The Secret Island

This was another day that Martin just sat there outside her office. He didn't talk to anyone. He simply read his book.

Celine didn't know if or how long she could endure this situation. The situation had no ending in sight. She didn't understand Martin. He only had to explain what happened. The explanation was more than self-blame. But that man...she didn't know how he truly felt. Celine was quite concerned. She observed that he wasn't well. He looked quite frail this morning. Probably from not enough rest or jetlag. Why didn't he take care of himself? She got mad just thinking about it.

"Kathy...for two hours I have to be away for my meeting outside of the office, well, can you please tell Martin for me that...hmm, I will come back to have lunch with him in the afternoon."

Kathy probably got confused about why she didn't speak directly to Martin. She just didn't want to appear too soft. Yesterday, there were already a lot of emotional dialogues.

"Celine, are you going out?" Martin put down his book and quickly asked her as she walked past. He seemed tired and weak that her heart sank. Is he sick? But she couldn't help but keep her cold persona.

"It's none of your business...." And Celine saw it in his eyes-they dimmed. But he gave her a forced smile anyway.

"Good luck with work." "Martin......."

"I will be waiting here."

And Celine had to walk out, her heartbeat slowed down, and the image of his forced smile still lingered. Guilt formed in her heart. Although it might not be anything serious, she knew she was hurting him, and it didn't give her any satisfaction.

****

While he was half asleep in the reception area waiting for Celine to come back, Kathy woke him up.

"Martin, there is a large sofa in Miss Pierce's office. It's quite comfortable. It might be good if you take a short rest in there while you wait for her return."

She offered with good intentions, and Martin felt sleepy and too tired to deny her. He nodded in agreement and acceptance. He slowly walked inside Celine's office.

He didn't know if Celine would let him inside her office if she was around. With exhaustion, Martin didn't think twice as he stepped into her office. She was cold.

But deep down, Marin knew she didn't want to do that, or was he too much of an optimist?

Martin turned on the lights within the office that Celine hadn't let him in until he got a chance to get in at Kathy's invitation.

The scene in front of him was a big surprise.

Everything within the room was familiar...it was a split image of the floorplan we drew together that day. The day she imagined her office to be.

He slowly walked around to inspect the surroundings with great curiosity. Martin couldn't contain his excitement to see a corner for reading and a soft sofa as he suggested.

A few steps further and he walked into her work desk with documents scattered around. What caught his attention wasn't the content of those documents but a picture frame on that desk...

The heart that he thought was dead a long time ago had started beating faster...

To think about it, his heartbeat is only for her. Martin picked that picture frame up to view it closely. The picture she took a look at every time she had rest from work.

The picture within the frame warmed his heart.

It was the first picture we took together-he was trying to smile at the camera without knowing how to properly smile, and that smile came out unnaturally. In contrast, Celine had her radiance smile captured, the smile he had seen often back then. Behind us was the vast sea, the image he remembered well.

She kept our love and memories alive. Martin put that picture frame in the same place. He didn't think that anyone in the world could love him as much as she did. She kept our small memory in a photograph and kept it close to remind her that he was once there. He was once standing next to her.

That was all he thought. Martin walked to the bookshelf and doubted if that book was there. The book he gave her.

The first book he ever bought her. And Martin wasn't disappointed because she still kept it. The medium shelf was quite visible to everyone.

Martin smiled and held that book in his hand-it looked used and old. She seemed to read every page. But the book was still in great condition. Martin tried to recall what he wrote on the first page. On the day he gave her, he wrote one line of blessing, official words that he liked to write. 'I wish you great success in your career.'

Martin let out a laugh when he saw his own handwriting. But what surprised him was unfamiliar writing and dated about three years back.

"Today is the day the business revenue reaches one million pounds. I'm really tired of it all. I hope you are here to celebrate. Love you always."

And when he looked closer at the paper. He touched his fingers on the unevenness of it and suspected dried tear drops on that paper. She wrote a sentence to commemorate her success and cried...

He walked to her desk and grabbed a ballpoint pen. He took the liberty to write on the front page of the book next to her writing.

"I am back. Forgive me."

Martin read his simple words again and again and smiled before putting that book in the same place.

He hoped she wouldn't mind him scribbling on her book. He guessed she wouldn't be petty about small things like this. When she forgave him, he promised not to make her cry or make her angry at him again. Martin returned to the soft sofa. His exhaustion got the best of him. He fell asleep instantly.