WHISPER OF DESIRE

Chapter 4 - Dip

I blinked a few times as I scanned everyone around, the sun warm on my shoulders, the gentle breeze tugging at the strands of hair escaping my ponytail.

“If I were you, Clementine, I’d swim over there and pose like a model,” Alexander teased, his grin wide, eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“I don’t want to. I’ll go to the other side,” I said, trying to sound firm, but my voice held just a hint of hesitation.

“Fine, you don’t want to. Then I’ll go instead. You can stay here alone,” he said, shrugging dramatically, his grin never fading.

I gave a small smile. “I’ll swim at the next island.”

“Just to feel every dive?” he teased again. I shot him a pointed look, trying to resist a laugh.

He burst out laughing, and I realized it was just the two of us here now. Everyone else had gone ahead, diving and splashing into the turquoise water, leaving us in this quiet bubble.

“Come on, Clemmie. Just a quick swim. I’ll join you at the next island later,” Alexander whispered, nudging me lightly.

I could hear Louise Xandra calling too, her voice carrying over the water, teasing. I had no choice but to peel off my shorts and follow them into the sea. The cold water shocked my skin at first, biting and sharp, but soon I felt the rhythm of it around me, washing away some of the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Axtel and Alexander teased me gently while Giovanni asked questions about my life abroad.

“So, you’re planning to stay here now? Or will you return to Washington?” he asked, curiosity clear in his tone.

I spread my arms slightly, feeling Alexander’s hand brush against my waist. I brushed wet hair from my face before answering. “Probably for a year or two. Depends on the market. If my uncle needs me, I’ll fly back immediately.”

“So no plans to stay here permanently?”

I shook my head. “I want to continue my career abroad.”

“Then go with him, Van!” Axtel teased Gio. I laughed, and Gio tried to playfully punch him. The water splashed around us, our laughter mingling with the distant sound of the waves.

Axtel quickly pointed at Giovanni. “You know, Twaila? He misses you. He still asks about Jerome and Louise.”

I smiled at Giovanni. He smirked back before splashing Axtel in retaliation.

“And you know what? He almost called the police the day you texted that you wouldn’t make it to the gathering!” Axtel laughed.

My smile faltered. Alexander gave me a knowing look, subtle, but I felt it in my chest.

“Really?” I asked softly. Giovanni frowned at Axtel, who just laughed louder.

“Yes! Admit it, Van! He thought something happened to you. He and Evander turned the whole university upside down when they found out you dropped out.”

My chest tightened. I could feel the pulse of tension, like a low hum beneath the surface of my calm. Alexander tried to signal Axtel, but he ignored it, grinning too widely.

“Come on, admit it, Van! Maybe you like Clementine. You’re just not saying it. This is your chance. I got your back!” Axtel pushed Gio slightly toward me.

“A-Ah! What?” I laughed awkwardly, my cheeks warming.

Gio only smiled, shaking his head. I looked up and froze as Evander approached our spot, his stride calm, measured. Axtel guided him closer, and as his gaze lifted, our eyes met.

“What’s happening here?” he asked quietly, and for a second, the teasing, playful energy of the group seemed to shrink around us.

“There you are, bro! Did you see that?” Axtel shouted.

“See what?” Evander replied, voice even, eyes flicking to me briefly before settling back on Giovanni.

“Giovanni likes Clementine!”

Evander’s expression didn’t change, but I felt my stomach tighten, the old ache of unspoken words and memories flickering at the edges of my mind.

“No way—” he started, but Alexander jumped in, teasing softly. “Even if he does like you, Clementine, it’s fine. You have a boyfriend now anyway.”

My heart raced, and I grit my teeth, glancing at Evander. He looked blankly at Giovanni, then back at me, expression unreadable.

“Yeah, so what if I like Clementine? We’re both single and—” Giovanni started, but Evander cut in.

“Let’s go to the next island,” he said coldly, turning away. Shiela followed closely, her presence as smooth and deliberate as always.

