Stephanie played on her phone the whole time. She smiled sarcastically and thought to herself, 'I know what they were playing at! Carlos and Debbie were jealous.'
After the massage, the group left the spa and went to their respective rooms.
Blair asked Debbie and Kasie to the beach to enjoy the view. But Debbie was on the phone with Ruby, so she said, "Sorry, Blair. I'm busy. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."
Blair and Kasie headed for the beach, leaving Debbie alone in the room.
Just as Blair hit the beach, she got a call from Wesley. "Where are you?" he asked.
Blair raised her head to look at the stars above as she answered honestly, "Kasie and I are enjoying an evening at the seaside."
"Without me? Didn't you think I might like to go?"
Blair pouted her lips. "I thought you were hanging out with Mr. Huo."
"Well, not anymore. Wait for me. I'll be right over."
Before Blair could say something, he hung up.
With an embarrassed smile, she looked at her friend and stammered, "Kasie…"
Kasie heard Blair mention her name when she was on the phone, so she perked up her ears. Noticing Blair's guilty expression, Kasie gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Hey, it's okay. You're lucky to have a guy like Wesley. Don't worry about me. I'll hang out and wait for Debbie."
"Kasie, I'm so sorry. Call Debbie and get her out here," Blair said apologetically. She felt kind of helpless because Wesley was so clingy.
"I will. Don't worry." Kasie nudged her with a broad smile.
When Blair was out of sight, Kasie looked away and took in the view alone. She took out her phone and took a photo of the sky kissing the sea and posted in her Moments. She posted a caption, "The night view is breathtaking!"
Within a few seconds, Ivan sent her a message on WeChat. "Are you alone on the beach?"
"Yeah. Debbie's busy, and Blair just left a while a go," Kasie answered and went for a stroll, the gentle sea breeze billowing her clothing.
Her dress was wet, thanks to the spray from the water. Not long after, a man's voice came from behind her. "Kasie."
She turned around and saw Ivan.
"Why are you here? Not busy?" It seemed that she was the only one who didn't have to work while on vacation.
Ivan shook his head with a gentle smile. "I'm done. Where's Debbie?" he asked.
"I just called her, but the line was busy. I guess she's still dealing with work." Kasie waved her phone to add emphasis. She paused while more wind whipped her hair, and then put her arm down.
They took a walk together, talking and laughing.
Kasie was always a cheerful and bubbly girl. Ivan's sense of humor had her roaring with laughter. She recounted a few funny anecdotes as well, which made him burst out laughing as well.
In the starlight, the two enjoyed each other's accompany.
When they were almost to the hotel they were staying at, Ivan suddenly stopped. Kasie stopped as well and turned to give him a confused look. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Ivan looked her in the eye and said in a charming voice, "Kasie…"
"What?"
They were standing rather close to each other. If he reached out his arms, he could pull her into them easily.
And that was exactly what he did.
Kasie was startled when he did this. She was afraid that people would see. She tried to push him away. "Mr. Wen…"
Actually, Kasie herself had feelings for Ivan. She just felt it was bad to admit this, considering he was her best friend's husband.
If it were anyone else other than Ivan, she would have simply enjoyed the embrace. Carlos fell outside that category, of course.
After Emmett passed away, Ivan was the only one that Kasie had her eye on.
But Ivan was married to her best friend. This was wrong. A betrayal! She didn't want to hurt Debbie at all.
Ivan, however, didn't let her go. Instead, he held her tighter. "Kasie. In the past, I thought I liked men."
Ivan's words successfully stunned Kasie. She raised her head and looked at him in utter disbelief. She stammered, "You're kidding."
Ivan shook his head. "No, I'm not. I had a boyfriend, and thought I loved him. But recently I figured out I was wrong."
"You… I…" The seriousness in his eyes frightened Kasie. She had never met anyone who was gay, so she didn't know exactly what to say.
Ivan continued in a soft voice, "I want to test if I'm gay or not."
"How?" Kasie asked nervously.
"Like this…" Ivan lowered his head and kissed Kasie's soft lips.
The night was as black as ink. All was silent, except the sound of waves lapping the shore.
Little did they know they were being watched.
'So this is the man Debbie married? Her husband and her bestie are having an affair, and she's oblivious to it, '
Carlos thought to himself.
At this moment, he really felt bad for her, hating the two figures he saw in the distance.
Even after Carlos hung up, Kasie and Ivan were still enjoying the kiss. They locked lips for awhile. He stood there silently and thought to himself, 'I guess Ivan won't mind me taking her away.'
The kiss seemed to last an eternity. They couldn't know that Carlos was a silent witness to their kiss.
Finally, Ivan let go of Kasie. The kiss was much more amazing than he had expected, and he was now a hundred percent sure that he was not gay, considering his pants were tighter now. Gasping for air, he told her, "Kasie, I love you, and I want to protect you. Let me take care of you from now on."
Debbie had told Ivan about Kasie and Emmett, and how their love had been cut short. He really felt sorry for her.
"I want to take care of you from now on." Kasie was already in a swoon, thanks to the passionate kiss. Suddenly, these words snapped her back to reality.
She shook Ivan's hands off and yelled, "No! This is wrong. You're Debbie's husband. We kissed. I betrayed her…" Kasie ran towards the hotel in a hurry. 'I have to tell her and apologize, ' she thought.
Ivan grabbed her and tried to comfort her. "Kasie, listen to me—"
"NO! Get away from me!" Guilt overtook Kasie.
Ivan didn't dare touch her again. He could only follow after her, and it was only when he saw Kasie enter her room that he heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn't intended things to go sideways like this. And maybe he needed to tell Debbie his version of events.
Standing in the hallway, Ivan began to think about this. 'What was I thinking?
I know she still loves Emmett. I need to give this more thought.'
Kasie opened the door to the room that she and Debbie shared.
She slammed the door behind her and stared at her best friend, who was still on the phone.
Debbie blinked and mouthed, "What's up?" She could tell that something was not right with Kasie. She looked visibly distraught.
Kasie felt too guilty to utter a single word. They had been friends for almost ten years. But now she betrayed her for a man.
