13 A magical night

They both walked out of the house. A few more steps down the path on the sandy shore, Raf stopped and took off his shoes, walking barefoot on the sand.

"Why don't you take off your sandals? You'll feel more comfortable walking on the sand," he suggested.

"Sure." There was a big stone on the side of the fence. He suggested she sat down on it, but before she could reach for her foot, he kneeled in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he looked up at her.

"Helping you take your sandals off," he gestured for her to lift her foot to his other knee.

"No, you don't need to do that. I can manage-" She did not get the chance to finish.

"Nonsense." He picked up her right foot first and started removing the lace strap, then took off the sandals. He did the same thing on her other foot. She was a bit shocked since no one ever did that for her before, except, of course, for her assistant or the wardrobe staff, not even Brad.

"Thanks. I guess," not knowing what else to say when Raf stood up and helped her up on her feet again.

"It was my pleasure." He held on to her sandals, together with his shoes as they continued on their way.

"So, where is this something that you wanted to show me?" She questioned him as they began to move towards the shore.

She walked with him on the soft sands as the breeze softly blew her hair on the side. If she still had her long hair, it would have swayed beautifully with the wind.

The vast space was empty with just the two of them on sight. The small waves created a beautiful sound that was music to her ears. The wide ocean was calm with a few bright lights in the far distance. It was a beautiful sight with the twinkling stars and the full moon as its only source of natural light.

"Are you tired, or are you ok if we walked a bit further to the other side? This time would be the best moment to show you this place," he asked as he pointed to a direction opposite of her house.

She was getting a bit tired, but she was also intrigued and excited to see what he had up his sleeves. What could be so special about this place that they had to go at this time of night? She could not even imagine.

"Sure. I'm still up for it," deciding not to let this moment passed. Sky followed Raf towards the other end of the beach.

They strolled on the shallow water with their feet playing with the mild waves as it went back and forth, flowing in the sand. The salty water was slightly cold on their feet, but it possessed some therapeutic effect that calmed their beating hearts down.

"Do you go out here often?" She voiced out her curiosity. From her point of view, it looked like such a peaceful place. For someone new, she would never venture out here on her own.

Although she always had an adventurous spirit, she never had the chance to explore it because of her upbringing. As far as she could remember, the most daring thing she ever did, was when she entered show business.

He looked at her in the dim light and thought of what to answer her. "Only on certain occasions." It was vague, but he was not ready to share his life just yet. Small steps, he told himself.

"Well, this is a lovely place. I wished I have something like this to go to if I want some time for myself." She honestly needed a place like this, where she could be left alone to enjoy her solitude. Being in the entertainment business had its perks, but it also had its downside.

Thinking about her life, she did not trust people easily, and she did not go out with someone without some form of a background check. She had been wary of people because of her experience with them.

In this case, she made an exception. Not that she was afraid of her present company, she believed she could trust Raf, which was odd.

Maybe because she was not acting as Sabrina, but as Sky. She also defended her reasoning with the information that she gathered from Lindsey about him.

They stopped just a few meters away from a mountainous rock formation. "This is my favorite spot," he announced proudly. "What do you think?"

"Wow, this place is amazing. What is that a cave?" She scanned her surrounding with the bright moonlight. She could make out a hollow on the other side of the massive rocks.

"Yeah, it is. A small one. There are several bigger ones on the other side, but it would be a more difficult trek, but if you are up for it sometime, I could show you." He looked like he did a lot of outdoor activities with his muscular body built and tanned features.

"Well, I have not done something like that in my life, so I would not know if I would like it." She told him honestly. The most adventurous thing she ever did in her life was when she went camping in the forest when filming her movie. However, she would not count it as one since it was a set surrounded by a hundred film crews who took care of her needs, providing all she would need to survive comfortably in the wild.

"Would you like to sit down?" He sat down on the sand, then patted the space beside him as he stared at the beautiful moon just above the ocean, illuminating the calm water in front of them.

She carefully sat down beside him and fixed her dress, extending her legs on the sand.

"I am falling in love with this place. It is truly magical." She voiced out her thoughts. She suddenly felt a cold chill in the wind making her shiver.

He also felt the chill with her words. But when he saw her rubbed her arms, he immediately gave her his jacket.

"Oh! Thanks. Aren't you cold too?" She asked as she grabbed the edge of the jacket to fix it around her, beginning to feel his body heat left in it, warmed her cold skin.

He just said no and continued to stare at the ocean. After a while of silence, he found himself looking at her as a slight trickle of light graze her face, making her looked more beautiful.

"Is there something wrong?" She suddenly noticed that he was staring at her when she glanced at him.

"How long are you staying here?" He finally asked what he was thinking ever since he learned that she was only visiting.

"I still have no idea. Maybe a month or more." She estimated based on the current situation she was in right now.

"I think that is perfect," he said, smiling as if he had just heard some great news.

"Perfect? Why?" She asked, confused by his reaction. She shifted her position on the sand, finding a better view of him.

He also looked at her. "It will give us time to get to know each other," he said, smiling adorably.

"Really. You wanted to get to know me." That was news to her. As Sabrina, those words were not extraordinary anymore. Acting as Sky, she was not exactly sure how to react to such a statement. Then, remembering her plan, it was actually working.

"Yeah, why not? I find you interesting. I enjoyed your company," he stated. "Even Baxter likes you," he added.

Rafael was also wondering what was happening to him. It was as if he was like a teenager on his first date. Maybe there was really something special about her to make him act foolishly like this.

"I don't know what to say to that. Thank you, I guess." She acknowledged, suddenly blushing in the dim light, glad that he would not notice. She also found herself in a new situation she was not familiar with, quite different from her other dates before.

It was a perfect evening she would never forget in her lifetime. She could only wish for this night to never end because it was such a magical night.