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As they leave, I nod toward the moonlit terrace.
“Come. The beach is particularly beautiful under a full moon.”
She nods and stands and as she does, I reach for her hand as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
She smiles, and it’s a dart to my heart I wasn’t expecting and as we walk outside into the warm balmy air, I am more relaxed than I’ve been in years.
“You have a beautiful home; I wasn’t just saying that.”
She peers around her with a soft smile on her face as we cast our shoes aside to venture onto the soft sand.
“I travel the world, but there is no other place I would rather be.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
Her soft sigh alerts me that all is not well with Melissa’s world.
“Why not?”
“Because home is where my problems lie, I guess.”
“Your mom?” I add and she nods, peering out at the ocean before saying, “When my father was alive, we hardly saw him. He was a commanding presence in our lives, but I doubt any of us ever really knew him as a person.”
She gazes into my eyes and says sadly, “Dinner tonight with your family reminded me of what I missed out on. My father’s place was always set, but he usually arrived at the end of the meal. We were made to stay while he finished his, even though we had already eaten. Conversation was polite and centered on us explaining what we had achieved that day.”
“He sounds boring as fuck.”
She laughs out loud. “I wouldn’t know. You see–” She stops and bites her lip, staring at the moon as she whispers, “I never really knew him. I didn’t know what his favorite band was, or if he even had one. His favorite color, his most treasured childhood memory, or his one regret.”
I pull her down beside me on the sand and turn her face to mine and love how soft she is as I hold something so delicate in my rough hands.
I whisper. “I don’t have a favorite band, but I love all kinds of rock music.”
Her eyes dance with mischief. “I figured as much.”
“My favorite color is turquoise, the color of the sea that surrounds this place, although I’m starting to change my mind about that, as my preference is now green.”
She blinks as I stare into her eyes and whisper, “My most treasured childhood memory is when my father brought home a dog for my birthday. His name was Storm, and he was devoted to me. My one regret is that my mom died, and I wasn’t around to protect her.”
The tears slide from her eyes, and as I wipe them away, she whispers, “My favorite band is Coldplay and the color is yellow. My most treasured memory is when my parents came to watch me dance the lead in the high school ballet because it was the first and only time my father made it. My one regret is that I never met you sooner because I feel cheated out of the hours of my life that I didn’t get to spend with you.”
I am stunned into silence because her words should have me running. Close down whatever this is between us and bring me back on track. I am shocked they have the opposite effect and my heart swells with something alien to me. Is this happiness? Do her words really mean that much to me and so I whisper against her lips, “So now we know one another better than you ever knew your father. We will have no regrets.”
I kiss her reply away and hold her in my hands like the fragile flower that Aphrodite grew from beauty. The noise of the waves crashing to the shore and the thump of my heart are the only sounds in an otherwise still night.
The moonlight catches the sparkle in her eyes as we make out like high school kids and as I lean back and drag her down to lie on my chest, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
CHAPTER 45
MELISSA
This is perfect. He is perfect, and this moment is utterly perfect.
There is an easy atmosphere between us, comfortable even, which surprises me. It’s not about sex, lust, and gratification this time. It’s about getting to know the person my heart beats a little faster for.
“What happened to Phoebe?”
I’m curious and hope he doesn’t mind me asking, and he sighs.