I looked away quickly, feeling the weight in my chest. Enough, Clementine. You shouldn’t hope for something impossible.

“And you even followed Axtel!” I whispered to Alexander, my voice low.

He just smiled, his eyes lingering on Evander and Shiela. “He deserves that,” he said quietly.

“What if he says something—”

“What now? He doesn’t feel anything for you. Don’t stop him if someone else is interested in you.”

I stayed silent, letting his words settle around me like a shield. Before noon, we arrived at the next island.

Tall coconut trees swayed lazily in the warm breeze. A hammock hung between two of them. Before us stretched a private beach, and beyond that, an A-frame house with glass walls and huge windows. It could have been mistaken for a resort, but few people came here. This was new, untouched. Am I really here, with him, at the moment he finally owns this island?

This island had been a graduation gift from his parents. The life of the wealthy—so different from mine, yet here I was, caught between awe and something far less simple.

We decided to stay the night. Everyone was loud at the shore, their laughter ringing off the water. I had just finished swimming, the sunlight warming the droplets on my skin as I dried my hair. Louise Xandra approached, carrying two glasses of tequila, her yellow swimsuit glowing in the afternoon sun. I smiled and accepted one of the glasses.

“Going to rest?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I’ll stay here and fix my things before going inside. You? Aren’t you tired? You were drinking last night.”

“You’re not used to me yet!” she said, grinning, adjusting her ponytail.

“I mean… you’re engaged to Jerome. Soon, you’ll be a wife. Maybe change a bit of your lifestyle—”

“Oh my God, Clems, I did!”

“Really?”

“Yes! And… it’s the first time in a while, right?”

I pouted slightly but didn’t fully believe her. She sat beside me, watching our friends swim.

“It’s nice to see us all together again,” she said softly.

I glanced at her. “That’s what Esthere told me last night.”

She laughed, sipping her tequila. “Last year, it was just me and Esthere. You were in Washington. Alexander in Hong Kong. Evander studying in Canada. Giovanni and Axtel busy with work. I didn’t want to go out much, knowing we weren’t complete. Even now, without you here, it’s different.”

“You could have met without me. Planned without me,” I said.

“We did! But they didn’t show. They’re busy too. Haven’t you noticed? Evander and Giovanni are distant.”

“Really?”

“Yes! They’ve been like that for a long time. I don’t know why.”

I stayed quiet, letting the sun warm my arms and the faint sea breeze soothe the tension in my shoulders.

“And you know what? Esthere suspected maybe Evander liked you. You didn’t have a thing last time we met, but he seemed distant whenever you were mentioned.”

“Tss! There’s nothing between us. Like I told Alexander, I thought he liked me before, but it meant nothing. It was one-sided. Let’s just accept that.”

She studied me. “Why? Nothing at all?”

“Nothing. He told me himself. He wasn’t over her. That’s why when I left, he tried to win her back. And look at them now. Happily engaged.”

She stayed quiet, deep in thought.

“Don’t overthink it. We’re over it. Anyway… what am I doing here if I still have feelings for Evander?”

“Why? You don’t have feelings anymore?”

I smiled faintly, looking toward the horizon. “None.”

“Oh! That hurts then. So you’re dealing with your broken heart abroad. Fancy! And now you have that hot co-worker/friend.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing. “He’s just a friend.”

“Exactly! Did I say anything else?”

“Your voice is already suspicious.”

“Sus! You are so defensive! Why don’t you just admit it with that guy?”

I frowned. “I’m not! I swear, he’s just a friend!”

She doubted me, so I laughed, shaking my head at her teasing.

The sun began to set, golden light spilling across the water, waves rippling crimson and blue. A cold wind wrapped around me, carrying the scent of salt and smoke from the bonfire being prepared by the others.

My eyes drifted left, toward the A-frame house. A wave of old emotions hit me. Why did it feel like I was twenty-one again, falling for that man? For my supposedly… substitute professor?