I didn't notice I was holding my breath. We both held each other's gaze for a solid minute. "Hi," was his first word. I needed to respond but it felt like my throat was being gripped shut and nothing came out of my lips. I was frozen on my doorway as I waited for my body to thaw. His delicate brows furrowed. "Are you alright?" he asked. His voice sounded rich, like liquid gold in my ears.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Hi," I managed to respond, after what felt like an eternity. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked. I cursed myself internally. What kind of response was that? I reprimanded myself. "You were the one who saved me yesterday, correct?" It wasn't a question; it was more like stating a fact. "That would be me." I admitted with a little pride. Suddenly, a smile broke out of his perfectly sculpted face. At that moment, I realized it should be illegal for anyone to look so immaculately beautiful even just by smiling.

Damn.

His olive skin complimented his neatly trimmed hair, brushed up together, his face with a perfectly chiseled and lightly stubbled jaw, high cheekbones and a strong sharp nose. He was not wearing anything fancy, just a plain white shirt and jeans, but I can see the outline of his muscles through the shirt like a second skin. I can see patterns of ink on his left collar bone down to his wrist.

Stop staring.

I reminded myself, but holy fuck, I couldn't help it. He raised his brow at me. "Is something the matter?" he asked, but I knew that he knew that I was ogling him from head to toe. His wolf-like brown eyes turned a little deviant. Then it got me wondering, out of all that chaos, I somehow managed to miss how beautiful of a man he is, not to mention how the hell was I able to carry him? He's obviously larger than me both in mass, muscle, and height. He's about six inch four compared to my five seven frame. "May I come in?" he asked, breaking me out of my reverie again. His voice was stern, deep, and it vibrated deep down to my core.

"Sure," I said and went to the side to give him space so he could enter my villa. He walked at a steady pace, looking around my room as if every villa in the resort were designed differently. He stood in front of the French double doors; the patio visible behind him. He placed his hands inside the pocket of his jeans, making his muscles look even more prominent.

Jesus Christ. I shoved the obscene thoughts that started to creep in my mind. Now is not the time and I know it wouldn't be...appropriate.

We looked at each other, which made things a little awkward, but I can feel the atmosphere around us suddenly become electrically charged. The air felt heavy and I have no idea why. Shouldn't we be talking? Asking names? Talk about anything? Yet here we are, involved in a staring contest. "So...," I said after gathering my courage to speak.

"What's your name?" I asked. His eyes flashed darkly infinitesimally that I may have imagined it. He didn't answer the question and I resolved looking at the carpeted floor. "Thank you," was his response. I didn't press for his name any further thinking, maybe he was embarrassed. It's not as if we'll even see each other after this whole debacle. "You're quite welcome." I gave a genuine smile. He looked a little surprised. I frowned.

Did I offend him? I thought.

What's with the reaction?

I sighed internally. Great. He's beautiful, he's mysterious and enigmatic. What a way to ruin my sanity. "Do you need anything?" I asked. "Water," his voice sounded a little clipped, then he cleared his throat. I grabbed an unopened bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed a glass. "Please, sit anywhere you like." I said as I poured water into the glass. He sat at the foot of the bed; gaze pasted on the wall in front of him. I tried to make sure I was at a comfortable distance from him when I held out the glass.

Soon as our fingers brushed, a jolt of fire and electricity shot from my arm down to my core. What the fucking hell was that? I looked at him and his face remained passive. It's just me. I thought. Then, a wave of disappointment washed over me, which I disregarded as soon as it came. I was about to sit at the desk near my bed when he suddenly spoke.

"I'm not going to bite." his deep baritone voice came and made my insides feel a little funny. This is frustrating. He patted the space next to him. I hesitated but decided to go with it.

I grabbed the glass of water from him making sure my hands did not touch his and sat beside him. We were a few inches from each other. He smelled of fresh mint leaves, notes of cedarwood and deep seawater. It was intensely masculine but refreshing. It would be an understatement to say, but he smelled good. He interlaced his fingers between his thighs, hunched his back and then looked at me.

"Thank you for saving my life." He repeated. I guess that's all you can say to someone who just saved your life... I think. I blinked a few times just to make sure I responded appropriately. "You're welcome." I felt like I said it for the nth time. "How did you know I was..." he trailed off. I noticed his jaw clench. "I... just heard you scream and then saw you struggling in the water."

