What Separates Me and You



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?"noveldrama

"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?"

"I don't know." He stared into the distance, where the moonlight was fading. As a result, the darkness set in. They couldn't see each other's faces clearly.

She looked at him for a while but couldn't tell anything apart.

"Do you not know, or do you refuse to tell?"

He stood up and walked toward the sea. The wind carried his sound from afar. "What's the point of discussing that? It won't change anything." She went silent while looking at the figure in the distance.

Feeling a little chilly from the sea breezes, she rubbed her arms. She secretly grumbled at how Lewis brought her here to jump off a cliff and saved her later, only to make her suffer in the cold breeze. She did not know what was going on in his mind at all.

At that thought, she was surprised by her change in attitude. Before this, she would have been willing to take anything for him, be it sitting in the cold winds or soaking in the sea for a night. Not only that, she'd feel happy doing so.

Indeed, her confidence in this relationship depended on his attitude toward her.

At present, she knew he wouldn't let go of her no matter what. Therefore, she was not as timid and cautious around him as before. She'd only think that he was crazy for sitting in the cold winds.

Was this how Sierra Woods felt?

Josephine finally understood the reason behind Sierra's haughtiness. She lowered her head and smiled bitterly.

Dawn started to set in. She looked up but lost track of Lewis, which caught her off guard.

She surveyed the surroundings but could only see an endless stretch of beach and the sea. He was nowhere to be found. She recalled that he seemed to be walking toward the sea.

Shocked, she immediately ran toward the sea. "Lewis!"

The waves crashed against her and toppled her a few times. She struggled to stand. Taking off her shoes and rolling up her pants, she waded deeper into the sea.

The seawater, which was at ankle length, gradually rose to her calves. The force of the water made each step difficult.

"Lewis, where are you?" Josephine shouted into a void.

She had thought about the possibility of him killing himself and leaving her behind. Still, it was impossible to lose sight of him in a few minutes, especially around the unobstructed sea view. Therefore, she concluded that he must have been below the sea's surface.

Gritting her teeth, she went deeper into the sea. Staring at the surface, she couldn't help but think of the imagery of a body floating. At that thought, she hastened to find him.

Flapping around in the sea, she was so far in that the seawater had reached her waist. The water would reach chest level when the waves crashed down on her.

After yelling for a long time in the water, she seemed to have lost her strength.

Panting, she stared at the horizon, not knowing what to do.

The sky was gleaming in a maroon shade. The moon was a faint image in the sky. It was dark all around, and from afar, she was just a dark figure in the sea.

When she stood there blankly, a wave crashed into her. Losing her balance, she fell into the water.

She was wrapped in the familiar sensation of seawater. As she couldn't find something to grab on, she failed to stand up.

In the next second, she felt someone grabbing her by the wrist and scooping her out of the water. She spat out a mouthful of seawater and opened her eyes to see Lewis grinning at her.

Enraged, she hit him. "Are you sick in the mind? Why did you go into the water? Even if you want to die, can you not do it before my eyes?"

He allowed her fists to rain on him while he hugged her waist. Her fists were powerless. Water dripped from his hair ends down his cheeks. After she was done cursing him out, he asked, "What are you doing down here? Were you worried about me?" Surprised, she stared at him vacantly. The two of them were drenched, and wet hair messily clung to their faces.

It was too dark to see anything except for their profiles.

"I didn't! I just didn't want to be seen as a murder suspect if you died here!"

He chuckled, much to her dismay.

"Why are you laughing? Can you please let me stay out of your suicide next time? You ..."

Halfway through her speech, she was suddenly pulled into his embrace. He kissed her on the lips.