Molecule

Chapter 2: Honeymoon Island

We arrived at this beautiful island the day before yesterday, and Ezra is already completely sunburned. I applied liters of sunscreen on him, but his skin, with very little melanin, seemed to surrender to the sun. Now poor him has to sleep with wet towels to alleviate the pain. I don't think this SPF 30 sunscreen will be enough...

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"Ezra, what do you think about going to a waterfall today? This salty water is taking a toll on you... Besides, I want you to feel better for tonight," I said with a mischievous tone while caressing his chest as I brushed my teeth. "You won't escape me tonight."

"I didn't want to, sweetie... But with this coercion, it's impossible to question your plans," he replied, spitting out toothpaste foam, a little embarrassed by the intimacy we were trying to develop.

"Okay," I said, swaying my hips excessively. He shook his head, bewildered.

I went to the bed in our accommodation to pack my bag, and I heard him grumbling loudly enough to catch my attention.

"Ezra? Is everything okay, my love?!" I rushed to the bathroom and saw him covering his abdomen with his right arm. "Dear?! What happened?!"

He spat out the remaining toothpaste, rinsed his mouth with water, and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I felt a sharp pain on the right side of my abdomen... But it's gone now... It's nothing," he said, recomposing himself. My concern quickly faded away.

"Are you sure? Don't you want to stay here today and rest?" I suggested.

"Of course not, honey bun! Besides, lying down hurts, remember?" he replied so excitedly that I felt unable to insist on staying in the room.

"The last one to get in the car is the frog's wife!" I said, grabbing my beach bag from the bed and dashing out the door towards the corridor that led to the parking lot.

"You cheater!" he shouted from the room, gathering his things to follow me.

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The cold waters of Veloso waterfall did wonders for Ezra's burned back and scalp. The redness didn't diminish much, but his pain was much better, and that was what mattered most. It would be our second time tonight, and I longed for it.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as the Jeep took us back to the entrance of the private property on dry bumpy dirt roads.

"I could eat a whole cow!" he quickly replied. "What do you think about eating at that burger shop we saw earlier? It's close to the inn too, right?"

"That's perfect for me!" I confirmed. We both loved burgers, so it wouldn't be a sacrifice for either of us.

When we arrived back at our inn room, while he took a shower I chose a fresh and attractive outfit to wear with him, after all, both the days and nights in Ilhabela were very hot.

"Ready there, Ezra? You've been in the bathroom for fifteen minutes!" I called out, placing a glass of water on the kitchen counter.

I walked to the bathroom door and saw him getting up after having huddled on the shower floor.

"Is everything okay, love? Is it the pain again?" I asked, opening the sliding door of the shower and placing my right hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, love, it's nothing... It must be a damn kidney stone. Those annoying things, you know?" he replied, taking my hand and kissing it.

"Okay... If you think it's better, let's go to the doctor, alright? It's no problem to go to the doctor on our honeymoon, okay?" I explained to him that it wouldn't be a problem for this special week.

Shortly after, he left the bathroom, and I entered. Under that cold shower, it felt like smoke was coming out of my body from the heat I was feeling. I allowed myself to stand under the shower for a few minutes without doing anything, just cooling my head.

Being married was a dream come true for me, it was what I had always dreamed of. Although we had known each other for only seven months, we knew from the first encounter that we would be together for a long time. And this feeling hadn't been present with any other man, and he, by the way he treated me, shared the same feeling. It wasn't just reciprocal; it was love. It was the kind of feeling we identified in the smallest and simplest gestures. I wasn't perfect, but I was protective, and I wanted him well, healthy, and happy. In fact, that's precisely why we decided to be together—we were, and still are, very happy together.

"Hey, love! Am I going to have to fetch you from that shower?" I heard Ezra call me, already a little impatient.

"Relax, cutie! I'm getting gorgeous just for you!"

"Come on already! The candle is going to melt completely!" he shouted from the room, eagerly.

"A candle? I can't believe he did that! How sweet!" I thought to myself.

I quickly left the bathroom and found the room completely decorated with red and white rose petals, aromatic candles scattered around, and a beautiful sheet that he probably bought for the occasion, and of course, he was waiting for me.

"The white petals symbolize the purity of our love," he said, affectionate.

"And the red ones?" I asked, intrigued, as I let the towel drop.

"The red ones symbolize the heat," he replied, with a smug smile. I surrendered completely.