“I have to go,” Rosie blurted.

Apparently during the argument her mind shifted back to Yasteer. She had an idea of going to his cottage and snooping around, maybe she could find something that would lead to him. If he wasn’t going to come back, then surely he must have a back-up plan for his exposed identity.

“Rosie, it’s too late to be gallivanting around,” her mother complained.

“I won’t be long.” Rosie pulled back her chair and disappeared.

“Rosie!!”

Rosie was long gone. She parked the black Toyota Fortuner on the highway before the driveway to the cottage. She stepped out in the rain, without an umbrella and walked the dusty road that had turned muddy. As she entered the driveway, her heart took a knock as she saw the giant footstep of an ape. She realised Yasteer had returned home. So soon? She thought. Perhaps he trusted that she wouldn’t tell anyone what she’d seen, or had he come to collect his things? Her heavy heart dragged her feet to the door. She stood under the awning and knocked.

“Yasteer!” she called out his name after a third knock. “I know you’re here. Open the door or I will break it.”

Her threat seemed to have worked as he finally opened the door. In the dark he stood and Rosie marched inside without being invited. When he turned on the lights, he only had on his shorts. His fine body was covered with bullet wounds. There was a bowl on one of the couches, filled with bloody bullets.

“How are you able to take these out in the dark?” asked Rosie, after discovering the bowl. “Monkeys see in the dark too?”

“I’m more of a bonobo,” he said, letting out a little smile.

“Bonobos are also considered monkeys. Ugly ones for that matter.”

“Maybe the word ape would be more appropriate.”

They stared at each other. The mutual feeling from earlier, when they shared a kiss, returned for a second. She wanted him. She wanted to jump onto him and kiss his lips. So did he.

“Would you like some coffee?” he offered, probably knowing that she was cold as she was soaking wet and had folded her arms.

“I don’t want coffee. I want you to tell me who you are. Where you come from.”

“Can I at least clean myself up?”

Rosie looked at his wounds.

“Do you need stitches?”

“No. They will heal themselves.”

He grabbed a throw from the chair and handed it to her. “Make yourself warm with this while I go and take a shower.”

Rosie took it, sat down on the couch and covered herself. Yasteer took the bowl and disappeared to the bathroom.

She was impressed by how clean and neat his home was. If she nominated her ex-boyfriends’ flat and this cottage, Yasteer would definitely take the award for neatness. She would always clean Tej’s place. No matter how many times she’d scold him about keeping the place clean, her words would come out of his other ear. His lifestyle was no different to that of a pig.

She smiled at the thought. She had to give credit to the monkey keeping his jungle clean. The smile vanished as another thought, of whether she would ever get used to him being a creature, crossed her mind. It felt like a dream that she desperately wanted to wake up from.

Tell us: Would you date someone who turned into a creature at will?