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CHAPTER 11: The Idea of a Holiday
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The Secret Island CHAPTER 12: Seashells
Martin found Celine sitting at the beach. She was lost in the thought and didn’t see his approaches. “So, you spend your time just having an eye with the ocean?” She jumped, alarmed, after hearing his voice.“Martin!!”Her face looked so shocked that he laughed. Her agonizing expression of wanting to get away from here was arguably quite funny.“Can I sit with you?” He asked for her permission.“S-sure. You can sit anywhere.”“Have I angered you in some way? I know I’m prone to do and say something you dislike, so you can tell me if I did it again.” Being a person who always speaks his mind, he asked a perplexing question as soon as he sat down.“What? No, not at all. I only want time to myself to think.”“You are sure about that?”“Yes, there is really nothing for you to worry about.”Martin still had questions. And Adriana’s non-subtle hint still puzzled him; that woman knew what he didn’t and still have no clue about what was going on. Still, he didn’t ask her anything more.“If y
The Secret Island CHAPTER 13: The Denial
Celine woke up in the morning feeling the pain in her foot. The wound on her sole still hurts. Yesterday, after riding Martin’s back home, the guy also helped her like a primary school nurse to treat the wound. She remembered when Martin sat down on the floor, held her feet with so much care, and tended to her would. I immediately felt her face getting warmer. No one had ever taken care of her like this.“Incidents like this don't happen often, but it's important to be careful of broken seashells or other debris when walking barefoot on the beach. You are lucky good that the wound is not deep, but you shouldn’t put your weight on when you walk for a while. Actually, I recommend you don’t walk if necessary. Celine, be careful, do you understand? This will heal quickly if you are careful with the wound.”She remembered Martin wrapping gauze around her feet and kept complaining. She kept looking at him. The man was so determined to wrap up the gauze she smiled and forgot to answer him.“
The Secret Island CHAPTER 14: Day Five
Despite their agreement to go out and explore the island, there was still an obstacle. The elephant in the room was the question of how she could get there with the wound on the foot still hurting. But Martin found a way. “A Vespa?” She blinked a few times when she saw a small cream-colored motorcycle parked in front of the villa. “The owner of the villa said I could borrow it. This is the first time I got the chance.” Martin told her excitedly and, meanwhile, cleaned the dark brown seat with a cloth. She chuckled, imagining him riding that small motorcycle with such long legs. The image in her head contradicted the serious and stern man he was. “What are you laughing about?” He narrowed his eyes and looked at her. “No, nothing, nothing at all.” “I bet you assumed I can’t ride this thing. I could, you know. Only a motorcycle. It shouldn’t be difficult.” He got up and restarted the motorcycle. He was determined. Pe
The Secret Island CHAPTER 15: A Flirt
We had lunch at the restaurant in the area. The atmosphere from the hilltop allowed her to see the ocean and one corner of the island to another. The breezy wind had its unspeakable calming effect. Celine silently observed Martin ordering food for both of them and feeling the joy of spending time together. “I’m taking you to the beach on the other side of the island. Are you up for that?” He asked while sipping coffee. He didn’t look at her, but his eyes were glued to the newspaper the restaurant provided. “Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway.” When he didn’t look her way, she got more opportunities to look at him openly. He was not one of those well-dressed men with their hair all gelled up and shirt perfectly pressed, nor did he wears any shiny shoes. He dressed simply, and that drew attention to his handsome face. Cleanly shaped, he sometimes reminded her of a perfume model. His dark blue eyes gave him a cool and cold persona, but recently s
The Secret Island CHAPTER 16: The Best Friend
A university in USA. 10 years ago.“Martin. You are hiding here reading alone again. There is a party at a sorority nearby. You should join.” A young man with dark brown hair asked. Martin had to look up from the textbook he was reading. The book was among the five textbooks he needed to finish this term.“I don’t want to go. It will be too loud, too many people, and too many boring generic conversations.” He was uninterested, and his expression showed disdain for this type of college party. He was uninterested in the culture of this leading institution. These smart and rich trust fund kids partied like there was no tomorrow, and a scholarship student such as himself always felt he did not belong. And so, he didn’t attempt to fit in. He was always by himself, reading.But his best friend never gives up. He invited him to all the parties that he got invited to. We have been friends since the first day we met. He didn’t know what made the two of them get along so well. Joe was one of th
The Secret Island CHAPTER 17: Day Six
“Martin, I can’t really walk. Can you help me out?” Celine called him. Martin rushed to her side, let her rest her hand on his shoulder, and placed his hand on her waist. He helped her to stand up and walked to a sofa. This started to feel like a morning ritual to them both. She smiled at him and thanked him. He was not used to spending this much time with a girl or anyone other than work context. But she needed his help. And she had been nicer day by day, smiling to him so often that he couldn’t remember if anyone had smiled at him this often. And as her wound was healing, she needed him for support. He tried to understand her. Every time he experienced behaviors he couldn’t explain to others, he translated the unexplained behaviors as from a different culture or due to a generation gap. And this time was no different. He was surprised that he appreciated her presence and warmth. He had been worried about her. She ran into some problems all the time, at least while
The Secret Island CHAPTER 18: The Confession
“Hey, Martin, hello! Are you stressed again? Stop it, don’t think about anything that could be a trigger!” Celine gave him encouragement. He wasn’t in a mood to fully enjoy the moment because of the doubt about her motives for befriending him. After he pointed out the truth about her healed foot, she walked around normally. “When did you know it’s completely healed?” He asked her while we were sightseeing. She walked close to him and hugged his arm. He started to get used to being close to her. “Well, you caught me. I wrapped more gauze on this morning, and I think I couldn’t feel much pain anymore.” She smiled broadly after the confession. “Why did you lie to me saying it hurts?” He probed. He wanted to give her a chance to explain because everything might not be as he suspected. “It is difficult to say.” He halted his steps as soon as he heard that. He didn’t know what games she was playing, but he was not a willing pawn.
The Secret Island CHAPTER 19: Day Seven
Martin heard loud noises from the kitchen after he went back from jogging. He hurried to the scene, hoping it was not some sort of robbery all over again. What he found was a timid Celine cleaning up splashes from the floors and tabletop. “What are you doing?” She was surprised to find him there. She acted like a child being caught and ceased all motions. “Hmm…omelet. But it was harder than I thought.” He looked around and saw eggshells behind her. He sighed and helped her clean up. “You could have waited for me to come back and make breakfast.” “No, I just wanted to make you breakfast….” “I thought you couldn’t cook.” “Yes, that is true, but I want to try to make some for you. You said you would teach me, no? Then teach me.” She smiled at him gleefully. Yesterday, after the bar, after he agreed to give her a chance, she asked him out for dinner. The girl was still tipsy and laughed and smiled all evening. She nev
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