32. Logan
32
LOGAN
While we eat our breakfast, I make train reservations to take us to Strasbourg this afternoon, rent us a room for the next few nights at a hotel I think Daphne will adore, and change my flight to match her return flight next Saturday. I already packed in anticipation of flying home today. Seeing how Daphne never unpacked, it’s a simple matter to check out of the room and travel to the rail terminal to take the train to Strasbourg.
“So, tell me about your tours. The Batsto one was neat.” It’s a two-hour ride, and we spend it holding hands, exchanging kisses, and talking about the tours Daphne has been recording and uploading.
Besides the first tour she posted at the wildlife refuge, she did a second tour at Batsto Village, an abandoned former ironworks town in the middle of Wharton State Forest, now a New Jersey State Historic Site.
“I went there once as a boy but didn’t really appreciate it. Watching your video, I saw so many things I wanted to shoot. I’d like to do a seasons series where we visit throughout the year and I take pictures of the same things and see how they change, or don’t change, in a year’s time. I’ve never done something like that.”
I haven’t done it since I’m never in the same place long-term. I’m surprised at how excited I am. I’m also slightly shocked because I knew I would be excited to be with Daphne, but I was expecting to feel like I was sacrificing to be with her. Suddenly, I’m seeing opportunities, and being home isn’t a sacrifice. It’s so exciting to explore and discover things I’ve taken for granted. Being with Daphne is the impetus for returning home, but I’m also realizing the wonderful things about a place I’ve always been so eager to leave. Can you fall in love with a place the same way you do a person?
“Let’s grab a taxi to take us to the hotel,” I say as we exit the train in Strasbourg.
Daphne reads the clock on the wall of the station. “Isn’t it too early to check in?”
“I arranged for our bags to be held at reception so we could get lunch and walk around. They’ll bring them to our room when it’s ready, so we simply need to get our key from reception when we come back. Nothing to it.”
“You’ve thought this through. Impressive, Mr. Morris.” She says it teasingly, but I intend on impressing the socks—and panties—off Miss Foster tonight.
I hail a cab and ask the driver to take us to our hotel. Daphne’s gasp of delight when we pull up confirms I made the right choice. The centuries-old hotel is a charming hodgepodge of French and German architectural styles with timber trim on the exterior, wooden balconies and walkways, wrought-iron gates, and leaded glass windows. A porter takes our bags and escorts us into the hotel.
“Logan, so nice to see you again! And you must be the lovely Daphne—welcome!” My friend Luc waits for us at the reception desk and greets me with a hearty handshake and a kiss for each of Daphne’s cheeks. He’s the general manager and kindly agreed to do me this favor based on our years of friendship. We originally met in Austria and spent a few months traveling Europe together, drinking lots of beer and being crazy. He knows all about Daphne and was happy to hear that I finally got my act together enough to have a romantic relationship with her. When I messaged to see if there was a room available for the next few days, and if we could do a few things to make our stay special, he was happy to help. He’s a romantic at heart.
I can see Daphne’s confusion, so I explain. “Luc is the general manager here. I’ve told you about him.” I see her make the connection and the genuine smile spread across her face.
“Luc!” She gives him a hug and presses a kiss to his cheek. “It’s so wonderful to meet you! How’s Bernard?”
“Bernard’s doing well. He’s traveling to open a new restaurant this week. He’ll be so disappointed not to meet you.”
The valet stashed our bags in a room behind the reception area, and I slip him a tip with a smile.
“Do you want to be texted when your room is ready, or will you be out until later?” Luc asks.
Daphne shrugs.
I study her a moment. Her gaze is alert, and her movements are full of energy. She’s ready to go exploring and see everything she’s only read about, but jet lag is going to body-check her against the boards at some point.
Grinning, she pats my shoulder. “Stop worrying! I’m good for at least another few hours. I’m finally here in France and want to go exploring! No sleeping until bedtime.” She winks, the flirty gleam in her eyes telling me that while she’s not sleeping until bedtime, there’s another way I can get her into bed earlier. I’m all for that, but we need to stretch the time until we can go to our room.
