They walked through a couple of side tunnels before climbing up to stand beside the massive cannons. He'd brought his phone to take photos and snapped pictures as she posed and smiled. A passing tourist offered to take their picture together, and he gladly accepted, which was something he'd never done before. No matter what happened, he knew he would always want a picture of the two of them together. They went through another building which told of the wild animals on the island and the numerous shipwrecks around it before exiting the gate.
He held her hand as they explored the shops and peeked in the windows of the stores in the area. There were so many beautiful and unique things she would like to take home with her, but the limited space in her suitcases, and the limited funds in her wallet, kept her from picking up most of it.
Ethan was examining a chess set carved from stone when she stopped before a deep purple dress, swirled through with vivid blues and greens. The sleeves were short, and off the shoulder, the waist cinched and high. She ran the soft material through her fingers before grabbing the price tag. Her eyes widened at the cost, and she dropped it as if it burned her. She cast one last look at the dress before strolling over to join Ethan by the board.
"Do you play?" she inquired.
He shook his head as he straightened away from the board. "My father does though, and I think he'd really like this. I'll come back and buy it for him when we're ready to leave."
"You're really close with your family," she said as they exited the store.
"I am."
It was strange to hear him be so open about it. Tristan had hated to talk about his family. The only time he mentioned them was if she asked a question, and then his answers were terse and uninformative. She'd never met his parents, and she wasn't sure if he had any siblings. He'd mentioned a sister once, but she'd gotten the impression she may have been dead as he'd spoken about her in the past tense.
Emma slid her hand into Ethan's again as they made their way through a few more stores before stopping at a restaurant. "Ready to take a break and get something to eat?" he asked.
"Am I ever," she told him. Her stomach rumbled, and though she was wearing comfortable flip-flops, her feet were tired. It would be nice to sit down and take a break for a little bit.
The restaurant was crowded when they stepped inside. Ethan stopped at the desk to talk with the cute brunette hostess standing behind it. Emma couldn't hear what they said over the noise of the place, but she could see the lustful gleam in the woman's eyes as her gaze ran eagerly over him. Anger simmered through Emma, she wrapped her hand around Ethan's arm and took a step closer to him. The woman didn't even glance at her as she started to shake her head but then began to nod along for some reason.
The woman grabbed two menus and gestured for them to follow her. He had to use his power of persuasion for the woman to give them one of the reserved tables in the packed place. Keeping a grip on Emma's hand, he stayed protectively in front of her as he led her through the crowd to a deck at the rear of the building.
A young man stumbled back and almost bumped into Emma, but Ethan managed to move her out of the way in time. The look Ethan shot the man made him blanch, and he hurried back toward his friends. Emma didn't notice though as she was looking at the photographs of fishermen and boats lining the wall on their left.
She inhaled the fresh salt air as they stepped onto the large deck. The sea breeze drifted over them and blew the hair back from her face. The hostess sat them at a table in the corner, placed the menus down, and cast one last lingering glance at Ethan before she hurried away. Emma had no idea how he managed to get them such fantastic seats so quickly, but she loved it.
"I could get used to this," Emma said. Ethan folded his arms over his chest as she placed her hands on the rail of the banister and leaned over to stare at the water. "There's a lot of fish down there!”
Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight when she turned toward him. Something inside his chest constricted, his hands fisted as he fought the urge to grab her and kiss her. He knew one kiss wouldn't be enough, and he didn't think Emma, or anyone in this restaurant, would appreciate anything more than that. Instead, he enjoyed watching her as she rose and leaned over the banister to look at the water below.
It amazed him how much joy she found in life. He hadn't realized how much he’d taken it all for granted. She danced in the rain and gushed over the fish because, to her, life was finite and every second of it should be savored. History fascinated her because one day she would be one of the human ghosts she read about, and others would walk in her footsteps. He was never careless about life, but since he was old enough to understand, he'd known mortality wasn't a concern for him. He'd never been as enchanted with life as she was.
Until now.
What he found enchanting now was her. He admired her backside as she leaned further over the railing and pointed at something that caused the young boy who joined her to smile at her. Ethan understood why the child was drawn to her, she was impossible to resist as her laughter ensnared him, and her smile warmed even
