Chapter 7
After that heavy breakfast, we skipped lunch and went straight to dinner, and now we’re on the beach again, walking together, but we’re not holding hands.
There’s still a separation between us that I feel shouldn’t be there, but it lingers.
We’re alone beneath the moon. There are no tourists out here drunk-laughing.
No tropical music blaring. No therapist watching us like hawks.
It’s just us, the waves, and yet, there’s still something that distances us.
When we used to walk side by side like this, we would hold hands and truly connect and enjoy each other’s presence.
What happened to all of that? Does life really punch that hard, because if so, how are we supposed to hit back and endure it?
Or is that even possible? Is that why Lanai suggested we only have this in paradise?
Because she already knows what will happen when we return home? We get punched again?
Personally, I could stay here forever, not because of the peace and tranquility paradise beings in general, but because this is the closest I’ve felt to Lanai after months of thinking we were truly over.
It’s funny how the very idea of this trip angered her, but it turned out to be just what we needed, even if it is only temporary.
“We should probably be heading back,” she says, breaking into my silent thoughts.
I turn to look at her. I want so badly to snatch her up and make love to her out here on this beach. I want to kiss her lips until they swell. I want to hold her tight and never let go. I want her to love me again. To trust me. To believe in me. In us.
“Henny, did you hear me? I said we should probably head back.”
“Why you say that?”
“Because it’s dark out here. We might end up getting trafficked or something?”
“Trafficked? In Maui?” I ask, amused. This woman…
She laughs. “Yeah. I mean, it could happen.”
“I’ll fight for you, baby.”
We stop walking. I turn to her, stroke her hair, and say, “I’ve been curious about something all day.”
“What’s that?”
“Those things you said at dinner about how I look at you—like my life isn’t complete without you in it—do you believe that?”
“Only you can confirm that.”
“You said it, Nai.”
“I know, but—”
“You said I was the moon, and you were the sun, and life couldn’t exist without both of us.”
“Dang. You were listening closely, huh?”
“I was, and you know what? I will confirm it. I look at you like my life isn’t complete without you because it’s not. Now you don’t have to wonder what’s in my eyes when you look at me. It’s that.”
“I see.”
“You see what?” I ask, taking her hand, feeling her fingers curl around mine in acceptance.
“That you still care about me.”
“I never stopped,” I whisper.
A small smile decorates her luscious lips while those words hang between us.
She looks down, and that prompts me to squeeze her hand gently so she makes that crucial eye contact with me again.
I want so badly to tell her how much I love her.
She said she only wanted this peace, this understanding between us while we’re here.
I can’t risk pouring my heart out to her only for it to be broken once we return to Charlotte.
But we have now.
She backs away from me for a few steps, and then turns and runs towards the hotel.
I chase behind her, running as fast as I can across this sand, and when I reach her, I swoop her off her feet and spin her around as she laughs.
I lower her, and as her feet touch the ground, our lips collide in beautiful unison.
In understanding. In need. If I’m reading her lips correctly and tasting her tongue the way I think it tastes, she wants us to work – at least that’s what I’m going with.
I pull back, releasing her mouth, and say, “Come on. Let’s go to the room. And don’t even think about sleeping. I plan on keeping you up late tonight.”
“Sleeping? The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.”