no doubt that I was somewhere special. And just as that thought entered my mind, the sun came out from behind the clouds, and the water turned from grey to blue, and Sydney Harbour sparkled.
‘Hey,’ said Claire, ‘let’s lean over as far as we can, then I’ll pretend I’m falling and give those boys a scare.’
I wasn’t sure if my tears were from the salty wind or the crazy uncontrollable laughter, but it was more fun than I’d had in ages. There we were, like Jack and Rose on the deck of the Titanic. Tom and Sam wouldn’t come near us, but they seemed to be having a good laugh too-–I just wasn’t sure if it was with us, or at us.
When the ferry landed, we disembarked and walked along a boardwalk past tourist shops, down to Manly Beach. From there, we turned right and followed a scenic walk to a small cove called Shelley Beach. There was a cliff at the opposite end, with what appeared to be some sort of park at the top. But on our side of the cove we spotted a café.
The little cove reminded me of home and for the first time since I’d arrived in Australia I felt the slightest pang of homesickness. But it was only momentary, and was completely forgotten as soon as Sam spoke.
‘Feel like a swim?’ he teased. Although it wasn’t a bad day for the time of year, it was still winter.
‘Ah, yeah, right Sam … as if,’ said Claire, smirking.
‘Well, why don’t you girls go get yourselves a coffee or something, and let us go for a dip on our own then.’
I was pretty sure he was kidding, but thought I’d play along. ‘Ok, sure thing. Come on Claire, I could do with some coffee, and maybe even a slice of cake.’
As Claire and I walked toward the little café I turned, expecting Sam and Tom to be right behind us, but I could see them making their way down to the water’s edge. They slipped off their clothes and even from a distance it looked like they were wearing board shorts.
‘Guess he wasn’t kidding,’ I said as we ordered coffees and a couple of pieces of cake to share.
‘Isn’t this the best,’ said Claire, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. ‘I mean, who’d have thought … Like, two weeks ago you were in California. And now, here we are, with wonderful men who are infatuated with us, on a romantic weekend in Sydney.’
‘I’m not so sure about the infatuation part, but yeah, it’s pretty awesome. I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake.’
The coffee was strong and hot, and the cakes were simply scrumptious. I hadn’t realised I was hungry, but once I started eating I couldn’t stop.
‘So, aren’t you glad I took you to the market that day? It’s funny, I’d barely noticed Sam before—but he’s nice, and he seems to really like you.’
‘Yes, he is nice.’ I didn’t want to jinx myself by saying any more. The weekend had gotten off to such a good start—I wanted it to keep going that way.
It seemed like a lot of time had passed when the boys eventually returned. Their hair was dripping wet, and even so, Sam looked more relaxed than I’d seen him since we’d met.
‘So … did you enjoy your swim?’ Claire asked, as they took seats at the table. ‘We’ve eaten all the cakes, sorry. You took too long.’
‘The swim was excellent—you should’ve joined us. And no worries about the cakes, we had a big breakfast before we left this morning, so we’re fine,’ Tom replied, speaking for the both of them.
Sam looked at me, and smiled. Then he took my hand under the table and placed it in his lap between his hands. His were still frozen from the cold swim, but they made my whole body tingle like a million volts of electricity shooting through me. It took a huge effort to remember to breathe.
~~***~~
Our suite was like nothing I’d ever seen—except in a movie I suppose. The main room was as big as the living room in any house, with a sofa and two chairs facing a large flat screen television, a desk and a round dining table
‘Hey,’ said Claire, ‘let’s lean over as far as we can, then I’ll pretend I’m falling and give those boys a scare.’
I wasn’t sure if my tears were from the salty wind or the crazy uncontrollable laughter, but it was more fun than I’d had in ages. There we were, like Jack and Rose on the deck of the Titanic. Tom and Sam wouldn’t come near us, but they seemed to be having a good laugh too-–I just wasn’t sure if it was with us, or at us.
When the ferry landed, we disembarked and walked along a boardwalk past tourist shops, down to Manly Beach. From there, we turned right and followed a scenic walk to a small cove called Shelley Beach. There was a cliff at the opposite end, with what appeared to be some sort of park at the top. But on our side of the cove we spotted a café.
The little cove reminded me of home and for the first time since I’d arrived in Australia I felt the slightest pang of homesickness. But it was only momentary, and was completely forgotten as soon as Sam spoke.
‘Feel like a swim?’ he teased. Although it wasn’t a bad day for the time of year, it was still winter.
‘Ah, yeah, right Sam … as if,’ said Claire, smirking.
‘Well, why don’t you girls go get yourselves a coffee or something, and let us go for a dip on our own then.’
I was pretty sure he was kidding, but thought I’d play along. ‘Ok, sure thing. Come on Claire, I could do with some coffee, and maybe even a slice of cake.’
As Claire and I walked toward the little café I turned, expecting Sam and Tom to be right behind us, but I could see them making their way down to the water’s edge. They slipped off their clothes and even from a distance it looked like they were wearing board shorts.
‘Guess he wasn’t kidding,’ I said as we ordered coffees and a couple of pieces of cake to share.
‘Isn’t this the best,’ said Claire, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. ‘I mean, who’d have thought … Like, two weeks ago you were in California. And now, here we are, with wonderful men who are infatuated with us, on a romantic weekend in Sydney.’
‘I’m not so sure about the infatuation part, but yeah, it’s pretty awesome. I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake.’
The coffee was strong and hot, and the cakes were simply scrumptious. I hadn’t realised I was hungry, but once I started eating I couldn’t stop.
‘So, aren’t you glad I took you to the market that day? It’s funny, I’d barely noticed Sam before—but he’s nice, and he seems to really like you.’
‘Yes, he is nice.’ I didn’t want to jinx myself by saying any more. The weekend had gotten off to such a good start—I wanted it to keep going that way.
It seemed like a lot of time had passed when the boys eventually returned. Their hair was dripping wet, and even so, Sam looked more relaxed than I’d seen him since we’d met.
‘So … did you enjoy your swim?’ Claire asked, as they took seats at the table. ‘We’ve eaten all the cakes, sorry. You took too long.’
‘The swim was excellent—you should’ve joined us. And no worries about the cakes, we had a big breakfast before we left this morning, so we’re fine,’ Tom replied, speaking for the both of them.
Sam looked at me, and smiled. Then he took my hand under the table and placed it in his lap between his hands. His were still frozen from the cold swim, but they made my whole body tingle like a million volts of electricity shooting through me. It took a huge effort to remember to breathe.
~~***~~
Our suite was like nothing I’d ever seen—except in a movie I suppose. The main room was as big as the living room in any house, with a sofa and two chairs facing a large flat screen television, a desk and a round dining table
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