Chapter 5 I'll Be Waiting

• Eve’s mouth hung open, couldn’t believe that she had just been splashed with wine, not only dirtying her face and dress but also hurting her pride. She felt embarrassed.
• The man sitting with Nella heard Eve’s gasp of surprise. He stood up and turned to see. He appeared shocked, but not as much as Eve’s.
• Instead of Nella apologizing for mistaking her target, she continued her scolding. This time, Eve became the target of her anger as well.
• “What were you doing there? You fool! Were you intending to eavesdrop on our argument and spread gossip?!”
• Eve was dumbfounded at the accusation. “Excuse me?!” she snapped. “You should be apologizing to me instead of accusing me of things!”
• “You should have known better and left when you heard us arguing!”
• “You—” Eve gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “No wonder your lover canceled plans to marry you! No man would want to marry a woman like you! You— you’re a mean woman!”
• Nella’s eyes bulged so wide that Eve almost thought her eyeballs would pop out and roll onto the floor at any moment.
• As tension peaked between them, Eve heard a low chuckle from the man sitting with Nella. He was now standing beside Eve, smiling sideways at her as she glanced at him.
• “A mean woman.” He nodded, curving his lips downward. “I like that term.”
• “What—”
• The man shrugged off the jacket he was wearing and placed it over Eve’s shoulders. “Sorry for dirtying your dress.”
• Eve grasped the edge of the jacket and stared at him.
• She wasn’t the type of woman to desire someone else’s man, but damn, the man in front of her looked so handsome and sexy that she couldn’t help but admire him.
• Eve quickly averted her gaze before she was caught sighing in awe or, worse, drooling.
• “What are you doing, Luke?” Nella asked, her voice shrill.
• The man named Luke put his hands in his pants pockets and exhaled, lazily glancing at Nella. “I’m just helping this poor woman, Nella.”
• “You,” Nella pointed at Eve. “Take that jacket off your body! Now!”
• Instead of listening to Nella’s words, Luke put his hands on each of Eve’s arms and said, “Looks like you need a new dress. Come on, I’ll escort you.”
• “Luke!” Nella screamed. “If you dare to leave me, I won’t marry you!”
• Luke seemed to want to roll his eyes as he responded to Nella. “I’m the one who doesn’t want to marry you, Nella. Why did you act the other way?”
• Then he waved and took Eve away from there.
• Eve put on a sour face and winced as she heard Nella repeatedly calling Luke’s name, but Luke continued to walk with her without paying attention to his girlfriend.
• “Are you okay?” Eve asked after they left and joined the other tourists on the lamp-lit path.
• She looked up to see Luke, and her heart felt squeezed seeing his gaze towards her, and the dimples on his cheeks as he smiled.
• “I should be the one asking, Miss—” He stopped, raising an eyebrow, waiting for Eve to mention her name.
• “Geneive,” Eve answered with a tight smile. “But you can call me Eve.”
• “Eve.” Luke nodded, glancing momentarily at the street ahead of them. “Beautiful name.”
• “Thanks.”
• “So... are you okay?” Luke asked. “Did the drink get into your eyes or nose?”
• Eve shook her head. “No, it didn’t. Luckily, I opened my mouth earlier, so I could taste a bit of cranberry and lemon.” She grinned. “The wine seems delicious.”
• Luke fell silent and looked stunned hearing Eve’s words. A moment later, he laughed. A light and pleasant laugh. “Unbelievable,” he said after his laughter subsided. “How can you make a joke when you’ve just been embarrassed?”
• Eve laughed along with him. “That was nothing,” she murmured. She lowered her head, looking at her sandals, now sticky from the wine. “Compared to what I’ve been through, that was nothing.”
• Then, in an instant, she realized she shouldn’t dwell on all the bad things that had happened to her while she was here. She came here to have fun.
• Before her tears could flow, she took a deep breath and looked up at Luke with a smile. But it seemed Luke had already noticed something was wrong with her. He looked at her with pity and a hint of curiosity.
• “What—”
• “Thank you for your help,” Eve interrupted before Luke could finish his question.
• She pointed to the fork in the road. “I’m going back to my room.”
• “Are you going to spend the night just sitting in your room?” Luke asked, furrowing his brow. “Before you do that, I want to give you some advice; coming to the Servaxia tourist island without watching the fireworks is a big mistake.”
• Eve opened her mouth and stared at him. Then she laughed. “Oh, really?” she asked, still with traces of laughter on her lips. Then she folded her hands in front of her chest. “So, what do you suggest I do, Luke?”
• “I think,” they stopped at the crossroads. He nodded towards the path leading to the bungalow, “you should go back to your room, take a shower, and put on your best dress. Then come back here. I’ll be waiting for you.”
• “You don’t have to—”
• “I insist.”
• They locked eyes, and Eve felt a stir in her heart as she found Luke’s unwavering gaze. He was serious with his words.
• Eve had no choice but to accept the offer.
• She nodded, adjusting Luke’s jacket covering her body. “Okay.” Then she winked. “For your information, I take a long time in the shower.”
• “No problem.” He shrugged. “I have nothing to do, anyway.”
• They had only met a few minutes ago, but Luke made Eve’s heart race and her cheeks warmer than the five years she spent with her fiancé.
• Eve waved and turned towards the path leading to the bungalow.
• After a few steps, she glanced over her shoulder. Luke was still there. Standing and watching her. He raised his hand as he saw her looking at him.
• Eve chuckled softly, then hurried towards the bungalow.
• Once there, she quickly showered and spent quite some time choosing a dress.
• As she applied makeup in the mirror, her feelings told her something was going to happen between her and Luke tonight. And her heart raced as she realized that… secretly, she wanted it.