Sunkissed Serendipity

Chapter 8

Isla

It's only lunchtime, and yet I have had the most eventful day. Learning to surf has never been on my agenda, but now that I've done it, I can safely say that it's something I need to revisit. Getting hurt in the process wasn't part of the spontaneous plan, but it also kind of made the experience better.

I place my feet on top of the chair and look over at where Julian was once again preparing food for the both of us. I have gotten used to the fact that he knows how to cook and volunteers to make food for me. But as I crack a joke about how he seemed more worried about my injury than me, I have a sudden epiphany that we are strangers.

Strangers who are living in a house all by ourselves. I didn't even know his name until yesterday, and yet, there is something causal about the air we share. Even though I can tell that Julian is shy and is more closed-off than any other guy I've been around, he is still good company. He talks to me when it is necessary, and his kindness isn't something that goes unnoticed. It's nice to be around him, and as time passes, I grow used to him.

"So what are you making today?" I call out once my laughter subsides and the house goes back to being quiet.

He doesn't glance back at me as he says, "I'm cooking some chicken. I thought we could do a salad, but if you don't want a salad, I can cook extra chicken for you."

I shake my head, my smile widening at how kind he is naturally, and say, "No, that's fine; I'll take the salad."

Julian hums in answer, glancing at me and saying, "Okay, it'll be done in not too long. How's your face?"

I facepalm myself, hating how he worried about my face, even though it barely hurt anymore. "It's fine," I answer, and when I peek through my fingers, I find him shooting me a glare. I only laugh out loud at his expression and say, "You're so dramatic, Julian. I'm fine!"

He stares at me for a second before nodding and turning back to his work. I shake my head at his dramatic behavior but then grow quiet as I realize that he is genuinely looking out for me. It makes me feel warm inside, something I didn't expect to feel from a stranger.

As promised, the salads are ready in under ten minutes, and he slides my plate in front of me. I watch as he takes a seat across from me, and I start eating. Surprisingly, I've never been this hungry, so my eating pace matches his. That causes him to look up at me, and I only give him a roll of the eye. "Stop judging me. That's not how you treat a stranger."

He only gives me a matching eye roll, and I laugh at how similar the both of us are. He then shakes his head and says, "I'm not judging. I'm just surprised."

"Yeah, well, the surfing wore me out," I say to him as I fork more food from my plate. He gives me a nod and says, "Yes. I'm sorry I pushed you to do so much today."

I knew he was feeling guilty about that. I could see it in his face when I first gave it a try, and he had been crying. I saw the immediate regret on his face, and if I hadn't spoken, we would have probably left the water as soon as possible. He was a worrier, and even though it was nice, I knew that he needed to care less.

"Julian," I say with a stern shake of my head. "Why do you keep acting as though you forced me?"

He drops his gaze down to his food, his guilt rising more on his face as he says, "I kind of did."

"You didn't," I let him know. "I wouldn't have done anything I didn't want to. I wanted to surf, and maybe at first I didn't, but afterward, yeah, it was fun."

"It was?" he asks, and I nod, kicking my feet under the counter and knocking his with it. He looks up at me, and I laugh as I say, "Now stop being worried about that. We have an amazing day ahead."