SHAPESHIFTERS
The Part 24

Duke had already returned to the farmhouse.

Dishes accidentally struck with the sink, with the tap water flowing, made a noise from inside the house, which broke the silence of the night in that place.

Bella had already finished washing all the cutlery and cooking, and left behind Marco who dried all the clean and wet utensils.

With two cups of coffee brewed with just boiling water, from the top of the hearth, Bella sat on Marco's porch.

And not long after, Marco came out and sat there.

Bella, who seemed to be daydreaming, looked straight at the cornfield, reflexively turned sideways as Marco sat next to her.

Marco took a cup of coffee, from Bella's hand and took a sip.

I don't know what Bella's thinking right now.

When they had dinner last night, and Bella asked what was going on, Marco spontaneously replied that he loved Bella.

It should be the right answer to please Bella.

But, for some reason, Bella even looks as if she is feeling guilty, from that second until now.

"Is there something you're thinking about?" marco asked, asking Bella to talk, rather than just guessing by herself.

"Hmmm... I was just thinking, if you might have to say, that you love me too" Bella replied.

The woman looked sad and riled up, then took a sip of her coffee, while still keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"Why do you think that?" ask Marco.

Slowly, Marco took Bella's hand, and held it, by fusing the fingers of their hands together.

"You might say it just so I don't feel embarrassed or disappointed" Bella said.

"I know that I now seem to be forcing you to accept me" continued Bella quietly.

Marco chuckled, staring at Bella beside him.

"Never think like that again!" said Marco.

"I don't feel like you're being forced... Then I'm happy, too. Because at the very least, I was given the opportunity to be with you, and not just to make Jack jealous" Marco continued, then smiled broadly.

Bella leaned her head against Marco's shoulder, then said,

"You might laugh at me, or think I'm a liar, if I say something that has to do with Jack" Bella said.

"What's that?" ask Marco.

"You know that I've been interested in him since we were very young, right?" ask Bella to make sure.

"Yes" answered Marco.

"When I saw him on the campus... You are the one who crossed my mind. I remember you, and I thought about where you were at the time" Bella said.

"Why, I miss you, to be with me" continued Bella.

"To heat up Jack?" ask Marco, pretend to be stupid.

"You're mocking me?" bella's voice is high.

"No. But, isn't that what you always do, if there's a Jack around you?" ask Marco.

"Hmmm... Yeah, when we were kids, yeah. It's true that way...

But, after you moved out of here, let alone the time I was being campused, I remembered you, and missed you in a different way...

I really hope to see you again. Also, I really hope you're not married" Bella said.

"Hmmm... Apparently so... Exorbitant! Because of your expectations, I couldn't find a suitable partner for me" Marco joked.

Bella raised her face, then looked at Marco.

"I really love you... After you left, I realized it. You must think me ridiculous, right?" ask Bella.

Marco took a coffee cup from Bella's hand, and placed it along with his coffee cup onto the floor, next to the bench they were sitting on.

Then, Marco makes Bella stand and sit on his lap, facing Marco.

"Honestly... I don't remember you often... But, I remember the pleasure of the time you kissed me on the cheek, even though you were just doing it, to make Jack jealous" Marco said.

"I just reasoned to return Pai's baking sheet to you that night, making sure you were alone" said Bella, with a blushing face.

"Then, I don't have to be ashamed to admit that I was too nervous to see you, that I had to go home, before you finished painting on my face" Marco said.

Bella dipped her face in Marco's neck, then whispered,

"I love you..."

Oh, my gosh!

Marco didn't hear Bella wrong, did he?

"If there's something wrong with me, is it possible that you would still accept me?" ask Marco carefully.

"As long as you don't leave me again" replied Bella.

"What if I'm not like most people?" ask Marco.

"Aren't you not like ordinary people?" Bella asked back.

"I mean, what if I'm really different?" ask Marco.

"You are different from the people I have met" replied Bella.

"Hmmm..." Marco muttering.

Marco was really confused, how to give Bella a little bit of a shadow, about her flaws.

"If I'm not a human being, what?" ask Marco.

"Are you a vampire? A ghost? Werewolf?" Bella asked back.

Marco was silent, and did not know what to say anymore.

Bella lifted her face, then looked at Marco fixedly.

"If you're a vampire, then you're not going to age, and I'm going to be a vampire to be with you forever...

If you are a ghost... What I see now, you have nothing to scare her at all, I still like you...

If you're a werewolf, it doesn't matter to me, other than you can protect me, you can still go back to being human...

As long as you have no other woman besides me, all that I can accept" replied Bella.

"How can you think of such a thing?" marco asked confusedly.

Bella smiled, then laughed.

"Maybe it's because I watch too many movies... To be sure, I consider all of that unusual, also something cool." replied Bella.

"Did you forget that if I ever wanted to meet a kind prince, who was still a frog or a bad monster, then when I kissed him, he would turn into a handsome prince?" ask Bella.

"But that was when you were a kid?" ask Marco.

"I liked you when I was a kid. We were ten, or eleven...

Hmmmm... I don't remember exactly when you moved out of town. All I remember is, we haven't finished primary school...

Is that impossible? Can't that be taken seriously, either?" Bella asked back.

Marco took a deep breath, and really thought about what he was sure to tell Bella this time.

"Is there anything you want to tell me? Just say it, without any hesitation! It's possible, it can make you feel calmer, and can really love me later," Bella said.

Marco took a deep breath, then carried Bella into the room.

"Can you promise me you won't say this to anyone else, even if you think I'm weird and scary?" marco asked seriously.

"I promise!" bella answered, then made a cross with her finger in front of her mouth.

Marco took off his clothes one by one, until there was not a single thread left, while looking at Bella who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking with a serious face staring at Marco.

Marco changed his body shape into an eagle, slowly.

Before her perfect form, Bella then stood up from her seat, and with a tense face looked at Marco.

Maybe it was a bad decision Marco made.