hour later, showered and had breakfast before returning to the bedroom. Charli’s position hadn’t changed. I looked down at my creature of mayhem and felt like the luckiest man on earth, for no other reason than I loved her. Life without Charli was structured, organised and dull. Any normal man would’ve been thrilled to give it up for her. I was beginning to realise that there was something really wrong with me.
I lightly traced the arch of the tan lines where her panties rode up, making her stir but not wake up. I made my own line up her back, kissing my way up to her shoulders. Finally, she woke. She turned over and I fell down beside her on the bed.
“Sorry,” I whispered insincerely. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“What time is it?” she mumbled, grabbing my arm to check my watch.
“Not too late. Go back to sleep if you want to.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“Watch you some more,” I replied unashamedly.
She breathed out a quiet giggle. “That’s wrong on so many levels, Adam.”
“Au contraire, Coccinelle. I find it fascinating.”
“Really?” she asked dryly.
I skimmed my finger over the white line on her hip. “Strange things happen when you escape Manhattan.”
“Like?”
“Like, you get these cute little tan lines,” I replied, grabbing her.
“I do,” she agreed, wriggling. “Sunshine will do that to you.”
I picked up a wisp of her hair and twisted it around my finger. “Your hair gets lighter too.”
“Sun, and probably salt.”
“You’re happy here, aren’t you?”
“I belong here, or somewhere like it,” she confirmed. “I also belong with you, which is a problem.”
“Not for me,” I replied, moving to kiss her. “I’ll just keep coming back here, or somewhere like it.”
As things stood, I was prepared to bounce back to her indefinitely. That was my plan. I wondered what hers was.
“Charlotte,” I murmured, “what are you going to do while you’re here?”
“I don’t know,” she said vaguely. “Maybe I’ll take on some shifts at the café or something. What do you think?”
My head fell back on the pillow. “I think it’s a waste of a beautiful mind.”
She should’ve been shooting higher.
“Do you think Alex wasted his mind when he opted for a quiet life at the beach?”
“It’s different, Charli.”
“No, it’s not. Life here isn’t inferior to the one you’ve chosen. It’s just different. It’s quiet. I want quiet.”
“I wasn’t passing judgement. Live your quiet life.”
“I will. I think I deserve it after...” Her voice trailed off and she looked away from me, but I pieced the rest of her sentence together without trouble.
I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers. “I will tell you every day how sorry I am if you want. I can’t change what happened.”
“Stop talking, Adam,” she muttered, looking to the ceiling. “It gets us nowhere.”
I wanted to talk. We needed to talk. I put my hand on her cheek, turning her face toward me. “Please, talk to me.”
“You might not like what you hear.”
“Try me.”
She pulled in a long breath, preparing to thrash me with an invisible stick. “I hate the damage you do to me, Adam. It’s a physical injury this time around. Like jetlag but worse. That’s what you left me with.” It didn’t seem like a good time to remind her that she was the one who left me. “There’s only so many times I can endure it before I drop dead.”
“Charlotte, I won’t let it happen again. That’s all I can promise for now.”
“I’d rather you didn’t make promises,” she said quietly. “You’re not good at keeping them.”
The stick had suddenly become a sword. I vowed to do better, but only in my head. Saying it out loud would’ve sounded like another promise begging to be broken.
December 30
Charli
I loved waking up next to Adam. I just hadn’t managed to achieve it since he’d been back in the Cove. We seemed to be running on
I lightly traced the arch of the tan lines where her panties rode up, making her stir but not wake up. I made my own line up her back, kissing my way up to her shoulders. Finally, she woke. She turned over and I fell down beside her on the bed.
“Sorry,” I whispered insincerely. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“What time is it?” she mumbled, grabbing my arm to check my watch.
“Not too late. Go back to sleep if you want to.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“Watch you some more,” I replied unashamedly.
She breathed out a quiet giggle. “That’s wrong on so many levels, Adam.”
“Au contraire, Coccinelle. I find it fascinating.”
“Really?” she asked dryly.
I skimmed my finger over the white line on her hip. “Strange things happen when you escape Manhattan.”
“Like?”
“Like, you get these cute little tan lines,” I replied, grabbing her.
“I do,” she agreed, wriggling. “Sunshine will do that to you.”
I picked up a wisp of her hair and twisted it around my finger. “Your hair gets lighter too.”
“Sun, and probably salt.”
“You’re happy here, aren’t you?”
“I belong here, or somewhere like it,” she confirmed. “I also belong with you, which is a problem.”
“Not for me,” I replied, moving to kiss her. “I’ll just keep coming back here, or somewhere like it.”
As things stood, I was prepared to bounce back to her indefinitely. That was my plan. I wondered what hers was.
“Charlotte,” I murmured, “what are you going to do while you’re here?”
“I don’t know,” she said vaguely. “Maybe I’ll take on some shifts at the café or something. What do you think?”
My head fell back on the pillow. “I think it’s a waste of a beautiful mind.”
She should’ve been shooting higher.
“Do you think Alex wasted his mind when he opted for a quiet life at the beach?”
“It’s different, Charli.”
“No, it’s not. Life here isn’t inferior to the one you’ve chosen. It’s just different. It’s quiet. I want quiet.”
“I wasn’t passing judgement. Live your quiet life.”
“I will. I think I deserve it after...” Her voice trailed off and she looked away from me, but I pieced the rest of her sentence together without trouble.
I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers. “I will tell you every day how sorry I am if you want. I can’t change what happened.”
“Stop talking, Adam,” she muttered, looking to the ceiling. “It gets us nowhere.”
I wanted to talk. We needed to talk. I put my hand on her cheek, turning her face toward me. “Please, talk to me.”
“You might not like what you hear.”
“Try me.”
She pulled in a long breath, preparing to thrash me with an invisible stick. “I hate the damage you do to me, Adam. It’s a physical injury this time around. Like jetlag but worse. That’s what you left me with.” It didn’t seem like a good time to remind her that she was the one who left me. “There’s only so many times I can endure it before I drop dead.”
“Charlotte, I won’t let it happen again. That’s all I can promise for now.”
“I’d rather you didn’t make promises,” she said quietly. “You’re not good at keeping them.”
The stick had suddenly become a sword. I vowed to do better, but only in my head. Saying it out loud would’ve sounded like another promise begging to be broken.
December 30
Charli
I loved waking up next to Adam. I just hadn’t managed to achieve it since he’d been back in the Cove. We seemed to be running on
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