“Umm…can you…” I began asking. “Yes, I can carry you…” he replied as if he knew exactly what I was going to ask. My eyes widened in surprise before I collected myself and nodded at him in thanks. At least, that saved me from the embarrassment of asking him to carry me up. Instead of carrying me, the man turned his back to me and crouched down. “Climb on my back or you can sit on my shoulders, which ever you prefer,” he said casually. He waited as I hesitated on what to do. Frankly, I had never ridden on a man’s back or anyone’s back before. So, how do I climb up someone’s back exactly? On top of that, I might be heavy so… “What are you waiting for?” he asked with a hint of impatient in his voice. “Umm…I’m sorry but…I don’t really know how to get on someone’s back…” I admitted shyly as a blush crept up into my cheeks.The man turned his head around and stared up at my face before he burst out laughing quite loudly. His hand moved to cover his lips as he continued to laugh even louder than before while I stood there frozen in embarrassment. I shouldn’t have told him that… “Come here,” he said after his laughter had subsided somewhat. He gestured with his hand for me to approach him but when I hesitated, he ended up approaching me instead. “Umm…” I mumbled at a loss of what to do. “Stop spacing out young lady…” he said. I felt his arm around my thighs for a moment before he had lifted me up. It all happened so fast, and I was still confused about what had happened when I found myself sitting on his shoulder with his arms around my body to support me. “You can reach quite far up this way, right?” the man said followed by a joyous laugh. He was right. I can definitely reach up quite high like this and both my arms were free. This was definitely embarrassing, and the skirt of my maid uniform wasn’t exactly long either. However, the frightened cry of the cat helped me focus on the task at hand. “Come here, kitty…” I called out sweetly to the scarred cat. “Be careful…” the man warned. “Ok…” I murmured in reply. The cat seemed scared but because it couldn’t move to get away, I managed to secure the cat into my hands and then into my arms. “I got her…” I said while assuming that the cat was a female. “Right then, I’ll help you slowly get down…” he said reassuringly. Thing didn’t turn out as simple and easy as he made it sound when the cat started struggling in my arms. I could already tell that at least one of its legs was injured and that made me hesitate to let go because I wasn’t sure if the cat could make a safe landing. “Hold still…please stop struggling…” I begged the cat desperately. We did not come to any kind of understanding and the cat refused to stop struggling in my arms while I tried to manage. I didn’t realize that I was moving around too much until I felt myself falling. Panic gripped me and I closed my eyes tightly shut as I hugged the cat tightly in my arms to prevent its escape. I clenched my teeth and braced for the impact of my fall which didn’t materialize. “You look very comfortable…” the man muttered. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see his face very close and right in front of mine. The cat was no longer in my arms but had settled right next to us on the grass. On the other hand, I was lying on something firm and warm, and when I glanced down, I gasped when I realized that I was straddling the man’s hips in addition to having my entire upper body pressed on top of his. Blood rushed to my face when I felt the warmth and hardness of his chest pressing against my breasts. Why didn’t I realize this before? This man…he smells just like roses… “Oh no! I am so sorry! Are you ok?” I exclaimed in shock as I sat up. I continued to blush when he started laughing a little at me. At least, he wasn’t mad… “Rather than worrying about me, shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself?” he asked, clearly amused. “But I’m fine so…” I murmured. I wasn’t hurt thanks to the fact that I landed on top of him. “Is that so?” he asked teasingly. “Well…” I mumbled before I realized that I was still straddling his hips. I gasped quite loudly before I got off him. My face felt numb from shock, and I was completely mortified about what had just taken place. The cat sat and meowed next to us as if asking for our attention. “Umm…I think the poor cat’s leg is injured…” I said to change the direction of our conversation. “Let’s take it to the infirmary. I’m sure the doctor or nurse there can treat it,” he said calmly. The cat hissed again when he tried to get close. I guessed the cat didn’t like the man for some reason. “Come here. I’ll take you to the doctor,” I whispered as I took the cat back into my arm and stood up. I glanced at the leaves that have fallen onto the grass beneath the large tree. During our time retrieving the cat down from the tree, many leaves have fallen down. “Don’t worry about the leaves. Let’s get the cat to the doctor first,” he quickly advised. I nodded my head in agreement after tearing my eyes away from the fallen leaves on the ground. …“I would like to say that it’s nothing serious but that’s not the case. The wound in both its hindlegs are very deep. Thankfully, the none of the bones are broken,” the doctor said before she flashed me a smile. “Thank you so much for your help!” I thanked her loudly. --To be continued…