Te Iubsec...Forever.

9 Home Again

We arrived back at her condo very late. Tired, Ches wanted to stay in Siriu for the night after we hiked our way back out of the mountains, but when I saw the garage where she parked her car was still open, I insisted on driving home even if it meant I had to do the driving.

We were quiet, not unpleasant, just quiet. I was irritated and could not quite put my finger on why. It was a mood that crept in and soured my thoughts without any explanation. It was better to remain silent until I figured it out. Hangry, hungry and angry, that's how it felt, only I wasn't hungry, not really, and wasn't angry. Well, I was angry but still didn't know why. Maybe it was a disappointment? What was she hiding?

I had looked forward to the trip. When Ches insisted we travel to the mountains to see what remained of an abandoned village, I was excited. I loved a good camping and hiking trip and was even more excited that she would be with me. Old abandoned ruins? Yep! Sign me up. I loved it from the instant she suggested it. But, in my mind, the trip had been a huge letdown. Hell, driving the dark roads back to Constanța, I was even struggling to remember the journey. Weird.

I felt like I should have been thrilled. She agreed to be my wife, or did she? Was that a dream too? She was wearing the ring, so that was not a dream. She told me she loved me repeatedly, but that was yesterday. I had to get out of my head about it. She was correct; home was the place to get it all out.

All I knew was that I didn't have a good feeling, and I wasn't sure Ches was thrilled with the whole thing either. She was having second thoughts; I was sure of it. She was going to second thought me right out the door. I would look over at her occasionally. She was sunken into her seat, leaning against me. Every now and again, she would stroke my hand or my shoulder but would say nothing. But the ring, yes, was still there, and she occasionally played with it and smiled to herself.

Ches was sound asleep by the time I pulled her car through the automatic iron fence surrounding the parking lot behind her building. The motor rumbling to a stop is what woke her. She looked up at me, groggy and only half awake. I kissed the end of her nose and came around to her side to help her out.

I took her hand as she stepped out of her car. Good thing I had her, for she stumbled and was very uneasy on her feet. I slung her arm over my neck, grabbed her solidly around her waist, shut her car door with my hip, and lugged her up the stairs to her condo.

The smell inside was instantly familiar, like pressed roses and powder. It felt good to be home. I took her to the bedroom and lay her on the bed. She was borderline lethargic but managed a sweet smile and pressed her lips together for a kiss. How could I resist that? I couldn't! Whatever I felt in the car on the ride home, whatever strangeness I had going on in my head, had all faded away. The trip, only hours old, seemed like a figment of my imagination. If it weren't for the dead-tired girlfriend and the camping shit, I still had to unload out of the car; I would have no memory of it at all.

I struggled with the thoughts as I unloaded the car, strapping one pack over my shoulder and carrying the other. I ambled back to her condo and clumsily went back inside, setting the packs in the den against the wall. I needed a shower; I felt I did anyway. I started undressing as I walked slowly back to the bedroom, turning off lights as I went.

Ches was fast asleep. I whispered to her that I was going to shower, but she did not stir. She was breathing heavily. I unlaced her boots and pulled them off; still, she stirred very little. Poor thing, she must be getting sick. That was a long hike, and she kept up with me the whole time. I unzipped her pants and began wrestling them off of her. She lifted her legs slightly to help in their removal, finally, off with her shirt.

I held her up, pulled the covers back, and gently laid her head on the soft pillow. I kissed her again and retreated to the shower. The hot water was just what I needed. I stood under the shower head and let the water soak into my hair and scalp. I didn't dally too long for fear of falling asleep on my feet. I dried off in the steam of the bathroom, standing under the buzzing, glowing orange heat lamp in the ceiling.