“Mr. Tristan!” one of the men called as we approached.
“Akoni,” Tristan waved. “Is everything ready?”
“Everything is ready Mr. Tristan,” he nodded. “Have a good time.”
“Will do,” Tristan nodded, leading me straight to the boat.
I smiled at the men as Tristan helped me into the boat and started up the engine. A few seconds later, we were zooming across the water, and the three men by the beach became little dots in the distance.
“Okay, seriously,” I said. “Where are we going?”
Tristan laughed. “You’ll find out in five seconds,” he said.
I looked out into the horizon, and after a moment, I saw a little island in the distance. It was a tiny mass of land surrounded by shaded trees. I could make out a small structure enclosed within all the green. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel.
I wanted to ask more questions, but I was so consumed with the view that all my questions dried on my tongue as I admired how beautiful it looked. As Tristan pulled up on the shore, I realized that the house was possibly the only man-made structure on the tiny private island. The house itself was shrouded from view, and I could only see a few white shutters and a large ornamental balcony from my vantage point.
Before Tristan had docked the motorboat, I jumped out and ran into the island. It was lovely, and as I walked further in, the trees shielded the whole island from the sun’s harsher rays. I realized there were steps leading up to the house, whose architecture was almost Victorian in its intricate little details.
“What do you think?” Tristan asked, coming up behind me.
“This place is amazing,” I said. “How did you even find it?”
“The previous owner was looking to sell,” he told me. “And, I was looking to buy.”
“You bought the house?” I asked incredulously.
“The whole island, actually. It’s pretty perfect, isn’t it?”
“Perfect is definitely one word for it,” I agreed. “I can’t believe you bought a whole island.”
Tristan looked at me and smiled. “A little extravagant, do you think?”
“Just a tad,” I teased.
He laughed. “Come on, let’s go exploring.”
He took my hand, and we climbed the steps together. The house was a sprawling manor that could have doubled as an estate. “How big is it?” I asked, in amazement.
“Five bedrooms and seven bathrooms big,” he replied.
“Looks like more.”
“The rooms inside are massive,” he explained. “The original owner wanted fewer rooms and bigger spaces. The kitchen and dining room are huge, and the living room takes up half the space on the ground floor.”
“I can’t believe you bought a house,” I said, shaking my head.
“It’s an investment,” he shrugged. “And perfect timing, too. I closed this deal shortly before you arrived in Hawaii. Now whenever we need some alone time, we can just come here.”
I gave him a look.
“What?”
“When will we have time to come here, at all?” I asked. “We’re both so busy.”
“It won’t be like that forever,” he said. “At least, I hope not. We just have to be hopeful.”
The house’s interior was as lovely as it was on the outside. Tristan had been right about how large all of the rooms were. The furniture was sparse, but it was just enough for a house that wasn’t in continual use. We went through every single room while he went through key points of architecture. He was passionate about it, and it made me wonder why he hadn’t decided to become an architect.