“We’ll come back after check-in time, Luc. Thanks.” I take Daph’s hand, and we say goodbye to Luc and leave the hotel. “What do you want for lunch? I think room service may be our best choice for dinner tonight, if that’s okay with you.”
“Don’t laugh at me over this. Yes, we’re in France and there are all kinds of wonderful foods, but I’m craving pub grub. I want comfort food.”
I’m not surprised to hear this from her. She’s been this way since I’ve known her. When she’s tired, all she wants are her favorite foods before she crawls into bed, dead to the world.
I think of the perfect thing. “I figured you would. There’s an Irish pub near here. Feel up to walking? It’s across the bridge, about a five-minute walk.” It’s cool but not cold, so walking won’t be too uncomfortable, and we can see a bit of the neighborhood on the way.
She nods eagerly. “That sounds perfect! Let’s go.”
Hand in hand, we walk along the century-old streets and cross the bridge over the River Ill. We marvel at the buildings and admire our fellow pedestrians. It’s easy to spot the tourists walking among the locals by the way they point at the buildings and stop to admire a view. Daphne and I are guilty of the same things.
We discuss topics we covered in our history and architecture class where we first met, and it reminds me of how we initially became friends. I thought she was pretty and found her attractive, but then we became friends, and that friendship has grown into so much more through the years. I can’t believe we’re here, walking these streets together, her hand in mine.
My heart is hers, and we’re finally going to be together fully.
I’ve never been this nervous about sleeping with a woman, not even when I was a virgin. This is the first time I’ve been in love with the woman I’m sleeping with. We won’t only be having sex, we’ll make love. It’s intimidating.
Of course, I’ve always been respectful of my partner. They always knew going into an encounter it wasn’t love. It was satisfying mutual needs, and I made damn sure I always satisfied their needs before satisfying mine.
But I want this to be wonderful for Daphne. After all, it’s her first time, not just with me, but at all. Part of me wants to drag her back to our room and love her like I’ve been longing to. Another part of me wants to keep walking, holding her hand, talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company without the pressure of sex.
“Is this it?” Daphne asks when we approach the Irish pub.
I nod, and we approach the entrance. Painted on the wall next to the door are historic notes about the building. Daphne knows Spanish, so she understands the general idea of what the French text means because of similarities in the two languages, but I want to show off and translate it for her.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you speak French,” she says. “It’s very sexy.” She stretches to kiss me.
Wrapping my arms around her, I whisper French terms of endearment in her ear along with a few nonsense phrases about my car needing an oil change and sheep playing baseball on the moon. She emits the cutest giggle when I nuzzle the spot under her ear where I discovered she’s ticklish.
Pulling away, she grabs my hand and opens the door before I have the chance to be a gentleman and open it for her.
“I appreciate you’re an independent person, Daph, but I enjoy taking care of you sometimes,” I grumble.
She laughs. “If I stood around waiting for someone to open a door for me, I’d get nowhere.” She tugs me further inside.
She’s not wrong. I’ll have to find other ways to take care of her. Looking forward to it. We sit at a table and, after reading the menu, decide we each want the Irish stew and a pint of Guinness.
Laughing, I share that I had gone years without eating stew and now it seems to be a meal I eat all the time. First at Uncle Will and Aunt Faith’s, then with Mari’s family, and now today with her.
“I know!” she exclaims. “Maybe it’s a trend or the time of year because it seems like it is everywhere. Is stew the new chili?”
“Here you go,” our server says in accented English as he places our bowls of stew and a basket of hearty bread on our table. “Do you need anything else?”
“We’re good, thank you,” I reply.
“Merci.” Daphne smiles up at him. I swear he melts a little. It’s the Daphne Effect. She has a way of charming people, and she’s unaware of it. It’s another item on the miles-long list of things I love and appreciate about her.
“Oh my goodness, this is delicious!” Daphne appears to be near rapture with her first spoonful of stew. The rich scent of lamb, carrots, onions, and potatoes has my mouth watering. Paired with the Guinness, it almost feels like we are sitting in a pub in Ireland. I can’t wait to take her there for the authentic experience.
