Chapitre 19: Flick of a switch

"So," breaking the silence that enveloped them as she wondered what was going through his mind at the moment.

She looked at the horizon as a new day began with a few seagulls flying just above the water, not far from the shore, hunting for a fish for a meal. The waves were a bit restless, making larger splashes on the shoreline. The sun was coming up from behind the clouds, but it had barely shown its rays.

They slowly walked down the path, onto the beach towards his house.

She was thankful that she got away this time, but she wished more than ever to end her lie and come clean to him. The problem was, she was not sure how he would take the truth. She found herself afraid of the possible consequences of her actions.

"I don't know, but waking up this morning, all I could think of was you," he stated, scanning her face for any reaction.

He took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. He had dreamed of this last night, only to wake up missing her. He knew he was moving too fast, but he could not help it.

Feeling the same way, she scrutinized his face, checking if he was teasing her, but all written on his expression was his sincerity. "Maybe you are just lonely like I am, trapped in this isolated island."

Walking side by side with him with their hands entwined felt like she was walking on clouds. She was giddy inside, like a teenager on her first date. Her resolution not to enter another relationship this soon seemed to fade away as she began to long for his presence.

"No. That's not it. I believe you are very special," he said. "I want to see you more." Confessing his thoughts to her, ever since he saw her in the cafe.

He still could not believe that he brought her to his grandparents' house. He never introduced anyone to them, not even his first love. In the few days he had met her, she managed to disrupt his plans and weaved herself to his life.

"What are you planning for today? I hope it is not another surprise." She began to change the topic. The guilt in her conscience was nagging at her.

"How else could I give you a good time?" He teased her, pulling her in an embrace. He tilted her chin, took her glasses off, staring into her emerald eyes. "You have lovely eyes. It is a shame that you keep hiding them in these eyeglasses."

She stared at him under the rays of the sun, squinting her eyes to get a better view of his face.

"I need them or else everything will look blurry." She commented, also transfixed in his amber eyes, as she stared at them in her fuzzy vision.

He lowered himself and kissed her, not wanting to do anything else under the rising sun. The waves around them served as their background music as they got lost in their embrace.

The moment they stopped kissing, Raf slowly pulled her towards his house.

In the distance, Lindsey watched them with concern on her face.

She recognized the love blossoming between the young couple, but trouble seemed to be brewing just beneath the surface. She could feel it in the air. She could only hope that fate would be kind.

Baxter greeted Sky as soon as she entered the house with a warm welcome, which included him jumping on her and licking her face. He seemed excited to see her again.

"Easy there," Raf pulled Baxter off her and guided her inside the house. "I've made some English muffins, bacon, and some fresh fruits. Hope you like it."

"You made all this." She was amazed at his cooking abilities. She could cook too, but only the basic of meals.

"Well, the muffins came from Lindsey, but the rest I made it myself." He admitted while scratching his nape.

"I thought so," teasing him. "Thanks for making so much effort."

She sat on one side of the table, which was beautifully arranged with flowers and candlelight at the center. He took the seat at the opposite side after serving her a glass of orange juice.

"I was thinking maybe you would like to explore the other side of the island. We can go snorkeling and scuba diving with the sharks." He casually offered to her.

"I would like to explore, but diving with the sharks… Are you serious?" Here she thought he must be out of his mind if he thinks she would fall for that again.

"I'm dead serious. It is a popular tourist activity here." He kept saying, forgetting the incident at the park.

"Well, count me out." She was not about to risk her life for such an activity. "What else do you like to do while you are here?" She asked.

"My brother and I loved to surf. We competed in a lot of competition in our youth." He told her, remembering the times they competed against each other.

"I never thought that you also surf," realizing that he was more than she expected.

"Ever since I went to college, I stopped, but Oliver loved surfing too much to give it up. Instead, he gave up college and made surfing his profession. He was better than I. He made it big in the surfing district. But, the unfortunate accident happened," telling her more than he intended.

He decided that it was ok to open up to her. He could trust her. She was different, not like the other women in his life.

She extended her hand on the table, squeezing his. "I'm sorry about losing your brother."

"It was nothing. I already accepted our fate." He smiled at her, assuring her that it was already in the past.

They kept on talking more about the most dangerous thing that he ever did in his youth with his brother. Somehow, she made it easier for him to share his life with her.

"What about you? You never talked about your family, except that your mom died when she gave birth to you." He felt that he should not pry, but his curiosity to know her more was pushing him to ask questions.

"My father took the role of being our mother. He even learned how to braid my hair," remembering her childhood.

"That would have been hard for him to act both mother and father to you. Do you have siblings, a brother or sister?" He continued with his inquisition.

"I have two older sisters, George is a doctor and Margie, a lawyer."

"Oh, two career women, what about you? What do you do?" he asked.

She was not ready for that question. What was she thinking about letting all that information slip from her mouth?

"Nothing much. I am not like them. Studying is not exactly my best quality," she admitted. Making more lies seemed too much, so she opted for the truth. "What about you?" Shifting the question to him.

"I managed this resort, for one. I'm sure you already heard that from Nana." He took a deep breath, realizing that in a week more, he would be moving back to the city.

"Yeah, she told me about that." She was about to ask him more, but they were interrupted by a commotion.

Baxter entered the house and started barking, alerting them of the time. It was getting late in the morning. They needed to leave soon if they want to start with the activities on time. He had several activities planned for her, which he hoped would both entertain and thrill her.

Going out with him again was indeed exciting, but being with him also frightened her because she was getting too deep than what she originally intended. He made her feel things she never experienced before.

If she was not careful, she could fall hard for him. Could she stop her heart from beating for him? She was not able to do it before for Brad. What about Raf? Could she control her growing feelings for him and turned it off in a flick of a switch?