Chasing Stars ✔️

19.

"If you love a flower which happens to be on a star, it is sweet at night to gaze at the sky. All the stars are a riot of flowers." ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

She

It took a while for Jake and me to disentangle ourselves from the emotions after our conversation. I was frozen, shocked the day he told me his mother had been killed. The fact that Jake was under the same roof when it happened was something that never crossed my mind.

Jake gave me a tour of the house. With each detail he shared with me, I could vividly imagine the younger version of him with his blue framed glasses running around; that was the Jake I saw.

As we explored the house, our moods got lighter. I could feel the shift between us while he pulled me down the street with the promise of the best waffles in town. I felt close to him before, but I realized part of me resented the fact I always ended up revealing something about myself to Jake, and he avoided disclosure his past. I welcomed the relief of that invisible weight being lifted in the back of my mind. My hand held his tighter as we maneuvered through the tourists clustered around the souvenir shops.

The place he chose for our breakfast was small, but it didn't make a liar out of him when he promised amazing food. The lady behind the counter gave Jake a warm welcome, laced with a familiarity you get for knowing someone all your life. Jake had grown up here, and it showed in the pride he had pointing out all the hidden corners, how he greeted the shop owners, and even how he rolled his eyes when a guy, sporting a relaxed smile and sunburnt shoulders, bumped into him with an oversized flamingo floater.

We head back to the house slowly, although we both expressed our wishes to get to the beach as soon as possible. This time I let nothing distracted me when I changed into my simple green bikini.

"Come on," he said, extending his hand to me. "There is something about the house I hadn't shown you yet."

My eyes widen; what could it possibly be more to show? We left from the kitchen back door, and even there, Natalia, Jake's mother, left the imprint of her love for flowers. A bush of roses, which size attested to its age, seasoned the air with its sweet scent. We had been in the back of the house earlier, but instead of turning to the path to lead us to the pool, Jake moved to the wall limiting the garden and, to my surprise open up a small gate that I hadn't notice before.

It didn't seem promising; all I saw was a trail of dirt and sand surrounded by untamed bushes. Jake was beaming, so I followed him.

I knew we were close to the shore. We could see the ocean right outside the windows and listen to the song of the waves in the background, but I did not expect that little gate to lead us straight into a nearly empty beach. It was like a little bay; the sea curving like a shell, holding the secret of that patch of clean golden sand framed by rocks and trees.

"Is this a private beach?"

He laughed, "not quite. As you can see, we are not the only ones here, but the accesses are not very good, the beach is small and hidden enough to go unnoticed so far, so it's like a secret."

"Oh! And I'm allowed to know about this? Are you sure?" I said, twisting my hair to collect it on top of my head.

"I'm sure. You are a true La Rosa lover and you're with me." He winked. "Now... how good of a swimmer are you?"

"I can hold my own."

He nodded. "What are you waiting for?"

We were in our bathing suits in no time, rushing to the sea. A cry escaped me when the water, colder than expected, touched my skin. Jake was already a few steps away, jumping forward, both arms impelling the movement of his body in an arch, surprisingly graceful for a man his size.