The moonlight dances on the waves that gently lap to the shore and I feel at peace with myself. As I hold John’s hand, I shiver with anticipation. I never thought for one moment we would be enjoying this all-expenses holiday in February. We haven’t had a holiday for years, there was never enough money to waste, and now I see what was missing. We need this time to reconnect as a couple and make some time for us.
I am distracted by a figure of a man walking slowly up the beach and peer into the darkness. He’s too far away to make out his features, and strangely I feel annoyed that he is here at all.
John raises my hand to his lips and whispers, “This is nice.”
“It is.”
I love the way he wraps his arm around me and pulls me close as we study the inky black sea and listen to the sound of nature. I’m not even cold because even though the heat of the sun has faded, there is only a balmy breeze to take its place.
“We should do this more often.” John voices my own thoughts and I nod. “We should.”
The man passes and now all I can see is his silhouette walking back to the resort and I am literally glad to see the back of him.
Impetuously, I reach up and drag John’s lips to mine and kiss him softly and with so much love, it feels as if this is our first kiss. It’s different here, romantic, magical, and has more feeling than the perfunctory ones we enjoy at home before he turns his back on me and falls asleep. Even sex is carried out in the darkness, once a week behind a locked door. Any noise is muffled because the girl’s bedrooms are a stone’s throw away and the thought of them hearing us is not a pleasant one.
Here we are free. We have a week to rediscover our connection and I feel excited for that.
John pulls back and his voice is husky as he whispers, “Shall we go to bed?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
I giggle as he growls and pulls me along after him and like a couple of teenagers, we race back up the sand towards the resort.
As we spill through the double doors, the receptionist calls out, “Excuse me.”
John groans, “What now?”
We head across and the woman smiles. “I trust you’re enjoying your stay.”
“Lovely, thank you.”
She smiles. “I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have you down on the list to take the boat to Kurraga town tomorrow.”
We look at one another in surprise.
“Did you book that?” I stare at John in surprise and he shakes his head. “No.”
The receptionist smiles. “It’s one of the complimentary excursions all the guests are signed up for. We would like your feedback on the experience and I’m sorry, but seven days just isn’t nearly enough time to pack it all in.”
I nod, but inside I feel a little annoyed. I really wanted to lie by the pool, although my skin may be dancing for joy at the thought of some respite from the sun, but I just smile gratefully. “That sounds amazing, what time?”
“It leaves at 9am, which should give you time to enjoy breakfast before meeting the rest of your party on the jetty.”
John nods and says impatiently, “Thank you.”
He turns to go, and the receptionist says quickly, “Enjoy your evening and don’t forget to report any problems with your room.”
John practically drags me away and mumbles, “Great, a morning shopping instead of sleeping by the pool. If I had known we would be signed up for everything going, I wouldn’t have come.”
I feel a little hurt at his words and yet I shrug it off because I’m guessing he’s just annoyed his day has been planned for him. Of course, he would have come and only a fool would remain in England when paradise beckons.
We head to the lift and I notice the single man from the pool waiting and something about him makes the hairs on my neck stand to attention. I’m not sure why, but he has a look about him that gives me the creeps and I stand a little behind John and hear him say in a deep voice, “Good evening.”
Luckily, John answers for us both and thankfully the lift arrives and as we crowd into the space, John politely asks him which floor.
“Three please.”
It’s a little awkward as we ride the lift in silence, and there’s a prickle of tension running down my spine. Something that makes me raise my guard a little and try to look invisible.
I’m not sure why I’m so on edge. After all, this man is a stranger to me, but there is something there, something odd about him and I can’t put my finger on it. When you know something’s not quite right but don’t know what it is, the air around you changes and I feel that now. When he steps outside, it’s as if I can breathe again and I haven’t had this feeling for quite some time, which tells me there’s a storm building in paradise.