Chapter Three

Blaze smiled, satisfied seeing the special dinner event prepared by the resort. He did not spend a lot of money on this special event. Even though Siargao's temperature was quite cold tonight because of easterlies, it didn't dampen his enthusiasm to propose to Hailey tonight. He reached into his coat pocket and smiled as he opened the small box in his hand.

Tonight is the end of his long-awaited journey.

"Blaze..."

He hastily stuffed the box into his coat pocket before turning around. He smiled when a beautiful woman stood not far from him. "How do I look? Do you like it?"

The woman walked closer to him with a facial expression that she couldn't read. Either confused, surprised, or even annoyed?

"What are you doing in this cold, eh?"

Blaze was still smiling and pulled a chair. "Sit down. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Blaze, what are you doing exactly? You said we went on a vacation? You know, I have to go back to Japan before the new year."

He nodded. "Of course I know. We're leaving on the twentieth, so you can take a flight to Japan before the end of the year. Come on, sit down first, Hailey."

"I'm cold, Blaze. Can we eat inside the resort instead?"

Now his smile disappeared, seeing the woman's reaction. But he tried to smile again. "I see. We'll just have dinner at the restaurant. But there's something I want to give you."

"What's that?"

Blaze took a deep breath and took the small box out of his coat pocket. "We've been together for more than six years. And I love you very much, Hailey. You once asked me to wait because you wanted to finish your education. And since you're about to graduate, I'm going to ask this question one more time. Will you marry me?"

He knew what he said was not romantic enough, so he chose to make this dinner event. He noticed the woman who had been looking at the ring he was offering her.

"Blaze, you don't understand at all, do you?"

"What?"

"When I asked you to wait for me to finish my education in Japan, it was actually just an excuse. The reason for you looking for another girl and breaking up with me."

"What? W-why did you do it? H-Hailey…"

"Blaze, listen to me. Maybe it's my fault for not speaking directly. This relationship can no longer be continued. I like you, but now only as a friend. No more, no less. Forgive me,"

"Hailey, what are you talking about, eh? If you're kidding, then this isn't funny. It's before Christmas, Hailey, not April 1st."

But the woman didn't talk at all anymore. She then turned around and left him to return to the resort. Meanwhile, Blaze just stood there doing nothing to see Hailey leave.

The wooden box in his hand then fell on the sand that had begun to cover the field.

*****

Siegfried cursed Cameron, who told him to go to a special bar at the resort. It's eleven o'clock at night and it's minus fifteen. He doesn't like cold temperatures at all. But his cousin always managed to persuade him to leave the room.

He pulled his coat close and walked down the path through a wide field. He remembered this path because this afternoon, Cameron had shown him the way. What annoyed him the most was that the bar was built separately from the resort. He had to make sure that the enormous field would be used to build other, more useful buildings instead of leaving it empty like that.

He frowned when he saw the table with all the decorations still there. Did the resort staff not tidy it up after the event was over? Or maybe the dinner event wasn't over yet? Ah, Sieg, don't think about it, he thought.

Siegfried was about to walk again when he saw something covered in sand.

"W-what's that h-head?!" he shouted. Without even realizing it, he was already running towards the table.

It was clear what he saw was a human. He touched the person and felt very cold. "Is he dead?"

Then he checked his pulse. Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief after knowing the person was still alive. Quickly, he took out his cellphone and called his cousin.

"Sieg, where are you? Is not that-"

"Cameron, call an ambulance!! NOW!!"

"W-why? What happened?"

"Don't ask too many questions! Just do what I said! Hurry up!!"

Siegfried then cut the connection. He put his cell phone in his coat pocket and watched the person closely. He doesn't know why he seems to have seen this person before. Carefully, Siegfried removed the sand covering the person's face. He can recognize the person.

"B-Blaze Schift?!"

*****

Cameron handed a cup of coffee to his cousin, who looked tired. Siegfried took it and took a sip. Cameron sighed and sat down next to the man. "I know you're panicking, but wouldn't it be easier if you just called an ambulance yourself?"

"You have already answered your own question, Cameron Carter."

"Alright, forget about that stupid question. But you seem to know the man. Who's he?" Cameron asked again.

Siegfried took a breath. "Remember when I went to the matchmaking meeting, but what came was the younger sibling of the girl who was going to be arranged for me?" his cousin nodded.

"Well, he is the one. He is Blaze Schift, Benice's Schift's younger brother."

Cameron's eyes widened. "Is that true? S-so the person who prepared the dinner event was him? But why was he passed out and cold there? Isn't his lover coming?"

"You're asking stupid questions again, Cameron. I don't know the answer, idiot!" said Siegfried, annoyed.

Cameron hissed at the man's answer. He just asked if Sieg didn't know the answer. There's no need to get angry like that. He then raised his hands up and stretched his back muscles.

It's one in the morning and he just wants to be in his room. Not in the hospital to spend Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Siegfried just wrestled with his own thoughts and finished his coffee.

Cameron glanced at his cousin. "One last question. Who will take care of him? Did he come alone? The resort didn't say anything to you?"

"You go back to the resort. Let me take care of him. I don't know him, but we've met once. So, that's okay. Ask the resort about his family's contact," said his cousin.

Cameron frowned slightly at the man's attitude. Because it's unusual for him to be kind to strangers like this. Yeah, even though they only met once, they're still strangers, aren't they?

But he won't ask any more. He was so tired.

"Okay. Tomorrow I'll be here again to bring you some clothes. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll bring clothes for the guy too. Go inside, don't wait in the hall. It's so cold," said Cameron.

Siegfried just nodded and Cameron left. After finishing his coffee, he threw the paper cup into the nearest trash can and entered Blaze's room. Doctors said the man had hypothermia but was lucky enough to survive.

He walked closer to the bed and noticed the man, who was still unconscious. He snorted when he remembered where he had found him passed out. "Is that woman so precious that you have to be willing to faint and get hypothermic like this, eh? So sad. You're living a pathetic life."

*****