put his right hand on my left wrist, softly.

"I'm so sorry, I-" I began to apologise, but he didn't let me finish.

"It's not you who should be apologising right now," he said as he slowly and gently put my left hand down, but he didn't let me go.

I understood what he had meant, but I still felt the need to do so. A tense silence ensued. Then, he let go of my left wrist, but my hand was still on his lap.

"Taro's the worst, just so you know. Avoid him and you'll be fine."

"Is he the one who's hurt you?"

"A glass ashtray, actually."

I gave him a quizzical look.

"Ashtrays don't just fly and hit you in the face," I replied while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Taro's hand might've been responsible for that," he admitted as if he was frustrated over the fact that Taro had been able to hurt him – and his pride too. "He's got anger issues."

I sighed deeply. And then, I let out a soft but brief giggle. Now, it was him the one giving me a quizzical look.

"Anger issues, Siegfried," I told him, smiling at him as if I was mocking him and myself. "Have you learnt nothing ever since we've met? We've argued like mad since that day. I was sure that you wanted to kill me at some point even. Anger is not the answer."

He chuckled once halfway through my fake rant.

"And what about meditation?" I went on in the same fashion. "Weren't you supposed to be able to control yourself thanks to it? Aren't you supposed to teach me how to control my thoughts? You're not precisely a good example, you know."

He chuckled again. He was smiling that nice smile I loved.

"I know I shouldn't joke about this, I'm so-"

"You and Gabi are the best, you know," he replied while staring into my eyes then. I could drown in those chocolate-brown eyes of his.

"How's that so?" I asked him while sitting down right beside him.

"He's usually joking about stuff he shouldn't joke about. It's just the way he is. Always looking at the bright side of life, trying to make me laugh in spite of everything. Like you right now."

"How is he? I bet he also took it as badly as you had. The mutiny, I mean. Is he hurt?"

"No, he's perfectly fine, the bloody idiot. But that doesn't mean he's not looking for Agape's attention to soothe his fake pain away."

I giggled.

"So, he's using this argument you've had to flirt with her?"

"He just never gives up," he said as if he found it both tiresome and cute.

He sighed deeply.

"I guess everybody's edgy due to the upcoming check-ups. Ray's the first to go, next Thursday. Then, Gabi on Friday. My turn's on Wednesday next week. You?"

"Me too on Wednesday next week, in the afternoon."

"Cool. Me too," he added with a soft smile. "Are you nervous?"

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked, feeling that the answer was obvious.

"Gabi seems to be the only one who isn't. But he's an idiot in love. Only God knows what's on his mind."

"Speaking of the devil," I said while I took the envelope that Gabi had given me from my jeans' back pocket. "He's given me a present 'cos I mended his alarm clock. This," I added while showing it to him.

He raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"He said to open it in front of you, that you should have it – or something like that. I didn't get it. Do you know anything about this?"

"No idea."

"Let's open it then."

I tore it open and I took out a folded piece of paper. It read 'Read this aloud to her, Sigi.'

"I guess this is for you," I said feeling mildly disappointed.

Gabi being Gabi meant thinking out of the box in a stupid or flirty way and acting accordingly. He was a clown, so a piece of paper inside an envelope was so not-Gabi that I didn't get it.

Siegfried took that folded piece of paper from my hand, unfolded it, and proceeded to read it aloud.

"The Sensitivity of a Cactus, written by the literary mastermind, guitarist of the century, and notorious ladies' man Gabriel Alonso."

"This present sounds promising," I interrupted him with a slight smirk on my face.

"Why have I got the feeling that I'm gonna regret doing this?" He asked, and then he sighed. "I wished his handwriting wasn't so atrocious."

I chuckled at Siegfried's complaint. He proceeded with the reading:

"My name is Siegfried Thor, and I'm the bloody king of arrogance. I've got the sensitivity of a cactus due to a traumatic past I don't want to share with anyone, but I don't care because..." He stopped abruptly. "I'm not reading this."

"Oh, come on! You know Gabi. It's just a prank. He loves you. And I'd like the rest of my present, please," I begged him while making a funny face.

"I'm so gonna regret this," he replied in a faint whisper, but then he went on as before: "... but I don't care because all the ladies are mad about me. I'm the god of their idolatry. I can't blame them, though. Because I was modelled like a god. I'm unbearably hot. They are obsessed with me to the point they'd gladly kill each other for a second of my attention."

He was reading that in a foul mood as if he'd love to sprint back home and murder his best friend and roommate.

"Is it true?" I asked him with a stupid smile.

"No, of course not!" he complained, blushing madly.

"Go on, please."

"Are you sure?"

"Go on."

