Between Octobers

November 3rd

November 3rd

Intimacy. I had no idea how much I missed it until I felt it again—when he gave it back to me. Every time he touched me, casual or not, I had to have him. Evan loved my exuberant responses to his advances, or lack thereof. 

The weekend had gone by much too quickly. And as much as I hated to leave the uninterrupted bliss of our hotel room, I missed my kids. Maria was probably pulling her hair out. Halloween had left the boys with copious amounts of sugar and energy.

While I made my last sweep of the apartment, to make sure we weren't forgetting anything, Evan was trying to close his overstuffed bag. I'd offered to help several times, but he insisted he could do it. When he grunted, exasperated with sore fingers, I offered my help once again. He stepped aside, cursing at the zipper. I opened his bag, took a few things from the top and stuffed them into mine, then closed them both.  

"That's cheating," he scowled.          

Leaving the fantasy land of our hotel room was daunting. Only because I hadn't spoken with anyone. I called the house a few times but no one answered. But they hadn't called, either. Evan said he spoke with Noah, so I wasn't worried. I'd decided that with Maria no news was good news, and set my mind to other, more impractical matters.

"We should get a new bed."

"I think we should get the one with the canopy you were looking at." Evan mused as he set the last of our bags by the door and fell into the soft chaise. I'd tested his endurance the last few days.

"Your taste is too extravagant for me." I sat across his lap, facing him.

"I thought you 'loved the wood.'" He smirked. "Turns out you were telling the truth."

I acknowledged the euphemism he was so proud of with a light laugh. "That bed was beautiful, but there's no way I'm going to spend so much on one piece when I'll want a whole set. That reminds me—the couches were supposed to be delivered yesterday." 

"They were." He wiggled his eyebrows and that was enough. I leaned in and kissed him in a way that meant I wanted more than a kiss. "You know, we have to leave soon." He mumbled, but grabbed me when I started to pull away, stretching his arms around me. "But it's a long drive. Who knows how long it will be until we're alone again."

"We'll have the whole night." I reasoned, contradicting myself by removing his jacket.

After a quick shower, we dressed again and set out for the elevators with our overstuffed luggage. When the doors opened, we stepped in and I pressed the button for the lobby. Evan held my hand as we descended the dozen or so floors. My mind went back to the day we first spoke. A small moment in a place he had only been by chance—a moment that changed my life forever. He was no more than a kind stranger. I apologized for touching him. Now we were bound by rings that signified our commitment. 

"Did you see the inscription?" He asked, noticing how I was gawking.  

I pulled the ring off for the first time and inspected the band until I found the small elegant script.

            Mon Seul Amor

"What does it mean?"

"'My only love,' which is what you are." He slipped the ring back onto my finger and kissed it.

Thankfully, the doors spread open after a loud chirp. Part of me, though grateful for my incarceration, was still spooked by the whole incident. Every time I got into one, I had to drive away the unreasonable fear of never getting out.