-Haruka POV-
"I said I'd protect you, right? So don't worry. You can just hold my hand if you're scared. I won't let go." Levi said that with a smile. I could sense the sincerity in his voice. Right, everything he said to me is sincere, to be honest. It's just me, trying to deny it.
"We're going to take off now. Are you ready?" He asked me while holding my hand. Ugh. I don't care anymore. I know I'll grab his hand sooner or later.
"You better be right, Levi. I'm ready now." I said that while taking a deep breath.
"Okay. The parachute will lift you both. Enjoy the ride." The staff said that, and a moment later, I could feel my feet not touching the boat floor anymore. My hand holds Levi's hand tighter.
"Haruka, open your eyes. You'll regret it if you don't." Levi whispered in my ear with his sweet voice, making me open my eyes. At that moment, I was surprised, or should I say, amazed?
"This is more than beautiful." I mumbled to myself. I could see the ocean, the beaches, and the coastline even better from above. And more importantly, it's peaceful up here. It turns out that parasailing is not only thrilling but also visually stunning.
"It's beautiful, right? Actually, riding it during sunset or sunrise would be more beautiful, but that doesn't matter. This is beautiful enough, with you here, of course. Now, look below. They're taking our photos now." Levi said that with a smile and then lifted up his hand together with mine to make a pose. After that, we kept enjoying the view, and Levi didn't let go of my hand, not even once for 15 minutes.
"Would you like to try water landing before we land for real?" Levi suddenly spoke.
"How is it done?" I asked him with a confused face. Right, this is my first time.
"Well, it's when you'll briefly touch the water with your feet before being lifted back into the air for the final landing. Or we could go for the water landing until the end without getting back on the boat. We just need to swim back to the shore. Which one would you prefer?" Levi asked for my opinion.
"The water landing is not deep in the water, right?" I asked him for confirmation. The truth is, I'm not a good swimmer. Even with the life jacket, I'm still a bit afraid.
"Well, it is usually done deep in the water for the best experience and to avoid any obstacles during landing." Levi's answer made me think twice.
"Is it impossible to land in the shallow water?" I asked him again for confirmation. I wanted to try, but to tell the truth, I'm scared.
"Haruka, don't worry. You'll be safe as long as I'm with you. I won't let you get hurt." Instead of answering my question, he convinced me not to be scared.
"We'll go for the water landing, then." I said it. Levi's words actually made me worry less.
"Okay, cool." Levi said that and then gave a hand signal towards the boat crews. Maybe a signal to tell them that we're going to do the water landing.
After that, the boat suddenly slows down, and we're getting lower and lower. The boat crew gently guided us to the water surface. A few moments later, I could feel my feet getting cold as we touched the water for a soft landing. The water is deep, but I'm still floating with the help of a life jacket, as well as Levi's hand holding mine.
"How is it?" Levi looks at me with a smile, trying to help me balance myself at the same time.
"Emm. I guess it's not bad." I said that, avoiding his eyes.
"Then, would you like to get back on the boat or swim to shore together?" He asked me.
"As long as you guide me, I think that will be okay." I answered him.
"I told you, I won't let go of you. Let's go." He said that, and then guided me to swim to the shore with him. Strangely, I feel calm rather than scared right now. Maybe that's because Levi is here with me. After a few minutes, we arrived at the shore.
"So, how was it? Parasailing, I mean." He asked me while taking all the equipment off from me.
I guess I love it. But, why aren't you taking the life jacket off?" I asked him. I have a bad feeling about this.
"We still have a lot to do in the water, right? Let's do paddleboarding next." Levi said that while grabbing my hand to follow him. Just like that, I was forced to do what he wanted.
//SKIP//
After all, we ended up doing everything Levi wants, and I feel exhausted now. This crazy guy really has a lot of energy. Now, here we are at the resort beach cafe. Luckily, Alderic is currently shooting the ads.
"Haruka, are you okay? I'm sorry, I got carried away. I'm just so happy that I could do everything with you. After all, that's one of the wishlists I had." He said that with an apologetic voice. Huh? Wishlist?
"I'm okay. I just need some rest. But what's with the wishlist thing of yours?" I asked him while looking at him, and he looked at me with a smirk.
"Wishlist of everything I wanted to do together with you. I wanted to watch the sunrise and sunset with you, and that one was done. We went to a dessert cafe, petting zoo, art gallery, aquarium date, movie date, and cooking together, and today we tried all the beach activities together, except for the jet skiing, I guess. And now, another wishlist." He said that happily. Seriously, what is he? A kid?
"Levi, I'm not trying to insult you, but are you a kid? Who makes a wishlist nowadays? And what is your wishlist of yours right now?" I said that while shaking my head. Well, knowing him, he wouldn't mind what I just said.
