59 The Trick

Jim held Miya by the waist, while she had her hands on his shoulders, seated rather awkwardly on his spread out legs. When the books started falling on his head, Jim was confused, shocked and alarmed – all at the same time!

What the hell had happened?!

Then, reality had dawned on him when he saw a rather fat book falling over Miya. He had quickly evaded it with his own hand, but then another one from the side had hit her shoulder instead. Protecting her had been a fruitless effort, she got hit anyway. He was struck too, but because his focus was on rescuing the missus, he hadn't really paid attention to himself. When the books had finally stopped falling, a light magazine had hit his head with a plop sound, as if that were a concluding blow.

He couldn't react, unable to get along with the pace of events. Somehow, he was reminded of the time when Miya had hit him with her broom. His face immediately turned filthy, and he was annoyed.

Miya however, had quickly removed the magazine lying on his head. Then, almost suddenly, the girl had burst out laughing.

That, exactly, had pulled Jimmy back from the thought of him getting hit. And when he looked at the girl laugh so merrily, he was dazed. His hold around her waist tightened instinctively, and when he saw that she couldn't stop laughing, he couldn't help but smile himself.

She was very cute. And she really had the best smile.

Miya hiccupped between her laughs, and then matched Jimmy's eyes. Giving him a profound smile, that almost made the young master weak in the knees, she said, "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be laughing. But you look so funny!"

Every instinct of Jim told him to be offended, but he was far from feeling the emotion. Instead, he just took a casual look around himself, saw all the books lying around them, and then shrugged. A cheeky smirk spread on his lips in response.

"Are you okay?" the missus then said with concern. Her face still had a hint of that playful smile.

Jim nodded honestly.

"You?" he asked.

Miya nodded as well.

When they managed to get off the floor, and away from each other, Jim was still feeling slightly light-headed. Miya however, was full of joy. Her mood had lifted by much, and she felt like she was ready to take on the world again.

"Come, you idiots!" her heart sang, "I'll beat you all to a pulp!"

Jim dusted his pants, and then remembered all his accusations from before. So he forced a frown on his face, and pulled Miya by the arm. When he saw the excited look on her face though, he rolled his eyes. The girl was actually pumping her fists.

What had happened now?

She was weird, alright.

Miya's excitement turned to a frown.

"I didn't know you were coming. And you're not that tall yourself."

Jim rolled his eyes.

"I'm strong enough to move that damned stand to a proper place, so you wouldn't have to dance on it to fetch a book."

Her face was now convulsed in retort.

"I wasn't dancing!" she said aloud, indignant, "And I'm stronger than you. You don't believe me, let's fight!"

She was way too fired up. And he had no doubt he' be defeated in a fight. That, however, wasn't the point and he really was in no mood to argue with her so early in the morning.

"No, let's not. Where's Ben?"

He asked the question, but his eyes soon fell on a little creature sleeping soundly in a corner, his face buried in a large book.

Jim sighed.

"You should have gone back to the hotel," he chided lightly, and walked over to the boy "Look at my matey. He's wrapped in a book! Why'd you have to stay over anyway?"

Miya scratched her head nervously.

"Well… I… The librarian, like I said, turned out to be an old friend. Then, stuff happened, and um, I had to stay."

Jim scowled at her words, and shot her a sharp look. Miya nearly jumped up from surprise.

"What 'stuff'?" Jim's voice was stern.

"Er…"

She thought about lying, but then she knew Rebecca was still knocked out in the next room. It wouldn't do any good, if she lied now, and Jimmy Hunter found out the truth anyway.

"I – Well, we got to talking. She s-smoked a lot, and then passed out."

Now that, Jim hadn't expected to hear.

He had been about to wake up the boy, when Miya's words made him turn around and raise his brows.

"You smoked too?" he asked.

Miya instantly recalled how obsessed the young man was with her swearing before Ben. She would never hear the end of it, if he knew she smoked with her child in the next room.

"Just one!" she blurted out honestly though, afraid of the man's piercing gaze suddenly, "And Ben didn't see! I made sure of that!"

"Did you take any drugs?"

Miya was instantly on alert. She almost raised her hands in defence.

"No! No! Neither did Becky! We were just smoking cigarettes. No weed! Rebecca just passed out because she took too many!"

"How many?"

"Ei – What?"

Miya frowned at the question, for it was sudden and irrelevant. Jim suppressed a laugh.

"How many?" he repeated though, his tone still unkind.

"Eighteen," the missus whispered slowly.

"Weakling."

That made Miya's jaw drop.

What!

How was Becky a weakling?!

The question and astonishment was written all over her face, so Jim replied simply, "I once had a contest with a few friends. It took me forty five, to be knocked out cold."

Miya was horrified.

"You're lying!" she shrieked. Jim shook his head.

"I'm not."

And then, her surprise turned to revolt.

"Why didn't you just set your lungs to fire then?" she said indignantly, "That would've been much easier if you wanted to get killed!"

Jimmy chuckled at her disapproval, feeling somewhat strange at being scolded like a brat. But because he was doing the same to her, he couldn't actually retort.

"I don't do it anymore," he told her though, "Just ten at max, when I'm thinking hard."

"Ten is too many!"

Damn it, what kind of C.E.O. was he, making cigarette challenges with friends and smoking in order to think?!

"It's better than forty five."

"Still too many! Why do you have to smoke to think anyway?!"

"Lady, you're one to talk. You breathe in apples when you think!"

"They're apples. There's a difference!"

"Exactly. There's a difference. At least smoking is calming."

"Don't you defend this horrendous activity before me! And I still say, ten is too many!"

"It is not."

"It is!"

"Then why didn't you go tell that to your Becky? She took eighteen."

"Becky is – Wait, you don't change the topic. I insist. Ten is too many!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Miya… say, you really think it's a horrendous activity?"

"Yes!" Miya nodded her head rigorously, in order to put in more force to her answer.

"Then you promise not to do it again?"

"Yes!"

Wait. What?

"Good. I promise not to take more than two too."

With that, the young master turned around again, and slowly began to close the book lying beside Ben. His eyes twitched a little when he saw the title, "A History of Humankind".

Wasn't the kid just five?

Meanwhile Miya stood back, her mouth open wide.

The heck.

Why did she feel like she had just been tricked?!

That man… Damn it!