Chapter 3 #2
Kalpana nestled in closer. A long time ago, when she’d finally blossomed into the shape she had now, she’d had a boyfriend who talked about romance.
Her parents had disapproved of him, but he had spoiled her; there had been flowers and gifts, all the things she’d associated with romance.
But then he had broken her heart. It had taken a long time for her heart to heal, and she’d been left with the conclusion that her idea of romance was too big.
She had imagined that it was all electricity and sparks, but really it was something else.
Real love and happiness existed in the things that happened in between.
In a held hand, a hug given at just the right time.
In small, thoughtful gestures. And yes, in arms wrapped around you, holding you when you were tired and overwhelmed.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It is romantic.’
Marcus said, ‘Hmm’ and kissed the top of her head again. Kalpana sighed. This really was nice. When they were at home, she and Marcus were both busy. There was so little time to just … be together. She should stop overthinking everything and let herself enjoy being on holiday.
The next kiss was by her ear. Oh. Marcus nuzzled in and kissed her neck. She smiled and moved her head so that he could reach. He unwrapped his arms from around her and settled them on her hips.
‘Speaking of romance,’ he murmured. ‘We have some time before dinner …’
Kalpana chuckled. She turned around in his embrace and put her arms around his neck. ‘So we do,’ she said.
***
Kalpana and Marcus had dinner in the hotel’s charming restaurant. She was so tired that the world had a surreal quality to it. She mentioned it to Marcus.
He laughed. ‘That’s the jet lag talking.’ He took a swig of his beer. ‘I’m struggling to stay awake too.’ He pointed to the drink. ‘I’ll sleep well tonight.’
Kalpana had opted for mango juice. Alcohol when she was this tired wasn’t a good idea. ‘Yes. I hope I’m a bit more awake tomorrow. Looks like Sampath has a lot of stuff lined up for us to do.’
Marcus nodded. ‘It’s a thorough itinerary. I have to say I’m impressed. He seems to have captured most of the stuff we talked about. We’ll see everything and then we’ll decide on the exact wedding details.’
When Marcus said ‘we’, she had a feeling that he meant ‘I’.
She didn’t mind, exactly, because she had no burning desires around the wedding.
It was just a wedding; a piece of paper to verify the things that they already knew.
Just like the prenup that Marcus had discussed with her.
That was just another piece of paper too.
She didn’t want his money, so signing it was no big deal.
She just wanted to get married to her Prince Charming.
She looked across at him and the sense of unreality increased.
Was this really her? Sitting underneath the strings of lights, with the breeze off the Indian Ocean ruffling her hair, having dinner with the handsome and charming Marcus Lloyd-Howell? How did this happen? She smiled.
‘That’s an interesting smile,’ Marcus said. ‘What are you thinking?’
‘Just how lucky I am to be here.’ She gestured to encompass everything around her. The sea, the decor, the delicious food. ‘All this. I’m so lucky.’
Marcus grinned. ‘Funny. I was thinking the same thing. How lucky am I that a beautiful woman like you said you’d be my wife!’
She flushed at the compliment.
Marcus raised his beer glass. ‘To us.’
She clinked her glass against his and took a sip.
Their food arrived. Hers was garlic and chilli-roasted fish. It was incredible. Marcus had shrimp. They ate in silence for a while.
‘Lots of inspiration for you around here, I bet,’ Marcus said. ‘Are tropical holiday destinations hot in the romance world? Or is it just cake shops and cafés?’
‘No, tropical destinations are good.’ She didn’t really want to talk about writing right now. She hadn’t been able to write in weeks. Despite all the excitement about wedding planning, her failure to produce any words was overshadowing everything. This hadn’t happened before. She made a face.
‘What’s wrong?’
Should she tell him? He was a writer too. He might understand.
‘I … uh … I’ve been struggling to write lately.’ That was an understatement. It was like her imagination had gone on strike. ‘I think I’ve got writer’s block … maybe.’
Marcus scoffed. ‘Nonsense. You? You write at such a speed. How can you possibly get writer’s block?’ He shook his head. ‘Maybe you’re just tired.’ He smiled. ‘Hey, a holiday concentrating on the wedding is probably exactly what you need.’
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘It’s been an exciting few months, so maybe I just need to recharge. I didn’t bring my laptop.’ Mainly because the very sight of her laptop was starting to make her feel sick. Looking at a blank page and not being able to think of anything was the worst.
‘You brought a notebook though, right?’
She hadn’t, actually. But if inspiration caught up with her, she could always ask for some hotel stationery. ‘I’ll buy one. It’ll be a nice souvenir.’
‘Oh yes, I forgot that you like collecting cutesy notebooks.’ Marcus finished his food and put his fork down. ‘I find you can never beat a Moleskine.’
‘They are good,’ she said. ‘But I like notebooks to be pret—’ Before she got to the end of the sentence, she had to stifle a yawn. ‘I like them to be pretty as well.’
‘Like their owner,’ said Marcus. ‘If you’re done with the food, shall we head up to bed. Get some rest?’
‘Sure.’
They signed for the meal to be charged to their room and left together. Marcus slung his arm around her shoulders. ‘Tomorrow, once you’re rested, everything will look better. Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to write some words.’
She certainly hoped so.
As they got to the door, Marcus’s phone buzzed. He paused to look at it. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘It’s my old friend from college. She lives here now and I told her we were here. I just need to call her back. You go in and I’ll join you in a minute.’
Kalpana let herself into the luxurious room. She could barely keep her eyes open now. She brushed her teeth, slipped on her nightie and crawled into bed. She didn’t even hear Marcus come in.