Behind Those Eyes | Aonung (Enemies to Lovers)

18. day one in ta'unui (2)

"Pretty face? Who?" Tasun asked, clueless.

Katiya's eyebrows twitched in irritation.

Then she smirked. "Yeah, why don't you also tell him how you lost to a girl and kissed her foot?"

Aonung shrugged. "She liked it."

Tasun laughed and Aonung smiled which irked Katiya to no end. She scowled.

He was great at fueling her anger.

She was ready to lash out and give him a piece of her mind. But she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm.

Aonung, on the other hand, felt somewhat proud of himself for drawing her attention away from Tasun.

He smiled and looked her in the eye. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she gave him a strange look.

There seemed to be something different about his actions, but she couldn't care to question it.

An awkward silence ensued between the three of them, and Aonung broke the silence with a low chuckle.

"So, who is this girl, huh?" Tasun teased, nudging Aonung with his elbow. "She must be quite an eye-catcher for you to refer to her as pretty face."

Aonung paused, his brows slightly pressed together.

Did he call her pretty face because he thought she was beautiful? Rather than being a compliment, that nickname was meant as an insult.

Right?

His eyes flickered to Katiya, who was no longer interested in their conversation. Instead, she joined the others, no longer listening to him and Tasun.

At that moment, Aonung couldn't give his friend an answer. Perhaps because he didn't know what that answer was.

For the rest of the afternoon, his thoughts occupied his mind as he assisted Rotxo's grandmother with early dinner preparation.

He sharpened sticks for her as she felt for the fish and poked it with the stick.

Tasun's question bothered him for some time. However, it didn't compare to seeing his friend walk from place to place with Katiya, talking and flirting with each other.

Each time they passed by, Aonung rolled his eyes in irritation.

He wished he could just ignore them, but he couldn't.

"Kati, let me help you with that basket of fish. You are fragile and should be treated like a princess," Tasun said with a charming smile and big heart eyes.

Katiya blushed and giggled. "You're so sweet, thank you! I love your muscles."

Tasun laughed. Katiya's eyes flitted to Aonung as she grabbed Tasun's arm and smiled.

"Fucking disgusting," Aonung murmured, his gaze fixed on them as he chipped away at the stick in his hand with his knife.

"Kati, I can carry the basket for you if you'd like. I'm sure it must be quite heavy for you," Tasun said, gesturing at the basket in Katiya's hand.

Katiya scoffed. "Underestimate a woman's strength again and you'll end up with a scar too."

Tasun laughed, amused by her witty remark after finding out that Aonung's scar was from her.

With each conversation he had with her, he became more and more attracted to her. She was quick with her words, confident, and knew where she stood.

A suitable mate for a future Olo'eyktan.