章 24: Remain a dream

"Hi!" slightly tapping on the glass door, making her presence known to the man of the house. The door was wide open, but she did not notice Baxter outside or anywhere inside the vicinity. That dog usually was the first to greet her when she came over, so she was a bit curious about his whereabouts.

"Hey. Come in." He walked to her, still with his apron on, immediately kissing her. It was a short touching of the lips, but the simple act still did make her knees weak. "I'm glad you're finally ok."

"Yeah, me too." Partially, it was true. She did felt unwell emotionally, if not physically. Technically, she was not lying this time.

She walked over to where he was working on their meal and offered to help him, but he flatly refused. He ordered her to sit her butt down on the stool behind the counter instead while he finished preparing the salad. He was indeed skilled at cooking, watching him moved with ease in the kitchen was quite entertaining.

"So, I was thinking maybe we could watch a movie after dinner." He suggested, busily chopping some vegetables on the kitchen counter. He thought a light activity was what she needed.

"Well, I have another idea if you're up for it." She countered, taking a sip at the juice he offered. "I would like to go out for a walk outside before it gets dark."

He halted his movement and placed the knife down. He stepped to her side and extended his hands to her face. As if he was checking if she had a fever or something. Yes, she lied about being sick last night, so it was his way of making sure that she was ok.

"Are you sure you're well enough? I think it is about to rain." He gazed outside and clouds were already forming on the north side, uncertain if they should still go outside. Although he would love to take a walk with her, he did not want to worsen her condition.

She was no expert in weather conditions, but as she gazed outside, she thought that they might still have enough time to take a stroll before the rain dropped down on the ground.

"We can be quick," she said hastily, wanting to be able to convince him to agree with her. "I just want to... I don't know…" She could not explain it, dropping her head down and sighing unable to form a coherent reason why she wanted to go.

He bent down to her level, trying to catch her eyes. He wanted to understand what was wrong with her because he could sense the difference in her as if she was carrying a burden on her shoulders.

"Are you sure you are feeling ok?" Concerned laced his words.

"Promise. I'm feeling much better." She smiled with hope in her eyes. She had already planned it in her mind, how her last moments would be before all her fantasy ended and reality set in.

"Ok. Let me just set the timer on the oven." He pointed to the meal still cooking in the machine. "Then, leave a note to Gerry. He took Baxter to the vet for his shot." That explained Baxter's absence when she arrived.

After a few minutes, he was ready and they walked out to the back porch and down the path towards the water.

She inhaled the soft breeze, thinking that she would miss the fresh air when she got back to the city. Although California was surrounded by many famous beaches, she never really appreciated it the way she had loved this place. Or, it was probably the company she was with that truly made this experience special.

Of course, she was already thinking that after this day, she would have to leave this beautiful paradise and go home. There was no other way to end this charade but with a clean start. She could not stay more and be tortured of seeing him without touching him. For surely, he would hate her after he learned the truth.

"Would you mind if we walked further down the shore?" She asked him, staring at the distance towards their destination.

"Sure, but make sure to tell me if you feel tired, dizzy, or something." He was indeed very sweet and the more she spent time with him, the harder it was for her to break his heart. That was what she was about to do before this night was over.

He wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but he stopped himself. He could wait until she was ready to share whatever was weighing on her.

She just nodded. He placed his arms around her shoulders to support her while her arms went around his waist. Then, she rested her head in his chest as they continued to walk in silence in each others' embrace.

A little furthermore, she could already see the spot where he first brought her. She tried to shake off her depressing mood. She was here to create more wonderful memories with him. Something that she would carry with her when all of this was over.

"What else could we do out here?" She asked him, tilting her head to get a view of his face while wearing a beautiful happy smile on hers.

"We could explore the small caves just beyond those rocks, but…" He was not able to finish when she started running in that direction he pointed.

"What are you waiting for?" She shouted when she was a few meters away from him.

He only had to sprint a few meters to catch up with her, then he grabbed her by the waist to stop her. "Whoa! Not so fast. Those are sharp rocks that could easily cut your feet." He warned her as he held her still.

"Oh! I did not know that." She was still smiling, which made him glad. At least, she was finally having fun. He wanted to see more of that smile.

"You have to wear your sandals first before we could proceed." He knelt in front of her and assisted her with putting it on. Then, he also wore his canvas shoes.

They slowly treaded the small rocks scattered in the shoreline, embedded on the sands as the water splashed across its surface. As they moved carefully on its sharp edges she found some forms of life in between the cracks, from different sizes of seashells crawling on the ground, small fishes swimming in between to various sea creatures hiding in the crevices.

"Wait, right there." He stopped her in her tracks as he moved to his right, bending over on the sand. He dipped his hands on the gap between the rocky stones that submerged a foot deep to pick something. She was curious as to what he was doing as she observed it a few feet away from him.

Then, "Ahhhhh!!!" He shouted as he tried to pull his hand out of the hole.

"What's wrong?" She started to panic, not knowing if she should come to rescue him or run for her life. "Hey, are you ok?" She kept asking as he continued to struggle to whatever was keeping his hand captive.

Then, she eventually decided to help him. She quickly moved to his side only to find him laughing. "Gotcha…" He said as he smiled at her.

"I hate you." She said after trying to catch her breath with the stunt he pulled.

"No, you don't. I just want to see my Sky smiling again." He then showed what he was holding in his hand. It was a colorful starfish. It was triple the size of his hands, but it was very beautiful.

"A star to brighten my Sky," as he handed it to her. It was the first time she would be holding such a gentle creature in her hands. She had seen it before but not this up close.

She could not help but smile at his effort to make her happy and forget about what was bothering her. At that moment, she resolved to return the favor and create the best night of their life. She still had a few hours before her impending revelation.

"Shall we continue? It will get dark soon, and the clouds are getting darker." He asked her, taking the unusual star from her hands and gently placed it back to its habitat.

They continued to their path before rounding the corner to come into view of the magnificent scenery in front of her. As the light from the sunset reflects on the water to the rock formations, it somehow formed these beautiful colors that illuminated the small cave.

No wonder, he loved to show her this place. It was indeed a great find. She would love to explore more of these kinds of caves if she would be given a chance, but those are like shooting for a star.

"Oh! I loved this place. It's very magical." She uttered in a whisper as it echoed in the small walls.

He pulled her to him, embracing her from behind. "You are more beautiful," speaking softly in her ears before turning her around to face him. He moved his fingers along his forehead, slightly moving her hair away from her eyes as he stared at them.

She was transfixed in place as he held her. She had dreamed of this moment, watched it played in her mind.

"I could look at your eyes and be lost in them." He continued. "I love you, Sky."

She wanted to hear those words, but she knew it would remain a dream for there was no future for the two of them.