Homecoming

Chapter 26

We had dinner outside as always. We went to a cozy restaurant and enjoyed real Balinese cuisine. Each of us chose something different and then we shared the food. We had a choice of fried rice and pasta with pieces of chicken as well as fish food. The food was very aromatic and the main thing was the coriander, lemon grass and ginger.

We sat on the terrace like one real family. Max was in an incredibly good mood and entertained us all with his jokes. The boys joined him, and only laughter and good humor spread from our table. I had to admit that I hadn't had such a good time in a long time and hadn't enjoyed the evening, or even the whole day.

After returning to the bungalow, the children went to the TV, but I really didn't want to go down. I collapsed on our garden bed and let myself be carried away by the sounds of nature. In the background, the water was rustling pleasantly, and from the greenery that surrounded us, there was a concert of crickets accompanied by a loud bird.

"Don't you feel like going for a walk?" called from the door Max.

"Nice," I turned my head toward him. "But only if you promise me we'll take a step, not a run."

If I didn't blame him, he was still a football player and he had to have running in his blood, but let's be honest, going for running every morning and evening, plus playing sports all day, would be too much for a horse. But he still had energy. The guy couldn't be tired at all.

"I promise I'll take a snail's step so you can make do with me," he smiled, his expression changing from amused to tender.

"And the boys?" I asked him.

"They'll stay home today," he shrugged innocently. "Even so, they're really tired and I'm going to the realm of dreams in a moment."

"All right," I said, accepting the hand he held out to me.

"Jared?" he shouted at his son Max. "Kirsten and I are going for a walk, will you please take care of Garrett?"

"Okay," he replied, not looking away from the TV.

"And when it's over, go to bed," Max added, and then we came out of the bungalow.

We walked along a side path between the green vegetation to the main hotel building. Since the path was narrow, we walked in silence instead of walking side by side. It was already dark outside, and only a bright moon and a lantern held by Max in his hand shone on the way. All that was around us were our footsteps, our breath, or the dry twigs that cracked under our feet.

In front of the hotel we turned the corner and went to a wooden platform, from where we had a beautiful view of the pier. The waves were not visible, but their soothing sound let us know about them.

Max grabbed my hand and I tangled my fingers with him. That gentle touch shook me. We walked calmly hand in hand on the wooden pier, and I could hardly believe how easily my hand fell into his.

When we reached the end of the pier, I leaned against the wooden railing and stared into the water. At night, the ocean looked black at first glance, but there were a few shades of color between the horizon and the shore, and it took my breath away. I leaned my hands on the top of the railing and groaned. I could smell salt, fish and seaweed in the air.

"It's beautiful here," Max said behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned against his chest and looked out at the ocean.

"It is," I replied, relaxing in his arms.

"I feel like you've been avoiding me for the last few days," he said what I had been doing all along.

"You're absolutely right," I said quietly.