CHAPTER 4: Day One

“There is only one bedroom at the villa, so you can take the bed. I will change the bed sheet for you. I can sleep on the couch.” He told her while we were walking back to the villa.

         Martin wasn’t surprised when she asked permission to stay with him. It was difficult to comprehend what was on his mind when he was silent for the whole 30 seconds before agreeing.

         “Martin…” She reached out to touch the hem of his shirt. There was something we had forgotten. And it might sound funny, but before she goes to live with him and sleep in his bed, Celine thinks that she should tell him this.

         “Hmm?”

         “You don’t care to ask me this, but err, my name is Celine.” And that was the first official introduction between her and the man who saved her from this trip crisis.

         We both stood still and looked at each other. Dumbfounded. He stared at her and blinked exactly three times. A light flickered in his eyes as he thought it was such a silly situation. They were both in.

         Then he smiled.

         He smiled to be forgetful.

         Although it was only a brief moment in time, perhaps only a few seconds, and that smile was not meant for her, he smiled. And it was glorious.

         It was then her heart skipped a beat; she clutched her shirt in reflex. She must be hallucinated, or she had to admit that she was seeing him smile. The smile that beautiful shine like the morning sun.

         “It’s my bad. I’m really sorry. I have been talking for a while, and you will move in to live with me in a few minutes, and I forgot to ask for your name.” He apologized and scratched his cheek, his face turning red.

         “I-It’s alright. Don’t worry about it too much.” Celine suddenly had a curious interest in the floor. Perhaps it was to avoid his gaze. She tried to turn away from him and distract herself until we reached the villa.

         The small villa had one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. There was a spacious balcony that opened to the sea. The decor combines traditional and modern Italian style with exposed brick walls, old bricks, and textured tiled floors. It was a villa that suited him well. The furniture was all white.

         “You can sleep in the bedroom here. And there is the kitchen. If you are hungry, there are fruits and some food in the fridge. If you want anything, just ask me.”

         “Thank you. I really can’t thank you enough.”

         “Not to worry. By the way, have you told your parents about this? They must be worried.”

         “I’m already an adult. 23 is way past the age of consent and should be considered independent, no? I don’t need to call my parents and tell them about everything.”

         “Huh, I’m 30 and still think adulthood is overrated. Are you sure that being fresh out of college, you don’t need anyone to care for you and just enjoy independence?”

         “Yes, I’m quite certain.” She said firmly but still not looking at him. That smile was still bright in her memory. She didn’t feel quite herself.

         “Alright, Celine, are you hungry? It’s already evening, and I’m not sure if you have eaten anything.” His question reminded her that she hadn’t eaten anything since brunch. The sky outside was turning dark. The sun was nearing the horizon. And her stomach growled as an answer. Her face turned uncontrollably red.

         “So, I assume you are hungry.” He gave a brief soft smile again.

         “Let’s go to my favorite restaurant, you had a rough day today, so it’s my treat, okay?”

         “I will repay you once I got my money…” and she thanked him again. He waved his hand dismissively.

         His favorite restaurant was located up the hill on the island. He said it was the restaurant that had the best view of the sunset. And when she arrived, she felt that the price was probably the most expensive on the island as well. That explained why before they came here, he stopped at a clothing store and brought a brightly colored dress for her to change. Thinking about it, she felt embarrassed about having to depend on him for everything, money, clothes, and shelter.

         “Do you have any food allergies I should be aware of? What kind of food do you prefer?” He asked her after getting the menu from a waiter. This evening, he wore a long sleeve white t-shirt. It hugged his muscular build, making him look both polite and powerful.

         “No, nothing special.” The food price was high, and she didn’t want to bother him more than she already had.

         “Then I will order a few dishes, and we share. I hope this is alright with you.” Celine carefully observed him. The man she once thought was rude had an incredibly good table manner and was attentive to her every word. He ordered dishes he mentioned were his favorites; antipasto (an Italian appetizer consisting of olives, anchovies, cheese, and thinly sliced ham), salad, shrimp carbonara, beef lasagna, and red wine.

       The man has an appetite, it seems.

         While waiting for the food to arrive, she had a habit of playing with her phone, and she did exactly that. Her action probably annoyed the man sitting in front of her.

         “Celine, please put your phone away.” Like a principal scolding his student, Martin gave her his serious face once again. But she challenged him; feeling playful, she looked at him for a long while without putting her phone down as if having a staring contest. Martin shook his head slowly.

