Loveology
CHAPTER 57
You clear your throat.
"Dunstan!" you hiss into the forest. He doesn't notice you.
"Dunstan!" You speak in your normal voice this time, and that gets his attention. He whips his head around to glare at you, but you merely tilt your head in defiance, silently threatening to raise your voice again. Dunstan rolls his eyes and sneaks over your way, annoyance evident in his features. You stand and enter the forest to greet him.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Dunstan hisses at you.
"What do you think you're doing?" you say in return. He rolls his eyes at your response, but you persist. "What do you expect people to think, with you sneaking around here suspiciously with a bag thrown over your shoulder?"
"I don't much care what people think, as long as they don't turn me in!" That slows you down.
"Turn you in?" Dunstan steps back, clearly aware he's said something wrong. "Turn you in for what? Dunstan, what's in that bag?"
"You know what, I shouldn't have stopped." He away from you and steps back into the forest.
"If you take one more step, I'll scream." The East Outskirts are sparsely populated, but there are enough people to pay attention to a woman's scream. And Dunstan knows that. He stops walking, but doesn't turn around. "What's in the bag?"
"It's nothing, Kathleen," he says, speaking to you over his shoulder.
"Dunstan, you can't steal." You step closer to him as you speak. The tightening of his posture is the only answer you need to know he's doing just what you suggested. "It isn't right."
"It's either me or them!" He finally turns to you, fire shining in his eyes. "And I'm not going to starve to death, thank you very much."
"So you're going to let whoever you stole from starve?" He pauses at that. "Dunstan, I don't know what happened to get you to this point, but you have to return what you stole."
"Kathleen-" You take a deep breath, preparing to scream. Dunstan stops talking, but the bag remains on his shoulder. You stare at each other for a moment, before he concedes defeat and drops the bag on the ground.
"Thank you, Dunstan." Instinctively, you throw your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. You step back, slightly embarrassed by your actions, but Dunstan wraps his arms around your waist in return.
"Yeah, princess." His stubble brushes against your cheek as he whispers in your ear. "You're welcome.
You clear your throat.
"Dunstan!" you hiss into the forest. He doesn't notice you.
"Dunstan!" You speak in your normal voice this time, and that gets his attention. He whips his head around to glare at you, but you merely tilt your head in defiance, silently threatening to raise your voice again. Dunstan rolls his eyes and sneaks over your way, annoyance evident in his features. You stand and enter the forest to greet him.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Dunstan hisses at you.
"What do you think you're doing?" you say in return. He rolls his eyes at your response, but you persist. "What do you expect people to think, with you sneaking around here suspiciously with a bag thrown over your shoulder?"
"I don't much care what people think, as long as they don't turn me in!" That slows you down.
"Turn you in?" Dunstan steps back, clearly aware he's said something wrong. "Turn you in for what? Dunstan, what's in that bag?"
"You know what, I shouldn't have stopped." He away from you and steps back into the forest.
"If you take one more step, I'll scream." The East Outskirts are sparsely populated, but there are enough people to pay attention to a woman's scream. And Dunstan knows that. He stops walking, but doesn't turn around. "What's in the bag?"
"It's nothing, Kathleen," he says, speaking to you over his shoulder.
"Dunstan, you can't steal." You step closer to him as you speak. The tightening of his posture is the only answer you need to know he's doing just what you suggested. "It isn't right."
"It's either me or them!" He finally turns to you, fire shining in his eyes. "And I'm not going to starve to death, thank you very much."
"So you're going to let whoever you stole from starve?" He pauses at that. "Dunstan, I don't know what happened to get you to this point, but you have to return what you stole."
"Kathleen-" You take a deep breath, preparing to scream. Dunstan stops talking, but the bag remains on his shoulder. You stare at each other for a moment, before he concedes defeat and drops the bag on the ground.
"Thank you, Dunstan." Instinctively, you throw your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. You step back, slightly embarrassed by your actions, but Dunstan wraps his arms around your waist in return.
"Yeah, princess." His stubble brushes against your cheek as he whispers in your ear. "You're welcome.