Chapter 4- Reunion

EXHAUSTED YET exhilarated.

That's what Raphael felt when he hit his hotel room's soft bed. He had arrived in Nassau not even six hours ago, yet he had already had the best time in his life in years.

He had seen her. He saw the woman he had dreamt of all his life, and seeing her actually went good.

His cheek bones hurt from the smiling he had done all the way back to the hotel. Maybe his cheekbones were complaining about such a new position, not being in the least bit used to it. Yet he didn't care.

He rolled onto his side with his phone in his hand, gazing at the number he had gotten from her. And she agreed to see him tomorrow again! He just wanted to go to sleep so that the day would come quicker, but he was still so anxious, that he couldn't even close his eyes.

Despite all, he knew, just knew, that this woman was the only thing that would ever grant him happiness. She had made him laugh genuinely for the first time in years--over a decade, in just one night.

Only an angel herself could've ever done that, and an angel she indeed was. He didn't know what the future had in-store, but he indeed knew that he wasn't going to live without her. He couldn't.

And he wasn't going to.

Three hours earlier...

"Yes Maddie? Have you found a good place where I can have a decent meal in town?" Raphael asked his assistant as he shoved some chips from the plane in his mouth, frowning at its horrid taste.

The flight to Nassau was only 45 minutes, but he didn't bother to grab a meal before leaving the house like Mrs. Garcia suggested. He was so eager to set his feet on Nassau, that food had barely crossed his mind. But by the time 7:00 rolled around and he was starving on his way to the hotel his assistant had booked, he knew his plan of sleeping in that night was no longer an option.

Maddie, his assistant, had gotten a proper scolding when, to Raphael's demise, the hotel's food was crap. His assistant should've checked that everything with the place was perfect before booking him a room there.

She only gave some shitty excuse about it being the only one available in such short notice blah blah blah. Raphael had no concern for such excuses, and she knew this.

So, the anger and frustration in his voice as he spoke to the woman on speaker phone was enough to have her running back to Puerto Rico. Raphael never kept assistants long. Either they try to get too close, or they were simply terrible at their jobs. And he hated when people were terrible at their jobs. So he knew Maddie wasn't any different.

Now that he was going to live in the Grand Bahama, he might just send her back, and find a new assistant soon.

"Yessir. I- um-I found a restaurant just five minutes from the hotel. I've arranged for a driver to pick you up in ten minutes" She rambled out quickly, obviously quite flustered with her boss's anger.

"Make it five minutes Maddie. I'm starving"

"I-um, I'll tell the driver to drive faster then sir?" It came out more of a question than a statement, as even this was out of her power. But she learnt from the past never to question Raphael's requests. It was either you get it done, or get it done as closely to his liking as possible.

But despite all that, Raphael was furious when the driver had arrived two minutes late, and he was sure to give a good earful about it too. Yet, the poor driver did all he could to reach in five minutes, even breaking the speed limit. But as they say, a hungry man is an angry man. Or Raphael being Raphael, was just always angry at the world.

They arrived at the restaurant at 7:30, and to Raphael's demise, there were no reservations marked in his name, neither were there any available tables. Maddie indeed received another scolding from her boss, though it was never in her intention to make such a mistake.

He almost fired her too, but he was far too tired, hungry and annoyed at her voice to prolong the conversation.

He leaned back in the car as the driver sat awkwardly awaiting instructions. Raphael didn't know anywhere in town that he could dine, and he didn't want to hear the squeaky voice of Maddie any longer with his now throbbing headache.

"Uh, where to now, sir?" The driver, Nick, asked once the silence got too thick for him to bear, and the very intimidating man was just brooding in the back of his car.

"Take me anywhere that serves good food. I don't care where, just take me there " Raphael instructed in his original 'F**k it' tone. Nick got a little eager at this.

"There's a great place just by the beach that-"

"Just take me there" Raphael held up his hand sternly, cutting off the man's rambling.

This new driver, if he remains, will surely have to get used to Raphael's moods if he wanted to keep the job. Raphael never minded driving himself to places, but sometimes he preferred not to, due to his impatience and the mountain of tickets that his accountant had to pay monthly.

Without another word, Nick took him to the place he'd enjoy going to with his friends and family from time to time. It wasn't the fanciest, but it was definitely cozy and the food was great.

He got a bit nervous when he pulled up in front of the pub, rethinking his decision of taking Mr. Léon there. He seemed more like the type to dine fancy, even if he was alone. Maybe if he wanted a drink then yes, but in Nick's mind, this wasn't Raphael's setting.

Yet, instead of shouting at him like he predicted, Raphael simply mumbled a thanks before heading out. Maddie had warned Nick about her boss's attitude and temper. And witnessing it for himself when he took 7 minutes to arrive at the hotel rather than 5, Nick was sure he'd upset Raphael again.

Luckily, he seemed calm as he just walked towards the entrance. 'He's definitely an odd man', Nick thought. Snappy one minute, then calm as a humming bird at the next.

The building wasn't what Raphael had expected. Though it was small and looked clean with great ambiance, he'd expected Nick to take him somewhere less casual.

Nonetheless, his stomach had no prejudice against dining areas at that moment, and the sudden feeling of family and warmth actually welcomed Raphael's cold empty soul.

The wind from the sea was relaxing as he pushed the doubled-door open, immediately being met with the thick laughter and aroma of great food. People smiled at him as he walked past, and others simply looked at him questionably but still offered him friendly nods.

No wonder Nick liked the place. Raphael could read people quite easily, having done it all his life. It was how he learnt things about people, since they'd never befriended him for him to learn the casual way. So he knew Nick was the type to enjoy hangouts like these. And though it wasn't his setting, he oddly liked it too.

He sat at the bar a few seats away from the others. A curvy short haired waitress approached him, and he couldn't tell if she was admiring him or if she was just being friendly. Maybe both.

She smiled widely at him, something he had been used to anytime he was in any area that revolved around customer service, but he knew it was nothing personal.

"Hello welcome to Peach's Pub. I'm your waitress for tonight" She greeted as she handed him a menu. "I'll be back in a minute to take your order. But for now, would you like anything to drink?"

"Water is fine, thanks"

She simply nodded as disappeared behind a brown door. He looked through the menu ravishingly, eager to have anything once he wasn't allergic or despise any of the ingredients.

He felt a presence behind him, but he was too invested in the food list to pay attention to who was joining him.

"Is this seat taken?" A female voice asked-- a female voice he should've known too well, but was too distracted to realize.

He simply shook his head at the person as he continued to skip through the booklet. His subconscious was screaming at him to come back to reality and recognize the voice he had heard in countless videos.

"You should try the oven-roasted turkey burger. They're really good" She spoke again, actually drawing Raphael's attention when he realized that a human who he hadn't employed, who isn't a business partner or who wasn't offering him a service, actually spoke to him.

It was then when he started to realize why his brain was nudging him, and his head whipped towards her so fast, that he was sure he'd had whiplash.

His eyes widened in surprise, delight and disbelief as he ogled the woman in front of him. It was her, in the flesh. She was sitting beside him with enthusiastic bright eyes, and smiling at him with those gentle lips. Just like he had dreamt of for years.

"Tami?"