"Of course there is. It's me, right in front of you. My next wish is to drink a coconut shake with you." He said that with a grin. He really acts like a kid right now. Just a few minutes ago, he was acting like a gentleman, but now, look at him.
"Levi, I'm not trying to offend you, but is this your first time drinking a coconut shake?" I asked him carefully.
"Well, it's not my first time, but to be precise, it's my first time having a coconut shake served in a coconut shell. I did some research and I found one in Thailand, they drink coconut shake like that. I even asked the staff to prepare that for us." He said that proudly. Seriously, this guy. Well, I guess I should just let him do what he wants.
"Well, it's not that I drink that often, but I did try it like that a few times in Asian countries when I was still living in Japan." Since it's summer, it's good to have them." I said that, trying to play along with him.
"Cool. Look, it's done." Levi said that happily once the cafe staff brought the coconut shake. They really did bring two coconut shakes served in the coconut shell.
"Would you like me to feed you, Haruka?" Levi said that, trying to feed me the coconut shake smoothie with the spoon.
"I can drink it on my own." I shoved his hand gently while glaring at him.
"Haha, I'm kidding, okay. Say, what would you like for dinner? Pampelonne Beach has a lot of famous cafes and restaurants for dinner, but most of them are designed in an open, beachside atmosphere. Since this is the summer season, there might be a lot of people there, including celebrities and influencers. Well, Club 55, Nikki Beach, and Bagatelle Beach do offer VIP areas or private lounges, and I did book one already. But I'm afraid you might feel uncomfortable with a lot of people there. I can reserve a private dining room at hotels or villas if you like." Levi said it in a convincing voice. He actually thought a lot about me rather than himself.
"You don't have to. Private lounge is enough for me. I can just wear a mask when entering the restaurant, so you don't have to worry." I said that with a soft voice. Honestly, he's been doing a lot for me, and I don't want to burden him any further.
"Let's proceed with that then. Let's go after taking a shower. For now, let's finish this first." Levi said while feeding himself the coconut shake. He looks really happy right now. Maybe that's because one of his wish lists can be marked as done.
//SKIP//
-Bagatelle Beach Restaurant-
So, we're here for dinner. I heard this restaurant has been one of the top choices among celebrities. Just like I said earlier, I'm wearing a face mask, but Levi's not. Levi is a famous person, and I bet everyone here knows him. No one dared to speak to him, but I could feel everyone's eyes on us along the way until we entered the private lounge. But why did I feel someone's been staring at me for a while? Well, nevermind that. We sat at the table as soon as we arrived at the private lounge.
"I've already ordered everything, but most of them are seafood, but I asked them to make it in a mild flavour." Levi spoke with hesitation. Maybe he's afraid that I'll get mad.
"Just like how you tried to match my taste, I should try to match yours too. Eating seafood wasn't that bad, to be honest. We're at the beach restaurant, after all." I don't know where I got the courage to say that, but one thing I know is that the more time I spend with this guy, the more confident I am to speak about something like that.
"Well, I'm glad you said that." He replied with a smile, and I feel like I will never get tired of seeing that smile of his. But deep down, I keep asking myself, what is this feeling exactly? Is it truly love, or is it just how I feel when someone treats me nicely? Right, the same way I felt when I'm with Louis and William in the past.
"The food is here. The desserts will be served later." He said that happily. Right, just like a kid. I wonder what would happen if people had the chance to see this side of him. Maybe they wouldn't be scared to speak with him anymore, just like when he entered the restaurant earlier. He took the fork and spoon, then began to eat. I guess he's really hungry. Well, the same goes to me. We've been playing in the water for hours, of course we're exhausted.
-30 minutes later-
We finished eating and are now waiting for dessert. The restaurant is going to close soon.
"I'm going to the restroom for a bit." I said that, standing up.
"Would you like me to go with you?" Levi asked, standing up from his chair, too.
"Levi, I'm not a kid. Mattaku. I'll be back in five." I said that and then left.
After a few minutes, I'm done with my business. I just wanted to check my face and wash my hands. Levi was being overprotective. But is he worried I might run into someone here? Maybe he's just being cautious because of what happened between me and Alderic this afternoon.
"So, Alderic was right. The second young master of the Auclair Family is here." A voice spoke behind me. Crap. I'm not wearing my face mask right now.
"And who are you?" I asked in shock. I don't recognise this guy.
"Aww, that hurts. Am I not famous enough for you not to recognise me? I'm Mathew Lambert, one of the famous French actors. Alderic said he ran into you here, in Pampelonne Beach, but I didn't expect to run into you here." He said that with a chuckle.
"So, Alderic was the reason behind this." I said that with a glare.
"You could say that. Well, that aside. You hardly show yourself after all these years, and today I saw you entered here with the Great Levi Ackerman. Are you his new plaything now?"
TO BE CONTINUED!!!