IV- Take me to the beach

Day 3

JOHN

It was already morning when I woke up, and sunshine was hitting my face from the balcony. I sprang up and started to feel lightheaded. How much time did I sleep? Why does my head hurt, too?

It appears to me that yesterday I drank too much gin. Because I feel so dizzy and nauseous and like I'm going to pass out, I rubbed both sides of my forehead and muttered to myself, "Damn it!"

"Good morning," I nearly jumped out of bed as a man with a familiar voice greeted me, so I looked at him with a surprised expression on my face. I looked up only to see Evan grinning at me, and I replied, "Hello, good morning and you scared me."

His palm was placed on my forehead as he drew nearer to me. I looked at him and was surprised, "What are you doing?" My skin was touched by his warm, kind palm. He pulled his hand off my forehead and replied.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm just checking on you." Before he ran away from me, I questioned him, "And why would you do that?" Prior to replying, he grinned.

"Since you passed out yesterday, I assumed you were just drunk until last night when you started having chills and night sweats—so I'm just saying you had a fever but it's gone now, so you're fine," he replied, ruffling my hair.

"Stop that!" I yelled at him. He chuckled and immediately stopped messing with my hair.

"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked, rubbing my neck as I stood up and stretched my body.

He said quietly, "18 hours."

I feel bad about myself. Never in my life have I slept for that long. Am I truly so exhausted because I'm so heavily intoxicated? I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder from Evan. He was grinning at me when I turned to look at him. The man is usually smiling and appears to be happy; perhaps if a woman saw him smiling, the woman would be impressed. Who wouldn't be delighted to see such a charming and attractive man grinning at them?

"You should take a shower; you still smell like gin and cigarettes," he joked, so I smelt like myself. He's absolutely right!

"Oh, I'm sorry; I'll go take a quick shower, but can I ask you something? Like a favor?" I asked before going to the bathroom; he nodded and said "Sure, what exactly is it?"

"Could you please contact the front desk and request that my bed sheets be changed?"

I was puzzled when he gave me a smile again. We both looked at the door when he answered simply, "I already did, and I ordered breakfast for the two of us."

There was a woman screaming, "Housekeeping!" Evan turned to face me and continued to talk. He approached the door to let the housekeeper in and said, "Go take a shower; I'll take care of this."

Just nodding, I did as he said and walked to the bathroom. As soon as the shower started, I instantly got in it. While I was soaking myself, I suddenly remembered something before I passed out that time. I can picture myself on the ground with my face down. In an effort to get myself to rise up once more, I searched for something to hold onto but couldn't find any. Then, out of nowhere, I felt a pair of warm hands holding my body. I was then placed on the bed, and after that...

As soon as I realized what I had done, I covered my mouth. Did I kiss him? No! That is not possible. As he came at me, I recalled gripping him by his nape, but I can't recall what happened next. If I did something wrong yesterday, God, please just punish me now! Renee was right. I shouldn't drink too much because when I'm drunk, I behave differently. I shook my head to drop the idea.

EVAN

John just emerged from the bathroom when I was getting ready for our breakfast here on the balcony a few moments ago. He was merely sporting a robe, as I quickly noticed.

I extended my seat to him and said, "You done? If so, let's eat then." I'm sure my request caught him off guard, but gentlemanly conduct demands that we act as such. He walked over to the table as soon as I saw him smile and sit down.

When I was busy making tea for the two of us, he nibbled into the toasted bread and asked, "You look good today; are you going somewhere?"

"Well, yeah I'm going somewhere, and you're coming with me," I replied simply, and he stopped munching and looked at me, puzzled. I smiled at him as I handed him a cup of tea I had prepared before taking my seat.

"You're taking me with you?" he asked abruptly as I sipped my tea, and I nodded and replied "yes."

"Why?" he wondered as he took another bite of his food.

"I just assumed you needed someone to take you somewhere—I don't know, maybe just help you forget or move onto something?" I replied as I began to eat my French toast. He ceased chewing and focused on the lake.

He gave a flimsy response, "I think so too," but I could still hear it. He relapsed into feeling depressed, I noticed. I sighed in sympathy and took a look at the lake as well, admiring its beauty.

"It's not like I'm invading your personal space, but I've been dying to ask you at some point: do you have a problem? Like, are you having a relationship problem?" I asked, which elicited a laugh from him. I looked at him and saw sadness in his eyes, and I knew he wanted to cry but couldn't.

"What? Do you have telepathic abilities now?" he joked as he bit into his food. I give the look of 'so it's true?' to be certain, and he nodded.

He was caught off guard when he saw me take out his small notebook from my pocket and handed it to him, as I smiled.

"Why do you have this? It's embarrassing! Did you read it?" he screamed softly, clearly embarrassed, and I shook my head in response.

"I respect your privacy; I know you don't want anyone reading what you wrote there, so I didn't bother to read it," I lied, because I did read what was inside his small notebook. He inhaled deeply and held the book. "Thank you so much, God. You saved me," he said, gazing up at the sky. What a cute guy.

"So, where are you taking me?" he asked, lowering the notebook and sipping the tea I made.

"I was planning to take you somewhere, like a beach, but the decision is still yours; have you thought of somewhere we could go?" I asked as I took a bite of food, and he shook his head.

"Actually, the beach is a great idea! I really want to see the ocean, walk along the coast, and watch the sunset," he exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Then it's settled, the beach," I said, smiling.

"Yes! We're going to the beach," he said, pointing in one direction like a pirate.

"Cute," I said quietly, but he didn't hear.

