He tapped impatiently on the table, glancing constantly at the counter as he sat in a booth at a secluded part of the cafe.
It didn’t take too long before a girl came and placed a steaming cup of coffee on his table.
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy, sir,” the girl replied, bowing before she backed away and left.
He sighed, a frown forming on his face, which he immediately shook away. No use getting disappointed so early.
He turned to his side and laid a hand over the guitar case placed on the seat beside him. He has enough time.
He removed his face mask and raised the cup to his face, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling his nose. He took a tentative sip, careful not to burn his tongue. When he found that the coffee was still too hot, he set it down and picked up his phone to browse the headlines.
“Leo Adams wins Artist of the Year.”
“Leo Adams nominated for Best Actor in the upcoming Actor’s Guild Awards.”
He smirked, placing his phone down to give another try of his coffee. He looked ahead and saw a middle-aged man in a suit walking towards him, his eyes darting left and right every few seconds.
“I told you to keep your mask on!” the man said in a low voice.
“How was I supposed to drink my coffee, then?”
“You weren’t supposed to order coffee. I already arranged some room service.”
“There’s nobody here, anyway.”
He really didn’t think it was necessary to go to such lengths to remain inconspicuous. The cafe was deserted, save for the two girls at the counter.
“Nevermind. I got the cottage you wanted. Let’s go.”
“Ask them to bring the food here. I’m starving.”
“What?” The man glanced at him incredulously before taking a deep breath. “Fine.” He walked to the counter.
He picked up a brochure from the table. It was about the history of the inn. There was a photo of the front facade of the establishment on the cover.
“Food will be out soon.” The man was back, this time sliding into the seat opposite him.
“Mn.” He flipped the page.
Foxgrove is a small island about 6 hours’ drive from the capital. Ten years ago, it became a popular tourist spot when its pristine white sand beaches were featured on national TV. It didn’t take long before entrepreneurs and investors flocked the island to build posh resorts.
Chocolate Kiss Inn is located on the eastern, more traditional side of the island, which forms a huge contrast to the high-rise buildings in the more modern downtown area on the west side. The inn claims to have a history that dates back to almost 300 years ago. It started as a tavern, but eventually changed into a cafe, then expanded to an inn.
He glanced at the cafe interior. He could feel its rich history through its charming, rustic atmosphere. The warm lighting, wooden furniture, and a few strategically scattered plants were a welcome break from the harsh monotony of the modern world. The aroma of excellent quality brewed coffee and freshly baked bread was also a feast for the senses, telling him to relax and leave his worries behind.
“Put your mask on! They’re bringing our food out!”
Grudgingly, he placed the brochure down on the table and covered the lower half of his face with his mask.
“Enjoy your meal, sirs.”
He didn’t notice at first because he was busy fixing his mask, but his ears recognized the voice that spoke. He immediately looked up and was greeted with a dazzling smile.
They made eye contact for a split second, then she bowed politely before leaving. He couldn’t help but smile underneath his mask.
“Let’s eat,” his companion said.
He had just removed his mask and set it down when his attention was caught by the back cover page of the inn’s brochure. He picked it up again and read the text in between spoonfuls of food.
There was a widely known superstition on the island of Foxgrove that the old fox shrine used to be a place where people pray when they have lost something precious to them. It was said that when you find something on this island; you need to bring it to the shrine and, in turn, you will find what you are looking for there.
To this day, the people of Foxgrove still honor that belief by bringing lost items to a booth setup in the inn's lobby.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” his companion asked, interrupting his thoughts.
This was probably the fifth time he asked him the question, but nobody’s counting.
“I think it’s too late to be asking me that now.”
“Leo, as your manager, it’s my job to tell you that I think this is a bad idea. Especially since Ben isn’t here. Why don’t we come back after two weeks, when he’s back?”
“Just tell him to come straight here when he gets back,” Leo replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He got up, taking his phone and the brochure with him. “Let’s go.”
--------------------------
The cottage was the second largest among the three cottages owned by the inn and also the one closest to the path to the beach.
He shifted the guitar case in his hand. The bellboy already brought the rest of their luggage to the cottage at his manager’s request.
“I don’t understand why you need to carry that guitar case yourself,” his manager, David, remarked.
He shrugged. “I like to keep it near me.”
“I haven’t even seen you use it. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen what kind of guitar is inside. You’re not hiding anything illegal in there, right?”
He chuckled. “Mind your own business.”
“You are my business.”
David opened the door to the cottage. It was a two-bedroom cottage with two bathrooms, a large living room, a dining area, and a kitchen, furnished with the usual amenities.
Leo headed straight to the master bedroom. It was a spacious room with a queen-sized bed and an en-suite bathroom. The biggest feature of the room was the spacious balcony that provides a fantastic view of the beach and the ocean beyond it.
There was a knock on the door and David peeked his head in. “I already arranged for dinner to be delivered at 7:30. I told them to leave meals at the dining table. Breakfast will be at 8, lunch at noon.”
