Taming the Author

25: Keep an Open Mind

Nothing happened.

We professionally worked on cleaning the chapter she finished; no banter, no teasing, no sudden kissing and no accidental sexy time.

The following days were no different. In mornings she would either busy herself with her laptop, or drag me into some place in the property like Dora the Explorer. In evenings, we would edit the chapters she finished and sleep in our respective bedrooms.

We would talk about things once in a while, but they weren't as memorable as the ones we shared in the past. In fact, the only conversation we had after the "mint ice cream bonding moment", was when she asked me how I submitted the manuscript for book printing. Rupert apparently didn't tell her about how her books were sent to the printing house. So I eagerly taught her the ropes, from sending the softcopy of the book to Jimmy by email for approval, to sending the printing request with the manuscript and standard order form to the printing press online. I was glad to impress her, but nothing else interesting happened after that.

-And here I thought we were making progress in our "friendship."

I took a deep breath as I read the last paragraph of Loramina's book in the patio. She completed her book and just in time for the deadline scheduled the following day. We would edit the chapter in the afternoon; I would send the book for Jimmy's approval in the evening; and I would receive the go signal to send it out for printing before we left the ranch the following morning.

Yes. It was our last full day in Rupert's property.

"Are you done with that?" Loramina asked, suddenly popping back into my life after leaving me to read her last chapter the night before. I let her out of my sight since she basically spent the morning petting cows and horses with Harold watching over her.

"Yeah," I answered, trying to sound happy. The meaning of the situation had seeped through my senses.

Claus Lorewind's book was finished, and so would her contract with the publishing house. I only had around a day and half left to work with her. After that...

I noted the pony tail she was sporting, the depth of her brown eyes, the subtle point of her nose, the plumpness of her lips, the rosy tint of her cheeks, and the familiar scent of her body.

This could be the last time I would be able to be with her in this way - close enough to talk to her like we knew each other since time began, and far enough to see her as one of the few persons I admire.

"Let's go fishing," she said, showing me the fishing rod she insisted on bringing with her when we left the city.

I burst into chuckles as I realized how much she had been wanting to use the fishing rod. "Is there a lake here?"

"Not in the property," Loramina answered. "But Harold told me there's one just a walk away."

***

I should have asked her how long "a walk" was going to take, because apparently the walk lasted for an hour and half. We walked down the road to a part of the forest where a foot trail leading further inside it had been made. Loramina said it was a fishing spot for locals but when we reached the end of the trail, there weren't anyone else in the place.

The fishing spot was a vast lake surrounded by thick shrubs. The water sparkled under the sunlight, despite being dark and green. The cool breeze smelled a bit swamp-like too, but it seemed to be the perfect home for lazy frogs, roaming dragon flies, and buzzing mosquitoes.

I watched Loramina excitedly walk to an old wooden dock at the edge of the lake with the fishing rod in hand, and smiled at how much younger she felt despite the age of her body.