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She laughs, the melodic sound music to my ears. “Oh, really? You think you can beat me?” she asks as she does a little dance around me. “Even in my slightly weakened state, I can kick your booty, Hunter Sparks.”
“Challenge accepted,” I tell her as I move into position, ready to engage in a dance I love. She reaches out and I dodge her. She laughs, making me laugh as well, throwing off my concentration.
“I’ve missed kicking your butt,” I tell her, trying to keep my balance as she attempts a takedown I barely avoid. Maybe I’m dumb to avoid it. I like her on top of me.
She smirks, deftly avoiding my countermove. “I’ve missed this too, Hunter,” she says. She might not remember the last six months, but we’ve been sparring for nearly two years. This dance we’ve been doing has had a very long buildup. Dang, I love the sand between our toes and the salty breeze in the air.
Our bodies move in synchrony, each of our strikes and grapples met with countermoves. No matter how physical we get though, we don’t lose sight of what we’re sharing. We continue talking, laughing, and connecting as we try to best each other.
“When I came here, I never thought I’d find such a compatible partner, a person who loves martial arts as much as I do,” Jasmine says, her voice breathy. “We might just be two halves to an apple.”
Warmth fills my chest. “It’s not too often a man gets as lucky as I have, Jazz. I have a great partner... and possibly more if I get you to fall in love with me all over again.” I give her a teasing smile, not wanting to back her into a corner. I’m also not willing to dance around this any longer. I love her, and she needs to understand this with every fiber of her being. “I love that you push me too; you challenge me to be the best person I can be.”
“I like the same about you. I want to be pushed. Sometimes my family treats me like I’m glass and could break at any minute. I don’t get that from you,” she says before I land a hit that has her shooting me a glare, which makes me laugh.
We continue sparring, our laughter growing as we take the gloves off and really get into it. With every single strike, it’s as if our connection grows stronger. The foolish man might’ve built his house upon the sand, but right now our foundation is gaining strength on this beach.
Time slips away, and before we know it, the sun lowers in the sky, casting a golden glow across the beach. We stop and look at the breathtaking view.
“I’m whooped,” Jasmine admits. This is something because she never admits defeat.
I bend down, my breathing coming out a bit rough. “Thank goodness,” I tell her with a laugh. “I didn’t want to call mercy, but I haven’t worked this hard in so long there’s no doubt at all I’m going to be as sore as hell tomorrow.”
This makes her laugh as we gather our bags, drink a ton of water, and wipe away the sweat from our workout. One thing about Jasmine, she looks good no matter what. She can be dressed to the nines and take my breath away, or she can be a sweaty mess with her hair sticking up all over the place and turns me on even more. Her true beauty shines through no matter what she’s doing or what accessories she’s wearing.
“Today’s been a good day, Hunter,” she tells me. “Thanks for being you and for not giving up on me.”
I move closer and pull her in for a hug. “If you could remember even a single day of the last six months you’d know what a foolish statement that is. I could never give up on you. Even before we were in a romance I couldn’t have given up on you. I feel strongly about my friends... I’ll go through months of torture for the woman I love.”
She leans back and I brush a strand of her hair away from her face, so happy to be able to hold her, to see the admiration in her eyes. We stand together and turn so we can watch the waves crash against the shore, the world around us fading away, leaving the two of us in our own personal bubble. I’m happiest in this place, happiest with this woman.
Our connection is about so much more than the two of us. It’s about more than what we do, it's about finding our other half. That’s what I’ve found with Jasmine. She’s my lost half, and I can’t ever let her go. Even if for some horrible reason she pulls from me, she’ll always hold half of my soul. It’s hers and will never belong to another. I’ve found the person who matches me in passion, who challenges me intellectually, and who brings out the best in me. She’s the missing piece to my life I didn’t know was lost.
We leave, don’t bother changing, then head to our favorite beach bar where music is playing and tourists are happily sipping their preferred drinks. I love this place with its vibrant colors, beachy umbrellas, great music, and sounds of laughter filling the air. We settle in at a table, still buzzing from our workout session. It doesn’t take long for our drinks to arrive and we continue talking just as we’ve been doing for two years now.
“What do we do next?” I ask her, glad to be home, away from Seattle. I’ll go back with her anytime she wants, but I also want to be selfish and have her all to myself for a while.
“What do you think should come next?” she asks.
“I told you about the dream I had, when we went to Africa. I’d love to make that a reality,” I tell her.
“Oh, I’d very much enjoy that,” she agrees, sitting up a bit taller.
“We can go on a safari, watch lions, elephants, and giraffes roaming free.”
“And gorillas,” she eagerly says. “I’ve never been to Africa, but I’ve watched a lot of videos.”
“We could stay with Mora and Phillip and help the village where she’s staying,” I say. “This really is a once in a lifetime experience so many never get to do.”
“Then we could fly to Australia and maybe Fiji,” she suggests, making me laugh.
“I never thought I’d even talk about having adventures like these, let alone actually have them. I didn’t think I’d be leaving Florida all that much, but that dream changed me. It’s made me want to throw caution to the wind and truly live my life,” I tell her.
“Oh, I’m fascinated with Fiji. I want to stay in one of those huts that are built right on top of the water. We could swim with dolphins, dive in the crystal-clear water, and eat until we are both so stuffed we look pregnant.”
I laugh at the thought of this. “Pure paradise,” I tell her. “There’s nothing that says we can’t turn our dreams into reality. The only thing holding us back is us. We can spend lazy days fishing, exploring coves, and creating new memories that will last a lifetime.”
The more we talk about traveling the world, the more relaxed I feel. We’re going to be fine. There’s no way our love can fade through amnesia. We’ve already shared too much, and we both still want the same things. A mutual love for adventure and exploration ignites us, giving us dreams of tomorrow.