“We need to do a taste test,” I say, “and compare this stew with actual Irish stew eaten in a pub on Irish soil.” I reach out and grasp her hand resting on the table. “There are so many places I want to show you and fresh places I want to explore for the first time with you. I hope this week is the first of many adventures together.” I lift her hand to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles and then lower it back to the table before picking up my spoon and taking my next taste of the stew.
“I would love to go to Ireland with you, Logan. I want to go everywhere with you.” She smiles at me across the table.
Those are the words I’ve waited years to hear from Daphne. But does she really mean them? I’ve made peace with not traveling as much and setting up a business to take advantage of what we have at home. I’m looking forward to implementing my idea. I think it’s something unique.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Daphne sips her Guinness and pushes away her bowl. “I want to eat all of this, but I’m going to fall into a food coma if I do. Can we come back here later in the week for another bowl? Now that I know what to expect, I can be sure to breakfast responsibly so there’s plenty of room, and we can walk after to help burn it off.”
“That sounds like a good plan, Daph. Are you sure you’re done?” I’m sopping up the last of my stew with a piece of bread.
“You’re totally going to scavenge my leftovers, aren’t you?” She doesn’t even sound surprised.
She shouldn’t be. I’ve done this to her many times. “There’s no point in letting this delicious food go to waste. Besides, I need to keep my strength up.” I waggle my brows.
She blushes a deep rose, and I love it. She goes seagull swooping in on my French fries all the time, so I don’t feel the least bit guilty switching our bowls to take her remaining stew and leaving my empty bowl in front of her.
“Anyway,” I add, “if we’re coming back here, we don’t want to insult the chef by not emptying our bowls. What if they decide we aren’t worthy and won’t serve us? I’m doing this for us, sunshine.”
With a grin, she says, “That’s you, Logan Morris, taking one for the team. What a hero.”
I polish off the remaining stew and pay the bill when the server presents it. It’s almost check-in time at the hotel, so we walk back at a leisurely pace.
I spy a pharmacy and lead us toward it. “Um, I need to run in here.” I can feel a slight flush heat my cheeks. I’m a twenty-six-year-old man that has been having sex for over a decade. Buying condoms is not an unfamiliar experience for me. I should not be blushing.
“Okay. For what?” Daphne asks, following me in.
Condom shopping is not a group activity, so I stop in front of the door. My face grows hotter. This is ridiculous. “I need to get a box of condoms.” My face must be scarlet.
“Why?”
Seriously, what’s with the questions? An older gentleman is approaching behind Daphne, so I clasp her elbow to lead her to the side.
“Because I don’t have any with me. I wasn’t having sex on this trip, so there was no reason to pack condoms. I’m hoping we’re sleeping together sometime soon, so I want to be prepared.” I break off when a mother with her young daughter exits the shop and glances over at us.
“Oh, that makes sense,” Daphne replies. “I brought a box with me though. I checked to see what you had in the dresser of your old room and bought a fresh box of the same kind. I hope you still like them. The box you had expired a couple of years ago.”
The older gentleman is now exiting the store.
“I got some lube too, just in case. I’m on the pill now and have been for a few weeks, so it should be effective, but I’d feel more comfortable if we use condoms, at least until after my next period.”
I don’t know why the thought of Daphne taking charge and buying condoms both turns me on and shocks me, but it does. Of course, we’re equally responsible for contraception, but I thought she’d be too shy to buy condoms. I felt a little awkward the first time I picked up tampons for her. It’s just so…personal.
“All righty, then,” I say, grasping her hand and leading us away from the shop.
This is happening. Finally. I’ve wanted her for years but thought the most we’d ever be was friends. These past few weeks…knowing we’re so much more than best friends but not yet lovers…have been torturous. My heart rate speeds up as we approach the doors of the hotel, and I send up a silent prayer. Oh, Lord, please don’t let me have a heart attack before I make love to this beautiful woman. Amen.
As we enter the lobby, someone calls out, “Monsieur Morris, Mademoiselle Foster?”
We turn and nod.
