Chapter 6 Light Show And Fireworks

• Eve’s heart raced as she walked out of the bungalow. Luke might not be there anymore. There was only the slightest chance that he would wait for Eve to get ready, especially since she took almost an hour to shower and get dressed.
• Eve had prepared herself for disappointment, but that feeling was just futile. She was taken aback when she saw Luke still standing in the same place, playing with his phone and occasionally glancing towards the lighthouse.
• As Eve approached him, Luke reached out his hand, signaling her to stop.
• “Stop right there.”
• Her brow shoots up. “Hm? Why?” Then she looked around. Was Luke’s fiancé following them here?
• Luke folded his arms in front of his chest, then his eyes drifted from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. He concluded the gaze that made her heart flutter by looking into her eyes and saying, “You look so beautiful that I want to capture you as best as I can in my memory.”
• Eve didn’t want Luke to think she was trying too hard for him, so she carefully chose her outfit and applied a thin layer of makeup on her face. She wore a lemon-colored off-shoulder cotton dress with an A-line cut that accentuated her perfect curves.
• “Thank you,” Eve said, placing her hand on her chest and smiling.
• Luke reached out his hand, and Eve accepted his arm, wrapping her hand around it. Then they walked towards the lighthouse area.
• “Sorry for making you wait so long,” Eve said as they passed by a group of tourists.
• Luke lowered his head and looked at her from head to toe. “It’s worth it,” he murmured. His gaze stopped at her eyes, and Eve felt a shiver run through her body.
• There was something different in that look. But Eve couldn’t explain it.
• “Have you been here before?” Eve asked.
• “Yes. Many times.”
• As they passed a group of drunk tourists, Luke guided Eve to the edge of the sidewalk and stood very close to her as they passed the group.
• Luke still looked back even after they passed the group, seeming displeased with them. Then he said to Eve, “I’m going to make a call. Wait here for a moment.”
• Eve nodded.
• She glanced at the souvenir shop. There were some cute bags that would be perfect as gifts for Gloria. She would buy one tomorrow before returning to Servaxia.
• Eve seeking Luke, finding him still on the phone. His face looked serious.
• She decided to go to the souvenir shop. Luke could surely see her because the shop was right next to where he was.
• Eve entered the souvenir shop and rummaged through their collection of bags. Then she felt a sharp gaze that made her neck hairs stand on end. Eve looked back and scanned all around, but there were only a few tourists busy choosing souvenirs. Nothing seemed suspicious.
• As Eve continued looking at the souvenirs, she felt that gaze again.
• This time, she didn’t immediately turn, but she waited for a few seconds before turning around and was surprised to find Luke standing behind her.
• “I didn’t hear you coming,” Eve gasped.
• Luke smiled. “You probably didn’t notice.” Then he nodded towards the bags in front of Eve. “Do you want to buy them?”
• Eve looked back at the bags, trying to forget the uncomfortable feeling she had just experienced. “Oh, yeah,” she said, nodding. “I wanted to buy one as a gift for my friend.” Then she looked at Luke and shrugged. “But I can buy it tomorrow before boarding the ferry.”
• Luke furrowed his brow. “You’re going back tomorrow? When did you arrive here?”
• “Earlier this afternoon.”
• He chuckled. “You only spent one night here? Are you kidding me?”
• “Actually, I came to Servaxia for work. But my work got postponed until the day after tomorrow, so I decided to come here.”
• “You’re not from Servaxia?”
• They walked out of the souvenir shop.
• “No,” Eve said. But she didn’t mention where she was from, and Luke didn’t ask.
• They chatted about work, and from there, Eve learned that Luke worked in the tourism industry. That’s why he often came to this island. Today he came for work, but it turned out his girlfriend followed him here and brought up the prenuptial agreement if they were to get married.
• “I never intended to marry her,” Luke said later. “I don’t understand why she would think that way.”
• “Maybe you’re sending her the wrong signals,” Eve guessed. “I thought you two were engaged?”
