Jade by Olivia Rigal Read Free Book Online Page B

times since I got back yesterday, and it gets more amazing every single time it’s told. Would you care for the latest version?”
    He pauses for effect, but doesn’t wait for my answer. He continues with a story telling voice, “Once upon a time right by a bank of the Mekong River, a little boy and his buffalo were attacked by a gigantic monster.”
    Now I know where this is going. I press my lips together to hide my smile, and watch him tell the story with wide gestures for emphasis.
    “The boy climbs up to the top of the highest tree, abandoning the buffalo. The kid’s horrified. The animal is one of the main family assets, maybe the only one, and there’s nothing he can do to save it. Just as he’s about to die of shame while watching the monster go for the kill, a shrieking red demon jumps down from the sky and chases the monster away.”
    He’s crouching, doing a half-ass imitation of the local demon dancers. I’m ready to give him a standing ovation, but he stops me.
    “Wait, it’s not over. Now that the monster is gone, the demon puts a spell on the buffalo,” he points his fingers and wiggles them around. “When the demon vanishes and the boy comes down from his tree, his buffalo is fixed, good as new. The only proof he has that it wasn’t all a dream is that traces of the monster’s bite have remained on the buffalo’s flank.”
    He takes a bow, and signals that he’s done. I now clap my hands softly so not to wake up the sleepers on the other side of the wall.
    “So, this is the legend of the little red demon. How nice,” I say.
    Oliver comes very close to me. I can smell his breath; it’s fresh and minty. He asks, “What’s the real story?”
    “What makes you think I’ve got anything to do with this story?”
     “Because I also heard about the sequel of the story from Cook who tells it like it is.”
    “Oh right,” I say. “You’re going to be disappointed, as my version of the story is not as nice as yours.” 
    He wants to hear it, anyway.
    “I kind of stumbled onto the attack, shooed the leopard away and tried to patch up the boy’s cow a bit .”
    Oliver’s jaw drops, “You shooed a leopard away?”
    “Well, not exactly,” I shrug, and then I grin when I think back to what I actually did, “I kind of attacked it.”
    He throws his head back, and laughs silently. My grin gets wider. I like that he believes me, that I make him laugh, and that he doesn’t freak out. He catches me by the waist and gently pulls me towards him.
    Now that we’re not both floating in the pond with only our head above water, I see how much taller than me he is. His finger tugs my chin up so he can see my face, and he caresses my lips with his thumb. His eyes are glistening. I made him laugh so much that he has tears in his eyes.
    “What about Keo?” My eyebrows shoot up. I have no idea what he’s talking about. “The baby girl.”
    “Oh, yes. I went back the next day to check on the buffalo, and dress the wound with honey. That’s when the boy’s sister took me to the baby. It was a bad anaphylactic reaction so I brought her here to give her a shot of steroids.” 
    “And you knew how to do that to her?”
    I acquiesce by nodding.
    “How come?” He furrows his brows, and three cute little lines appear on his forehead. 
    I shake my head, “I’m a biologist. It’s just something I know.”  
    He looks at me, thinks for a moment, and simply says, “Okay.”
    The glee I feel to have someone who accepts me without having to probe further is amazing. I stand on the tip of my toes, and brush my lips against his.
    “Thank you.”
    He’s surprised, “What for?”
    “Not being freaked out by me.”
    He’s smiling, “I’m more courageous than a wild leopard!”
    His grip on my waist gets a little tighter. It’s the first time that there is material between his finger and my skin. This touch is different than skin to skin. We’re doing things backwards. He leans down and kisses my