“How long are we here for again?” Delia breathed as they pulled up the circular stone driveway at the resort. The chartered vehicle had picked them up at the Mahebourg airport, and had stopped briefly at the main office of the resort for Justin to go in and registered. Driving through tropical foliage towards their secluded villa, Delia’s jaw had not closed from the moment they’d passed the Le Saint Géran sign. 

“Almost two weeks, its beautiful isn’t it?” Justin replied, turning to look at her press her face against the car window. He chuckled softly before pushing the car door open and stepping out. 

“I don’t think beautiful begins to describe this place. Look at the sunrise over the water,” she rushed out of the vehicle, nearly falling on her face had Justin not caught her. She stood up straight and point out her slender arm towards the array of hues dancing across the calm sea. 

“Can you imagine sunset with the purples and blues?” he awed, his breath taken away by the beauty. It was very early in the morning, but there was not a sound besides the calm rushing of the waves against the distant shore and the occasional chirp from an unknown animal in the foliage. 

“Justin, that’s the fucking Indian Ocean!” she exclaimed after a second of silence, reality setting in. Her excitement began rushing through her body, exerting itself in her twisting hands, bright eyes, and slight jumping in place. He laughed before she propelled her body into his. 

“Jesus Delia!” he exclaimed, stumbling back a few steps before regaining his balance and holding her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he felt her laughter against the side of his neck, slightly tickling him. He, too, laughed. 

“Trace is gonna shit his pants when he sees these pictures!” she exclaimed, pulling away to get a look at his face. Their faces were mere breaths away from one another. Her green and gold eyes stared into his cerulean eyes. 

“Get your camera, then,” he spoke softly, his breath warming her lips. His tongue snaking out to moisten his lips broke her reverie, and her body slid down his solid form.

Stepping away from him, she adjusted her blank tank, cleared her throat, and reached back into the backseat to grab her camera. Emerging with it in hand, she glanced nervously at Justin as he walked towards the front door of their villa. Shaking her head clear, she walked away to the grass’s edge and aimed her camera at the far-yet-oh-so-close sea. One, two, three pictures were snapped. Turning her body to walk back to the car, she caught Justin looking off towards the surroundings. Biting her bottom lip, she sneaked a couple of shot of him without being seen.

She always loved photographing him. There was always a look of appreciation, adoration, and humility in every shot. She always figured it was because of his work that he could express any emotion with a flick of his hand or smile on his lips or a shrug of his strong shoulders. But, she’d come to realize that it was all natural. He was genuinely expressive. He carried every emotion in a sack across his heart and resting on his right hip, at his disposal, ready to be displayed in a heartbeat. 

“I’m just gonna pull the suitcases in, you can stay out here,” he spoke, seeing her approach him and the suitcases that sat on the driveway. The town car had pulled off as she’d approached them. 

“No, it’s ok. I’ll help. I want to see the inside, too,” she replied, coming closer to him and grabbing the handle of her rolling suitcase. He shrugged and smiled softly, turning and leading the way just the flat walkway to the front door. He pushed the double wooden and glass doors open, and he heard the sharp intake of breath behind him. Looking over his shoulder briefly, a smile tugged at his lips at the look of wonder on her face. 

He stood off to the side and allowed her to pass him by. Her eyes roamed all around the large open space. She rested the suitcase against the foyer’s wall before continuing her journey across the marble floors, her stilettos echoing with the high beam ceilings. A large wooden dinner table sat off to the left, six dining places with beautiful deep rouge flowers in the center. And to the right, an ivory living room set sat surrounding a fireplace. But, the most beautiful thing of the entrance was the direct view of the all-glass wall directly across from the front doors. Through the sheer white curtains, they could see the sunrise colors, vibrant and reflective, on the private pool’s surface. And beyond the pool’s edge, the white sands of the beach began. 

