I burst out laughing again. “We might as well go full cheese and frolic in the waves.”
“With our cocktails in hand,” he added quickly, striding towards the sea. It was that beautiful time just before evening, when the light was at its most vivid. This evening it was a bright, warm orange. We walked into the sea, which was warm and still. Calm. I was wearing a simple, knee-length beachy dress and Alex was wearing shorts, so we couldn’t wade in too far. Once we were knee-deep he turned to me and pulled his phone out.
“Okay, frolic.” He waved his hand around like he was directing me.
“Frolic?” I laughed. “How the hell do you do that?”
“Splash some water around and throw your head back while you laugh uncontrollably because you’re having the best day of your life!”
“This is ridiculous, you know that, right?” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “This isn’t going to work.”
“You’re right. Wait there!” Suddenly, Alex was running off towards the beach and waving down a passing couple. I watched as he talked to them for a while and then gave them his phone. He ran back and motioned for me to turn around and face the photographers.
“What did you say to them?” I asked.
“That we’re on our honeymoon and very in love and need some photos.”
“Oh, God. This is so embarrassing.” I held my head in my hands.
“I know!” he acknowledged with a grin that looked caught somewhere between embarrassment and excitement. “We’ll both frolic together now.”
“Fine,” I said, feeling sheepish and embarrassed as hell, but hey, if this was going to help me get over Matt, then so be it.
“Smile and hold your drink up,” he ordered, as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. My body flinched in response. The other thing I’d noticed about Alex in the short time I’d known him was that he was very comfortable with touching, which he always initiated. Not in a creepy way, but he wasn’t afraid to put his arm around my shoulders or my waist. It was nice. I’d put so much thought and effort into trying to touch Matt over the years; accidental leg brushes, arm bumps, deliberate leans and hugs that lingered. And each time I did it, I’d hold my breath with anticipation hoping and wishing that this would be the time that the lean turned into more. But it never did. So there was something nice about this easy, relaxed, no-strings touching.
The couple on the beach indicated to us that they were ready to take the shot. I struck a totally lame pose, one that was meant to give off the vibe that I wassoooover it and having the best time of my life. But as I did, without any warning and with seriously surprising strength, Alex scooped me up into his arms. I nearly lost grip of my drink and burst out laughing. Alex did too and suddenly we didn’t have to pretend we were having fun. He dipped me and I spilt my cocktail all over myself. I squealed in shock as the cold liquid and ice cubes hit me. Alex lost grip of me and I plummeted into the water below.
“Oh God,” I said, looking up at him, laughing from the shallow warm waters. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Alex was also laughing. He extended his hand for me and pulled me up with such force that I slammed into his chest. I was about to pull away when he wrapped his arms around me, I did the same and thenwhoosh, almost with that actual sound, we both fell into a strange, quiet moment. We looked at each other, arms wrapped around each other tightly, and no one moved. A kind of bubble descended on us that seemed to make all the sights and sounds around more muted and subdued. This only seemed to highlight Alex even more, bringing him into clear focus until it felt like he was all I could see. And then, we both started smiling at each other. I didn’t really know why I was smiling, but it felt good. This bubble was only burst by the sounds of clapping coming from the shore.
I pulled away from Alex and looked towards the sound. I’d totally forgotten that we were being photographed.
“Brava!” one of the people shouted. I found myself blushing stupidly at this. We made our way back towards the beach and walked up to the couple.
“Thanks so much.” Alex took the camera back and immediately went to photos.
“It’s a pleasure,” the man said. They were an older couple, if I had to guess, I would have placed them in their mid-sixties.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” the woman said with a smile.
“Enjoy what?” I asked.
“When it’s just the two of you and you’re very much in love. Soon the kids will come and then everything changes.” She gave us a nod.
“Kids?” I felt my eyes widen in shock.
“The honeymoon phase is a special one. Cherish it.” She put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “And you two look very in love.” And with that shocking statement, they turned and walked away.
Alex didn’t seem to have noticed the rather awkward conversation that had transpired, he was too busy flicking through the photos of us. Then suddenly, he stopped and gasped.
“What?” I asked, moving towards him.
“This has got to be the most romantic photo ever taken.” He held it up for me to look at and I had to agree with him.
The sun was setting behind us, the water was shimmering with an orange glow, and the two of us were silhouetted against it. It was like one of those photos you might find in an advert for a honeymoon destination, or on a postcard. It was one of the most romantic images I’d ever seen, and if I didn’t know the story behind it, I would have guessed that the couple in this photo were head-over-heels in love with each other.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
