78 SHE'S READY

"Zoe!" 

Zoe pivoted to check on who was calling her. 

A colossal man with broad shoulders, long hair, and a perfectly symmetrical face was walking towards their area. His muscular build could be seen through his thin shirt and slightly fitting casual shorts. 

He appeared as if he just arose from the depth of the sea. If she did not know him, she would mistake him for a Chinese version of Aquaman! 

She felt her heart beating an extra beat again as he approached them. 

"I'm just wondering if you know how to set up a tent." Raigon said, stating his reason for visiting them as he walked towards them. 

"I told you he likes you," Kristie whispered to Zoe with a big grin on her face. 

They were both sprawled on the ground as they filled the plastic trash bags with sand.

"Hush! How could you say that?" Zoe silenced Kristie as Raigon was now nearing them. 

"It is just an alibi, so he could be with you." Kristie giggled with her body convulsing simultaneously.

Zoe grabbed her arms and calmed her down. Raigon was now a few feet away from them. 

"Uh, We're not done with ours yet. Maybe I could just go there later?" Zoe answered politely as she swiveled to face Raigon. 

He was still a distance away, and she could smell his manly scent. And from her position, she could see every intricate detail of his features from head to foot. 

'Tsk, you cannot be like this Zoe.' She shook her head in disgust at herself for admiring a man's physique which she has never done before. 

She recalled the incident in the cave where they almost kissed. 'If only that didn't happen, I wouldn't be this way.' She resolved to herself. 

It is not that there is no possibility of her having a relationship with him. It's just that she wanted him to confess first, earn her trust, and prove that he is serious enough even to marry her! And until that happens, she will not allow herself to fall for him! 

She tightened her eyes and mouth as she realized she was getting way ahead of herself when he was just here asking for help in his tent. 

"I'll wait for you." He answered her while intently gazing at her with those tantalizing eyes. 

Zoe stared at him as if he meant a different thing.

"How long?" She unconsciously asked in a soft tone.

"I'll wait until you're ready." He replied as his face became serious as he drawled on every word. His face was now only a few inches from Zoe as he stooped down to where he was sitting, so he could see her lovely face. 

"She's ready!" Kristie shouted in glee, which made Raigon and Zoe tilt their heads toward her in surprise. 

"What?" They chorused together, Raigon with a wide Cheshire cat smile on his face and Zoe with a grumpy look on hers. 

Kristie dashed her eyes from left to right and realized that she was in an awkward position. She lifted her plastic trash bag in her left hand and scoop on the right. 

"I mean she could leave now because I can handle this," she explained herself with an uncomfortable smile. 

"Ahh!" Raigon and Zoe chimed in again, this instant however, it was Zoe who was now grinning and Raigon scrunching his face in disappointment as he was expecting a different answer. 

"Are you sure?" Zoe asked Kristie, who scooped the sands swiftly like a scoop a second, showing that she can be left alone. 

"Absolutely! You can help Mr. Gao in fixing his tent. If he could not sleep well tonight, it will be our loss tomorrow." She winked at Zoe. 

"All right then. Let's go, Mr. Gao," Zoe stood up and swept her palms together to get rid of the sand that stuck with it.

Raigon's previous scowl changed quickly into a beam as he fulfilled his purpose for coming here after all.

They walked through the sand as they went to Raigon's tent. 

"Do you remember the first day that we met?" Raigon asked her while they were walking.

Zoe recalled that moment. It was just like what they were doing now, walking through the sand, protected by his arm from leering men who wanted to catch a glimpse of her almost naked body.

"I remember, sticky paper." She smiled at him and then continued on feeling the sand under his feet as they walked through it.

"No, it's not that one," Raigon answered her.

Zoe stared at him with a scrunched forehead. What does he mean by that? She went down memory lane and tried to recollect the events that happened during that point in time.

Was he talking about the minute when she pinned him to the ground? Or when he saved her from Lady Zhou's attempt to strike her?

As she was contemplating, they already reached the tent that he tried to put up. It was already half done. 

"I don't understand what you mean," She commented on his previous question. 

Raigon was thinking about the first time Zoe came to Terra. But it seemed that she really couldn't remember.

He was about to ask her about it when she added, "You haven't experienced camping before?" She chortled as she repeated the same step that she did for her and Kristie's tent. 

She pulled up a scoop and tried to bore a pit a few meters from the tent. But Raigon extended his arm and offered his hand, "Let me."

Zoe shrugged. "Okay." And she handed the scoop to him. He continued to shovel the hollow that Zoe was digging. As he was doing so, Zoe looked for another spot where they could dredge another pothole. 

"After you're done there, hoe another ditch here," She commanded with her hands on her waist as she looked down on Raigon who was down on the sand.

"Yes, your Majesty." He chuckled. Zoe was the only person in the world who could command him like that. 

"I haven't done this before. Thank you for the experience. Your grace is endless, your Majesty." He continued to chide on Zoe. 

"Oh, that's too bad. It's fun camping, you know. I remember the last moment I was with my parents and we set this up was…" Zoe trailed off as soon as she remembered her mother and father.

'Is this the right occasion to tell the truth?' Raigon thought to himself as he gazed on Zoe.

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Anyone can say I love you

But not anyone can say I'll wait

And prove it's true.

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