A gorgeous dark-skinned woman bustles toward us, a brilliant smile gracing her pretty face. “Your room is ready, and your luggage is upstairs. Mr. Girard asked to be informed if there was anything you need. Please ask if there is something we can do to make your stay with us more comfortable.”
I accept the room keys from her outstretched hand and thank her.
Squeezing my hand, Daphne smiles up at me. “Ready to go upstairs?” At my nod, she leads the way upstairs. When we reach our room, I open the door and step aside for her to enter first.
“Oh my, this is beautiful!” Daphne exclaims, turning a slow circle in the center of the room. The whitewashed walls stand in stark contrast to the heavy timber beams that adorn them. My glance falls on the large double bed dressed in white linens.
“Ooh! There’s a clawfoot tub!” Daphne calls out from the bathroom.
I wander over to check it out.
“It looks big enough for two,” she says with a grin and a waggle of her brows.
I grin back. “Do you need a bath, Daphne? Are you a dirty girl?” Holy crap, I can’t believe I said that.
Her bark of laughter signals she wasn’t expecting me to say something so cheesy, either. She’s still laughing, and now I’m a tad concerned she’s going to suffer from a reduced oxygen supply.
“Oh, my God, Logan… has that line actually worked for you?” She wipes tears from her eyes.
I chuckle, feeling sheepish. “I’ve never used that line before.”
“Yay, I’m your first!”
I go still. She’s teasing me. I can hear that in her voice, but I can see a flash of insecurity on her face. Damn.
I motion to the seating area. “Come on, let’s talk.”
“Do we have to?” Daphne whines.
I march into the sitting area and sit tall on the couch, not even stopping to hear her arguments. I cross my arms over my chest and stare steadily at her. “Yes, we have to.”
She flops in the armchair with all the grace of a rag doll. “What?”
“Does it bother you that I have a past? That you aren’t the first person I’ve slept with?” This is the last conversation I want to be having right now, but it’s an important conversation we need to have.
“No. You’d slept with women before you ever knew I existed. You’ve slept with women since we’ve known each other. What matters to me is that you don’t sleep with anyone other than me while we’re together.”
I’m offended. “Daphne, I’ve never been a cheater. You’re the only woman I want to be with. There won’t be anyone else. There hasn’t been anyone else for years. Once I realized I wasn’t getting you out of my system, there was no point. I love you.”
Tears spring to her eyes, and she raises a hand to cover her heart. “Oh, Logan, I love you too. I’ve always loved you. You’re all that I’ve ever wanted.”
Wow. This is real. I’m not surprised. I knew how I felt. I thought I knew how Daphne felt. But it’s happening. Is it possible for your world to shift on its axis and also right itself in the same moment? The smile spreading across Daphne’s face must mirror mine. I guess it is possible.
She places a hand on my thigh and gives a light squeeze. My cock responds by hardening. She notices and moves her hand toward it. I place my hand on hers to stop the migration.
She looks at me quizzically. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just not sure how to do this.” Crap. Why did I say that?
“How to do what? How to sleep together?” She tilts her head. “You have done this before, right? You’re not secretly a virgin too, are you?”
“We’ve established I’m not a virgin.” I chuckle. “But this is your first time, so I want it to be good for you.” I lift her hand from my thigh and kiss her palm. “I want it to be good for us. I love you.”
Getting up and climbing into my lap, Daphne clasps my jawline with her hands and kisses me. It’s not a passionate kiss. Rather, it’s a kiss of love and trust. It’s the kiss of a lover reassuring her partner that she wants this. I don’t know how long we sit there kissing. It could be five minutes, or it could be an hour, but eventually, kissing isn’t enough for either of us. I stand from my chair, lifting Daphne in my arms.
She breaks our kiss to give a startled, “Oh!”
When she realizes I’m headed to our bed, her next “Oh” is more of a sigh. I place a knee on the mattress so I can lower her gently to the surface of the bed. Her arms around my neck pull me down with her, and our kisses and caresses continue. I can’t believe I’m finally going to make love to the woman I cherish, to my best friend, to my forever.