Chapter 106 - Just Friends

Emerson dragged Halia out to the deck and checked his watch. He then glanced around the water and finally pointed to an area in the distance where there was some splashing.

"Can you see it?" he asked.

Halia looked in the direction that Emerson was pointing and ran to the edge of the deck to get a better look.

"What is it?" she asked with interest.

Emerson walked over and stood next to her with a smile. At that moment, there was another splash a little closer to the yacht.

Halia quickly turned her head and noticed a fin. She knew it couldn't be a shark, since sharks were extremely rare in Hong Kong and she knew the fin was too small to be a whale. So, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Is it a dolphin?" she asked.

Emerson nodded his head with a smile.

Halia grinned and looked back out into the water with anticipation. She had never seen a dolphin in the wild.

Soon a little head popped up, followed by another and another. There were 3 dolphins swimming near the yacht. As Halia looked at them in detail, she realized that they looked a little different to the usual dolphins. Halia stared at the them in amazement, "Are they pink dolphins?!"

"They're not always here, so you are really lucky today," Emerson said with a nod.

Halia continued staring at the dolphins as they swam around. This was not what she expected when she woke up this morning. This man was full of surprises.

At that moment, something suddenly dangled in front of Halia's eyes. It sparkled in the sun and quickly caught her attention. Halia immediately recognized what it was. It was the necklace from the auction. Emerson was standing behind her and helping her put it around her neck.

"This is a little gift from me to you," Emerson said as he secured the necklace to Halia's neck.

Halia quickly touched the necklace in surprise, "No, this is too expensive, I can't have it."

"But, I specifically bid on it for you. I saw you staring at it with Natalie on the viewing night and thought you'd like it," Emerson said.

"You misunderstood, Natalie was the one that liked it. I don't wear expensive jewelry like this," Halia explained as she tried to remove the necklace.

A look of disappointment swept across Emerson's face.

"I know your birthday was like a week ago. Think of it as a present," Emerson said.

Halia looked at the man in surprise, "How did you know?"

"You forgot me, but I never forgot you. Our birthdays are 2 weeks apart," Emerson replied.

Halia couldn't believe it. How did this man have such a good memory?

Eventually she couldn't bear to reject him, so she nodded her head. "Fine, I'll accept it, thank you," she said with a smile as she lowered her hands and left the necklace on her neck. To be honest, she was quite touched by the man's gesture.

Emerson grinned as he looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him. The necklace made her even more beautiful.

He had seen many beautiful women in his life. In fact, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong and women threw themselves at him all the time. He had even dated a few just to make his parents happy, but none of them ever made him feel the way that Halia did. Halia was special.

As the wind blew against her long wispy hair, he felt his heart melt. To him, she was his first love. Someone that had a special place in his memory; someone he had always dreamed of seeing again.

So, now that she was standing before him, he couldn't bear to let her go again. "You don't know how happy I am to see you again," he said as he brushed a strand of hair out of the woman's face. He then gathered his courage and placed a kiss on Halia's forehead, "Happy belated birthday," he said.

He then grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes.

Halia's eyes opened wide in surprise. She understood the look in the man's eyes, he was asking for permission to kiss her on the lips. But, Halia quickly backed away. She was meant to clarify things with him, how did she get herself into a situation like this instead?

"I'm sorry, I'm accepting this gift because we are friends. Just friends," she said.

She then held onto the bracelet around her wrist and stared into the horizon. "I already have a boyfriend," she said. This was the second time she had rejected a man because of Jackson, but where was he now and was he returning? Ever?

...

At this time, in France, Jackson had just woken up. But, it wasn't because of the crow of a rooster or the sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen. He had been startled awake by the sound of shattered glass. Someone had broken into the house.