“Thanks.”
“I got an early meeting tomorrow so I’ll be heading back now.”
“Take care.”
Leo recalled what he read in the brochure. The inn is a place where people can find what they are looking for, as long as you provide a lost item in return.
He hoped the legend was true.
A hand absentmindedly ran over the guitar case which he had placed on top of the bed.
The red-orange light of the sunset was slowly covered by purple, then black, as the night sky descended on the sea. The cries of the seagulls became drowned by the chirping of the crickets. Vivi Willows breathed in deeply, savoring the salty, fresh air as it poured into her lungs. She liked sitting by the beach and watching the sunset after a long day. Twilight was her favorite time of the day. It was the only time when she could allow herself to rest and be calmed by the gentle waves on the beach. It’s been five years since she decided to move back to Foxgrove with her little sister to be with their grandmother, who was already in her retirement age. The Chocolate Kiss was a family business, one that has been passed on for generations. At first, Vivi never wanted to inherit the business. She wanted to live a gla
It’s been a few days since the VIP at Cottage 2 arrived at the inn. Vivi was helping at the cafe when she gave such a long, tired sigh that caught her co-worker’s attention. “Bad day, Boss?” Selene asked. “I don’t know if I can take any more of this.” “How about taking a seat?” Selene offered an empty chair beside her. “Old Boss making you run a lot of errands again?” “It’s not that, this time. It’s just that Grandma put me in charge of the VIP at Cottage 2.” “Difficult customer, eh?” “Not really. But I always get bad luck whenever I get close to him.” “What do you mean?” Vivi proce
Vivi ran to their living quarters and went straight to the bathroom, where she tried to calm herself down. She splashed some cold water on her face in an effort to cool it down. That man was the bane of her existence! She looked at herself in the mirror. She was still panting; water dripping from her chin and the faint tinge of pink on her cheeks. “It would do you well to stay away from that man,” she said to her reflection. She needed to break the cycle of bad luck he had brought upon her. She wiped her face with a towel. Elena could be the one to serve him instead of her. The old lady was a loyal employee who worked at the inn for decades.
Leo sat in the lobby with his mask on. It was still early in the morning. The sky was still dark, and the sun wasn’t up yet, so there weren't many people in the area. He checked his watch. It was 4:45. He’s been up since four. “Should you decide to take the tour, your guide will leave at five in the morning, so please be at the lobby before then. Bring a jacket. It might get cold,” was what she said last night. He tapped a finger impatiently against the arm of the couch, wondering what he was doing there at such an early hour. He wasn’t really interested in going around the island, but something woke him up so early and he couldn’t bring himself to go back to sleep, so he thought he might as well give it a try. He nearly dozed off when he heard a familiar voice.
“What do you know about the legend of Foxgrove Island?” she asked once they had passed the torii gate on the way down the mountain. “Only what I’ve read from the brochure.” Leo watched her pause for a moment, tilting her head, as if trying to remember something. “According to the legend, there was once a fox who used to stare at the moon every night. She keeps calling for the moon to show her what she lost, but the moon never responded.” She continued walking. “A god heard the fox and decided to help her, but alas, the fox was at her life’s end. So in memory of the fox, the god decided to place a gravestone. After a while, items started to magically appear near this gravestone. “People thought they were gifts
“One of the cafe staff, Selene, is a big fan of yours. She would always talk about you whenever she had the chance.” Leo couldn't help but feel conflicted. He felt happy to learn that she actually knew who he was, but he also felt a little disappointed knowing that the reason she knew was because of a colleague. “So far, I’m the only one who knows who you are. The rest of the staff only know you as the mysterious VIP on Cottage 2.” She grinned mischievously. He laughed. “Why didn’t you tell them? Wouldn’t it boost the morale of your employees if they found out that a celebrity like me is staying at your inn?” “I figured since you used a different name on the registration, you didn’t want anyone to know you’re there.” He
Hello! It's been a while. First of all, I'd like to thank you for being such great readers so far and for being patient with my lack of updates in the past months. For those who have read CKFLS before Sept 6, 2021, I would like to announce that the story has been completely rewritten--while the theme is the same, I've updated it and reworked the entire thing. I hope you like it and would highly appreciate if you can tell me what you think in the comments section. Also, I'd happy to announce that regular updates will resume this week. 'Til next time, ~ Iris Psyche (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*。
Vivi rang the doorbell to Cottage 2 and waited for a few moments before using her key to enter. She wondered if Mr. Adams was still asleep. He must have been so tired after walking around town the entire day yesterday.She suddenly stopped after taking a single step. Something felt odd the moment she walked through the front door, like she was transported into an alien world. She looked around. Everything seemed to be in perfect order, but she could feel that the atmosphere remained heavy and it was unusually quiet.She carefully walked inside. Glancing around, she felt as if the air seemed particularly heavy in the vicinity of the bedroom door.She placed the tray of food on the table. Then slowly walked to the door. She placed a hand over the knob and gingerly turned it open.