Chapter 291 Every Sentence I Heard Clearly
Chapter 291 Every Sentence I Heard Clearly
Then Emily gently held James's cool hand and pressed her cheek against the back of his hand, murmuring softly as if pouring out all the longing and hope in her heart:
"Look, James, there are two seagulls in the sky flying toward us. Can you guess what color they are?
That's right, they're white. Haha, I don't think there are any black seagulls, are there?
They're flying so freely, just like how we used to be together."
"You know, the last time we were shipwrecked, we were surrounded by fear and panic. We didn't have the mind to look at the scenery around us.
The seawater must have been so cold then, right?
The wind that night must have been so chilly, right?
The waves were so big. I thought we were both going to die there.
Unfortunately, I don't remember much. I think I was sick at the time, feeling dizzy the whole time, and I can't recall many things clearly.
Were you scared then? Were you worried about me, worried that we'd never make it back?"
"James, I'm actually really scared. I'm scared you'll never wake up.
I'm scared I'll never hear your voice again, never see you smile at me again.
I'm even more scared you'll leave me forever, leaving me alone in this world.
Do you know where I'm taking you? It's that island you gave me, the island where you once told me you'd hide away with me, watch the ocean with me.
Even though it's undeveloped, desolate, without the city's hustle and bustle or comfortable accommodations, it holds our shared memories, the life-and-death moments we went through together, and your promise to me.
I think the bra I buried in the sand out of embarrassment back then should still be on the beach, right? I wonder if it's been washed away by the waves after all this time."
Emily kept talking to James the whole way, chatting while slowly rowing the small boat, her tone sometimes filled with laughter, sometimes with tears, sometimes full of hope.
Maybe Tyler's compass was really good, or maybe heaven heard her prayers—in less than four hours,
she actually found the island where they had been shipwrecked.
The island was surrounded by clear seawater, with lush green coconut trees growing along the shore.
The beach was white and fine, exactly the same as when they last came, as if time had stood still here.
Emily carefully docked the small wooden boat at the shore, then used the simple tools she had prepared to carefully move James from the boat to the beach, afraid that one wrong move might hurt him.
She pushed the folding cart she had brought and pulled James to a dense coconut grove. It was cool and breezy there, protected from the harsh sun and sheltered from the occasional sea breeze.
After settling James, Emily began searching in a corner of the beach according to her memory.
Before long, she actually found the bra she had hidden back then. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, like a ripe apple, as embarrassment flooded her heart.
She quickly buried the bra again and placed a small wooden marker beside it to hide her awkwardness, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, remembering the shyness and sweetness of that time.
Night gradually fell, and the wind over the sea became a bit cool, carrying a slight chill that made the coconut leaves rustle.
Emily took out the windproof tent she had prepared and quickly set it up, then carefully helped James into the tent
and covered her with a thin blanket
to ward off the night's cold.
She opened the skylight on top of the windproof tent so they could lie in bed and see the stars above.
Emily lay beside James, lying side by side with him...
One person with eyes closed, completely still, as if still immersed in endless sleep;
One person with eyes open, quietly watching the stars above, eyes full of hope and tenderness.
Emily reached out and tightly interlaced her fingers with James's, her fingertips feeling his cool temperature, as if this way she could sense his presence and draw endless strength from it.
"James, the stars in the sky are so bright, just like how you used to look at me—gentle and bright."
Emily murmured softly, her voice so tender it could drip water,
"I'm making a wish on a shooting star right now, hoping that when I wake up, you'll have opened your eyes, looking at me, telling me 'I love you.'
I've been waiting for this day for so, so long. Please don't disappoint me."
After speaking, Emily gradually fell asleep amid her own rambling murmurs, a shallow hope still on her lips, her hands still tightly holding James's hand without letting go.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight shone through the tent's skylight onto Emily's face, warm and gentle.
Wrapped in this dense warmth, Emily slowly opened her eyes, still carrying a trace of drowsiness and laziness from just waking up.
But the next second, she instantly became wide awake. What met her eyes was a large, handsome face right above her, so close she could see his long eyelashes clearly and feel his warm breath.
His soft nose tip touched hers, carrying a faint scent of sea salt.
The warm breath of his presence brushed past her earlobe from his cheek, making her heartbeat instantly accelerate,
and her cheeks instantly flushed with a rosy glow.
Emily was overjoyed, her eyes instantly reddening as tears uncontrollably welled up and slowly slid down her cheeks. She quickly reached out and tightly wrapped her arms around James's waist, her voice carrying a sob and disbelief:
"James, you... you're awake? You're really awake? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
James looked at her reddened eyes, at the tears on her face, at her surprised yet disbelieving expression, his eyes full of affection and tenderness.
His large hand gently brushed over the top of her head, tenderly smoothing her messy hair, his tone so gentle it could drip water:
"Yes, I'm awake. I'm really awake.
I heard your wish, heard every word you said, heard your longing for me. If I didn't wake up, the wish you made on that shooting star wouldn't come true,
and in the future, no one would make wishes on shooting stars for me. How could I bear to disappoint you?"
"You... you heard everything?"
Emily asked in a small voice with her moist eyes wide open, like a wronged little cat, her tone full of surprise and anxiety.
She was afraid James was just saying it casually, afraid he hadn't really heard all her innermost thoughts.
"I heard it all, every single word."