20 Next priority

A loud knock on the door alerted her of a visitor. It was barely morning, so she was not expecting anyone this early. Well, being on this island, she never actually imagined anyone would visit her.

Rafael. The thought suddenly occurred to her. He was the only possible person who would wish to see her. She immediately jumped from the bed to answer the door.

Then, she realized that her hair was all over her face. She quickly went back to the bathroom, almost tripping on the rag by the door, to fix it and even gurgle some mouthwash on her mouth to remove her morning breath.

Tightening her robe over her nightgown, she dashed to the door.

As she was about to open it, she immediately realized that it could not be Raf since Sky did not live in that house.

Disappointment spread to her like a wildfire. It consumed her earlier enthusiasm, turning it to confusion. She opened the door, wondering who could be behind it.

A familiar face stood in front of her, wearing a wide smile on his face. Her mood swiftly changed again as excitement swooped into her.

"Surprise!" The newcomer announced loudly as soon as he saw her opened the door. He knew he should have called, but he wanted to see the expression on her face when she saw him. He knew how much she hated surprises.

"What are you doing here?" She quickly hugged him before showing him to the living room. "You never told me that you have plans to visit me."

She was ecstatic to see him. She missed him so much. Having him here would be a dream come true for her, that was, to spend some time with him.

"If I told you, then that would not be a surprise, would it?" He reasoned as he placed his luggage in the corner of the house. "This is a nice place. Jessica always has impeccable taste." He mused as he looked around the house.

"How long are you staying?" Checking the two large bags. She loved that he finally came to visit her, but the timing was off. His presence would surely mess up her plans.

"With the way you are acting, I would say that you are not happy to see me," he said with a dramatic expression. He took a seat on the sofa as he pretended to be hurt.

Her face must have given away what she was feeling. Knowing each other for a long time, they had learned to read each other thoughts with the mere actions and expressions on their faces.

"You know how much I wanted you to come and visit me. It just took me by surprise. You know I hate surprises." She reasoned, not exactly buying his acting. "Besides, have you seen the time? It's barely morning. You caught me in an awkward time."

"Well, with the short notice, I had no choice but to fly early." He told her.

He was aware of his slip up, so quickly, he thought of a comeback if she noticed and asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked him, puzzled by his statement.

"Nothing. We can talk about it later after I got some sleep. You know I don't sleep well when I am flying." He quickly picked up his luggage. "Where's my room?"

She pointed to the spare room on the other side of hers. "Use that one."

"Wake me up when breakfast is ready." He entered his room and closed it behind him. He was still very bossy, she thought.

"See you later. Jacob." She said as she returned to her room with a frown on her face.

What could have brought him here in a hurry? What should she do now that he was here? What about Raf? How could she pull it off without telling Jacob about him? What about telling Raf the truth? Was she ready to do that? Would he be able to understand her?

Hundreds of questions ran to her mind, troubling her more as she came up with more lies than solutions. That was not good, she thought.

After yesterday's event, she was definite that she had gone deeper than friendship with him. She might be falling for him.

She also sensed that he was developing something for her. It might not be love yet, but she was sure that it was more than friendship.

After their breakfast, they went on a boating expedition to see the dolphins, and of course, the sharks and the other beautiful sea creatures the island was preserving for their ecotourism projects.

Standing on the edge of the deck of the boat, she looked down on him. "Be careful." The only words she could utter to him at that moment.

"The water is great. It's a great day to swim." He kept teasing her as he swam with the sharks in the deep sea.

She initially thought that diving with the sharks was a dangerous endeavor and a stupid idea. After learning some facts, she was able to understand the delicate nature of the fierce king of the sea.

Yet, Raf was not able to convince her to dive in with him. She was not ready to risk her life for something like that. She opted to watch Raf in the safety of the boat. He, together with the shark experts, dived with the wild but gentle creatures.

At the end of the tour, she finally conceded to pet a dolphin in the large pool. She had done something like that before in one commercial shoot she did in the past, so it was not unfamiliar.

The day ended with dinner at one of the small restaurants located near the resort. It was intimate and cozy, bringing a romantic vibe to the entire dining experience.

"Next time, I am not taking no for an answer. You should try to live a little. I'm not saying you should take stupid risks, but be more adventurous." He was telling her.

"I think that's enough adventure for one day," she said, not elaborating her meaning. She had taken a huge risk in her life but looked where it got her. Hiding from the world. Lying to him. Afraid to face the truth.

"Well, you should keep on trying. Being afraid would lead you nowhere." He put down his drink as he stared at her.

"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be afraid to try new things." She was thinking of something else when she said this.

She realized that these past weeks had been the best thing that happened to her. She felt alive and free. She wanted more of it, but how would she be free when she was living in a lie.

She was planning to invite him today for lunch, but she remembered he would be out all day, handling some business.

Instead, she decided to surprise him for dinner. She intended to tell him about her true identity afterward. She was hoping that what they had would be enough for him to forgive her for her lies.

Now, how could she do it with Jacob here? She could not leave him alone, or else he would be suspicious. She guessed she could move her plans for the next day. For now, she had to find out why Jacob was here. Confessing to him would be her next priority.