Chapter Five #4
He swam the small distance between them and took hold of her, buoying her weight with his beneath the water.
Wrapping her legs around his waist and tangling her arms around his shoulders, she pressed into him with a fierce urgency, her lips seeking his under the canopy of the rainforest. The kiss ignited like a spark in the depths of their shared desire, each hungry touch a testament to the longing that had built between them since their first meeting.
Jay responded with equal fervour, his hands gripping her hips as if anchoring himself to this moment, and to her.
Breaking away, they brought their foreheads together, breaths mingling in the humid air. ‘Zara,’ he whispered, his voice low and rough.
‘Jay,’ she murmured in return, her fingers tracing the line of his strong jaw, committing this instant to memory as the sun cast a golden hue over his fetching features.
‘I want you, so badly — but not here, not now.’ He growled, then sighed. ‘Our first time should be privately passionate, and deeply intimate.’
Zara could feel his want for her, pressing into her bikini bottoms. ‘Argh, I agree, but this is tough, not being able to, you know …’
‘Oh, believe me, I know,’ he affirmed, his swift grin devilish.
Moving away from each other before the temptation to be reckless became too much, they floated side by side in the tranquil pool, fingers intertwined, hearts beating as one.
Zara traced patterns on the surface of the water with her free hand, her mind drifting to a place of pure contentment.
She had found a deep connection with Jay that went beyond mere words or actions — it was a meeting of souls, a collision of destinies that had brought them together in this idyllic setting.
Here, amid the sacred serenity of nature’s sanctuary, she’d discovered yet another magical moment suspended in time, a poignant memory to be cherished.
Later, as the day evolved into their last night of freedom before heading back to living at opposite ends of Queensland, they found themselves back at their favourite seaside café, drinking coffees along with another slice of gloriously moist carrot cake.
Gazing at Jay through eyes filled with love, Zara couldn’t be any happier if she tried.
With only crumbs and empty cups left, she snuck up and paid the bill en route to the toilet.
Then, after Jay wagged a finger at her while voicing his appreciation, they stepped back out and into the night air that was thick with humidity.
To Zara’s surprise, Palm Cove had come alive in the ninety minutes they’d spent wrapped up in each other, tucked away from the outside world, and she was keen to check out the festivities.
Judging by the wide-eyed look on Jay’s face, so was he.
Guided by his hand clasping hers, they dashed across the road and weaved through the crowd of revellers dancing to the bass-heavy beats of energetic music.
Hopping on one foot, then the other, Jay took his loafers off then encouraged her to do the same, which she did, then she looped each sandal over her fingertips.
Not far from where they stood, a joyful group were playing bongos and a glittery-faced woman swirled her firestick in the air, leaving a trail of flickers shaped like an infinity symbol.
Bonfires were lit along the shoreline, and above them, fairy lights twinkled like stars caught in palm fronds, casting a soft glow over the sand that shimmered beneath their bare feet.
Laughter filled the air, mingling with the pulsing beat of music that thrummed like a living thing, drawing both of them further into the heart of the beach party.
Reaching the sidelines of the festivity, Jay turned to face her, his blue eyes alive with mischief. ‘Shall we?’ he asked.
‘Yes, we shall!’ she replied with childlike glee.
Together, they stepped within the swirling mass of dancers, moving to the rhythm that enveloped them.
Their bodies swayed in perfect harmony, and all around them, faces were lit up with joy and abandon, each person equally lost in this moment and the music.
Above them, a sky scattered with stars seemed to bless this union of many hearts.
With the music flowing through them, Jay pulled her closer, his hands finding their place in the small of her back.
They moved together in a seamless embrace, bodies pressed against each other as they revelled in the warmth and closeness.
She matched his movements with a grace that seemed to come naturally.
Their laughter mingled with the sounds of the night, creating a symphony of bliss that surrounded them as they twirled and swayed beneath the canopy of stars.
In that hushed space between them, Jay’s voice rang out above the din of the party. ‘Zara,’ he began earnestly, his blue eyes reflecting sincerity and vulnerability. ‘I’ve never felt so connected to someone. You make me want to share everything. The good, the bad, my dreams …’
With her gaze fixed on his, unbridled emotions momentarily took away her voice, so instead she nodded, smiling like a woman blissfully in love.
‘I dream of the day I get to live my life alongside my wife and children,’ he confessed, his voice steady despite the emotions that must have been simmering beneath the surface with such a declaration. ‘And I hope that person will be you, one day, Zara Monroe. I really, truly do.’
Zara’s heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of wonder and affection.
She saw in his earnest expression the reflection of her own desires, and the yearning for a bond that could weather any storm.
‘Jay,’ she breathed, happy to have found her voice in the swirl of emotions.
‘Your dreams, they resonate with every fibre of my being. To find love, real love, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.
’ Now she was fighting back a flood of tears — happy ones, but tears all the same.
Their confessions hung in the air like a sacred vow, two souls bared beneath a tropical night sky filled with glittering constellations, and as they slowed then stood still amid the throng, time also seemed to stand still.
