Hello, Kenzo

Beach and Kisses

The sun rose bright and clear, the air was warm and fresh, and Kenzo and I spent the whole day outside, swimming and diving into the cold water of the sea. It was nice to relax together on the beach without the constant fear of someone seeing us or being judged by people we knew.

Everything about this moment was just serene and peaceful, and even with the noise of all the children running around screaming and laughing as they threw themselves into the water and pushed each other in circles, I found it calming as the waves crashed against my feet, the sand between them squishing between my toes. This had been one of the best days ever, just for the sea, the magnificent sky, and the two of us.

"Hope all days are like these," Kenzo whispered from beside us while we walked along the shore, his hands intertwined with mine, as the cool, salty breeze brushed against our wet skin, ruffling at the ends of our see-through robes.

"Yeah, I do, but every day does not promise good days," I answered weakly, as the thought of our quick rendezvous would soon be over tomorrow. My team and the clothing brand group would arrive early in the morning, so I had to make the day satisfying before leaving Kenzo alone in our room and going to be the Stella I used to be in terms of the business world.

We were quiet for a few moments, admiring the scenery, until we arrived at the spot we decided to sit down on. As soon as we did, I immediately jumped onto his lap. He put his arms around me, hugging me tightly as I rested my head on his chest. Our bodies were intimately touching, with his hands gently caressing the back of my head and stroking my hair every once in a while.

"I badly want to shout to the world how much I love you and how much I want to let them know you are mine," Kenzo breathed out softly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against my temple. His voice was husky with desire as he spoke in a whisper, "But I won’t do that because I respect your worries and I know I can't. That is why I am so afraid; I might risk ruining our relationship." He pulled back a little and cupped my face. "So I'll work hard until you don't have to hide me and worry about your reputation all the time. I'll make me the best version people hope for you to be with for the rest of your life."

I smiled weakly and nodded before closing my eyes, enjoying the warmth he provided. I could feel him smile softly too as he continued to stroke my hair with tenderness, his thumbs occasionally rubbing over my cheeks. His fingers tangled in my hair, massaging my scalp gently and sending tingles of pleasure up and down my spine. His words made me melt inside as I leaned more against him, soaking up his warmth as he rubbed my back soothingly. We sat there for several minutes in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below us, and letting the calmness wash away all worries.

Until all the smiles washed away my face, when an unfamiliar voice called out behind us, breaking the tranquility. “Miss Del Mundo! ”

I froze, my heart starting to pound erratically and dread creeping into my stomach, making my legs shake as the realization hit me in full force. I quickly stood up off his lap, trying to look casual as I turned around to face my personal assistant. Her face looked slightly worried; she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to. She bit her lip and averted her eyes, unable to hold my gaze anymore. “I… uhm… I came earlier as one of the hotel managers informed me you had already settled since yesterday when you instructed me to come tomorrow to arrange everything."

"We need to talk," I answered shortly.

She nodded while her face looked stern, her mouth set in an unhappy frown as she stared daggers at me. I knew I should say something else, but what could I possibly say in such a situation? So I just held her gaze as I tried to think of something—anything that would get me out of this awkward situation.

Thankfully, Kenzo stepped in before things got any worse. "I am Kenzo, and I am not here to cause any problem. I came to support her in her success and nothing more. I kindly ask for your understanding to keep things between us. I wish no harm as I am not yet suitable for her at this moment. As soon as I am capable of standing by her side, when I am able to reach her status, then and only then can you stop lying for us. I am expressing my utmost gratitude for your cooperation." His tone was calm and even, and he kept looking straight at her as he said those words, showing complete sincerity.

My personal assistant was in shock before bursting into laughter. "That was epic! Oh my, I can't with such formality. Chill out, kid! I was just putting my act of toughness to make sure Ms. Stella here is not with some opportunist. But you have proven your sincerest intentions, so relax. I as well cannot afford to lose my job if I do not shut up, right Miss? I just hope...you'd give me some small insights so I can come up with reasonable alibis to your mother's wrath when you are not going home!"

"That's it?" I sounded unconvinced.

"What else? If I insisted you leave him for the sake of your reputation, would you? You would not, right? All I ever wanted for you was to be happy. I guess he's the reason for you being human these past few days, so I thank him for that. So, I only ask, in exchange for my cooperation, that you keep Miss Stella happy and in love to keep her human form. Now, please excuse me to prepare everything for tomorrow's contract signing!" My personal assistant smiled at me before winking and walking away.

My jaws dropped and my mind went blank for a moment, as my senses snapped back to their sanity and the tension eased up, a realization struck me: my personal assistant just treated me casually.

"Ah, oh, no! She cannot be casual to me. I'm her boss!" My voice filled with so much frustration as I tried to chase behind her.

But Kenzo was quick to stop me. "It's alright! Let it go! We owe her our life for now!" Kenzo chuckled, grabbing me by my waist and lifting me up to his broad shoulders before rushing to the sea.

As we entered the water, he tossed me into the sea and started splashing me enthusiastically. I screamed out in protest, stormed towards him to stop him, and enjoyed another hour of swimming before heading back to our room.

We took a quick bath and got dressed before we decided to do a small cookout for the evening. We invited my personal assistant, and we had fun all night drinking and eating while we drowned ourselves in silly stories.

When we got drunk, we decided to go out and visit some food restaurants along the way.

"Ok, I'll take photos of you two. I am not that stupid not to notice you've been trying to guilt trip me into making me a photographer." My assistant hissed in effect from alcohol, and with that said, my phone almost ran out of battery as she was too specific about the poses we should do to clearly portray our love.

"Ok, this is the last one. I want you to look at each other like you two are the only people in the world." My assistant instructed us as we came to the beach station where couples could rent out a small transparent kayak and enjoy quality time while floating under the clear, starry sky.

"One, two, three... stare!"

And we did, and before I knew it, my heart was lost in Kenzo's eyes. His hands grazed the top of my hand as we slowly drifted away from the shore, my hair blowing in the wind and the moon illuminating both our faces perfectly. "You look beautiful tonight," he murmured, leaning closer to me so our noses lightly touched. I smiled up at him and closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his warm breath brushing against my cheek as our lips met for a kiss.

"OKAY! That is perfect! See you tomorrow, lovebirds!" My assistant's voice yelled, but it sounded muffled to me as I didn't want the moment to be interrupted.

As soon as our lips parted, he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, his forehead resting against mine as we sat there in silence, both staring out at the ocean. "Till we meet forever, I will stay each day by your side," I said breathlessly.

I could not contain my happiness at the moment because somehow, though I had my assistant for years, I never really had the time to consider her as part of my life. But now that she made me realize a part of me I barely knew, I am very happy to let her in as someone in exchange for the others who left.