"All good?"

A voice came from behind the sofa while he was closing Jess' bedroom door. He did not notice for the lights in the living room were not on. The only light in the room was the moonlight that entered through the sliding glass door to the balcony of their villa.

"Yes."

"Coffee?"

Two steaming cups of coffee were on the table. Luke was waiting for him to get out of the room. It irked him to think that he was guarding Jess against him.

He sat down on the armchair without a word. Coffee was the last thing he wanted late at night.

"Sorry, I just want to talk a bit." he has no plan to start the conversation with an apology but he was compelled to do so when he saw the annoyance in Noah's face. "Uhm, Jess can be difficult when drunk, it can be a challenge sometimes," he scrutinized Noah who was just wearing beige cotton shorts.

He narrowed his eyes at the man sitting across from him. The thought that Jess took off her clothes in front of this man, made his blood boils.

Luke sensing the silent rage from Noah's blue eyes, he smiled awkwardly, "You're well aware of my sexual preference, right? I mean, you are more of my type."

"So is a beautiful woman like Jess."

The two of them stare at each other as if they were seizing one another. No one speaks until a realization hits Luke.

"How did you know I swing both ways?"

"Jess didn't know that you do, right?" he answered his question with another question.

"No, she doesn't. It has never come up in a conversation."

"You mean, you purposely didn't tell her."

He chuckled awkwardly. "I don't understand why it is your problem, Mr. Tiefenbacher."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ravenport. I cross the line. You are right I'm not in a position to speak about it."

"Yeah, yeah. It's just that you are a jealous bastard. That's what."

He didn't repute what Luke said, because it is indeed the truth. He wasn't proud of it but when it comes to Jess he wasn't himself. Rationality flew out of the window when it involved Jess. He sighed and offered an apologetic smile at the man in front of him.

He put down the coffee that he didn't finish drinking, "Thanks for the coffee."

"Jess is an important friend, Mr. Tiefenbacher. I don't like seeing her getting hurt because of you. Goodnight. I assume you know your way out." he stood up, leaving Noah to check on Jess.

He watched Luke open Jess' bedroom and take a peek. He heaved another deep sigh before he let himself out of their villa to return to his own.

He was already standing under the shower trying to cool down the remnants of desire that Jess The Seductress lit up within him when he realized the oddity of Luke's words. He said, he doesn't like Jess getting hurt because of him...getting hurt not to get hurt. Jess was hurting because of him?

He was still pondering the matter until he lay on his bed and sleep took over. It was the last thought in his head.

---

She woke up with an itchy throat and a pounding headache. She has no idea what time it is for the room was pitch black. She creased her forehead thinking since she arrived on the island, she never drew the curtain at night because she wanted the sun to wake her up.

She threw the blanket away from her body and rolled it to the right side of the bed. She got out of the bed and walked to the sliding door with curtains tightly pulled together. No wonder no ray of sun could enter the room.

She pushed the curtains to the side, and her left hand automatically covered her eyes as she squinted with the bright sunlight. With how the sun was shining, she reckoned it was already noon! She couldn't believe she slept that long.

With the room fully lit up with natural light she looked at herself wearing a white soft cotton shirt that wasn't hers. 'Why is she wearing a t-shirt, and where is Ellise?'

She saw the dress she was wearing last night, folded neatly at the bedside table where a familiar sparkling bottle weighing down a note.

She slowly walked over to her bedside table with her heart thumping in her chest. Her brain was slowly churning the memory of last night and she wasn't liking the flashes of memory she was getting.

She remembered puking her guts out and throwing sand at Ellise while she was slumped on the sand. She grimaced at the memory. She had to apologize to her friend that she was sure won't just let go of what she did.

Another memory flashed at the back of her mind that halted her steps. She saw herself crying in her underwear to Noah! She bit her lower lip in such force that her teeth cut her skin. She tasted blood as she gasped from the sharp pain and shame!

She was clinging to Noah crying last night! Her knees buckled that she threw herself back to her bed. She eyed the note on her bedside table. A part of her brain was scared to see what was written on the piece of paper with the hotel logo on it.

She knew for sure that the message was from Noah. She leaned her throbbing head in the headboard as she cursed herself for drinking too much of the cheap beer last night. The memory of Ellise telling her she will curse that beer when she wakes up came back to her mind.

She groaned, glancing at the white note on her bedside table, beckoning her to read it. With shaking hands, she pulled the note under the sparkling bottled water and saw neat penmanship in cursive writing. Despite the situation, a smile tugged the corner of her lips seeing that Noah has nice handwriting.

But her smile was replaced with a frown the moment she read the message.

'I'm letting you keep my shirt in exchange for your black underwear in my possession. - Noah.'