The First Summer of Forever

Chapter 18- Honeymooning

Belly

Two weeks had passed, and I had gotten kind of good at this whole sailing thing. I had a good teacher. Conrad won second place one year in the regatta, so he really was good. He didn't give himself enough credit, though. I had learned all the knots, and a lot of the sailing terminology. Conrad had taught me how to adjust the sails and navigate. There's no way I could do this on my own though. I think sailing is one of those things that takes years and years to learn. I'm excited to say that I look forward to that with Conrad.

We had sailed along the east coast and had planned to go all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico and sail down into the Florida Keys, our final destination being Key West. So far we had stopped at a few places along the coast every couple of days, just to do things like renew fuel, empty waste, and get some fresh fruit and vegetables.

One warm night right outside of Wilmington on the Outer Banks, we stopped at a small, desolate island and anchored up for the night. Conrad built a fire out of dead limbs and pieces of dead tree branches he found lying around. We sat by the fire listening to the soothing sounds of the island, engulfing us in its harmony. The crickets chirped while the fire crackled and we listened to the slow and steady rhythm of the gentle waves lapping on the shore. I sat with my back against Conrad, his legs framing mine, and his arms wrapped around my shoulders. I leaned my head back into his chest and looked up, watching the wisps of bright orange crackling fire float away and up into the darkness. I felt like I was born to fit here; like I was shaped and molded to fit perfectly in his embrace. Like it was home. Like I had always been here, but also like I had just arrived. The way It feels coming home after a long stay away. Like opening the door to my old room at the summerhouse and plopping down in the comfy worn-out bed for the first time that summer. The feeling was etched in my heart the way the summerhouse was etched into my mind. Always present and there waiting for me to return.

All of a sudden, those feelings ate at me. They swallowed me whole. I turned around and kissed Conrad with an urgency, my lips meeting his like a magnet. I stopped for a millisecond and realized in my haste I had all but knocked Conrad down in the sand, but he didn't mind. Within another fraction of a second, he was pulling me back in, drowning me in his warm, wet, kisses. His hands pulled me closer, and I succumbed to his touch, letting both of our desires take us where they lead and sharing our love with the stars once again. This would never get old. Never.

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The next day, we stopped in North Carolina and stayed in Wilmington for two nights at a really fancy hotel. The city reminded me of Cousins. Even though it was states away, it had that same charm that Cousins did. Little shops in town, mom and pop bakeries and bookstores, and the beautiful old houses on the coast just like our beach.

We went to dinner and dessert both nights, always at a five star restaurant that Conrad had researched ahead of time and made reservations for. I had no idea he had made all of these plans. I really thought we would just be hanging out on the boat the whole time. Conrad always had a way of surprising me in the sweetest ways.

Then, we stopped in Savannah, Georgia and stayed two nights there at another fancy hotel on the river. Both hotels had set us up in the honeymoon sweets and gave us top notch treatment. So far, the south was beautiful. The culture was slow and sweet, and the food was to die for. All the things I had heard about the south were true. The people really are so nice, and the food was unlike anything I've ever tasted. We ate at a well known restaurant in Savannah called the Pink House, which was stuffed with southern charm and amazing southern cooking. Conrad and I shared fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread. It was probably the best thing I have ever tasted, other than Susannah's bouillabaisse.

After dinner, we got ice cream at Leopold's ice cream, a cute little vintage style ice cream parlor, and then Conrad took me for a carriage ride down the streets of Savannah. It was the most romantic date he'd ever taken me on. We'd only been on a few dates that other people would count as "real", as in dinner in a 5 star restaurant and the whole night planned out with different activities. I mean, sure we'd had dates before, but Conrad was always the kind of guy who planned the best dates that were just the two of us- nowhere to be, nowhere to go. Like the time he brought hot cocoa and a blanket to my house to do some stargazing on Valentine's Day. They were always romantic, but not this fancy, per se.

We were usually the kind of people who stayed in and cuddled on the couch for a movie night. Conrad had told me to get dressed up for this date, so I did the best I could. I was wearing a simple black dress with thin straps that tied in bows on the shoulders, some strappy black heels, and some very simple gold earrings to go with my new infinity necklace and wedding ring set. Conrad was dressed sharp in his tailored charcoal suit and white shirt, unbuttoned a little at the top and tucked in.

My hair was a little wild now, from the carriage ride, but also from the riverboat ride we took earlier, around sunset. Conrad had his arm around my back in the carriage, and I let myself sink into his embrace, smelling the wonderfulness that was the classic Conrad smell. I wondered if anyone smelled their boyfriend's or husband's armpits the way I smelled Conrad's. It didn't stink, not by any stretch of the imagination. And It wasn't that I was trying to smell his armpits, it's just that's where my head always ended up being- in the crook of his arm, so when I turned towards him, I always got a huge whiff of that manly deodorant smell that was so wonderfully mixed with his pheromones to make the perfect Conrad smell.

It smelled like a pine forest by the ocean. A mixture of pine needles and sea salt. I always imagined a grove of trees on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking a dark ocean with gnarly waves. Maybe throw some spiced rum in there too. Whatever it was, it was divine. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of him, and just then, he leaned his head over to kiss my forehead. "Are you smelling my armpits?" Conrad asked me quizzically. "Er... yes...?" I said, carefully. I felt like I needed to explain myself. "It's like that's where all the Conrad smell collects and is concentrated there. I'm just taking it all in." "Belly", he said laughing, "No, yeah- but I get what you're saying. Yours collects here. Then he leaned over me and kissed me on the side of my neck.

"It's like my own brand of cocaine. I can't get enough of it."

"Really!? I'm curious, what do I smell like?"

"Um. Sweet and sour. Kind of like the sour patch kids you love."

"What?! I smell sour?!"

"Well, not necessarily sour, I guess that's not the right word. But you smell sweet- like coconuts, clean like the salty beach air, and tart, like the smell of lemon verbena."

"Oh, well that's better." I said.

"What do I smell like to you?" He asked me.

"Umm... it's gonna sound so stupid if I say it out loud."

"I don't care." He said.

"Okay. I've always thought your Conrad smell was like... like a forest of pine trees, on a rocky cliff overlooking a dark ocean. Maybe a hint of bay rum spice thrown in there somewhere. So like... kind of woodsy, fresh, salty, and spicy?"

"Oh is that all?" He laughed.

"Yeah, I think so. Hold on." I giggled as I sniffed his armpit strongly and said. "Yep, that's about it." And then Conrad kissed me- gently, sweetly, the way every girl deserves to be kissed at least once in her life. He kissed me the way he did everything else. With purpose and passion. Always the right way or not at all.