Josephine noticed Lewis' face as well. He was staring into her soul.
Surrounded by the softness of the water, she could not recall how she felt toward the man in front of her. He looked like someone familiar, though.
He approached her and kissed her on the lips. At that moment, she suddenly sensed his breath, which was different from the taste of the sea. It triggered the burning sensation in her chest again.
Her survival instinct kicked in, causing her to hold onto him like a lifesaver. She was attracted to his breathing which could soothe her pain.
She had no clue what she was doing, for she had given in to her basic instincts.
A long time after, she felt pressure on her chest. A rush of air went up in her throat, causing her to cough violently. With that, she expelled lots of water from her nose and mouth.
Her lungs were attacked by pangs of piercing pain. She slowly shook off the sleepiness in her, and she sobered up.
The heavenly illusion in front of her eyes vanished, leaving behind only a dark sky and a bright waning moon.
After coughing for a while, she managed to remove most water from her lungs. While she rested, she panted loudly, and her chest was heaving.
She lay on the beach for half an hour. When a sea breeze made its way through her direction, she finally sat up feebly.
She turned around and accidentally looked into Lewis' deep eyes. Stunned, she finally connected the events from before. She mumbled weakly, "Why did you save me?"
"Have you found the answer to your question?"
She closed her eyes. She was too weak to reprimand him. "You're a nutjob."
To that, he chuckled. "I'm not crazy. I guess I wasn't fully sober."
She shot him a look. "Are you sober now?"
He replied, "I don't know. Maybe?"
"Do you know what you're doing now?"
He stared away at the horizon and the waves on the sea. Then, he slumped onto the ground beside her.
"I know."
Then, he shared, "For a moment, I thought of sinking into the deep sea with you. That way, we'd be together forever."
She was dumbfounded at his confession. Smiling bitterly, he added, "But I was too sober. I couldn't bring myself to do that."
"Why? Did you fear death?"
"No. It's just that I'll lose everything if I die."
Josephine didn't know how to answer that and chose silence. She observed Lewis, who was seated beside her. He sat in a casual manner, with his hands supporting his body as he tossed his head upward.
This was the first time she'd seen him carrying himself in a casual manner. He seemed to have put behind all the rules that had shackled him. He was finally doing what he wanted and being true to himself.
No longer the important man put on a pedestal, he shed away his aloofness and arrogance. Finally, he acted like any normal person would.
This was the first time they had an ordinary conversation.
"Lewis."
He looked at her. Water was dripping from the ends of his hair. The dim moonlight illuminated his good-looking features.
She announced, "Let's end things right here."
Surprisingly, he did not react to her suggestion. Instead, he stared at her for a while before laughing out loud.
Then, he turned his gaze to the sea without giving her a reply.
She lowered her gaze in disappointment. She was naive to think that it'd work. Unwilling to continue the conversation, she shifted to another topic.
"Why did your grandpa do that?"
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