| |
Breaking Free
Mallory stood at the edge of the dry sand just before the water’s edge and stared out at the clear blue water, breathing deeply and basking in the early evening sun caressing her soft skin, the smells assaulting her senses from every direction and the slight breeze causing her flowery wrap-around skirt to brush against her legs. Heaven. She sighed. This was worth every overtime hour she had worked to gain the promotion. Her diligence to the project had paid off and now she could breathe.
Her chestnut brown hair whispered against the back of her neck with the breeze from the water. The water rushed to the edge of the sand. The cool liquid was blissfully welcome across her painted pink toenails and feet. She felt much older than her twenty-six years. Sometimes she wondered if her ferocious ambition was worth it. She had never taken a vacation. Enough about business. She mentally shut her brain off and shook her head. Enjoy the scenery Mallory. You are here to unwind. Forget work.
She slid her sunglasses up off her nose and squinted her dark green eyes to her left and to her right; sand! Lots and lots of pale, beautiful sand and people. Happy, laughing people. Her two-piece flowery bathing suit and matching wrap-around skirt fit right in with the beach crowd. She leaned down and picked up the big beach bag she had dragged down with her. It had everything in it for the beach, but nothing remotely related to work. She slung it over her shoulder.
Mallory smiled as she started backing away from the edge of the water. These next seven days were going to be just what she needed. She could already feel the effects of the sun and heat rejuvenating her athletic body. She couldn’t wait to take a run in this paradise in the morning. Morning running was the best.
As she was backing up, Mallory bumped into someone who happened to be walking behind her, startling her and nearly falling over. Elric’s quick reaction, he caught her elbow and put his shin behind hers to protect her from falling to the sand’s soft surface. She leaned into his strong grip and turned, looking into his eyes in surprise, then smiled in gratitude.
“Thank you for that," she said, after she caught her breath.
No problem." He smiled at her.
She started to stand up instead of continuing to lean on him and asked, "Well savior, do you have a name?"
"Elric," he replied, and steadying her before releasing her hand. "And yours?"
She wiped the sand off her leg and then looked back up at him, smiled wider and replied, "Mallory."
"Mallory. Well. I’m very glad to meet you, even if you nearly knocked me over. He smiled as he said it and it showed off his beautiful, straight white teeth."
"Nice to meet you Elric," Mallory told him.
"What brings you to Little's beach this time of year?"
"I'm spending some time on holiday. I got a promotion and I'm spending the first bonus on my stay here before the craziness of the holidays."
"Congratulations," he said
"And you?" she asked.
"Getting a much needed break from my own sort of job at home."
"Sort of job?"
"It's hard to explain," he said, brushing off the subject.
As he had been speaking, Mallory was taking a discreet inventory of Elric. She liked the look of him. He was tall, over six feet with a strong jaw and kind-faced. His body was slightly tanned, and muscular and toned. He didn’t look like he sat on the beach all day. She hoped he wasn’t a bum or a conman. She’d had enough of those. His hands were thick and she had felt his grip when he’d caught her. Her body had reacted to his strong, thick fingers. She wanted to feel that grip on the rest of her body. She was getting a good feeling about Elric. She wanted to know more about him. She was enticed.
"How are you this evening?" he asked.
"I... uh," she stuttered.
"Are you okay?"
She laughed. "I’m fine... fine. Just fine."
He smiled at her. "Do you need anything?"
She smiled as she shook her head. "How kind. But, no. I’m ok. I was just enjoying the view." She wanted Elric to know that it wasn’t just the sun’s view she had been enjoying. She also didn’t want to come off as desperate in their first-time meeting.
She said, "Well then, we can keep one another company?"
Elric ran his hand through his hair and looked away, then back at her, nodding his head. "We could."
They found their chairs and moved them under a tree overhanging onto the beach, casting sporadic shadows all over them. They talked about themselves. She found out that he liked sweets and couldn't have enough, where she could take them or leave them. She preferred salty foods. He didn’t like dogs very much, saying he knew too much about them, whatever that meant, while she loved them and wanted one. He asked why didn’t she already have one, and she revealed it was because she lived in an apartment in LA. He nodded, wondering what it was like to live there. She told him how crowded and gentrified it was. She was sick of it. She hoped to someday have the chance to move wherever she wanted. They got to know one another like that, talking steadily for a few hours.
Every now and then, while he was speaking, his hand would graze her skin, or he would lean close to speak and she could feel his hot breath gusting over her skin and even with the sun blaring, her skin broke out in goosebumps. She was sweating from the sun and Elric’s closeness. When he spoke, he would look her right in the eyes. At one point he had said they should both take off their sunglasses so they could see each other’s eyes.
He’d stared and smiled as he lifted his glasses. She was sort of nervous. This was intense. His eyes were piercing blue. Her jaw dropped open. She stared. He was gorgeous. He had raised one eyebrow at her. She smiled. Lifted her glasses away from her face. His smiled beamed. ‘No, they aren’t contacts,’ she’d told him. He had nodded and said, ‘Mallory, I already knew you were beautiful, but you just let me in... really let me in. Thank you.’
His hand had reached out, probably without him even realizing it and he had caressed her cheek and jaw. Before he had dropped his hand, he’d smiled at her and winked. Her stomach had felt like butterflies were going crazy inside her. Her blood had raced through her body. Her pulse had pounded so hard. Just from his one touch. She couldn’t believe the reaction she was having to him.
It was Sunday, and on Little's, it meant there were drummers on the beach, preparing everyone for the staff spinning and fire show once nighttime fell.
The beats throbbed through the sand into their feet. They laughed at some of the goofy antics and snickered at some of the drunken antics. They ordered food to the beach and stayed right where they were sitting. They had a pile of wings, and fries and veggies, and stuffed their faces, laughing at the spots where the sauce from the wings would land. And they talked, about everything and nothing. Mallory was blissfully blissful.
Then the festivities began. They watched a fire spinner twirl the staff while doing a one-handed cartwheel and another spun it so fast around their front and back that it left light trails. The drumming went to the beat of the spinners. It was thrilling and entertaining.
Mallory hadn’t drank much. Elric hadn’t drank much. They had bottled water more than anything. Mallory told Elric about her running ritual and he told her that he liked to run too. They had discussed the possibility of meeting up for a morning run. When the festivities on the beach had ended, Elric had offered to walk Mallory to her room, and told her that he was not trying to get into her room. He liked her and didn’t want to ruin anything by being too pushy. She had thanked him for being such an enjoyable and entertaining companion for the evening, he said the same.
When they got to her hotel room, she pulled her room key out of her beach bag. Elric took it from her hand and smiled. He slid the key in, the light turning green and he pushed the door open for her. And stood back.
She smiled. "Elric, I had a great time. I’m really glad I nearly fell on you." She laughed.
He smiled. "I’m really glad you nearly fell on me too, Mallory." He leaned in to her. Mallory’s heart was pounding. God. He was going to hear it. He whispered against her ear, "I love the way you react to me. Breathe Mallory. Sweet dreams." His soft and perfectly cool lips grazed over her cheek and then the contact was gone. She had been holding her breath. Then he was gone.
She leaned against her hotel room door and let out a deep breath. It felt like she had been holding that breath all day. It felt good to feel so alive. She smiled as she pulled away from the door and let it close. She headed for the bathroom. A shower... was definitely called for, and most assuredly needed, right now.