Chapter Thirty Five. Does he love her?

By the time the two friends were done baking their cake,it was almost evening but they sure had had a good time. Both Alicia and Maya had wide smiles until it was time to part. On one hand Maya was happy that she had put a smile back on her friend's face while on the other hand Alicia was happy she at least had let go of some of the negative thoughts on her mind.

Alicia noticed that the time wasn't passing depending on her wishes. The last thing on her mind was crossing paths with her friend's father and be reminded about the arrival of suitors from the older man's own mouth. Sensing that he might as well be coming home soon, Alicia said her good byes to her friend so she could head on home.

"Alicia?" she heard her friend call in a cautious tone just when she was about to leave.

"Hmm?" Alicia answered but Maya seemed hesitant with whatever she wanted to say. "What is it?" Alicia could only ask.

"It's... nothing ha ha." Maya laughed awkwardly. "Am just surprised you are eager to leave you won't even let me see you off" said the other woman and Alicia wondered if it was really what her friend had wanted to ask in the first place.

"Sure. why not?" Alicia asked her friend as she wrapped her around her for a hug. "Let's go" she said folding her fist as though they were going for a great hunt causing them both to giggle and dismissing whatever it had been her friend was about to ask completely.

They both walked out of Maya's house while chatting merrily with none walking ahead of the other.

"..... what do you think? that way we could make some good memories with grandmother as well" proposed Maya after she had suggested they bake another cake at Alicia's house as well. Alicia gingerly nodded not wanting to bring the topic of their leaving to the surface again this soon.

"We could go on a picnic" suggested Alicia "...in the woods. we could make use of some roasted meet and fish. Yayy!" she was already salivating and Maya laughed.

On the mention of the woods,a single question that had been bugging Maya since she had come to a certain realization resurfaced on her mind. Should she ask her friend? But what if she doesn't want to bring it up? the older people in their village were familiar with a saying ' somethings are much better off left unsaid' she wondered if that could be the same with her friend.

"Maya?" Alicia called. " are you alright? you are suddenly quiet and slightly pale. Is there something wrong?" her friend sounded worried and that somehow gave her the morale to inquire about her friend also.

"Alicia," Maya called reaching out her hand to hold her friend's hand in her's. "Do you.... perhaps you are...I mean...uh.." by this time Alicia had her brows furrowed wondering what was on her friend's mind.

"It's okay Maya,you can tell me" Alicia reassured as she squeezed her friend's hand in encouragement.

"Alicia," Maya started again cautiously. "Do you... It's like...are you sure you don't like the gumiho?" she blurted. Instead of asking directly if her friend was in love with the infamous gumiho in the forest, Maya's question came out that way and her friend's eyes widened before she clasped her hand on Maya's mouth to shut her blabbering mouth.

"Shhh" said Alicia with a gesture of zipping her lips. "What are you saying?" she then asked in a controlled whisper and Maya was now confused. Did she perhaps make a wrong judgement?

"Am sorry" said Maya to her friend. "I just thought maybe..." she let her sentence trail off.

"It's okay" her friend reassured. " but promise you won't tell anyone anything about it. Not even your father" proposed Alicia and poor Maya nodded thinking that her friend didn't want her to mention it to anyone that she had even ever caught a glimpse of the Devine creature

"I promise" she promised her friend.

"Okay" answered Alicia and she then posed before she continued. "My relationship with him isn't like that" she then revealed and Maya stopped moving. "It's like we are friends and nothing else" explained Alicia with a smile and if possible, Maya's soul could have left her and then returned and then left again with shock.

She had thought that her friend was perhaps in love with the creature of the forest in a way of love at first sight as she had told her she thought she had seen the gumiho the other day of the gathering. But it seemed her friend had not only gone ahead to see the gumiho but even familiarised herself with the man as she was already declaring them friends. Maya could have screamed in terror at the mere mention of it but her voice caught in her throat. Even a sinple thought about the creature of massacre brought goose flesh to her skin!

"You...you mean you have met him?" Maya asked,torn between disbelief and her friend's guts to even think of encountering the creature. She was far from shaken already.

"Yes." answered her delighted friend. "He is a very good person. You would be delighted to meet him!" now Maya's face paled at the thought of meeting the bloodthirsty gumiho. Did her friend really have no consideration for her left? But her next words relieved her pounding heart. "But unfortunately,he doesn't like to mingle and associate with humans" said Alicia in a small sad tone at the thought of her friends not being able to meet some day.

Maya's mind was in chaos. How exactly did her friend come to such an extent of boldness? Who would ever dare to meet the gumiho one on one? Not even Dominic the strongest man in their village could! and she shuddered at the thought of her dear friend standing just a few meters away from a creature with not only a frightening appearance but also long canines and jagged teeth. Some people even said ghosts had feet that faced backwards looking where they were coming from instead of where they were going.

"He is a ghost, Alicia" whispered Maya who could barely hold on to her conscience right now.

"I kn..." Alicia couldn't continue her sentence after she turned to look at her friend who now looked as pale and lifeless as a ghost! "What happened to you Maya? Are you sure you are alright? Maybe we should take a seat under that tree so you could feel a bit better and go back home?" Alicia suggested as she pointed at a certain tree on the other side of the road. Maya hadn't been sick earlier today but now Alicia was sure her friend was sick! so sudden.

When Maya nodded in approval, Alicia guided and led her friend towards the tree and they sat down under it's shade.

"You should have stayed back if you were not feeling alright" Alicia advised her friend but Maya on the receiving end of the advice didn't know if she was even sick at this moment. It would only take a few more words from her friend about the gumiho and she was sure she would faint!

"Am alright" she finally found just a little bit of energy to reassure her friend. "Am not sick. Don't worry" she reassured very much aware that instead of worrying about herself,they should both worry about Alicia who was willingly throwing herself at the table of a starved tiger.

"Do you love him?" Maya's voice had become faint with shock.

Alicia felt really sorry for having not told her friend anything about her meeting up with Wo Ryung for so long now. If not that, maybe they could avoided all this. But at the same time she really hoped Maya would keep the secret about her seeing the gumiho. Not that she didn't trust her friend,but she needed to be extra cautious with matters concerning him and her sneaking away to meet him.

"I don't know" Alicia answered her friend's question. "He is just my friend. A good friend. But...." she didn't know what more to say.

"But?" Maya who had been leaning back against the trees trunk now leaned forward towards her friend with her questioning eyes.

"We've never talked about it that way and now..."explained Alicia. Thinking that the rest of her sentence was going in the direction of and now there are new suitors arriving next week, Maya wondered whether to be happy or not for her friend. Unaware to her that her friend meant 'and now he is completely different from the one I used to know' not to mention the existence of Alexia. Maya sighed not knowing what to do or say about all these revelations.

"Maya?" She turned to face her friend. "Have you been in love before?" Alicia suddenly asked and Maya was beyond speechless. Where was she getting such thoughts from?

"Not exactly. But I have read a lot about it" she answered.

"How is it like?" Alicia asked while her eyes were looking up in the branches of the tree as though she was searching for something.

"How is it like? What do you mean?" Maya was confused.

"I mean... I can't explain but..does it hurt?"Alicia continued to ask..

"Some times" answered a now dutiful Maya. "When the one you love loves someone else,or when the person spends his time and enjoys it with another person,or perhaps when your feelings are just not returned?" Somewhere between her explanations,Maya was bit by bit getting over her shock but not completely. She now sat looking in the direction of her friend's eyes,up in the leaves.

"Does he love her?" Alicia then asked without looking at her and Maya wondered whom.