My alarm chimed at exactly five a.m the next morning, and I sighed loudly as my eyes blinked open and adjusted to the dim light. Tiredly, I rubbed my aching forehead and remembered when the owner of the place had informed us that the lights automatically lowered in intensity at midnight. I started to get up when my ears picked up a soft whirring noise above me, and curiously I raised my head to look, but it instantly made contact with Cole's chin. He groaned loudly but just turned his head to the other side and continued to snore, while I gazed at our positions in surprise.Somehow the pillows I had put to separate us were strewn across the floor and his hand was under my back, while mine was on his chest. I quickly withdrew it, as well as my legs which were thrown comfortably in top of his, but the force nearly threw me to the ground if not for the fact that my body was still pressed against his side, and his body heat already passing onto me.I scooted towards the edge of the bed an

"Awnn. I love your gown," Crystal complimented with a smile as she watched Cole and I walk down the stairs. I gave her a smile as I smoothed down the bottom of my breezy light blue gown, and watched her glance between Cole and I. He had decided to make a statement by matching my outfit with the same colour of T-shirt and shorts.All six of us left the house, with Crystal and Zach leading the way. We passed a group of adults who greeted both of them, while their children waved at us with wide smiles on their faces. After a moment, we got to a small open building roofed with what looked like palm fronts. Just under the roof was a large wood signboard with 'Bar' written across it and six empty chairs sat at a table being wiped by a man. Zach called out to him, and he smiled at us as we walked forward."Welcome," He greeted us and motioned for us to sit in the chairs, as he made small talk and introduced himself as one of the best bartenders in the Maldives. Crystal attested to that procl

"Now, we'll be rendering something special for five random couples here tonight," the Master of Ceremony, a short white man with an afro, announced with a wide grin after the short drama performance. "So put on your dancing shoes and get ready because we may just pick you."Loud cheers erupted from the audience and we all looked on as a man and woman came forward with microphones in their hands and cosy grins on their faces. The both of them held hands and began to hum softly to the background music till it increased in pitch and they followed suit, turning to each other with face splitting smiles. Behind them, the large projector that had been showing the performances switched into a black screen as the song's words rolled up.I squinted my eyes at the speaker behind them, trying to figure out the song till the chorus started and voices from the crowd began to sing along. Love me like you do by Ellie Goulding.I began to bop my head slowly to the music, singing softly along till whit

"Why did you add my name to your list?" I suddenly asked, the water rushing up to my ankles as I stared into the distance where a small tiny light twinkled dimly. It was most likely the small house Crystal had talked about, which was used for incoming night ships harbouring visitors.According to her, there had been one too many stories about boats crashing there before Zach bought out the island. It was due to the amount of spiky, jagged rocks as well as the lack of suitable light in the area, so the first thing she did was to build a mini light house there."Because I like you, Elizabeth," Cole whispered and turned my head to face him as he walked closer to me and invaded my thoughts. "More than just a secretary. So much more.""What?" I asked, my voice echoing through the quiet of the night as I looked past his heady gaze into the island. The crowd had thinned considerably, leaving only a few people who still sat around the stage talking quietly. Night time was always the best for

I woke up drenched in a pool of sweat and quickly kicked away the covers, only to see Cole on the other side of the bed looking at me with a blank expression. He was lying on his side, his head propped up by an arm with his phone in the other hand."How are you feeling?" He asked and I was about to nod my head when I looked into his face and shook my head instead, pouting my lips as I began to shiver. I watched with a bit of guilt as his eyes widened into saucers and he instantly got off the bed, making quick work of getting out the drugs. I could not remember the last time I had been taken care of so well; large hands playing with my hair as I drifted in and out of sleep, hourly temperature checks, routine towelbaths. Fortunately, his actions helped as my joints were better now but surely, it was not a crime to just pretend for a while longer. Right?I focused my attention on him as he dropped the pills as well as a bottle of water on the duvet and then climbed back in. He placed his