“No clue.” The only alarm clock this wellness retreat has is the sun, apparently.
“I can’t remember the last time I did that.”
“Me neither.” My voice isn’t wavering, but I’m not speaking above a whisper, either. The emotions inside have started to ebb.
He clears his throat, but it’s still hoarse with sleep. “You know what I just realized?”
“No?”
“You didn’t ask me any intrusive questions last night. Not a single one.”
I turn my face to the pillow, hoping it soaks up some of my tears.I’m proud,I think,that I dared to do this again.
“There’s still time,” I say.
“I’ll admit, I’m very curious what they might be.” His hand on my waist slides up, caressing my body. “I might have some of my own.”
“Oh?”
He brushes his lips over my neck. “Yes. You know, to evaluate last night.”
I nudge him with my hip and he groans, pulling me tighter into the cradle of his body. “Evaluate?”
“Yes,” he says. “I want to know everything you like.” His hand cups my breast softly. “We both want to be the best, you know.”
“Clear communication,” I murmur.
“Exactly. Hard to imagine, though,” he says, face in my neck, “how I could possibly enjoy sex with youmorethan I did last night.”
The compliment makes me smile. My tears have stopped, the only remnants the tracks on my cheeks. He’s still here, and he’s still unguarded. The magic spell hasn’t broken yet. I hope it never will.
Isaac rises on an elbow behind me. I roll into the cavity he leaves behind, looking up at him. His hair is mussed and his eyes are warm. He looks glorious like this.
But then his eyes widen in alarm. “Sophia?” He runs a soft hand over my wet cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been crying.”
“Yes, but it’s nothing.”
His jaw tenses. “Please tell me.”
“I got emotional, that’s all,” I say with a smile. “Looking at the sunrise and being here with you.”
His thumb rubs slow circles on my cheek. They’re soothing, and I lift my leg to hitch it around his waist. “They’re good tears. I promise.”
“Right,” he says, like he doubts that concept. “You’re thinking about the past.”
“No, I’m not,” I say, shaking my head. I lock my hands around his neck. “No, I want you to ask me an intrusive question.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Never been surer about anything,” I say, and pull him down on top of me. “You got us a late check-out, right?”
And I think he understands, even if he doesn’t know why, that it’s not something I can explain. It takes us another two hours to make it out of the room. He was cautious after my tears, but with every movement, and every word, his hesitation wore down when he’d seen I wasn’t actually sad.
We play tennis, one-on-one, and roast in the spa afterwards. “Excellent choice,” he murmurs in the sauna, running a finger beneath the shoulder strap of my emerald bikini top. I kiss him. It’s a communal space, and we’re both adults, and still I kiss him like we’re teenagers who can’t resist.