What I Didn't See - Ao'nung X Fem Reader

Chapter 8 - Care

I looked down at my feet that swayed in the water below.

I was sat on the edge of the bridge. It was early in the morning and the sun had just started to shine over the horizon.

I smiled to myself when I saw a few young ilu in the water, clicking and playing around, jumping in and out of the ocean.

I smiled to myself when I saw Grace make her way over, circling around my legs, making small noises after sensing the tension I was feeling.

I smiled to myself when I saw a mother holding her baby in the early hours of the morning. Bouncing them up and down, causing the infant to giggle.

I smiled to myself when I saw Ao’nung sneaking out of his hut, meeting with his 3 goons, and running along the sand and up a small rocky hill.

I stopped smiling when I realised who exactly I was looking at. I felt my cheeks go red with embarrassment. I hoped like hell he hadn’t seen me.

I looked back to the group slowly. One by one they all jumped off, making stupid poses in the air. Yelling out. I wondered how they hadn’t disturbed anyone in their slumber. At least not those sleeping.

I saw a group of early morning fishers shouting at the boys for disturbing the waters before Ao’nung walked over to them.

I could tell he was speaking in hushed tones. Probably apologising to the poor men, but not wanting his friends to know he was cowering at the hands of his own people.

Not cowering, necessarily. But respecting the people. Respecting their needs and their duties.

They nodded to the boy before packing up their nets. Ao’nung supervised and helped the group. He watched the group walk off in my direction. Just as I was about to look away, the boy waved.

I hoped like hell it wasn’t to me. I could not deal with being spoken to this morning. I had been able to avoid him for 2 weeks since my nose bleed.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the direction of the horizon. But in just a few short minutes, I heard the 4 boys making their way over.

“I saw you watching us when we were jumping, Monkey lover.” Ao’nung said in a hushed tone, trying not to wake my family in the hut behind us.

He bent down to sit next to me, whispering jokingly in my ear as he did so “impressed?”

I pushed the boy, hoping he would fall in the water, but I was not successful. His 3 friends all dived into the water, not really wanting to sit down and talk to the freak.

“What do you want, Ao’nung?” I asked quietly, dropping my head.

“I want to know how you are.” He replied. He sounded serious. “I mean, I haven’t seen you for two weeks. Other than from afar.” He said looking to the side of my head while maneuvering his hands so he was sitting on them.

“You have just been hiding out here. My mother has even been paying you visits each day, and no one tells me why.” He spoke even quieter now.

He did not dare let his friends hear his…kindness? “Not even Reya…and she tells me more than what I want to know

I looked to the boy who sounded disgusted. He looked it too, his nose scrunched, eyes wide. He almost looked traumatised.

I turned to look at Grace who was still close by and let out a sigh.

“that’s because I made sure no one else would find out…you especially” I answered back. It was true. I didn’t want anyone to know about my nosebleed. Or the second one that had occurred the next day.