         “Turn around and look at the ocean. And don't take pictures.” She didn't know if it was a suggestion or an order. But she simply turned to the direction he motioned to.

It was a view of the sun descending to the point where the sky meets the sea.

         Exquisite as if painted by the gods. It was so beautiful she forgot to breathe.

She watched the sunset without blinking and put the phone down, ignoring it. Because this was the first time... It was the first time she felt the real world was more interesting than the world online.

         “Now you see that you almost missed something great by staring at that narrow screen. Don’t you agree? Next time, please don't play with your phone when you're having a meal with me.” She didn’t know how many minutes had passed. But his voice knocked her out of her trance. The polite request for cooperation made her blush again.

         He was strict, almost like a school principal. But it was strange that she didn’t feel unease around him, maybe because she knew he meant well. Or maybe because of that soft smile…

         “I’m sorry.”

         “No worry about it. So, what do you think? Was the sunset beautiful?” See? That smile again. It made her wish to see him smile and laugh at least once.

         “It was gorgeous! Thank you, Martin!” And she beamed at him, the man she first accused as someone rude and had no intention to ever meet again, but now he would be someone she would meet every day for two weeks. Life is kind of funny.

“Martin, why did you choose to help me? It’s not like I’m your responsibility or anything. We don’t even know each other.” After the food was served, she asked out of curiosity.

He looked at her, sipping wine. He was quiet a long while before answering.

“You need help, and I could do just that.” He said matter-of-factly.

“But we don’t know each other at all.”

“Hmm… I’m sure I’m good at reading people. I don’t sense that you are a bad person. You whine a lot but still feel like a normal tourist to me. Or actually, did you escape any crime or what?” Martin leaned over to talk and asked the latter question in a low voice. His face was so serious that she didn't know if he was joking or honestly curious.

“What!? Are you crazy? No!”

“Well, just in case. One would never know for certain.” Then he returned to sip his wine. Is this guy joking? She could only shake her head because she couldn't understand the man.

“That was all you care about? Why don’t you ask basic questions like where I’m from, why I’m here, and what I do for a living? You are not asking me those things?” What a strange man. He accepted her into his room, into his bed. She thought he should investigate her background a bit. If our roles were reversed, she would.

“It’s not too difficult to guess.” Martin turned to admire the view of the vast ocean and not at her.

“What do you mean?”

“If I have to guess… You are from a wealthy family somewhere in the UK; your parents must be high-paid executives or owners of a business. And I would not be surprised if it’s an international business since they can leverage the Asian networks. At the age of 23, you just told me you had just graduated, most likely from a university in Italy. I heard you spoke Italian. You did well but good enough from someone who learned the language for about a year. And from what I observed, you wore yesterday….” And he looked at her so openly and deliberately that she was nervous.

“You are either someone who loves dressing up, or you studied fashion.” The look on her face should let him know that his guesses were correct; it gave him a winning smile.

“As for a reason for being here, I bet it has something to do with whatever or whoever was the cause of that frowning face I saw yesterday while you were on your phone. You almost screamed, and it was just because you ran out of battery.”

She stared at him, unblinking. And almost immediately, she changed her mind about him. He was no longer a harmless, simple man with a straight face. Because as soon as he finished speaking, the man, who had guessed her life correctly, raised one eyebrow at her as some act of defiance and returned to eat the food that had just been served. Just like that... our conversation ended. She couldn’t understand him at all. What kind of person is this? There must be something more to this man.

***

         After the meal, we walked back to the villa, she tried to negotiate for him to sleep on his bed, and she could sleep on the couch. But he insisted that since he was older, he should sacrifice more and sleep on the couch.

         We negotiated on different arguments for a long while until he ended the discussion with a check-mate level statement: “You stay with me. You have to live under my rules. Just go to bed. Good night.” And he pointed to the bedroom. She eventually needed to yield to his dictatorial command. Whatever, he was still kind, a kind dictator if there is such a thing.

         An unexpected incident happened at around 2 AM. She was awakened by his voice from the living room.

She got out of bed in the dark and, feeling drowsy, slowly opened the bedroom door slightly to see if it was Martin speaking. And who was he talking to? From the angle, she saw Martin sitting on the sofa with one hand massaging his temple. He spoke in both Spanish and English on his phone. The tone was quite stressful. In front of him were noted papers and some documents. She couldn't understand what he said except for a single sentence.

         “Just give me a month. I will fix everything.”