I wasn't looking at him this time. My eyes were concentrated on my fingers that were interlaced on my lap. I can't look him in the eye after what happened. I don't even want him to continue. It must have been painful to relive the moments when you almost lost your life. "How'd you do it?" he asked. I made a small laugh reflexively, trying to ease the sadness in our conversation and in my chest.

"I don't know to be honest with you. All I know was, I started running to the water like a mad man and I had to keep you alive. That was the only thing in my mind. I didn't care what happened to me, at that moment. I was just focused on saving yours." I can feel my eyes sting. Why the fuck am I crying? "Look at me." It was an order.

And so, I did.

Tears fell from my eyes and ran down my cheek. The expression in his hazel eyes looked gentle. I didn't even realize his piercing wolf-like eyes could be this tender. He cupped my face and brushed the tear with his left thumb. I laughed and removed my face from his touch and missed it instantaneously. My face started to feel warm. "I don't know why I'm crying." I said with a laugh. "I'm just glad you're alive." I continued as I wiped the remaining tears with my shirt. He didn't say anything, but he looked shocked. "I'm being very melodramatic, please pay me no attention." I tried to lighten up the mood between us.

"No, you're not." He countered. "Your bravery saved me from death. I know that's too much for anyone. You're not being dramatic." I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He chuckled. The kind of chuckle that makes your legs weak. I wonder if he's aware of the effect he has on people...on me. Surprisingly, after that, we became comfortable with each other. We mostly talked about how we were doing after the incident. I was just glad he's doing okay and nothing major or serious happened to him. Although I noticed that through his tough hard masculine exterior, he's just like everyone else, a guy who just wants to connect with other people too.

Interesting. I thought.

We spent the rest of the night on my villa's patio. We were sitting by the wooden steps towards the shore, basking under the moonlight. We were quiet for a while - both of us sitting next to each other provided a sense of comfort in me. The sound of crashing waves, salty sea breeze, and unheated sand under my feet felt heavenly. "My parents just decided to ship me here for a vacation." I spoke, breaking the silence between us. "They want me to take a break, even once in a while."

"That seems reasonable." He pointed out. "Yeah, they complain that I work a lot." I replied between laughs. I saw him smile. Believe me when I say he's even more stunning under the moonlight, as if he's a deity of some sort. It was getting annoying at this point. Annoying, but to be honest, I liked seeing him smile. "What about you? What brings you in this small patch of paradise?" He looked at the sky, as if he was counting the stars. "I had some business to attend to." He said without looking at me. I followed his gaze, up in the sky.

The deepest gown of ebony dressed in a thousand diamonds, weaved across the galaxy.

"That's a nice description." He said. I didn't realize I was thinking out loud, and I was really mesmerized by how beautiful the night sky was. Blood crept to my cheeks. I was thankful that there were no lights turned on, just the icy blue moonlight keeping us visible to the naked eye. "You have the most incredible blue eyes I've ever seen in my life."

My head snapped towards his direction. I didn't notice that he was looking at me. I knew for a fact that I turned fifty shades of red at this point. "Th...thank you," was all I could say. Throughout the night, we talked a lot. What's weird is we had moments where we were silent but then go back to deep conversations about almost anything: life, stars, planets, books, movies even down to atomic particles and the periodic table. It was unusual how comfortable I became speaking with him about anything.

Maybe because, deep down, we were both strangers. Regardless of how much we connect with each other, we know that after this, we're going to go our separate ways. We will be mere memories to one another. It's not like we would still meet each other - hang out like friends would. It was comfortable this way, easy even, as if telling your thoughts to a stuffed animal, only... that stuffed animal is ungodly and painstakingly beautiful and he responds to your every word. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked with his right brow cocked. I shook my head a little. "Nothing," I said, which was an absolute lie. He didn't press on which I was thankful for. "It's getting late," I agreed. I think we just sat there and spoke for more than two hours or so. The beautiful moon now shining higher into the night sky. I stood up and removed the sand from my feet. "We better call it a night." I gave him a smile.

I started walking him to the door, not knowing I was savoring every step before we went back to us being strangers. He stopped just outside my door, his broad back facing me. For a second, I found my hand reaching out to touch him, one last time. I was surprised that I was doing something stupid, wanting to touch him just him like that, reaching out as if he was someone I've know for ages, a long lost friend or a lover. He turned around and good thing my hand was already at my side. "Have a good night," his look was endearing. I gave him a small smile. "Have a good night." I replied back. "Pleasant dreams." This time he didn't respond. He just gave a soft smile and then left. I closed the door shut, pressing my back against my wooden door. My heart was pounding against my rib cage, begging for release.

What the fuck is happening to me?