Last Straw

Little Night Breeze

"So do you always buy drinks for random girls in the pub?" I tease him as we step back out into the night air. 

"Only the one's in feathers." He teases me in return.

"These are my pajamas actually." I retort, allowing him to lead the way. With the sun set it feels absolutely fantastic in Monaco, a little night breeze drifting off the ocean in a way New York never got. Or Canada. Or London for that matter.

"Do you always wear your pajamas out to the bar?" He turns my question on me as we near a boat dock.

Boat dock? This is taking an interesting turn. And I'm really not that great a swimmer. 

"Only the ones I look this good in." Because I know I do, regardless of his laughter about sleeping with me. He can deny it all he wants, but one look in his eyes tells me he'd go there.

Thank fuck I haven't lost it yet.

We trail down the boat docks and Max steps into a smaller black one, turning to help me in but I find myself hesitating.

Hesitation he picks up on, "It's a short ride."

My curiosity is piqued. "Where?"

His blue eyes twinkle mischievously. "It's a surprise."

"A good surprise?"

"Is there any other kind?"

"Oh yeah. I can think of a hundred bad surprises off the top of my head."

"Name one," he challenges.

"You could surprise murder me, a massive shark could jump out of the water and eat us," I rattle off a few but step onto the boat regardless. I'm in this for the long haul now. Dying to see what his idea of stress relief is that requires a literal boat journey.

"Never let anyone tell you you're an optimist." He pokes fun at me.

"Don't worry about that one darling." He tosses me another look that sends my stomach somersaulting all over again and starts up the boat.

He's right, it is a short journey. We go from one boat to another, much much larger one. I knew formula one drivers did well for themselves but this is another level entirely.

I hope it's not swimming.

No fucking way I'm jumping into the dark water right now. That's how you get eaten.

Max gives me a hand getting from his boat to his yacht and I can't hide my surprise, "This isn't where I was expecting my night to go."

I rather thought I'd be drinking alone on land.

Not that I'm complaining.

"It's pretty nice." He plays the humble card, walking through the deck straight up to the top level. Max doesn't fuck about with a tour, and as I trail after him I don't miss the jacuzzi nor the book collection.

This boat is absolutely massive and very modern, white and wood everywhere. 

It's beautiful.

But the kicker is where he takes me, a tennis court at the very top.

"Ta-da!" Max thrusts his arms out, satisfied with his surprise as if this entire boat isn't the shock and just the court.

"This is unreal." I admit to him, slipping off my shoes to go barefoot.

"Best stress relief in the world, absolutely smashing the ball." He heads for a bar I hadn't noticed behind us yet. Interesting form of stress relief but I'd rather like to combine it with my own usual form.

"Each point is a shot?" I suggest, and he pauses to grant me an approving smile.

"Pick your poison." 

Hours later, we're absolutely smashed but it turns out Mr. Verstappen knows a thing or two about stress relief after all.

All the nervous energy, annoyance and anger I had taken out on the ball.

And all the memories of it washed away with the vodka.

We are both shit at tennis but that only adds to the fun and honestly, I can't even recall the last time I laughed so much. It's pure medicine for the soul.

The clock feels like a foreign concept when you're having so much fun, but it still comes for us when streaks of orange sunlight start to paint the sky.

Holy fuck, we must have played what.. at least four hours? Four hours that felt like four minutes. There's just something about Max, the way he brings out to the most teasing, fun side to me and I to him.

At least I hope, I do suppose we barely know each other.

"The sun!" Max staggers back, just as shocked as me at the time.

"Fucking hell!" I reply, and he closes the distance between us. "This is my favorite night in Monaco ever."

"Honored," He bows as if I just knighted him and we erupt back into fits of laughter "Come out with me tonight and I'll top it."

An offer I'd never dare refuse. "Okay. Want to watch the sunrise?"

"Hell yes!" Max leads the way, both of us reeling a bit from hours of playing and drinking accompanied with very little food. The only food we ate was a pineapple we absolutely devoured that was at the bar, aside from that sticking to a liquid diet.

Not that I'm mad about it.

I'm tipsy and tired and positively glowing by the time we collapse on the sunbed on the berth of his boat. Still in my pajama's I throw myself back at a respectful distance, but Max turns to me with a confused look in his beautiful blue eyes "You're quite far away."

That I am, and he does have the only blanket. "Is this how you ask women to cuddle you?" I joke with him and slide close, grateful to share the covers. It feels like an actual movie, laying here watching the sun rise with him.

Max jokes back with me, "I usually just tell them my last name."

Unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him I swat at his arm in disapproval, "I hate you." Our laughter fades and silence falls, nothing but our breathing and the lapping of the water around us. 

"Do you believe in fate?" He asks, and the words strike a cord with me.

It feels like tonight was fated.

But maybe that's just the lack of sleep talking.

"Of course," I sigh deeply as the orange streaks turn to pink and yellow as well "Do you think we have the power to change our fates?"

Asking him a question I've pondered for years now, "I'd like to think so." He says, turning his head to meet my eye.

"But if we can change it, do we make it worse or better?" I sleep softly, the desire to sleep creeping into my voice.

"Probably both," He whispers back and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear gently.

The exhaustion of the night catches up with us and try as I might, there's no chance I'll stay awake for this whole sunrise. I don't remember half the things we talked about tonight, but I know tonight was nice. Really nice.

So I snuggle closer to him, and Max moves his arm willingly. My head fits right into his shoulder like it was crafted to do so, and an easy calm surrounds me. When I fall asleep, it's with a smile on my face.