He reached out his hand in the open space that connected our unmatching level from the wood plank where I stood, where he sat.

My head throbbed in confusion. What was he really trying to do?

"Well? Are you going to take my hand, or are you going to wait and expect for me to pull your hand? Because I doubt that would happen."

What a jerk.

"You must really think I'm being a jerk right now, but you still couldn't leave, right?"

I felt my own eyes, twitching rapidly in anger. Or maybe, more in poorly concealed embarrassment. Or was it, just the defect of aging? Aish...

But why wouldn't my feet trudge away and just leave him? Why wouldn't my head just turn away from him? Why wouldn't my eyes just stop staring at him? I swear if my hand suddenly took his, I'd rather jump straight into the river and die. But the only problem is...I couldn't even move. Damn it, just move, you old .

As if reading my mind, he suddenly laughed softly to himself. It was soundless. But I saw it anyhow. How could I not? From the way his eyes just...no...stop it. I shouldn't be acting or even think this way. How crude and immatured. The right thing to do is...yes the very thing he taunted I couldn't do and was damn right about it.

I can do this. I've gotten over so many ty things. I've came out clean and safe everytime. I can do this now. Mind control.

And I did it.

I succeeded to turn, maybe it was the anger, or the beaten pride, whatever it was, thank you, God.

Except that it took less than a second before I almost lost balance and fell down, because he really did pull my hand, well, unless it was something else, but I don't think river monster's hand would felt that nice and warm, would it? In fact, he didn't even pull that harshly, it was just...shockingly and intimidatingly firm and close, with not even a single breathing space allowed between the attached skins. It was alarming, how long the contact dragged on and how the quietness was set to expose whatever stupid noises coming from my heart. Aish...erase, erase it now, be quiet.

But he indirectly helped me to find words to thrash the silence when the numbing static grip grew tighter and his thumb against my bare palm, breaking the trance coated in illusion, and brought me back to my senses.

"What are you doing?!" I yanked my own hand, feeling the strain on my upper arms leading up to shoulder, out of jerking myself too hard. But surprisingly or not, either he had predicted what I would do or either I was the one who's not as determined as I should be, to be released from him. I kept struggling, but I wasn't sure if I was really using all my strength and struggled in the real meaning, or just attempting half heartedly.

"Touching your hand. Did you see me doing anything else?"

I couldn't believe what I just heard. My jaw probably just dropped. And so did all my strength, as I abruptly stopped putting in effort or energy into pulling myself from his domination. And he loosened his grip without taking off his hand from hovering over mine, and just casually, his thumb continued caressing my palm. And all I did was nothing.

He blinked once, calmly and that's how I caught myself still staring at him.

"Or am I doing something else to you, without really doing anything?" He sneered.

"Just...let go."

"You forgot to say, please."

"I'm old enough to... be your aunt."

"I'm old enough to be your lover, ...auntie."

"Yah, you're crazy."

"No, you're the crazy one,...auntie."

"Stop it." This time I managed to finally pull away my hand, but strangely, it felt even stranger when it's back to being freed the way it should be.

"No, you stop it." He suddenly sprang up from his seating position and stood straight. It was a little shocking to see him being so tall even though I didn't expect him to be short either.

"Stop being so insecure about your age. Who cares if you're an auntie? Do you need to tell it every single time? I don't need to hear you teach me how to behave to someone older. To me, you're just a person I met here. A person who's obviously attracted to me but try so hard to deny it because you're an auntie."

"Yah, brat, what...what made you so certain people are attracted to you anyway?" It was a poor attempt at concealing everything about me he's so effortlessly peeling off like he lived inside of me. What is he?

"Because it's just written all over your face."

I've lived long enough to know that was but a tactic, a trick, to make me show that he's right. I would not be tricked by such old trick for sure. I would not look down or look away.

"You're really arrogant, and over confident you know? Yah, you won't succeed in life if you act this way."

"So, will living in denial help you succeed in life? If you're th