They reached another river and Ramza stopped near the river bank.

He went to the river to catch freshwater fish. He catches more than ten fish and cleaned them.

He looked at Kate, sitting under the shade of the tree, she was sporting a somber expression on her face.

She's been quite the whole morning, she looks lethargic, but she made an effort to get fresh water for their water jug.

Ramza went back to the wagon and began preparing the pot to boil rice.

After making the fire, he placed the pot on the makeshift stone stove and let the burning wood do the rest.

Kate was just observing him.

"Why you look grumpy today?" he asked although he already knew the reason why.

"Nothing..." she said and pouted up a storm.

Ramza grinned. "Alright, I will visit you in your village. Shall a once a week visit — okay with you?"

Kate's face brightened with happiness. "Yes! That's better than nothing," she answered in elation.

Ramza smiled sadly, everything he said to her right now was a big lie.

One hour later, the rice and fish were cooked and they devoured their meals in a relaxed manner.

After finishing lunch, they packed up everything and resumed their journey.

Hours progressed quickly.

The afternoon comes and goes.

Soon it's nightfall again.

The heaven was dark and there were no stars above. Then suddenly the rain falls in tiny droplets.

Kate called her companion. "Ramza, come inside the wagon, you will get wet if you stay outside!" she shouted.

Ramza obeyed and went inside the wagon.

They start eating the leftover rice and roasted fish for dinner.

The rain outside was getting heavier, as thunder and lightning made a spectacular showdown in the sky above.

"Looks like the rain is not going to slow down," he observed.

"It doesn't matter, we're safe and dry here inside the wagon," Kate said while getting cozy under her blanket.

"I will leave if the rain will stop," he said.

"No need to leave, just stay here. You can't sleep outside because the ground is wet and muddy, your clothes will only get dirty. You can sleep here inside the wagon. There's still enough room for one person," she said and made a room for him to sleep beside her.

He can't believe it. "Are you sure — you will allow me to sleep beside you?"

Kate grinned. "Why not? We're friends, right? Because we're friends, we'll take care of each other, help each other and be there for each other," she winked at him.

The moment she winked at him, Ramza's heart stopped beating in his chest, he was a goner.

She looked at him keenly. "So...tell me more about your life," she said wanting to get to know him on a deeper level because she was fascinated by his amazing personality. He is superb in so many ways, he can do anything. He is different from any guy she saw in her village.

"You first — tell me about your life," he said.

Kate's mouth was twisted. "Hmm, my life is boring. Nothing is interesting in my life. I grow up with my sisters, Ivy, and Ella. We're raised by our wonderful beloved Aunt Margie. Our parents died when I'm still seven years old. We plant and grow crops for a living. We're among the poorest family in our village. After our place ravaged by insects and drought, my sister applied as a housekeeper on the castle on the hill to make us survive the plague," she concluded her narration.

"That's all?" he asked.

Kate nodded her head. "I told you, my life story is boring," she said. "How about you? Tell me about yourself and your family. I want to know more about you," she demanded.

Ramza sighed. As much as possible he no longer wants to feed her anymore of his lies. He feels guilty. But he knows that she won't stop pestering him and she will ask again tomorrow.

"Ah, my life is boring as hell. I'm an orphaned. I grow up with my uncle's family and then, later on, they kicked me out of the house, they can not afford another mouth to feed 'coz I eat a lot, so I grow up surviving alone on my own," he finished his lies with a fake smile.

Kate's stared at him with sadness in her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. Your life is more pathetic than mine. I'm luckier because I have my aunt and my siblings that love me unconditionally," she said with sympathy.

Ramza shrugged. "There's no need to be sorry, I'm used to my life being alone," he said. "Let's just not talk about sad things. Why don't you sleep now? I will sleep later."

"I'm not sleepy yet," Kate protested. "I still want to talk to you!"

Ramza smiled. He took out a wooden flute from his bag. "I will play my flute. You want to hear some relaxing music?" he asked.

Kate's eyes flashed with excitement. "Wow! You can play the flute too! Amazing, you're an extraordinary guy!"

She showered him with praises.

And he likes the glowing admiration radiating from her eyes. He brought the wooden flute to his mouth and began playing a piece of soft music with his lips and fingers.

He stared at her pretty face while creating sweet music with the flute.

Kate's gaze was fixed on his face. She was mesmerized by the talented guy sitting in front of her, serenading her with beautiful lovely music.

The melodious music of the flute made Kate sleepy, she started yawning, her eyelids were dropping fast as minutes pass by.

A few minutes later, she was already sleeping soundly.

Ramza stopped playing the flute and covered the rest of Kate's body with the blanket.

"Sleep well my dear, good night," he said softly.

He leaned towards her face and planted a kiss on her forehead.

He released a deep sigh and lay down beside her on the floor of the wagon. There's not much space around to settle comfortably. He will just try not to move much so that she won't be awakened too early.

Ramza stared at her face for a long time trying to memorize every feature of her pretty face.

He finally succumbs to sleep two hours later, at the same time the rain stopped falling outside.