Chapter Six #2
Jay’s strong hands, those bastions of safety and comfort, cupped her face with a reverence that made her think of his upbringing, of the parents whose unconditional love had been his guiding star. ‘Yes, I’m very ready, but more importantly, are you?’ His gaze searched hers.
‘Yes, yes I am!’ Happiness engulfed her. ‘Are you thinking Brisbane, or Cairns?’
‘I’m going to leave that decision up to you.’ He cupped her cheeks. ‘I want you to be happy, and if that means me moving to Cairns, then I will, in a heartbeat.’
‘Oh, my goodness, I love you!’ Reaching up on her toes, she planted a kiss on his lips.
When they pulled back, Jay smiled. ‘And oh, my goodness, I love you, Miss Monroe, more than all the stars in that there sky.’
Zara wrapped her arms around him, adoring the feeling of him doing the same until she was cocooned against his chest. His heart was her home.
His presence was her anchor. His love was the sail that propelled her forward.
Jay Maverick, with his steadfast gaze and heart wide open, offered not just words, but his very being, and in doing so, illuminated the path to a future neither of them could have envisioned alone.
And in the stillness that followed, as nature continued its eternal dialogue — the whispering wind, the rolling tide — their two souls intertwined even tighter as the Mediterranean moon shone down like a benevolent observer.
Time seemed to waver as the whispering waves wrote sonnets upon the sand, and the stars twinkled above as if in silent celebration.
Zara couldn’t believe just how lucky she was, especially after where she’d come from.
The slums of Mexico were a far cry from here, from this amazing man.
She lifted her lash-framed gaze, and their lips met in a tender kiss that was soft and unhurried.
No more words were needed as their caress deepened, the steady thrumming of Jay’s heart against hers conveying all she needed to know.
Once their lips parted, Zara emerged from the cocoon of their embrace, and leaning back slightly, her breath caught as she stared into Jay’s mesmerising pools of blue.
Moving in together was the next step, and as natural as it felt, it was also a little scary.
Nonetheless, in knowing he was the most genuine, kind, loving man she’d ever met, a surge of courage coursed through her, stronger than any fear she had of them falling apart, and propelled her forward and into the vulnerability of forever.
Now she needed to think hard about where they should live together.
With Suzanne nearby, and her tropical surroundings comfortingly familiar, she really wanted to remain in Cairns, but it made more sense with their jobs for her to move to Brisbane.
Jay was stepping out on a limb, and she wanted to meet him halfway. He deserved that much, and more.
Way more.
And so her mind was made up.
With a trembling voice, she whispered, ‘I want to move to Brisbane, to live with you there.’ Her words hung in the cool night air like leaves about to take flight in the wind.
‘Brisbane, really?’ He couldn’t hide the shock written all over his handsome face. ‘But Zara, you love Cairns.’
‘I do, but I love you much more.’ There was an unwavering conviction in her tone, a tangible force that grounded her to reality. ‘Like, a million times more.’
‘Wow, that’s a lot.’ Jay’s dimple-clad smile was radiant, like the dawn after a lifetime of dusks. ‘You really are my everything, Zara,’ he declared. ‘I promise to love and support you, to stand by your side through thick and thin, no matter what.’
Each word washed over her like dewdrops on a summer morning — refreshing and life-giving. ‘I know you will, and I promise I’ll do the same for you, Jay, always.’
In the distance, the ocean murmured its approval, the tide pulling at the sands as if to remind them that though many things changed, some remained constant.
Love, like the sea, was eternal, and each wave was a heartbeat in the earth’s chest. And as they stood there together, watching as sky kissed water on an endless, moonlit horizon, the future stretched out before them like an open canvas waiting to be filled with their shared adventures.
* * *
Zara’s tight embrace was Jay’s sanctuary, and his arms were the walls that shielded them from the vastness of the world outside their cocoon of moonlight and shadows.
Gazing at the blanket of stars while drawing her in closer, he relished the feeling of her cheek pressed against the solid warmth of his chest, as if listening to the rhythmic drumming of his heart.
