I'm not scared of you

Lyre kept his gaze on his joined hands as Rain drove to the mall.

The mother had to talk Clar out of following them out. That's why they were alone.

"You don't have to be nervous with me. I won't hurt you, Lyre." Rain smiled, hoping to make him seem less on edge.

Lyre nodded, but he didn't say a word.

The truth was this, Lyre wasn't afraid like Rain assumed he was. He was merely trying to come to terms with his strange feelings for Rain.

He doesn't understand why his heart has refused to cease beating.

It was as if his heart wanted Rain to hear it. And Rain did.

However, he thought the increased rate was due to fear.

"I won't hurt you." He repeated once more, to put Lyre's heart at ease.

"I'm not scared of that," Lyre lowered his face some more.

"What?" Rain turned to him, with half attention on the road, and half on him.

"I'm not scared of you," Lyre spoke in a small voice, with his right over his left, as he nervously tried not to look at Rain.

Rain, on the other hand, was excited by the words he heard.

Never would he have thought Lyre will say such words.

He thought Lyre was frightened of him, but that wasn't the case at all.

"Why are you acting this way if you are not afraid?" Rain asked in a smooth voice while inwardly, he was dancing with joy.

It was like a victory to him.

"Nothing." Lyre shook his head with his attention on his joined hands.

His heart was beating so loudly, it made him eager to take the organ out, and beat it to submission.

Rain smiled at Lyre, "you don't have to be nervous next to me."

"I'm not nervous," Lyre frowned.

"Why is your heart beating so loud if you are not nervous?" Rain furrowed his brows as he tried to keep half of his attention on the road.

"Nothing."

"Hmm."

Rain nodded, but he wasn't convinced by Lyre's words.

He claimed he wasn't nervous, but the way his heart was beating proved he was.

However, he didn't dwell on that. He decided to focus on his driving now, and find a way to appease Lyre when they get to the mall.

Lyre sneaked a peek at Rain who was more focused on driving than on the merman who was trying not to be caught, sneaking a peek.

Lyre marvelled at the handsomeness of the male next to him. He couldn't imagine a merman who was more handsome than the human male was.

"Take a picture, it will last longer." Rain winked at him before he turned his attention back to the road.

Lyre's cheeks turned blood-red.

"You look cute when you blush, you know that, right?" Rain grinned as Lyre's blush became more pronounced. "You need to smile and blush more, it makes you more Beautiful."

"I'm a male," Lyre said in a small voice as he turned his attention to the outside world.

And like that, the happy atmosphere that was created was dashed.

Lyre, who was trying so hard to forget his family was once more reminded of his mom.

Rain cleared his throat, "I'm sorry if I offended you with my words. You don't have to take it to heart." He tried to appease Lyre, who wasn't even listening to him.

*********

Rain parked the car by the side, and got down from it. He walked over to Lyre's side and opened the door for the merman, who was thinking of how to open it.

He got down from the car when Rain opened it.

Lyre didn't say a word. Rather, he fastened his eyes on the mall.

To him, this was the most beautiful place he has ever seen.

"Why do you have such an expression on your face? Don't tell me you've never been to a mall?" Rain furrowed his brows.

"No."

Just the simple word was what the merman said as he continued to look around.

Rain stood rooted to the ground, trying to understand who the cute boy was.

It was so strange that a human teen doesn't know most of the basic things.

He found it difficult to believe there was anyone on Earth who hasn't been to a mall before.

"Where did you come from?"

"Kingdom of the sea," Lyre said truthfully without mincing words. He didn't bother to tell Rain the name of his kingdom since it won't be familiar to humans.

"What? You are joking, right?" Rain laughed at his words.

The people, exiting the mall, cast glances at them as they hurried to their destinations.

"I'm not—"

"You are funny, Lyre." Rain tried to circle his hand around Lyre's shoulder, but kept it hanging when Lyre flinched. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay." Lyre took a step back, to create a little distance between them.

"Let's go." Rain smiled, to ease the atmosphere between them.

He was hard on himself for being the reason for Lyre's sadness.

It's either he says the wrong words or tried to do something Lyre wasn't comfortable with.

"Okay."

Lyre nodded as he followed Rain into the mall. He constantly glanced around, at the people walking in and out of the mall. His eyes grew wide as saucers when the sliding doors of the mall opened on their own.

"Wow."

The expression on his face, caused Rain to smile.

He was pleased to see Lyre looking so naturally with that awed expression on his face.

"You look like a kid who got the best Christmas present," he teased Lyre.

"What's Christmas?" Lyre blinked cutely at Rain.

Rain's heart skipped a bit at the cute expression on Lyre's face. He looked like those illustrations of little kids as angels.

Rain swallowed deeply as he tried to keep not only his emotions in check but his other self.

It was as if his other being were trying to escape from its confines.