Chapter 28: Chasing After Feelings

It was the night of that same day. A girl layed on a bed, smashing her head in a wool pillow.

-Ahhhhh! What did I do that?! What was I thinking?! I want to die!!

The girl's shouts were muffled by the wool. Her embarrased face full of regret and uncertanty.

-But.. What if... He? No! You only met him a few weeks ago! What are you thinking, Theodora!?

Hope appeared for a moment in Theodoras face before regret took over her mind again as she remembered the scene. She shouted under the pillow and moved around the bed nervously. The girl exclaimed about the short time that she had met with that boy, even though she herself had been born just a few months ago.

-Mom, Theodora is acting strange again!

A boy, with the same light chesnut brown hair as Theodora, complained about the her unquietness. The boy was a bit older, if you were to take Alex's old world's age standard for humans he would look like a 5 or 6 year old, in this world he was about two years old though.

-Leave her, she also has been laughing around like that before. Now come, food is done.

A woman responded, her black hair was tied in a bun in the back of her head, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, that is to say about 18 years of this world.

While such exchange was happening in a small house of the village, a boy, his hair colored a brownish red with stripes of deep black here and there, was deep in thought.

[What the hell was that!? I'm not that much of an anime protagonist to be dense like a black hole, I know very well what that was supposed to be... I know what that was supposed to be... BUT HOW THE HECK SHOULD I RESPOND!? I had never had anyone even show interest in me, not to mention be so straight foward like that! And it has hardly been anytime since I came to this world. Not to mention that even if we are friends and all, even if I am supposedly the same age as her, SHE STILL LOOKS LIKE A THREE YEARS OLD! Even if I were desperate for romance, I'm not a lolicon, I wouldn't steep that low. What do, what do, what do? FUCK! Couldn't she have waited some more years? No, that would have been cruel to her, but even so!]

Despair filled Alex's head as he shook and scratched it all over. While I, as a God, cannot understand the dilemma of love, time and mortality, I can still undertand the dilemma of feelings, after all that is why we create worlds in the first place. What is art without feelings, after all. It's quite the pickle he is in, it will be fun to see how he solves this, it's in moments like this that I wished to have a body so I could eat some popcorn.

But in a way or another this will have to be resolved, because night has arrived and tomorrow they had decided to meet up again.

[I couldn't sleep at all!]

Both of them thought as they saw the sun go up and the roosters start to sing.

-You waked up early today, Alex. Is something wrong?

When Alex left his room, wishing that ethiopia was a thing here so he could get some cofee, Carol noticed him, as she wakes up early to do chores like bake the bread, prepare the cheese and check on the brewed beer, as all of them were made at home.

-Huh!? Wha- No, no, it's fine.

Picked by surprised by Carol it took a while for Alex to formulate an answer.

-Hmm... is that so? Anyway, there is some biscuits in the table as breakfast is still not ready.

Carol didn't buy it, but she decided not to look into it further. She pointed to the table with biscuits after cleaning her hands on a towel. The biscuits weren't sweet, tasting more like crackers than anything. Now Alex whished that both ethiopia and southeast asia were a thing so he could have some sugar with his cofee. He sighed as he bit into the biscuit and went out to the usual meet up spot.

Alex didn't have anything better to do and was expecting to have to wait a while before anyone arrived since it was about three hours too early before they meet up.

-*yawn* Wha-?

Alex yawned from his lack of sleep until he found in the middle of the townsquare someone familiar. A girl, her skin was slightly dark and taned, her hair cut short to the neck colored a light brown, she wore a light shirt and loose shorts.

When she saw Alex she almost called him out by raising her hand, but stoped midway as her face turned red, after a moment without moving she ran.

-Eh? Wait!

Alex ran after her, he didn't know why, it was somewhat in reflex, but he followed her anyway.

Noticing the persuer Theodora ran faster, trying to lose him by making turn around the city and going by paths difficult to navigate. She jumped over crates and threw barrels to block Alex's path but somehow he was still able to keep following her.

[He is gonna catch me is this goes on! Maybe if I go there...]

Although following her Alex was not aways behind her, sometimes on her left or her right. This made Theodora nervous as she had to think of a way that she was able to lead him to somewhere that he could not escape from.

After mazing around the town they arrived at the flat field behind the square. Theodora tried to cross it as fast as she could, since there Alex had an advantage. As she was close to arrive to the continuation of the town of the other side she was taken by surprise.

*don*

-Ha! *huff* Gotcha *puff*

Alex tackled her, grabing her by the wrists and locking her against a wall. I think this would be what they call a kabedon? No idea but both of them tried to gain back their breaths and stamina.

-No! Let me go! *huff*

Theodora struggled a bit but was too tired to do anything.

-I *huff* just want to talk. So will you calm *puff* down?

-Okay...

Alex then released her and both fell down on their butts to the ground.

-So? Do you have an answer?

Asked Theodora, who catched her breath first, in a tone of nervous expectation.

-Huh? Oh! Well... this is awkward... so do you want the one where I try not to hurt your feelings or do you want me do be brutally straight and honest with you?

-Oi, What is that supposed to be? Haha... Be honest, please.

In response to Theodora's question Alex tried to compose himself, noticing the awkward silence that was created between the two of them he gave Theodora two two options on how he should respond. Understandably Theodora was taken by surprise with a mix of uncertanty but also thinking that was just like Alex. Asking him to be honest she prepared for the worst.

-The truth is that, how should I put in words?... I have no idea!

-Wha- Haaa?

Theodora got angry with the response Alex gave him and was about to give him a punch him.

-Wait! Wait, let me finnish first! You can punch me after that if you want to, okay?

Responded Alex trying to protect himself from the punch.

-Let's hear it, then.

Said Theodora in a reluctant tone that gave the feeling that Alex shouldn't mess this up.

-I really just don't know how to feel, really. I mean, I AM happy that you feel like that towards me, but first of all I think we are way, way, WAY too young for that, you know? And I have no idea if it's ok or what I should do or what I can do. You do know you are always too hasty with things, right? How should I put this...-

Alex tried to explain to Theodora why he didn't want to be like that, but in the end it went on in circles. Feelings are indeed dificult to be put in words but he could see in Theodora's face that she did understand what he was saying even if it was a mess of words.

-... So you see that is why- not that I don't like or anything but-

-Enough! I get it.

Said Theodora as she got up from the ground, interupting Alex who seemed to not be able to stop talking.

-Eh? You do?

-Yes, but I still want to punch you!

-Ouch!

She responded giving a punch on top of Alex's head.

-That hurts! Ouch...

-So to put it simply, your answer is not definitive and will change when we grow up, right? Then I'll be waiting for your answer then.

Theodora said in a playful bow as she ran out into the field, leaving Alex reactionless as all he could do was watch her go away.

After some time he got up, scratched the back of his neck, sighed and said.

-*sigh* Well, It could have gone way worse...