He hoped she heard reassurance there and felt the love that pulsed through him with every beat, for her, and her alone.
He hoped she felt the same unbreakable bond that he did.
He hoped, when the time was right, that she’d say yes to becoming his wife, his forevermore, the mother of the children he longed to have.
He was both shocked and grateful that she’d made the decision to move to him.
Because he’d truly believed it would be the other way around.
God, he prayed she wasn’t going to regret it. Or regret him. ‘Are you happy, Zara?’
‘Happy?’ She spoke against his chest before turning her gaze up to his. ‘I’m more than happy, I’m exuberant, blissful, ecstatic.’
He chuckled. ‘Well, I’ll take that over happy any day.’
Her soft pink lips curled into a half-moon.
‘I trust you with my heart, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that together we can, and will, conquer anything that stands in the way of us.’ Her voice was a tender vine, intertwining with the timber of his spirit, as if seeking sunlight within the depth of his soul.
‘Please don’t worry about me moving to Brisbane, I won’t regret it, and I won’t make you feel guilty for it either. ’
It was as if she could read his mind. ‘This is why I love you so very much, for knowing me, and loving me, the way you do.’ He tenderly kissed her forehead. ‘Let’s sit here for a little bit, before we head to bed.’
‘I’d really like that.’ Her voice cascaded over his chest. ‘It’s a gorgeous night, too gorgeous not to enjoy it a little longer.’
‘You’re so right,’ he replied.
They settled back onto the sand, under the watchful gaze of the moon, its silver beams dancing on the rolling waves.
The pearly-white grains shifted and cradled them in their soft embrace, creating a perfect fit for their entwined forms. Cuddled up to one another, silence fell over them like a veil, its texture woven from the threads of understanding and mutual respect.
The melody of waves breaking upon the shore filled the spaces between their breaths.
And the sea’s rhythm was a metronome for his thoughts, each crashing wave marking another moment they were granted to spend together.
It had been challenging of late, trying to merge their different rosters together so they didn’t have too much time apart.
Time and distance didn’t just make his heart grow fonder — it made it ache too.
The longest they’d gone without being together had been a little over two weeks, and that had been torture.
But in this tranquil pocket of existence, with the salt air kissing his skin and the starry sky above as their only witness, he found an echo of eternity, reminding him this hardship would be transitory.
Especially now Zara was moving in with him.
And as they sat there, side by side, the world beyond the beach faded into insignificance, leaving only the certainty of two hearts entwined, beating in perfect harmony against the backdrop of the infinite sea.
‘Jay, honey.’ Zara’s words were barely more than a breath carried by the sonata of the sea. ‘I found this earlier, and I want you to have it.’ She extended her hand towards him, offering a lustrous seashell, as fragile and profound as the feelings swelling in his chest.
‘Thank you, it’s lovely,’ he murmured, lifting the shell to his heart where it rested against his shirt, only a heartbeat away from his skin. ‘This will be a reminder of our love and the adventures we’ve already had, and the ones that still await us.’
She looked at him in the dreamiest of ways, and in that suspended moment, time surrendered to the gravity of their connection.
He instinctively knew that so much of her would forever be mysterious and infinite, like the sea from which the seashell had emerged, and he wanted that for her, so she could always have a piece of herself that was hers, and hers alone.
She’d told him she didn’t want to speak of her childhood, ever, and although it pained him to never know of that portion of her life, he would respect her wishes.
Always. No matter how much he longed to learn all there was to know.
He didn’t want to own her; he wanted to celebrate her, every single day, for the rest of his life.
Remaining silent, Zara brought her delicate fingertips to trace the back of his hand as they reclined on the blanket of soft, grainy sand.
Stretching his arm out, he cradled her head on his shoulder and drew her close to his side.
The sky above was embroidered with stars, twinkling and winking with each passing second as the world beyond the beach faded away.
‘Oh wow, look at that constellation over there,’ Zara breathed as she pointed upwards. ‘Orion seems to be watching over us.’
