“You,” I say, “were perfect.”
And I mean it. The sex was amazing in its own right. But it was heightened by how vulnerable he was with me. How honest.
I’m already beginning to be pained by the fact that this bliss is temporary. That in a matter of days, we’ll have to say goodbye.
But the high I’m feeling is no doubt in large part due to the fact that there’s no pressure for this to last. No question of what we are to each other. No time for games or overthinking. Just pure crush jitters and sex endorphins.
It’s the sexual equivalent of staying in a hotel ten times nicer than your apartment.
Lauren is on the veranda in a flowing coral caftan and full makeup when I get back to our room.
“Well hello, my little strumpet,” she says, taking a sip of cold brew.
“Where did you get that?” I ask. I’m dying for caffeine. Felix and I didn’t do much sleeping.
“Saint Crisanto,” she says. “He brought one for you too. And there are almond croissants.” She gestures at a small spread on the patio table and I grab a pastry and wolf it down in three bites.
“Worked up an appetite?” she asks dryly.
“I think I burned more calories last night than I did last year.”
“Sounds X-rated.”
“Oh myGod, Lauren. I went, like, full Sonic the Hedgehog on him.”
She snorts. “Don’t make me choke on my coffee.”
“Sorry.”
“Was he a generous lover?” she asks.
“Only you can say ‘generous lover’ with a straight face.”
“Don’t avoid the question.”
“Without getting into details,generousis not an adequate word,” I say, remembering the miracles he performed with his tongue in the middle of the night.
“Good,” she says. “You need a man you can use for his body.”
“I know. And it’s great because we also have a real connection. Like all these honest things just come out of me when I talk to him.”
The cat-who-ate-the-cream look fades from her face. She scrunches up her lips, like she wants to say something and is looking for the right words.
“What?” I ask.
“That’s exactly what you said about Gabe.”
“Gabe lived in the same country as me. This is different.”
“Is it?”
“You’ve already given me this lecture. I’m really not in the mood to hear it again. And anyway, all of this don’t-fall-in-love-on-a-cruise-ship business is a bit rich coming from a girl who’s here to meet a husband.”
“Darling, when’s the last time I got my heart broken? I’m strategic when it comes to men. You’re pure emotion, and you know it.”
“I’m not falling in love, I promise. I only meant that I actually like him, which is the icing on the cake. Like, I could see us being friends after this.”
She sighs. “Oh, Lord.”