“Justin, this is stunning…” she breathed, her legs gliding her towards the sliding doors. He watched her delicate fingers reach for the curtains and slowly pull them back. Her body twisted towards him and just looked at him. His hands were in the pockets of his khaki jeans, his grey t-shirt stretched across his chest, and his black cardigan sweater embraced his biceps. The Ray-Bans that he’d worn since Los Angeles were clipped on the shirt’s collar at his neck. His red traveling backpack rested at his feet now. 

“I want to explore,” she spoke, her voice emerging soft and cracked. He remained silent, but nodded in agreement. Snapping into action, he pointed to her bedroom and they each rolled their suitcases to their respective bedrooms. Rummaging through the clothes that he’d packed for her, she decided to simply change her jeans for shorts and her heels for sandals. Tossing the beanie, she grabbed a pin from her purse and smoothed her hair out. 

“Ready?” his voice asked from her doorway, and she stepped out of the bathroom. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” she replied, grabbing her purse and sunglasses and following him out. Making sure to close their front door, they decided to just walk down to the beach and see where it led them. The path from their driveway was a bit steep and rough, but it was manageable. At the very end, however, the final stretch to the beach was accented with a rather high hop down the rocky edges. Justin chose to go down first, and although, he conquered it without any injuries, he knew that it’d be rough for Delia. 

“Here, come closer,” he edged her, and she cautiously approached him. His hands reached up and grabbed her waist. Easily tugging her forward and upward, he twisted his body before safely planting her down in the sand beside him. 

“Wow, it’s really warm now,” she breathed, fanning herself. In the back of her mind, she knew the temperature was the same it’d been since their arrival. But, suddenly, she was beginning to feel like if she’d been wearing a too-tight tie around her neck. Choosing to ignore the weird look on her face, Justin tugged at her hand and led her away from the rocky way. 

“Next time, we take the stairs,” he suggested as they passed the three or four steps that led down to the beach from what they assumed was their backyard. 

“Sounds like a better idea,” she replied, her mind distant from her body. A million thoughts rushed through her mind in a frenzy that she could not grasp. The electricity from his hold of her hand fueled the emotions in her heart and the chatter of her brain. 

“We’ll definitely have to come back to test the waters and lay out,” he suggested, oblivious to her inner turmoil, with a tug at her hand. His fingers were warmly intertwined with her fingers, and although, she was no stranger to holding his hand, it felt different. It felt completing, nurturing, and calming. 

“Yeah, it may be too cold this early,” she replied, hoping to dissuade any signs of her inner battle. 

“We haven’t seen anything besides the villa, but I’m already glad that I chose this place. This is exactly what I needed,” he commented, a few moments later as they walked close to the water’s edge, but still far enough to remain dry. Silence seemed to be their theme for the trip. They were easily falling into silent spells, where all was right in the world in that moment. 

“Well, I still want to go dance and party, for Trace, I mean,” she kidded, drawing a chuckle from him. 

“To get it out of your system, we’ll go tonight. Anywhere you want, we’ll do,” he replied, laughter lacing his voice. She laughed in return but agreed to his terms. She’d have to talk to the concierge for nightlife suggestions. 

“There’s a golf course on the resort grounds,” he hinted, and she rolled her eyes. 

“Ah, fuck me, are you really going to spend the entire two weeks golfing?” she whined, her steps becoming heavy, reminiscent of a child dragging her feet. 

“Quit the feet dragging, jeez woman. No, but I’d like to try it out at least one day. Maybe, you’ll let me teach you this time,” he chuckled, tugging her along and causing her to stumble slightly. 

“I’ll watch you hit the balls, and I won’t complain. But, that’s as far as I’m going,” she relented, giving him her compromise. 

“Why won’t you let me teach you to golf?” he asked, confusion etched on his face. 

“Because then I’ll get hooked and I’ll want to go golfing, and you’ll get tired of me interrupting your ‘guy time’ and then you’ll like friend-divorce me or something. No, thank you,” she rambled, her free hand wildly gesturing. 

“You’re such a drama queen,” Justin laughed boisterously, tugging her under his arm and pulling her in for a hug. “But, that’s why I love you. I don’t think any other woman is that understand of a man’s need for man bonding time. I ought to marry you before some douche does.” 

