the rest of the world and it’s easy to pretend our engagement is real—that I’ll get to spend the rest of my life holding her in my arms like this. I prefer the dream to real life right now. Her breathing is deep and blowing across my face. Her lips are pooched into a pout with her long lashes fanning out across the tops of her cheeks. She’s beautiful and breathtaking. I only pray this isn’t the end.
I feel her stir in my arms as I wake later in the day than I thought I would. I open my eyes after a couple more minutes and find her sitting on the edge of the bed. She stretches and stands up, walking to the bathroom. I lie in bed, waiting for her to return, but then I hear the sound of the shower kicking on and I get up to join her. The shower glass is already steamed up, but I can see her faint outline as she dips her head back and lets the water rush over it.
I quickly undress and step inside. Her eyes open and land on me. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she says, running her fingers through her long, wet hair.
“It’s okay. I don’t want to miss a minute of our time here together,” I reply, reaching for her. I pull her to my chest and cup her cheek. Staring into her dark eyes, I lean in and kiss her gently, softly. She kisses me back and pulls away with a smile.
“What’s the plan for the day? Is there anything specific you want to do?”
I shrug. “We can do whatever you want. We could go back to the mainland and see the sights. We could spend the day on the beach—listening to music and drinking. We could just take it easy today, have dinner, and get a good night’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow. It’s up to you. There’s no agenda on this trip.”
She begins washing off. “I think a beach day sounds good. Do we have the stuff to make those cute frozen drinks?”
“I’m sure we have some tequila and mix. A margarita beach day it is.”
“Don’t make them too strong though. You know how well I hold my liquor.”
I laugh. “Virgin margaritas for you then.”
“No, I would like to just chill and relax, so a little tequila.”
I nod in agreement. “Okay. I’ll go make a pitcher. You get that bikini on.”
I step out of the shower without washing off, because if we’re going to spend the day all sweaty and lying in the sun, then what’s the point in showering? I wrap my towel around my waist and go to the bedroom to pull on some swim shorts. I head into the kitchen, make our margaritas, then look through the fully stocked fridge to assemble a snack tray.
I hear the back door open, and when I carry everything out, she’s already outside, setting up the lounge chairs. My eyes find her bikini body and I nearly trip over my own two feet.
She looks up at me and laughs. “Been walking long?”
“I suddenly forget how to do a lot of things when I see this much of your skin,” I reply, setting everything down on the table between us.
We each take our seats and I hand her a frozen margarita. I watch as she takes a sip. She seems pleasantly surprised and takes another.
“This is good. I can’t even taste the alcohol. Dangerous.” She winks.
“I’m glad you like it,” I say, sitting back in my seat. I pull out my phone and get some music playing, but turn it down so it’s more background noise than anything else. I turn my head to see her place her drink on the table. Then she scoots down in her lounge chair until she’s lying back, relaxed. Her eyes close as she absorbs the sun. I can’t stop myself from taking her in—from her white painted toes to her long legs to her flat stomach and full, perky tits. I’ve already memorized the curve of her hips, the dip in her spine, and the swell of her breasts. I know her body better than I know my own, and that gives me a little bit of solace when I consider how this could all end up.
The two of us sunbathe for an hour while we listen to music and have our drinks. With the sun still so high in the sky, my body is hot and sweaty.