What Separates Me and You



Wide-eyed, Josephine didn't know how to respond to Lewis' sudden kiss. He was kissing her tenderly with a different feeling than before. It was a kiss full of love and free of lust.

The water that trickled into her mouth tasted salty and a little bitter. Once again, the waves slapped against her body. She snapped back to reality and shoved him away.

Then, she backed up and almost fell into the water from losing her balance. Thankfully, he was quick enough to hold her by the wrist and bring her to safety.

"You-"

"The sun's up."

She turned around and saw the clouds by the horizon turning into a reddish-orange. The clouds, which looked like they were on fire, spread across the skies and dyed the ocean the same shade.

The sun wasn't fully up, but she could tell it was about to.

A few minutes later, the sun peeked out from the horizon. Its golden rays shone between the clouds and illuminated everything on the land.

The expanding golden sun was reflected in her eyes. It slowly changed from the size of a crescent moon to a full circle.

The sea had quietened down. Fragments of the sunlight shimmered on its surface. At that moment, the sky and the sea were one.

Josephine was spacing out as she stood in the water. The water level receded and went down from her waist to her knees.

She did not blink at all when she stared at the rising sun. A school of black seabirds soared across the sky, as though they were welcoming the sunrise. It was a picturesque view, one that she had never witnessed before.

She suddenly thought of taking photos and fumbled for her phone. However, it shut down after coming in contact with the water.

Disappointed, she turned around and saw Lewis looking at her. Despite the beauty of the sunrise, he did not pay attention to it at all. He was focused on her.

Clutching her phone, she turned away to dodge his eyes. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Is the sunrise pretty?" He did not reply to her question.

"It's alright."noveldrama

He chuckled. "You don't say what you mean now that you can speak."

Josephine glared at him. "We suffered from the cold for the entire night just for that two minutes of sunrise. What's so great about it?"

"The most magnificent moments on earth are fleeting, but the wait is long. People still do it because they expect to see the view."

"It's not worth waiting a long time for that few minutes of view."

He replied, "The wait is meaningful exactly because of the fleeting nature of the view. No one will cherish something that comes by easily or appreciate the beauty of it."

She was surprised by his words, which seemed to allude to something else. Anyway, she wasn't in the mood for philosophical discussions. She rubbed her arm and grumbled, "It's freaking cold. I'm leaving."

With that, she went back to land.

Conrad had appeared on the beach without them knowing. He was secretly taking a lot of photos with his phone. He planned to show the photos to Lewis after the latter sobered up. It would serve as a peace offering in case he got into trouble for bearing witness to Lewis' drunkenness last night.

"Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez, do you want to go home?" Conrad smiled sheepishly.

Josephine ignored him and walked on. It was Lewis who stopped in front of him and extended a hand.

Conrad was baffled. "What?"

"The phone."

Conrad hurriedly placed his phone in Lewis' hand. Lewis flipped through the photos. Conrad had arrived early and had taken many pictures of the scenery, including when Lewis kissed Josephine.

Too bad the lighting was awful. The figures in Conrad's photos were silhouettes, but the sea and the sunrise were exceptionally clear and vibrant in the background. The photos were rather artistic and tasteful.

Lewis returned the phone. "Print them."

"All of them?" Conrad belatedly realized that he had asked a dumb question and nodded furiously. "Got it! I'll do that."

A sea breeze blew through, and Lewis coughed.

"Mr. Alvarez, are you alright?"

Lewis waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go."

It took Josephine a long walk to return to that grassland atop the cliff. The sun had risen to the center of the sky. The blinding sunlight poured across the land.

When Lewis and Josephine got home, both of them caught a cold. They were seated in the living room. She was wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot drink in her hands, and she sneezed once in a while.

Lewis was not in better shape either. His face was pale, and he coughed occasionally.

He was in casual wear and sported a head of messy hair while smoking. He didn't seem concerned about his health. Meanwhile, Dr. Halliday was busy taking care of his two patients. He brought them some medicine and grumbled, "Mr. Alvarez, you haven't fully recovered. Why did you go drinking and swimming in the sea? And why did you have to bring Mrs. Alvarez along? Are you three-year-olds or what?" Dr. Halliday was at his limits when he spotted Lewis smoking. He turned to Josephine. "Could you please talk some sense into him? Look at him, ruining his health..."

Lewis cut him off, "We don't need you here now. Leave!"

The angry Dr. Halliday opened his mouth, but he held his tongue after seeing the cold look in Lewis' eyes. He left the villa crossly.

Josephine took the cold medicine. She had been living her life for others. Now, she wanted to live for herself. She wouldn't ruin her health just like Lewis.

After taking the medicine, she felt drowsy and retired upstairs to nap. Conrad helped her to apply for a few days' worth of sick leaves.

After two days of resting at home, Josephine was almost back to full health. However, Lewis remained visibly sick and feeble. He stayed at home every day and never once visited the office.

Although they were both at home, they did not meet each other often. He was constantly cooped up in the study and only greeted her briefly during their meals together.

That morning, Mrs. Larson prepared breakfast for them and told Josephine, "Please get Mr. Alvarez to join breakfast."

Josephine nodded and made her way upstairs. Mrs. Larson could not get Lewis to come out from the study, where he had locked himself. Considering that he was still sick, Josephine worried that he might faint in the study, and she took the opportunity to check on him.

She knocked on the door of the study. "Lewis Alvarez, it's breakfast time."

When he did not reply, she frowned and announced, "Hey, I'm coming in. Alright?"

Then, she opened the door and found him slumped on the study table with a thin windbreaker draped on his shoulders.

She went up and tapped him on the shoulder. "It's breakfast time."

He remained motionless. Her expression crumbled. She tried calling out to him.

It took him a moment to stir up. Holding the table's edges, he sat up straight with a face that looked more sickly than before. Coughing into his fists, he shut his eyes to take a breather. Then, he turned to Josephine. "What's the time now?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's 9:00 am."

He rubbed his forehead and rose from his chair. Suddenly, he lost his balance and almost slumped back into his seat. She reflexively reached out to support him, and she touched his forehead. His forehead was burning.

"Are you running a fever?" She thought of something. "Did you not take your medicine?"

He flashed her a feeble smile. "A fever won't kill me. Why are you so serious?"

She sneered. "No one's worried about you. I just don't want to see you dying before my eyes."

He grinned. "Won't that work better for you? You'll be free when I die."