Mad Seasons

29. ... Miami! (Very Long Chapter)

After relaxing together in the large bathtub, we had ordered our dinner, which was served to us in the suite. We had eaten at the kitchen counter, chatting and laughing about our adventure in the swamp, among other things. As he continued to take great pleasure in teasing me, I had jokingly warned him that he'd be sleeping on his own. He had smiled, thinking I wouldn't carry out my gentle little threat.

"How am I going to get to sleep?"

His face had then formed this pouty, falsely sad pout before I replied that it didn't work with me. As I was swallowing a piece of feta from my Greek salad, he'd brought his face closer to mine in an attempt to make amends and had begun stroking his cheek against mine. I had then played at acting indifferent without, however, pushing him away.

"Can I have a taste?" he had asked me in a soft voice.

I had looked at him, stretching a smile before answering no. His lips then had moved to the hollow of my neck, where he had nibbled lightly before tickling my earlobe. This had made me smile, then laugh as the tickle had become more pronounced. Of course, I didn't hold it against him. His tactic of intimate rapprochement might have worked, but I'd decided to resist. Not succumbing had been difficult, but it had enabled us to go to bed relatively early. It was 11:28pm. I remember looking at my watch.

I had set the alarm for 6:00 am. As we wanted to get there before the early afternoon, we had decided to get up very early while taking the bath the day before. I must admit, I could have done with more sleep.

When the alarm went off, I opened my eyes with difficulty and pressed the button after turning to the bedside table. I stretched in bed for seven seconds, then got up and walked over to the window, where I drew the blackout curtains. The sky had turned a pale blue, signalling that dawn would be breaking in a few minutes.

In the distance, I could make out a few lights shining from a few apartment windows in a block of apartments. Some people had already got up for work or school and were probably already having breakfast or getting dressed or showering or just leaving. I'd always been intrigued by people's morning routines, imagining how they felt, what they really wanted to do on this new day instead of finding themselves, more often than not, sitting behind their desks, prisoners of a sometimes thankless and tedious administrative job. I felt for them. It was both strange and silly, no doubt, but I found it really intriguing. I put myself in their shoes, often empathizing with these brave people who were facing again their daily routine.

Then I opened the window and briefly enjoyed the fresh morning air. A minute or two later, I headed for the bathroom, the one with the bathtub. I emerged at 6:55 wearing a bathrobe that had been provided, and only underneath wore new lingerie. It didn't take me long to get dressed; faded jeans, a slightly pale pink tee-shirt with a slightly wide neckline, which was printed with a butterfly and underneath it read; Self Love Club, whose letters were in a gradient blue color. It was a bit Miami. I took a long floral-print cardigan that had a bohemian style, with long sleeves that I really liked. Lightweight but suitable for the cool morning air and not bulky. The mercury there could climb to 27 degrees. The best thing was to dress accordingly.

We had stored our shoes in a specially-designed cupboard in the entrance hallway. It was more practical than taking a new pair out of the suitcase. I'd opted for canvas sneakers, printed with tiare flowers. I thought they were pretty and original for brand-name sneakers bought on sale. I jumped at the chance. And they were comfortable for walking. When I left the room, breakfast had been laid out on the kitchen counter and I was stunned. I gasped when I felt arms wrapped around my waist.

"Sleep well?" a soft, rested voice whispered to me.

A smile played on my lips, pleasantly surprised to see what had been served.