We spoke for a while before he cut us off.

"I should get dressed so we can leave sooner," he said, standing up to do so. When I see him like this, I want to get to know him better. I want to learn more about him—what am I doing? What is this sensation?

JOHN

Evan was driving, and I was sitting quietly, enjoying the breeze. I was bored, so I turned on the car radio and began listening to music. I moved my head in time to the music. I just can't help myself, especially since Troye Sivan's song "For Him" is on the radio right now.

I can't wait to see the beach; it's been a long time since I've been there. I haven't been able to swim in about a year or two. But today, instead of swimming, I'm going on an adventure—the kind where you just walk along the beach talking with someone until you both see the sunset.

"Jump starting your car 'cause this city's a bore.

Buying e-cigarettes at the convenience store 

Making new clichés on our own little tour 

Let's ride~" I was surprised to hear Evan sing, so I paid close attention to him. He sang; he knows the lyrics so well that I'll try to sing along with him. Let's see if our tones match.

"You don't have to say I love you to say I love you

Forget all the shooting stars and all the silver moons" When we sang together, he was surprised and smiled at me.

"We've been making shades of purple out of red and blue

Sickeningly sweet like honey, don't need money

All I need is you

All I need is you, you" We pointed at each other and sang while laughing together.

I playfully said, "I didn't think you'd recognize this song. I was pleased when he answered, "Oh course! Most definitely! Given that this is my favorite Troye Sivan song." I smiled to myself and looked at Evan, "This is my favorite too."

I questioned him, "You like Troye Sivan, don't you?"

He added, making it clear that he is a fan, "Oh, of course, as an artist, like, who wouldn't like him? Since every one of his songs are relatable, right?"

I chuckled and told him that, "You're exactly correct; that's one of the reasons why I love his music so much and why I became his loyal fan." and he laughed at me,

He said, "Well, you're not alone," and we immediately turned onto a road through a dense woodland.

He only nodded when I questioned him, "Are we there yet?" I spent some time observing him. I feel a desire to know him more just by gazing at him. I'm curious about his personality. I abruptly regained consciousness when he remarked, chuckling, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I asked, raising an eyebrow, "Like what exactly?" with a smile on my face.

He chuckled, because even when he laughs, he still looks good. "Every time you look at me, you always have that strange smile on your face."

I pretended to be offended by what he said and responded, "You mean, my smile is odd." He stated that, it's evident he's trying to cheer me up, "Oh, no, I didn't mean that!"

"You said it already, and there's no taking it back," I said in Tagalog as he abruptly stepped on the brake, causing the car to abruptly stop, which surprised me.

"Eva—" he cut me off in the middle of what I was about to say. "You know how to speak Tagalog?!" he shouted in Tagalog, which surprised me as well.

"You speak Tagalog too?" I shouted back. We burst out laughing after a moment of silence and staring at what had happened.

"Are you stupid, Evan?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Tagalog?" we laughed again.

"I only know a little, and I can only understand a little," he admitted, his accent pretty evident though.

"OK, so are we there yet?" I asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt. I removed my seatbelt as well, and we both exited the vehicle. I could feel the breeze that smelled like the sea as soon as I stepped outside. I can also hear seagulls and their flapping wings in the air. This is something I miss.

With my arms extended out like a bird's wings, I rushed toward the ocean, attempting to feel the salty air on my skin more keenly while keeping my eyes closed. Simply doing this makes me feel so truly happy and free. I calmed myself and looked at Evan, who was smiling and walking over to me with both hands in his khaki pants pockets.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Evan," I said, smiling sweetly at him.

"This is my purpose; that's why I brought you here—to make you feel better and to see you at least smile," he said as he approached me, turning his gaze into the ocean and closing his eyes as if he were listening to the sound of the ocean waves.

"I'm glad you like it; I'm happy to see you smile," he added, opening his eyes and holding his camera to capture the breathtaking view.

"But nothing could be happier if I did this!" he exclaimed as he kicked the water in my direction, soaking me and splashing my face with wet sand.

"Evan!" When I yelled his name, he ran away laughing, as if he knew I'd strike back.

"How dare you! Come back here!" I yelled at him, chasing him.

We chased and drenched each other in sea water like little kids playing in the ocean. We are both pleased and enthusiastic about what we are doing. Just by doing this, it appears that I will quickly forget my painful memories of Hanz.

We decided to go shell hunting after we played around on the beach. I enjoy collecting seashells because their aesthetic appearance appeals to me.

Until the afternoon, the golden hour had been approaching, when the light was infused with red and gold tones. We sat on the white sand, watching the sun set.

"Look around for a moment; I have a camera set up behind us for a picture," he said, nodding as we both turned our faces to the camera, which clicked a few flashes because the timer was set. We returned to watch the sunset after taking photos; in fact, I wish I could live in this moment forever. It's nice to feel so peaceful.

I turned to face Evan as he stated, "This is my first time watching the sun set with someone, because I was intending on doing this with someone I will marry someday."

"Then why did you bring me here?" I questioned him as I struggled with remorse.

He smiled at me and added, "Because I thought you needed this, that this would help you move on and redeem yourself from pain and sorrow." He stares at me in a similar manner to how Hanz used to look at me.

Fuck why did I think that? I shook my head to get rid of the thought.

I glanced at the sunset as he abruptly said, "Moreover, it is unlikely that I will get married." The view is lovely, the sky is a variety of colors, and it is lovely to watch the sunset while listening to the ocean waves. I want this tranquility to last throughout my entire life.