“Ha! Then I’ll just be marrying a douche sooner than later,” she teased, and he froze mid-step. Looking over at her with indignation, she read the mischief in his body, his eyes covered by his shades. 

“Run, Deli, run,” he evenly warned, before her body sprang into action. Quickly twisting away from him, she sprinted with all the speed she could muster. His taunting laughter quickly began to close in on her as she raced down the water’s edge. Her body configured in hopes of tiring him, but her short legs quickly tired first. 

“I was kidding!” she shrieked as her body was lifted in the air and tossed over his shoulder. 

“Too late, little girl!” he shouted in victory, continuing to run with her body flopping over his shoulder. 

“I’m not little!” she cried out before her nimble fingers reached out and pinched his butt. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” he exclaimed, quickly setting her down and covering his butt with his hands. She stumbled slightly, her world becoming upright too fast, before she plopped down on the sand, laughing uncontrollably. 

“That’s just not cool, Del,” he explained, before laughter took over his body as well. Plopping down beside her, he leaned back on his arms and looked up at the bright blue skies. 

“Neither is having my head banging your butt,” she said, before quickly realizing how that sounded. More laughter ensued, and they simply sat there. 

“You know, this would be a beautiful place to marry,” he spoke, after their laughter subsided and they sat looking at the crystal waters, white sand, and green foliage. 

“And to top it off, anonymity,” she added, looking over at him. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her fingers were tracing figures in the sand. 

“That’s what she wanted, you know,” he admitted, and she didn’t ask him to elaborate. She’d known this. Jessica had mentioned it so many times, and Delia had advised her to not push the topic. 

“Well, don’t you want to get married?” she asked. 

“Why is marriage the ultimate destination? Like, that’s where all relationships end up at. Isn’t that just another step in the continuation of a relationship?” he asked in return, avoiding getting too personal. 

“Well, yes, marriage is a natural ‘next step’. A form of cementing a promise and a commitment that goes beyond words, it’s the act of becoming one for eternity. It’s like the difference between sex and making love. Sex is like being boyfriend and girlfriend. The want, need, and desire are there. All the right words are spoken, but you still hold back. Making love is committing mind, body, and soul to the act of becoming one. Marriage is the same thing,” Delia explained, her eyes averting away from him, but her cheek resting on her raised knees. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard it describe that way, but it makes sense,” he whispered, his head lulling to the side and his eyes connecting with hers. 

“So, answer my question, would you like to get married?” she repeated her question, refusing to let him avoid it. 

“Yes, and I think it will happen when something in me snaps. I imagine it to be an overwhelming feeling of impatience, excitement, fear, and heart-thumping-nervousness,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. 

“So, it’ll be spontaneous?” she asked, confused. He shrugged before shaking his head side-to-side, contemplating his response. 

“No, not so much spontaneous. More like, why wait? What is the need to plan out this huge event for hundreds of people that don’t matter for one day that does matter?” he explained, and she understood what he meant. 

“Yeah, I could never do a big wedding. I think I would elope somewhere nice,” she revealed, thinking of the unnecessary planning stress. She shuddered to think of putting together an event. 

“Your mama would kill you, but it makes sense. The only people that matter are the bride and groom. Family will witness the love and the dedication everyday thereafter,” he laughed, thinking of Delia’s mother’s reaction. 

“Well, don’t count yourself lucky, boy. Mama Lynn would skin you,” she taunted, her head thrown back laughing at him. He nodded, agreeing with the truth in her statement. 

“Well, come on, enough marriage talk. Let’s go get our swimsuits and find some trouble. I want to snorkel,” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and tugging her along. 

“Snorkeling can lead to death. I rather keep this marriage talk going,” she yelled out after him as he jogged back down the beach towards their villa. 

“Marriage can lead to death too,” he yelled back, and she sighed. He was right. 

“Damn you,” she muttered before following his trek.