In that moment, with Jay’s dreams echoing in her ears and the dance of destiny playing out before them, Zara knew that whatever the future held, it was theirs to seize, together, if they played their cards right.
So, taking his hand, she led him away from the music and to a quieter place, where the ocean kissed the sand with gentle grace.
Her gaze drifted from his and up to where stars twinkled like scattered diamonds. ‘Can you hear it?’ she asked with a pensive smile.
Jay listened intently, tilting his head towards the sound of the ocean’s lullaby. ‘Yes,’ he replied, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand.
‘Remember this sound for me, won’t you,’ she said, facing him now. ‘Because whenever you’re away from me, high above the clouds, or in a country far from here, think of this moment.’
‘I promise I will.’ He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. ‘And I’ll remember how my heart feels right now, too,’ he vowed, looking into her eyes with wholehearted sincerity. ‘Full to bursting, all because of you.’
‘Ditto, my gorgeous, loving, kind-hearted man.’ This time, the kiss she pressed against his lips was soft, tender, lingering.
She couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest knowing that their time together was coming to an end.
‘Can you promise me something else?’ Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her composed exterior.
‘Anything,’ he assured.
‘Promise we’ll keep our connection alive,’ she implored. ‘It’s too rare to let it slip away.’
‘I promise with all my heart and soul that I’ll do everything I can to make sure it only strengthens, even from afar.
’ The depth of his conviction was evident in his voice.
‘The distance between us is just a test of patience for what’s meant to come.
We’ll write, we’ll call, and every time we can be together, we will be, I give you my word. ’
‘Thank you, that makes me feel a whole lot better.’ The constancy he was offering her was something she’d never experienced before.
‘Good, because you deserve to feel at peace,’ was his gentle response.
As they embraced and clung to each other, their assurances hung in the air, as tangible as the sand clinging to their feet, and as enduring as the ebb and flow of the tide reaching for them.
And although terrified of losing Jay now she was irrefutably his, Zara knew she had to find it within herself to trust the process.
And that was right when Jay dipped his head towards her, his voice thick with emotion. ‘Let’s go home, Za.’
Her heart clenched at the tenderness in his simple words, at the quiet certainty of them.
She laced her fingers through his and nodded.
Then they walked the winding streets in silence, Zara guiding him with sure steps through the soft hush of the night.
Lamplights glowed against homes and gardens, and the distant lull of the ocean followed them like a heartbeat.
With each step closer to privacy, his hand stayed warm in hers, steady, reassuring, his thumb tracing soft circles on her skin.
By the time they reached her front door, she could feel his energy shift — from patience to longing.
And she felt it too. This was no longer a maybe, a wish, a what-if.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Jay stepped towards her, closing the space between them with quiet intention.
He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her like he’d been waiting his whole life to do so.
Feeling as if her feet were about to leave the floor, Zara melted into him, her arms winding around his neck as she walked him backward through her home, her safe place, now blooming with anticipation.
They barely made it to the bedroom.
Clothes fell away between kisses that deepened with every breath, the kind that made her forget everything but the feel of him.
His hands were warm and sure, skimming over her skin as if she was something to be learnt, not taken.
And when he laid her down on her bed, it didn’t feel as if she was giving something away; rather it felt as if she was on the brink of finding something long lost.
His bare chest glistening in the silvery moonlight spilling through the open curtains, Jay hovered over her for a moment, his eyes tracing hers. ‘I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you right now, Zara,’ he whispered.
Zara pulled him close, her voice a breath against his skin. ‘Then show me.’
And he did, in the most seductive of ways.
They came together with slow-burning urgency — soft, hungry, real.
No masks, no reservations. Just skin to skin, heart to heart, each kiss a question met with an answer.
Each touch a vow of something lasting. And when they began to float down from the clouds they’d landed upon, and their breaths slowed into the quiet hum of night, Jay wrapped his arms around her as if he didn’t want the world to find them.
In the safety of her own bed, with his body warm against hers, Zara sighed softly. She finally understood what it meant to be truly wanted, not just desired.
She finally knew what it felt like to be deeply loved.
And she reminded herself of that the following morning at the airport, when she clutched Jay’s hand ever so tightly, unwilling to let go, as she committed every line of his smile to memory.
‘Look at us,’ Jay whispered, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. ‘Two people bound by an invisible thread, willing to stretch it across oceans and time zones to be together.’
‘We will always be connected,’ she affirmed, her eyes brimming with tears.
Then they stood in a bittersweet silence, lost in each other until boarding for Jay’s flight was announced.
But even as they parted ways, their bond remained strong, undiminished by the gradual distance pressing its way between them.
And as Zara watched the other half of her heart disappear from view, she felt the pull of their love, unbreakable and enduring.
Sighing from the depths of her soul, she touched her lips tenderly, still warm from their goodbye kiss, and she instinctively knew their love would be a journey without end — unfolding one letter, one call, one flight at a time.