"Ok, I promise, whatever makes you happy." I raised both my hands in submission.
She smiled and nodded. I saw she was looking around for something, "I think I need to make a couple of calls back home. I cannot seem to find my phone."
"Well, when Brett got you here, there was no phone on you. You might have lost it when the storm hit.
You can use my phone if you want."
"Thanks a lot. I want to call my dad and maybe Niki too".
"Niki? Oh, I recall. Is she the same best friend from Corsica?"
"Yes. You remember?" She was a bit surprised at my memory.
"I remember everything about you from Corsica, Emm. I never could forget it, even if I tried hard." I stated honestly, staring straight in her eyes again.
Her eyes lit up, and even though she smiled, she avoided my sharp gaze. Whatever I said was entirely true. I couldn't mislead her or myself anymore. I had to own my feelings, even though they confused me, but there was no denying that my heart beat faster, and my breathing hitched when Emma was around. I longed for her. I craved for her touch. I wanted to grab her and kiss her beautiful lips whenever I saw her. I could not fight these feelings anymore. I was mesmerized by her beauty, and I wished to get to know her better.
I handed her my phone after unlocking it. I stood up and walked back to my room, giving her some space. It was still raining heavily outside. We would have to stay here for a day more at least; hopefully, it would get better tomorrow. I had important meetings to attend back home.
I will have to make a few critical business calls later in the day as well. Usually, my schedule was very well planned, but my sudden detour would lead to some adjustments. In ideal circumstances, I would have felt worried about the delays and possible repercussions this trip could cause my business, but somehow, I was unfazed. I liked having everything under control. However, it was different when it came to her. I was with Emma, and her presence around me alone made me feel contented. She was safe and by my side, seemed like a perfect weekend getaway, anyway.
I went straight for a hot shower and was changing in my room when I heard a small knock at the door.
I was just wearing my shorts when I asked her to come in.
Her eyes were scanning me from behind. I could feel them piercing my back. I turned to find Emma immediately averting her gaze, that was fixed on me seconds ago. She was checking me out. I chuckled.
"Umm I got your phone, thank you." She slowly entered the room and kept the phone on the side table beside my bed. She turned around to walk away when I called her from behind.
"Emma. You don't have to thank me for every single thing. If you need anything, you know where to find me".
She nodded and quickly left without looking back.
Chapter 21
Aurora Borealis
Emma
I was now in my room and was attempting to relax my popping nerves. At first, there were so many revelations that my little heart would take time to digest, and on top of it, I just saw Jake shirtless.
I was lusting over his strong muscles and toned torso, that was partly wet with droplets, probably from the shower he took.
On top of it, his masculine cologne smelled so good. I could get used to sniffing his smell every single day for the rest of my life.
Clearly, what we had was way more than an average professional relationship. He looked out for me and was genuinely concerned about my safety. He followed me here even after knowing that he might get stuck on this island. He didn't care about anything else and still came; I felt touched by his gesture. Even though his idea of stalking me gave me the creeps initially, but the sincerity in his eyes showed his good intentions.
I would be lying if I say I wasn't happy after Jake stated that he is not dating Erica. However, I felt a stabbing pain, the moment he revealed that he had slept with her before and especially when he said he didn't believe in relationships. I was in conflict with myself, my heart and mind in complete opposition of each other.
He most definitely is not your type. My mind reprimanded my awestruck heart.
But why does he look so desirable? My heart protested.
You will never fit in his world. You strive for stability and commitment, while he is the stark opposite.
But still, I feel sincerity in his touch and genuinely in his eyes? My heart countered.
If you are sane enough, you will stop this madness from turning into something more. You won't be able to survive another heartbreak. My mind warned.
I just shut my eyes and ears hard, attempting to stop the crazy conflict from dwelling inside me. I opened my room's window for some fresh air. It was still raining, but the mesmerizing view from our cottage made me forget everything. I was in love with this place. After spending some time in my room, I decided to step out and cook dinner. It was still five pm, but it was completely dark outside. The days were really short here.
I cooked us some tuna sandwiches, completely making do with whatever ingredients we had available. I could hear Jake had been on back to back calls in his room. After some time, he entered the living room, still on the phone. The