‘The Greek god that can walk on water, very fitting for the occasion, Miss Monroe.’ Jay followed her gaze, his thoughts lost in the magnitude of the sky. ‘Maybe he’s envious,’ he mused softly, his thumb drawing gentle circles on the back of her hand. ‘Of what we have.’
‘I love the way your incredible mind thinks, Maverick.’ She rolled a little and popped her chin on his chest. ‘Are you ready to take me to bed?’ she asked, her eyes shining with reflected constellations and overflowing with love for him.
‘I’m always ready to take you to bed,’ he replied. ‘But how about we have a little nightcap, first?’
‘Ooh, I’d love a glass of red, so yes, that sounds perfect.’
Rising from their sandy perch, they strolled side by side along the shore.
The journey back to their hotel room was silent yet filled with a comfortable quietude that could only come from true intimacy.
Once inside, Jay poured them each a glass of wine, its rich aroma mingling with the lingering scent of saltwater on their skin.
The bedside lamp cast a warm and comforting glow around them as they snuggled up on the bed.
He watched as Zara took a pleasureful sip, then he did the same, feeling the warmth of the merlot spread throughout his body.
In their quiet room, every second stretched out as if to allow them to savour this treasured evening.
And hours later, when they were sated, as Zara nestled into the curve of his arm and he felt the soft fabric of her pyjamas against his bare chest and the steady thrum of her heartbeat against his, he felt like the luckiest man alive.
Here, in this embrace, sharing breaths and dreams, he understood what it meant to truly feel at home.
And he hoped she’d found the same certainty in him, too, because he wanted to make her feel the safest she’d ever been.
And then some.
‘Your heart,’ she murmured against his chest, ‘sounds like it’s beating in sync with mine.’
‘That’s because it is, and always will,’ he affirmed with a soft smile.
He placed a kiss on her forehead and they snuggled deeper into each other and the plush, inviting king-size bed.
The cool sheets welcomed their warm bodies, enveloping them in a comfortable Egyptian cotton embrace — one of the perks of being an aircraft captain was the upgraded rooms they got to share.
Drifting in from outside, the faint sound of crashing waves lulled them.
Yawning, Zara nestled closer still, her head finding its natural place in the crook of his shoulder.
His arm enveloped her in a secure embrace, the same arm he knew would be numb with tingles before the night’s end because he dared not move, for it was where she slept the soundest. Using his free hand to switch off the lamp, he felt the night stretch out as the serene darkness wrapped them in a blanket of tranquillity.
Eyes closing, their breaths fell into a slow and steady rhythm, each matched inhale and exhale an unspoken declaration of the bond that now tethered them together.
Always.
And forever.
The night air caressed their faces through the slightly open window, carrying with it the salty tang of the sea, mingled with the subtle aroma of night-blooming flowers from the lush gardens below.
Zara’s fingertips traced aimless patterns on his chest as she drifted into sleep.
All the while, Jay blissfully replayed moments that had led them to this point — the laughter when they were together and the tears when she had to part from him, the challenges and the triumphs, the quiet times when they lazed the day away and the rowdier ones where they’d dance around her apartment singing into salt and pepper shakers — all woven together to create a beautiful tapestry of their shared existence.
‘I will love you forever, Jay Maverick,’ Zara whispered ever so softly into the peaceful darkness, her words lingering like feathers drifting on a breeze.
‘And I’ll love you forever, my darling Zara,’ Jay echoed back.
Zara wouldn’t need to see his eyes to know they shone with the same unwavering certainty and depth as hers.
He knew that she comprehended the depth of his love for her.
And as time lost its urgency, granting them the peace to simply be, for a few seconds they teetered on the edge of reality, hovering blissfully, then slipped into the land of slumber, where their souls conversed in a language older than words.
And all through the night they remained tightly entwined, their bodies a tangle of limbs and shared warmth, allowing the stillness to speak for the united love.
Even in sleep, with each passing moment, their love only grew stronger, for there was a powerful force at play, one beyond the realms of the living.
A force that would shape their future and carve out a path that only they could walk together.