Chapter5
1621 Words
The Next Day, Bella woke up early. In fact, she was the first to wake up among her group, including Mara. Well, she had gone to bed early the night before because, as she had told them after dinner, she went straight to the villa. She had been in a bad mood then because instead of being able to go out that evening, she decided against it to avoid another encounter with the man who had ruined the fourth day of her trip to the island. Bella didn’t want her night to be ruined as well. Besides, she must have had a bad fall because her body was still sore that evening.
“Good morning! We’re up early today, huh?” Mara greeted Bella, who had just come out of the shower and was towel-drying her hair.
“Why? Is it not allowed?” Bella replied grumpily. She was now blow-drying her hair while sitting in front of the mirror.
“Ugh, you’re so grumpy again. It’s too early for that, Bella,” Mara whined.
“Just kidding,” Bella laughed. “Good morning to you too. I went to bed early, remember? So of course, I woke up early as well. What’s the big deal?”
“Oh, that’s right,” Mara nodded. “You didn’t come with us last night. Danger Zone performed! Oh my gosh! Their new vocalist is so handsome!” she added excitedly, as if she had just been sprinkled with salt from all the giddiness. Her mood changed so fast!
“Danger Zone?” Bella asked, furrowing her brows while still focused on the mirror. “Who are they?”
If it weren’t so early, Bella would have sighed. What else should she expect from her cousin, who seemed to have an endless supply of ‘K’? ‘K’ as in kalandian—flirtiness.
“Seriously, Bella? You’re in the music industry, and you don’t know them?” Mara said in disbelief, placing her hands on her hips as she approached Bella. “Danger Zone was already famous before. They just disappeared from the industry when they disbanded. I had such a huge crush on their members before! They were all so handsome and talented! They made a comeback last year, and I’ve attended a few of their gigs,” she explained at length, grinning widely and looking very proud.
“Oh, so what? Just because I perform and love music doesn’t mean I have to know them,” Bella rolled her eyes at her cousin. “Besides, we’re here for family bonding, remember? Not for flirting. Get it together,” Bella lectured, making Mara pout.
“Ugh! You’re always such a killjoy,” Mara complained.
“Killjoy or not, go take a shower already so we can do more activities today. We only have three days left here, so we should make the most of it. Especially you. I live in Batangas, so I’ve had my fill of beaches.”
“Yes, madam!” Mara teased, giving a mock salute before heading to the shower room. Bella, meanwhile, continued fixing herself in front of the mirror.
Bella wore simple white shorts and a black souvenir shirt that day. Mara also wore a souvenir shirt, but hers was white, paired with a floral skirt. As planned, they were heading to an island near Adam’s Island Resort. Everyone was excited, especially since they would be taking a boat. They had also heard that the island was beautiful.
“Hey, you keep looking around. Who are you looking for?” Bella asked her cousin. She had noticed that Mara had been searching for something—or someone—for a while now. When Mara didn’t respond, Bella tapped her arm. “Hey! Who or what are you looking for?” she asked again, still focused on adjusting her life vest as they prepared to board the boat.
“Bella, do you believe in destiny?” Mara suddenly asked.
“Huh? Destiny?” Bella asked, her brows furrowing.
“Yeah, like when you’re meant to meet someone, and then you just can’t stop things from happening until—”
Bella raised a hand, signaling for Mara to stop.
“Wait! Where is this coming from?” Bella asked, still frowning. “You know, I feel like I’m not going to like where this is going.” She narrowed her eyes at her cousin.
“Well . . . I just remembered that guy from yesterday. Did you know I saw him again last night? He’s seriously so handsome. Too bad you weren’t there,” Mara gushed.
Bella barely stopped herself from smacking her cousin. It was way too early for her to be acting delusional again. She had thought Mara had something serious on her mind, but it turned out to be about that guy from yesterday.
“And so what if I wasn’t there last night? That’s exactly why I went to bed early—I didn’t want to see him again. Good thing I didn’t go,” Bella said firmly.
“You don’t get it! I feel like you two are meant for each other. Aside from both being grumpy—” Mara paused when Bella shot her a sharp glare. “I mean, aside from both being good-looking, when you bumped into him yesterday, I swear I saw a spark—”
“A spark? More like static electricity,” Bella said sarcastically. “And hold on, are you seriously looking for that guy right now?”
“Ugh! You keep interrupting me! I’m not done talking!” Mara huffed, rolling her eyes. “I was just thinking, if you two meet again today, maybe it’s destiny.”
“Mara! That’s insane!” Bella laughed. “Stop believing in that nonsense. And why don’t you just match yourself with that guy instead? You seem way more interested in him.”
“What? No way! I already have JG. I like JG more. In fact, I’m even joining their promo event just to get a date with him.”
“And who’s JG?” Bella raised a brow.
“The new vocalist of Danger Zone! You have to see how cute he is! Oh my god! Of course, I can’t let you be the only one with an ‘island treasure.’ I need one too! So everybody’s happy!”
‘Island treasure? What the hell?’
Bella could only shake her head at her cousin’s antics. “I don’t know if med school is making you crazy or if you’re on something. That’s bad, you know? And what’s this about an island treasure? You can have them both. I’m not interested.”
The boat ride to the other island took about ten minutes. They had already been amazed by the scenery while on the boat, but they were even more in awe when they arrived at the island itself. It was smaller compared to the main resort they came from, but as their tour guide had mentioned earlier, the natural beauty of the place had been preserved.
There weren’t many facilities there, and the seawater was even clearer. Instead of villas, there were only simple nipa hut cottages. No one was allowed to stay overnight since there were no restaurants or other amenities available. They had to return to the main resort for food, and they couldn’t just visit the island without a tour guide.
“Hey, let’s take a picture!” their cousin Kelvin suggested. He was holding his Osmo Gimbal Stabilizer, setting up his phone. Bella and Mara eagerly joined in.
They spent about an hour on the island before deciding to return to the main resort. They started feeling hungry, so Bella suggested they grab something to eat from one of the food stalls near the shore.
They chose a waffle stall. The waffles there were unique—they were rolled up like pizza and served in a large cup, topped with ice cream and various toppings.
Once they received their orders, they sat on one of the sunbed benches shaded nearby. Soon after, their chocolate shakes were also served.
“What else should we do later?” Mara asked as she watched the people strolling along the beach. “That island was so much fun. Too bad we couldn’t stay longer,” she sighed.
“Yeah, but even with the limited time, it was worth it because of how beautiful the place was, right?” Bella replied.
“True. Totally worth it,” Mara agreed before taking a sip of her shake. “Man, the food here is amazing, too.”
“So, what are we doing later?”
Mara thought for a moment. “Ah! I know! Let’s go swimming this afternoon.”
“Wow, what a brand-new idea.”
“What do you mean? You haven’t joined us for swimming yet. You always disappear.”
Bella went silent. Well, she couldn’t argue with that. “Fine. Let’s go swimming. No need for a long discussion.”
“You started it!”
“Are we fighting now?”
They both burst into laughter. They were already twenty-five, yet sometimes they still bickered like kids.
“Okay, let’s swim later—around five so it won’t be too hot.”
“Game!”
While eating, Bella and Mara continued catching up. With all their conversations, they somehow ended up talking about the guy from the island again.
Even if Bella refused to admit it, she was a little curious about him.
And no matter how much she tried to push the thought away, she couldn't shake off what her cousin had said that morning.
What if she really did meet that guy again?
- Writer
