walk a little.”
He grinned. “You promised your dad you’d take your phone.”
She stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes to the sky, then opened the door. “We’re going to walk for a while.”
Theo took her hand as they walked down the veranda steps and into the darkness of the garden.
“It’s so peaceful at night,” she said.
“And no streetlights.” Theo had wished there had been when they’d been searching for her, but when there was no urgency it was much nicer to have the place thrown into a silvery sheen by the moon and stars, instead of an orange synthetic glow.
“Just got to be careful you don’t step on a frog or something,” she laughed. “Claudine barely comes out at night for that. She says frogs are too scary, ‘cause they sit there for the longest while, so still you think they’re a rock, then they just spring like mad out of nowhere. And she’s screaming and clinging to me and running back in the house! Silly girl.”
She looked so gorgeous when she laughed. Theo couldn’t help but stare at her chocolate skin. He loved to touch and feel it. He loved the way it opposed his own. He had never thought he would fall in love with a Bahamian woman, but he had—madly.
As he listened to her laugh, he had no doubt that that alone could change his life. He felt for a moment like the world had stopped turning and that every bad thing had faded away into nothingness.
“I’ve been thinking, though,” she said, “about what we were saying before. You know, about purpose, and what I want to do next. I think … like, I know I like to help people, and that’s why I did massage in the first place, to make people feel better. So I might want to continue that, or maybe to learn more things like acupuncture, or reflexology, that kind of thing. Or, like, I could do counseling for people. Relationships counseling, or just women on their own. I don’t know what I’m best suited to, but I’ll work it out in time.” She looked at him with a mock sternness. “ I’ll work it out.” She then giggled and leaned in to kiss him as they walked along. “Sorry, that was kind of mean.”
Theo gave her plump lips an extra kiss. “ You’ll work it out,” he said. “It’s your life, so no one else can but you.”
She stopped then, holding his hands in hers and looking into his eyes. She had a totally new appreciation and affection in her face. “You’re the best, Theo.”
“You’re the best,” he countered quickly. “You forgave me pretty quick!”
“Well, you were only trying to do a good thing,” she said. “Other people would have really liked that, I think.”
“I think so,” he said. “I would have. But I have to realize you’re not me and I’m not you. We’re different, even though we’re similar. We have different likes and dislikes, and that’s totally normal.”
She smiled. “Yep. Wouldn’t life be boring if we were all the same?”
“Definitely.”
They walked on in happy silence for a while until she tugged at his hand, a grin on her face. “So you’re not averse to grand gestures then?”
“Why?” he said, with playful suspicion. “What have you got in mind?”
“Oh nothing,” she replied airily. “Just keeping that in the back of my mind.” She winked at him, then led him by the hand to turn in the other direction. “Let’s go back home.”
*****
Chapter 2
“Good morning!” The next day, Angelique bounded into Theo’s room as soon as the sun came up.
“Now,” she said, grinning all over her face at his confused blinking, “ I’m going to do something for you .”
“Okay,” he said, with a sleepy smile. He pushed the sheet back, revealing his strong white chest. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows as she ran her brown fingers down his pale front. Stopping just barely before his briefs. “You’re lucky my parents won’t let us sleep in the same room, or I’d be… Well…” She turned to the window and looked out.
He grinned. “You promised your dad you’d take your phone.”
She stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes to the sky, then opened the door. “We’re going to walk for a while.”
Theo took her hand as they walked down the veranda steps and into the darkness of the garden.
“It’s so peaceful at night,” she said.
“And no streetlights.” Theo had wished there had been when they’d been searching for her, but when there was no urgency it was much nicer to have the place thrown into a silvery sheen by the moon and stars, instead of an orange synthetic glow.
“Just got to be careful you don’t step on a frog or something,” she laughed. “Claudine barely comes out at night for that. She says frogs are too scary, ‘cause they sit there for the longest while, so still you think they’re a rock, then they just spring like mad out of nowhere. And she’s screaming and clinging to me and running back in the house! Silly girl.”
She looked so gorgeous when she laughed. Theo couldn’t help but stare at her chocolate skin. He loved to touch and feel it. He loved the way it opposed his own. He had never thought he would fall in love with a Bahamian woman, but he had—madly.
As he listened to her laugh, he had no doubt that that alone could change his life. He felt for a moment like the world had stopped turning and that every bad thing had faded away into nothingness.
“I’ve been thinking, though,” she said, “about what we were saying before. You know, about purpose, and what I want to do next. I think … like, I know I like to help people, and that’s why I did massage in the first place, to make people feel better. So I might want to continue that, or maybe to learn more things like acupuncture, or reflexology, that kind of thing. Or, like, I could do counseling for people. Relationships counseling, or just women on their own. I don’t know what I’m best suited to, but I’ll work it out in time.” She looked at him with a mock sternness. “ I’ll work it out.” She then giggled and leaned in to kiss him as they walked along. “Sorry, that was kind of mean.”
Theo gave her plump lips an extra kiss. “ You’ll work it out,” he said. “It’s your life, so no one else can but you.”
She stopped then, holding his hands in hers and looking into his eyes. She had a totally new appreciation and affection in her face. “You’re the best, Theo.”
“You’re the best,” he countered quickly. “You forgave me pretty quick!”
“Well, you were only trying to do a good thing,” she said. “Other people would have really liked that, I think.”
“I think so,” he said. “I would have. But I have to realize you’re not me and I’m not you. We’re different, even though we’re similar. We have different likes and dislikes, and that’s totally normal.”
She smiled. “Yep. Wouldn’t life be boring if we were all the same?”
“Definitely.”
They walked on in happy silence for a while until she tugged at his hand, a grin on her face. “So you’re not averse to grand gestures then?”
“Why?” he said, with playful suspicion. “What have you got in mind?”
“Oh nothing,” she replied airily. “Just keeping that in the back of my mind.” She winked at him, then led him by the hand to turn in the other direction. “Let’s go back home.”
*****
Chapter 2
“Good morning!” The next day, Angelique bounded into Theo’s room as soon as the sun came up.
“Now,” she said, grinning all over her face at his confused blinking, “ I’m going to do something for you .”
“Okay,” he said, with a sleepy smile. He pushed the sheet back, revealing his strong white chest. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows as she ran her brown fingers down his pale front. Stopping just barely before his briefs. “You’re lucky my parents won’t let us sleep in the same room, or I’d be… Well…” She turned to the window and looked out.
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