A Beautiful Lie

Part Five

Nicole felt herself being slowly lifted from the water. Exhausted and with her chest burning, she sensed a pair of hands pounding on her thorax repeatedly. Gradually, she felt the air being reintroduced to her lungs, and she began to cough out the saltwater she had ingested.

She was still shaken and disoriented as she mumbled, "Thank you for saving me..." Slowly, she opened her eyes, and to her surprise, she found her savior standing right in front of her.

"You're far too pretty to meet such an untimely end, so please be more careful next time," the voice said, accompanied by the sound of raspy breaths.

Nicole stared at the man, his eyes filled with concern, his shirtless form revealing the strain in his breathing. His strong arms held her closely, and she could feel the warmth of his skin against hers. Those jet-black eyes pierced through her, making her feel vulnerable. How many times had she wished to see those eyes again?

It was him! The man who had mysteriously disappeared after their brief encounter on the cruise. The man who had saved her life when she was on the verge of drowning. Nicole was taken aback, her gratitude mingled with surprise as she looked into his eyes.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked, concern registered on his face.

She nodded, attempting to inject a bit of humor into the situation. "Are you making a habit of saving drowning people? I'm starting to think it could be your profession," Nicole said, her voice still hoarse as she gently pulled away from his arms. Creating some distance, she felt it was essential to collect her thoughts clearly.

He chuckled, "I hope not, because if that's the case, my clothes will be ruined all the time." Nicole noticed he was still wearing his jeans and shoes. Fortunately, he managed to remove his shirt before the rescue. Despite the recent near-death experience, she couldn't help but appreciate the well-built man in front of her. His physique resembled that of a male model, perfect for a jean commercial.

"I'm sorry for ruining your clothes" she admitted, a tinge of embarrassment in her voice.

"Nah, that's alright." he smiled "Are you sure you're, okay? Do you want to go to the hospital just to make sure?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I'm okay now, thank you for your help. I could have died; you know... I owe you."

He helped her stand and grinned. "Well, yes, you owe me one," he chuckled. Nicole looked at him, a bit perplexed. "So, how about dinner as payment?" he suggested, still with a smile on his face.

Nicole hesitated, "Ah, dinner sounds good, I guess."

He smiled, gathered his belongings, and said, "Excellent! Let's meet at seven, at that restaurant right there," pointing to the building just beside her hotel.

She nodded in agreement.

"Make sure to take care of yourself, okay? Maybe have someone check on you just to be sure" he reminded her.

The man who rescued her was about to walk away when she called out.

"Hey!" He halted and turned to her. "Um... I don't know your name," she blurted out.

The guy flashed a smile that left her blushing. "I'm Ethan, Nicky," he responded.

"Ethan...so you remember my name." she mumbled.

"You're hard to forget" he smirked.

She blushed "I will see you later. Thank you, again"

As he waved goodbye, gradually disappearing from her sight, she retraced her steps to where she had left her belongings. Mentally berating herself for the near-drowning incident, she couldn't help but replay the scenario.