He walked back to the dorm feeling like a total loser. How could he have been such a jerk that even when he poured his heart out, told the naked truth to the person he most cares about, she didn't believe him? He suddenly felt so aware of himself, eyes gazing at him along the way to the dorm.
"Hey, Preston." Pretty girls greeted him here and there. Somehow they all knew who he was around campus. "Where are you going, Preston?" another voice came.
It was getting late. Girls who came to him only had one thing in their minds. He realized it was who he was, that was why Julie would never agree to be his girlfriend. He leaned lazily on the doorway of his dorm. "Hey ... Preston ... need some company?" A girl in a miniskirt greeted him by the door.
He smiled at the irony, "Hey..." He didn't even know her name.
"Samantha, from Corporate Psychology ... I sat right behind you," she said.
"
Three days later, she was leaving for Bhorma. She hadn't heard from Preston since that night, nor she had tried to contact him. There was a knock on the door, it was Preston. Standing with both hands on either side of the door frame. Looking at his beautiful face, she was relieved."Hi ... can I talk to you for a second?" She nodded and let him in. "Is Kelsey here?""No, she went out to get some last minute stuff," she said casually.They stood facing each other awkwardly. He saw the suitcases, a sense of loss crept inside him. "Wow ... you're all packed and ready to go," he commented.She sat on her bed and nodded, waiting to hear what he came to tell her. He sat next to her, and faced her. "I just want to tell you something ..." he began. "I understand your decision ... I'm okay with that... I guess I was just selfish that I wanted you for myself, but I know one thing is for sure ... I want y
They drove about twenty minutes to get to Nathan's villa. There were a lot of motorbikes in Bhorma traffic. Nathan said that people usually go on foot for a shorter distance. He lived alone in his three-bedroom villa. The lower ground was for the garage and household tools. The living space was on the upper ground. A wide living room with cushions around the floor sofa facing the TV.The pantry was on the other side of the room, along with a six seated dining table which looked like it's rarely used. In between the two parts of the upper floor was a corridor with two doors on each side, three bedrooms, and a bathroom was the last door on the left. Nathan occupies the master bedroom with an internal bath of his own.The guest room was across the external bathroom, and the bedroom across from Nathan was reserved for his parents whenever they come to visit. A local lady was hired to keep the place clean and organized. A huge balcony can b
Nathan was a good friend, and a good employer, not just to her, but to everyone. He made everyone feel like they're in one big team, each person was equally important. Anybody can contribute their ideas to improve the restaurant, the food, the working environment, and he took everyone's opinion into consideration.He didn't get angry whenever there was a screw-up, he knew everyone was learning as they go just like he was. And that it would take years to build something substantial, Nathan wanted to bring the team to grow with him and the company. He learned to tackle everything that the team was lacking, he has this calmness about him in overcoming problems that made everyone felt secure.Julie was observing strong leadership from Nathan. Whenever they were short on staff, Nathan never hesitated to go down and dirty in the kitchen or serve food to the customers, always with a smile on his face. He chatted with everyone, his extroverted vibe
She worked together with other staff to decorate Ardor for Christmas. Even though it wasn't a popular festivity in Bhorma. Most people go back to their home town to celebrate, those who stayed are people like Julie who doesn't celebrate the holiday with her family."You don't go back for Christmas?" Andy asked."No ... just a phone call would do," she didn't want to explain."When do you go home, then?"She shrugged, "Maybe after graduation ... before I officially start working, what about you?"Andy poured some milk into the fresh cup he just made, "My family lives here, we see each other every day, I actually need an excuse to get away from them."They laughed. He handed her the cup, it smelled better on Christmas."Thank you so much ... oooh I love it," she inhaled the aroma before taking a sip."I noticed you alwa
They parked the car at a five-minute walking distance parking lot. The streets were filled with parked vehicles and people getting ready for midnight. The Rockabillies entrance can be accessed from the narrow street where rows of bars, cafes, and restaurants lined from end to end. They were playing all kinds of music that were jumbled up as they walked up to The Rockabillies.Some people were too drunk to stand up and just sitting on the pavement or leaning against the street lights still in their party mood. It was a warm night with no breeze. A tropical December night, something she never experienced before.They walked over the long entrance over a wooden bridge. The jungle-themed bar had swimming pools and a large whirl pool filled with visitors in their bathing suits holding their drinks. There were bars in between the pools. They walk past huts for people to sit and gather around tables with their group.At the end
She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing, dazed, and tasted the smell of her drinks the night before in her breath. She pierced her eyes to see who was calling, pressed the accept button under Kelsey's beautiful face."Hey girl ... Happy New Year!!" her usual cheerful voice greeted her, then her dazzling morning look was visible on her screen."Hey babe, Happy New Year!" her hoarse voice surprised herself."Whoa ... you looked like you had a pretty good night," Kelsey laughed. She was descending some stairs outside an unfamiliar house."Where are you?" Juliewiped her eyes and yawned."I had to crash at a friend's house last night 'cause ... well ... you know," she pressed her car alarm, Julie heard the tweet."Who?" she was curious.Kelsey entered her car, sat on the driver's seat, and took a deep breath, "Zachary's ... he held
Later that day, Nathan came back from Ardor and took her out to a seaside restaurant for an early dinner. It was one of his favorite spots on the island where the sunset view was extraordinary and the coffee was excellent.They sat facing each other enjoying a plate of oysters in garlic and lime for appetizers, ordered a grilled red snapper with mash potatoes and salad on the side for the main course. The ocean breeze blew out her hair and her light summer dress. The sunset reflected on her skin. They talked about the night before, all smiles and laughter."I feel like I could stay here for the long run," her eyes gazed at the ocean rolling its waves towards the shores.Nathan turned and looked at where she was looking. "It's beautiful, isn't it? That's why I chose this island for Ardor, I can see myself living here for good too ... it's like, you don't need a vacation to break away from your daily life."
She received her first paycheck from Ardor and knew exactly where she wanted to spend it. Nathan took her to the bookstore where she met Kelsey for the first time. She took a cart, knowing she will be buying more than a few books.She went straight to the Fiction shelves. She studied the covers, picked out the most interesting titles, read the synopsis, and followed her gut instinct whether to put it in the cart or put it back on the shelves. She could do that for hours, while Nathan was in the Business section because that's what he was reading lately.She saw him reading by the store window. The sunlight penetrated the glass and made his skin looked golden. He was looking down at his book, he pouted his lips. The world around him seemed to disappear, he wasn't aware of her watching him. He was like her when he reads, she thought. She could spend hours in that store, and he wouldn't be bothered waiting for her.She turn