Heartbeat

The entire morning, they spent their time in the collection area of the Glenvaria Hotel, viewing treasures from all over the world.

Whether it was famous paintings, jewelry, or even porcelain from the East, Henry could provide a concise and insightful introduction for each, which not only made one marvel at his vast breadth of knowledge but also reflected how he had diligently done his homework in advance.

Whether it was the knowledge inadvertently revealed during their conversation or his gentlemanly behavior of constantly attending to Irene's mood, from every perspective, Henry was an excellent young man with outstanding upbringing and careful cultivation.

In both of her lifetimes, Irene had never encountered a peer like this.

At noon, Henry invited Irene to dine at a seaside restaurant he had booked in advance.

The entire restaurant resembled a glass palace floating on the surface of the sea. Beneath the extended terrace, waves gently rippled. Soft lights were installed beneath the glass floor, illuminating the seawater below and making the walkway appear even more exquisite.

A waiter silently led them to a table by the window, which offered a superb view where the silhouette of distant islands met the sky; if it were sunset, this beauty would be doubled.

"This place is incredible," Irene said softly, her gaze still lingering on the flowing scenery beneath her feet.

Henry pulled out the chair for her, his movements natural and fluid, clearly a habit etched into his bones. "I was stunned when I first came here, too," he smiled and sat down, "It feels like dining on the edge of the world."

He did not immediately recommend dishes, but first introduced the specialties of the house to her.

"The octopus here is very clever; fishermen need to use special clay pots to catch them, so the meat is exceptionally firm and sweet." As he spoke, his gaze rested honestly on her face, carrying the joy of sharing.

When the charcoal-grilled octopus was served as an appetizer, Henry naturally pushed his plate slightly toward Irene to make it easier for her to taste.

When Irene showed a hint of hesitation over the wine list, he softly suggested, "If you like a crisp white wine, today's Island Sauvignon Blanc might be good; it carries a mineral note like a sea breeze."

His entire focus seemed to be on her, noting when she needed water or which dish made her eyes light up, then silently taking note of it.

During the meal, he would also tell stories about pirates and treasures popular in this land so that the waiting time wouldn't be too monotonous, which suddenly reminded Irene of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pirates of the Caribbean 1 was released in the summer of 2003, and it was only 1999 now; if she were to film it, it shouldn't clash.

But the script and creative ideas were easy to solve; what was hard to solve was that the cost of filming this movie would be at least a hundred million, and she didn't have the capital to leverage such a large investment right now. Plus, that notoriously difficult Johnny Depp was not someone she could sway at her current level.

"Irene, is my story too boring? I see you've been distracted." Henry's cautious concern interrupted her train of thought.

Irene shook her head gently: "It's just that I suddenly thought of something, it's nothing. Your stories are all wonderful, and I like them very much."

"You know," his voice was softer than the sea breeze, "compared to those centuries-old antiques, being able to share this moment of scenery with you is more like a miracle worth cherishing."

At that moment, the seawater beneath the glass floor rippled, just like the heartstrings in Irene's chest being gently plucked.

After the meal, the relationship between the two seemed to have taken a step closer.

Without knowing who initiated it, the two began to walk hand in hand along the beach.

For a while, neither spoke, just feeling the temperature in each other's hands was enough to make one intoxicated.

Suddenly, a volleyball flew toward Irene's head. Henry immediately hugged Irene with one arm and swatted the volleyball away with the other.

A young man and woman ran over from the front right to apologize: "So sorry, did you get hurt? Our companion used too much force."

Irene stood straight from Henry's embrace and gently patted his arm to show she was fine, "You should be more careful; there are many children around here, don't accidentally hurt anyone."

"We'll be careful next time. You two are about our age, would you like to join our volleyball team?" One of them boldly issued an invitation; the handsome guy in the blue shirt in front of them looked like a natural athlete.

Henry didn't speak, his eyes looking directly at Irene, indicating he would follow her lead.

Irene looked at the dress she was wearing, smiled, and shook her head in refusal: "No thanks, my outfit isn't very suitable," then she turned to Henry, "Do you want to go? I can cheer for you on the sidelines."

"No, I want to stay with you." How could Henry abandon Irene to play ball with a group of strangers? He wasn't crazy.

"Alright then." Seeing that Henry had no interest, Irene ignored the attempts of the two in front to continue persuading them and pulled Henry away directly.

They spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach, sometimes building sandcastles, sometimes picking up seashells, and sometimes feeling the touch of the waves hitting their feet, as if time had slowed down.

The sun began to set, and they returned to the main pier.

Just as Irene finished saying goodbye to Henry and was about to step onto the yacht that had come to pick her up, she was pulled back by Henry.

"Tomorrow at ten, right here, I'll teach you how to surf." Seeing Irene didn't speak, Henry was a little anxious, "If you don't like surfing, there are other things; the water park here is very famous, it must..."

"Okay."

Henry's words were interrupted, and he didn't react for a moment, just staring blankly at Irene.

"Pfft," Irene couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I'm very much looking forward to Coach Henry's guidance tomorrow. Is there anything else you need to instruct me on?"

"N-no, nothing else." Although he said there wasn't, he didn't let go of the hand he was holding at all.

Irene stood on her tiptoes, placed her hands on Henry's shoulders, and pressed her lips to his before pulling away.

"So, were you waiting for this?"

Before she could continue teasing him, Henry, like a beast released from a cage, wrapped one arm around her waist and supported the back of her neck with the other, giving her a very passionate, deep kiss.

Irene could even hear the "Wow~" from the onlookers nearby.

Henry noticed Irene's lack of focus and gently swept his tongue against the tip of hers; Irene immediately lost the mood to worry about anyone else.

The kiss lasted for three minutes before Henry finally let her go.

Irene saw that his ears were as red as if they were bleeding, and he was trying to feign composure on his face.

She touched his cheek and said softly: "I will miss you, see you tomorrow."

Even though Henry was reluctant, he knew he should let her go now, so he had to say goodbye with deep unwillingness.

Irene decisively boarded the boat and signaled the driver to start. Even when the boat was dozens of meters away, she could still see Henry standing on the pier watching her leave.

She touched her still-fluttering heart and had to admit that the heartbeat she hadn't experienced in two lifetimes was something she felt truly today.

This feeling wasn't bad at all.