11 Prolonged her charade

At the restaurant, the man at the door addressed her as Miss, without recognizing her. It gave her more confidence that her scheme was working. When no one from the other diners and staff was staring at her, except for some curious glances, she was definite that she could pull this off.

She spotted Rafael already sitting on the far side of the restaurant by the window. Away from the other diners. The interior of the restaurant had a cozy atmosphere. The design incorporated the indigenous surrounding, yet it still imbibed a classy feel in it. In her opinion, it was just perfect.

He immediately stood up from his seat when he spotted Sky entered the premises, greeting her with a mild handshake and a hug. "Hi, Sky, glad you made it."

Rafael was quite excited about this dinner, which he found unusual since he was never like this with the other girls he dated before. Except of course, with one particular girl that he dated for several years.

Although he dated more than a few in the past, he was no womanizer. He had several girlfriends since he hit puberty, but not one of them was the right match for him. He always knew what he wanted, but none of them fit the criteria. So what was so special about her that he wanted to see her again. He began to ponder.

The only girl he ever truly loved did not end up with him because she found someone else. He could not blame her. In the end, he understood that they were not meant for each other.

"Hi! I hope I did not make you wait," she said. She took the offered chair and began to relax as she waited for him to take his seat on the opposite of the table.

"Nope. I just arrived a few minutes ago." Raf said. "I'm happy that you accepted my invitation, Sky."

"Oh. I needed something else to do than sit around in my room." She admitted. That was, sort of, true. At least with this date, she was hitting two birds with one stone.

They began to order the restaurant specialty. It would be only natural that seafood were their best sellers. She was glad that she had no allergies to anything, whether it be food or something else. Suddenly, remembering Xavier and his condition. She wanted to ask Raf about him, but that would blow away her cover.

"I'm curious. You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, snapping Sky from her reverie. "Never seen you around before. As you might have seen, this is quite a small island, so everyone seems to know anyone."

"No, I am not. I just came here for a vacation. I just needed time to get away from everything," Sky admitted again. Although she was choosing her words not to spill her true identity, she still did not need to create any more lies. It was enough that she was omitting some truths.

"Well, let me welcome you to our small town. Have you tried some of the activities here?" He asked as they waited for their food.

"Nope. What can you recommend?" She was genuinely interested since she loved outdoor activities, not that she had been to one. Anything fun would be quite her cup of tea right now. She would gladly give it a try if she would get the opportunity.

Rafael looked at her thoroughly from his position. She was beautiful, but not in the sense of the word. Meaning, Sky was no model or actress type. Her clothes though not shabby like the one she wore yesterday was still ordinary. Not flashy like the ones his dates usually would wear to impress him.

Her eyes, the emerald color of it was what fascinated him yesterday. Although her glasses were concealing them from his view, he was sure that it was more beautiful up close.

"Oh! There are a lot of activities here. If you're free sometime, I could show you around." What the heck was he doing? He thought to himself. He just did it again.

Besides that, he had no idea what came to him when he suddenly invited her to dinner for no particular reason. It was not like him. Besides, she was not his regular type. Maybe it was just his curiosity with Baxter that initiated this. He tried to think of a possible explanation for his odd behavior.

What was about this girl that he found himself curious about her? Baxter did not respond to strangers. He was not a friendly dog, but for some reason, he liked her.

"Oh, you will, but I don't think I could impose on your time." She declined his offer. After tonight, she was planning to tell him her identity. She was going to confront him about what she thought of his attitude. She doubted if he would ever take her out again, let alone showed her around town.

"No, you're not. I have some free time this weekend, so if you're free, I can show you around." He offered.

"Maybe. I'll check first with my schedule." She grabbed her phone on the side of her bag on the table, pretending to scan the phone calendar. She wrestled with the idea for a few seconds.

"Please, you will also be helping me by keeping me company too. Baxter is a big help, but it will be nice to have a conversation with someone who actually answers back." He said casually, hoping that he did not appear desperate.

"Oops, I suddenly remember, I am bored to my wit's end with nothing to do. Your offer sounds terrific. I won't mind taking you up for it." She could not believe what she just did.

She was supposed to decline his offer and finished this charade tonight, but something about him prevented her from doing so. Maybe it was her longing for some adventure and excitement in her seemingly boring life, or it was the way he sounded in her ears that made it more interesting. Whatever it was, she was willing to prolong her pretending a little bit longer.

Rafael decided to tell her some fascinating things about the island. The history and the many things that made this island special. After a while, the conversation just went smoothly without a hitch. However, Sky avoided talking about any personal details about her, shifting the topic to neutral grounds.

"Can I give you a lift home?" He finally asked when the dinner was over.

Well, that was something she forgot to consider earlier. It was a bit late, and she had no way to go home. If she called Gerry, Lindsey would find out that she sneaked out. Although she was not a prisoner on this island, she did not want to worry Lindsey. She had become close to her, like a distant relative, an aunt maybe.

Taking a risk finding a ride home with someone else would be more foolish. Maybe taking Rafael's offer would be much better.

"Sure. I have not arranged any transportation. I forgot that I am on an island." Suddenly feeling stupid for not thinking this through. Now, she had no choice. There was no other way. She felt disappointed that she had to finally tell him the truth. She was already excited about the prospect of going out with him again.

"Ok. Shall we go?" She picked up her bag and phone and let Raf guide her out of the restaurant.

As they cruise to the silent and empty street, she stared at the beautiful view outside her window. Although it was already late at night, she could still clearly see the vast ocean and magnificent mountain on the horizon because of the bright illumination of the full moon. She contemplated if it was the right time to tell him about herself.

It was such a beautiful sight. Sky loved the perfection of this night, suddenly feeling sorry to ruin it by telling him the truth about her. Maybe she could postpone it until the morning. It was not as if the outcome would change if she prolonged her charade. Tomorrow then, she thought.