• “I gave her a diamond ring some time ago.” Luke scoffed. “But that’s because she asked for it.”
• “I couldn’t blame her if she thought you were engaged,” Eve gave him a wry smile.
• They arrived at the lighthouse area a few minutes later. And just when Eve thought they would stand around the beach or in the lighthouse yard with the other tourists, Luke took her hand and led her to turn onto a quiet path.
• “Where are we going?” she asked, looking back at the group of tourists heading towards the lighthouse. “We’ll gonna miss the show.”
• Luke stopped at a locked wooden gate. He took out a key, unlocked it, and invited Eve in. “We’re going to see the light and fireworks show from the best spot.”
• They entered the backyard of a villa. There was no one there. As Eve admired the beauty of the villa, she heard Luke close the gate door and she turned around.
• “Don’t let anyone in,” Luke explained. “This is the private villa of the owner of this island.”
• Upon hearing that, Eve widened her eyes. “Lucas Atwood?” she whispered.
• Luke nodded, looking surprised. “You know him?”
• “Of course! He’s practically the ruler of Servaxia! In fact, he’s the one who made me come to this country! I was supposed to interview him, but suddenly he changed the schedule.” Eve sighed and shook her head. “People in power always act as they please.”
• “Hmm… I couldn’t agree more,” muttered Luke, nodding his head.
• Eve felt his response sounded insincere, but before she could decipher it, Luke motioned towards the villa. “Come on.”
• Luke led Eve up the spiral staircase from the pool area to the third floor. Then he guided her to a rooftop with the best view Eve had ever seen. The star-filled sky became their roof, and from here, Eve could see the lighthouse clearly.
• “Wait here,” he requested, after guiding Eve to sit on a comfortable-looking long sofa. The balcony faced the lighthouse, and the place was very private. They could enjoy the show and fireworks without having to be crowded.
• A few minutes later, Luke returned with two stemmed glasses and a bottle of wine.
• “Where did you get that?” Eve asked as Luke arranged the glasses and bottle on the table next to the sofa. He uncorked the wine bottle, poured it into the glasses, and handed one to Eve.
• “They were in the kitchen,” Luke answered nonchalantly.
• “Aren’t you afraid of Lucas?”
• Luke shrugged. “He won’t notice if one of his wine bottles goes missing.”
• Eve was about to protest again, but then the show began.
• They drank wine while commenting on the ongoing performance.
• Luke sat beside Eve, genuinely laughing at her jokes.
• Eve lost count of how many glasses of wine she had drunk, and she was starting to feel tipsy, but she felt happy.
• It felt like her life was perfect. Tonight, she was not the Eve who was betrayed on her wedding day, nor was she the Eve who received cruel treatment from her stepmother and stepsister, but she was the Eve who was enjoying her life to the fullest.
• After the mesmerizing light show, the fireworks display began. Eve intended to stand up from the sofa, but she felt dizzy and couldn’t stand properly. As she tried to remove her tangled sandals, she instead fell sideways, causing the wine in her glass to spill onto Luke’s shirt.
• “Oh, my God! I am sorry!” She wanted to clean Luke’s stained white shirt, but Luke stopped her and he removed his shirt, revealing his perfect body.
• “It’s fine,” he said, wiping the spilled wine on his chest with his dirty shirt. “I’ll get a new shirt inside—“
• Eve fell silent and just looked at him. And Luke, sensing her gaze, stopped cleaning his body and returned her stare.
• “Looks like you enjoy what you see,” muttered Luke. His gaze darkened, and Eve felt a flutter in her heart.
• “I just went through a heartbreak,” she suddenly blurted out.
• Fireworks exploded in the night sky.
• “And I need an outlet.”
• She leaned towards him, and he stayed still. That was a good sign, thought Eve. He didn’t reject her.
• As she was about to kiss him, she stifled a cry as he quickly embraced her, lifted her onto his lap, and then kissed her.