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When she finally came down, I saw how pale she was and became worried once more.
"Oh, my love, you look so tired still," I said and brought the tray over to her once she was sitting on the sofa. "Are you hungry for your supper?"
"I'm not sure, but let's give it a try."
I placed the tray in front of her and she picked up her knife and fork and cut off a piece of the chicken breast. She examined it, sniffed it, and then popped it into her mouth and chewed. She swallowed and then sat still for a moment.
She shrugged. "Seems okay."
She gave me a weak smile and scooped up some rice and ate that. It stayed down as well, so she tried her veggies. When they went down without her gagging, she finally smiled broadly.
"I think I'm good," she said and put some salt and pepper on everything. "It doesn't taste like hell."
"Whatever hell tastes like," I said and plopped down beside her, beer in hand.
"It actually tastes good and my stomach finally rumbled, so maybe I'm over it. For tonight."
She finished eating the rest of her meal, and I updated her on my call to our guests for the birthday dinner and my talk with the caterers, going over the last-minute details.
"I'm so sorry you had to do the work for your own birthday dinner," she said and pushed her tray away.
"Don't mention it," I said and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Everyone was sorry you're so sick and they all offered to do the cooking and cleaning. I told them it was all in hand and not to worry. It's all good."
"Great," Alexa said and sighed. "If I can get through this tomorrow, maybe we can all eat at 7:30. You'll have to entertain them until I'm up and ready for company."
"No problem. You can count on me."
When we went to bed that night, I pulled her into my arms and we snuggled for a while, enjoying each other's warmth.
"I love it out here," she said. "I could live out here happily."
"Let's move here," I said and kissed her forehead. "If you're not teaching your seminar, you can work from home here just as easily as in the city. I can commute no problem as long as you're okay. I can also bring work home and work out of my office for a while. If I have a big meeting, I can go into town. Maybe I'll work half time in the city and half time out here. Then, we could be together."
She was silent for a moment, and I knew how much it upset her to be giving up her seminar and not actually attending classes in person.
"Maybe we should. When I feel better, I can always go into town for the day and spend time on campus."
"Yes," I said. "When you're over the morning sickness, we can go into the city together. I can go into my office and see people face to face, and you can go on campus and see the other students in your program. The rest of the time, we can spend out here in paradis
e."
She sighed and that seemed to make her feel better.
"It's a plan," she said and snuggled closer to me.
I smiled to myself, glad that we had made the decision. I loved it out on the ocean, staring at the water, the sky huge, the clouds ever-changing. There was a silence out on the coast, despite the distant roar of the waves, that was missing in the city with all its noise and haste.
The day of my birthday celebration dawned cloudy and on the cooler side. I woke early and crept out of bed, careful not to wake Alexa so she could get her much-needed sleep. I slipped into my sweats and grabbed my running shoes, going for a run to clear my head. Alexa was not up to sex and I didn't want to beat off like a teenager, so I found that running helped me focus my mind and escape the pull of desire I felt when in bed with her. It couldn't be helped, but a good run always drained my body in a way that sex would, so it was a decent and necessary substitute.
Not that I had anything against masturbation. No ordinary human could live without it, but for me, while Alexa was so sick, it was a good enough diversion.
I checked in with the security guard on duty, and let him know I was going for a run along the beach and not to worry. He wasn't happy with me.
"Sir, you should really have someone drive along the beach with you, just to be safe."
"I'm not the President," I said. "I don't need a security detail to follow my every step."
"You're the boss," he said. "Please just sign this waiver, so I don't get fired for not insisting."