He sighed in defeat.

"I am a wonder boy. So hot that the girls' retinas get burnt when they look at me. However, I am not perfect, try as I might. Daphne, I am unable to treat an amazing young lady like you as you deserve – EXCUSE ME?!" he couldn't help yelling with anger at that point. "Because I get unbearably nervous when I see you when you're close to me,..."

He blushed right after saying that.

"And because I haven't got as much experience with women as my dear friend Gabi has got. He's my best friend and my spirit guide. He's the older brother I wish I had had growing up. He's my mentor, and a genius when it comes to the ladies. The sexiest there is. He's the god of love, and I need to learn so much from him! Okay, THAT'S ENOUGH! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Not so fast, wonder boy. Keep on reading," I insisted with too much curiosity while putting a hand on one of his arms to prevent him from standing up and fleeing from me.

He seemed to hesitate for a second, but he complied with my wish:

"A dirt-poor, country guy like me couldn't help but become fascinated by his talents... and by all the secrets he knows about female sexuality, since I'm still a virgin. THAT DOES IT!"

Tomatoes were pale in contrast with Siegfried's face at that moment. I guessed he was feeling both ashamed and angry.

I suddenly realised something crucial. The previous day, he had told me that he had been forbidden to interact with other traditional humans growing up, and that meant no friends and no girlfriend.

"Siegfried, don't go," I insisted then nicely. "Read it all to me, and then do what you want with Gabi. But please... read it all to me first."

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly, and he went on reading: "Please forgive me, Daphne. Forgive me for acting and speaking like an iceberg every time I'm with you. Otherwise, I won't stop annoying my dear friend and god of seduction, Gabi, with my endless monologues about how amazing you are and how much of an idiot I am. I need some sort of redemption, and you're the only cure for that. Release me from shyness with a..." He made a brief pause, but by the way, he was clenching his teeth, I knew he didn't want to finish reading.

"What? What is it?" I asked naively.

"... with a kiss. Okay, finished!" he said then in a rush and pissed off, still blushing. "Now, excuse me, Daphne. I'm gonna kill him."

"I forgive you even though there's nothing to forgive you for, Siegfried," I replied when he was about to stand up and leave. "Also, even though you might not agree with anything he's said. Is any of it true?"

He froze, still blushing madly. He didn't answer. I smiled softly at him.

"My criteria to forgive you might suck, I get it. It's pretty lame."

He still found no words or the will to reply. I guess there was the 'kiss' issue, which neither of us seemed to address.

"Gabi's mocking should not hurt you that much. You know he's not mean."

"No, he's an asshole that feels free to reveal... intimate thoughts."

"Don't get mad at him. I like my present."

"Are you serious?" he asked, staring at me with disbelief.

"Yeah, why not? He's made me smile with it. He's amusing... and I get a glimpse of you when I'm not around."

We spent the next few seconds in complete silence. I could tell I had appeased his anger. Then, he sighed deeply and said:

"We should get started with the meditation."

He was about to lean forward and jump down the trench when I told him:

"Gabi's right about one thing, though."

He froze and stared at me.

"You've got the sensitivity of a cactus. You're cold by default like you said yesterday. A block of ice."

"Don't get me started with this again," he warned me softly.

"I'm thinking about acting and speaking like Gabi, actually. He seems to get his way around you. Maybe I'd get the same results. It's worth a try, don't you think so, iceberg-like wonder boy?" I mocked him trying to sound like Gabi.

"Nope! Not bloody likely!" he exclaimed, offended. "Stop using his words and his tone of voice! And now, let's get to work. You need to learn how to meditate properly."

"Okay, but I'm not jumping from this high, Siegfried."

"You were threatening me with becoming Gabi's copycat, not even one ounce afraid of me and how I'd react, and now you tell me you're afraid of heights, Daphne?"

"Maybe I am," I replied remembering how hard it was for me to escape from the Sappho Residence after the Secretary of State's security guards almost got me.

He chuckled and glanced at the night sky, high above our heads. When he looked back at me, I put my left hand close to his stitches, wondering whether they hurt.

"I'm more afraid of these and what led to them, though."

Right when we were getting serious again, he grabbed my wrist again, pulled me to him in a heartbeat, made me lay on him while I was staring at him in disbelief, got hold of both my legs by putting his other hand right beneath my knees, and then, he leaned forward and we jumped together down the trench.

I screamed in panic like hot tyres screeching on the asphalt.

Hello, my dear sugar cubes!

This chapter is one of my favourites because it includes Gabi being a clownish arsehole and both Daphne and Sigi in a romantic environment.

Stay tuned to know more! 😊

XOXO

MS