Ripples in the Rain

Chapter Eight

I had been to Venice with Yves several times but being there with Oscar was an entirely different ball game. Yves was a seasoned playboy with a constant string of lovers around him, but somehow Oscar was more skilled in the romance department. Maybe because I sensed his sincerity. Yves knew how to charm women and his extraordinary gifts were stuff of legends but they always lacked sincerity.

When I arrived at the hotel, Oscar welcomed me at the lobby with a bouquet of roses. He couldn't have known that I had hay fever, so I sneezed all the way up to our suite. The bouquet was beautiful, and I refused when he offered to throw it away. I'd rather sneeze for hours than part with them.

Our suite was old Italian style and there was a huge poster bed in our bedroom. He took me to bed straight after he placed the flowers in the vase. The bed was massive and really comfortable. I lied down and felt like I was sleeping on a cloud.

"This place is really nice, " I said.

"Yes," he said as he kissed my mouth passionately. "I miss you so much."

"You don't really want me to continue talking, do you?"

He laughed as he pulled me up to sitting position and took off my dress.

"No, I don't," he said after he undressed me in less than five seconds. He kissed my neck and my whole body trembled. It had only been a week since the last time we were together but my body really craved his touch. We made love and then we did it again and again. I had never done anything like that before. We both seemed to have a never-ending energy reserve that day. I just needed to look at his beautiful face before my desire for him grew into an uncontrollable explosion of an emotion I had never felt before. I just wanted my body to be entwined with his, until eternity.

We spent most of the afternoon in each other's arms - watching Italian TV and drinking the champagne and eating strawberries. Those treats were just some of the things the hotel sent to our room after the manager found out that Oscar appeared in the 'Star Wars' movies. Apparently, he was a  huge fan.

He twirled my hair on his finger and said, "Do you want to go to the Rialto Markets and have a look?"

"Okay," I nodded "I'm starving. We really should grab something to eat."

The Rialto market was a bustling hub of activity. We knew it was a tourist mecca, but we didn't expect it to be this crowded. While we were looking at a fruit stand, a pair of American tourists gazed at us a little longer than what was normal and approached us.

The lady said to Oscar, "Are you that guy from 'Star Wars'?"

Oscar nodded awkwardly.

She squealed and asked, "Could I please take a picture with you?"

He said, "Okay." He was hesitant, but was unable to refuse their request.

I said to the lady, "I can take the picture of the both of you."

"Thank you," she squealed again as she handed me her phone and rushed to Oscar's side.

After I took their picture, the lady and her friend left. She looked like she just won a lottery. I understood how she felt. If I had met one of my favourite movie stars, I would feel exactly the same way. I didn't know Oscar was an actor before I met him, but now he's definitely one my favourites, up there with Michael Fassbender, who had been my favourite actor since I saw him in 'Hunger'.

Oscar and I bought a small bag of cherries, some delicious looking octopus antipasti and a few slices of fresh bread. We sat on a bench at one of the nearby piers and ate while watching the boats pass by.

"Look at that ambulance boat," Oscar pointed at the yellow and red boat with 'Ambulanza' written on the side. "Doesn't that look really cool?"

I nodded. "This place is something else, isn't it?"

"I'm glad I'm here with you." He added, "While you were in Paris, I wrote a song while sitting at one of those cafes at the Piazza San Marco."

"Did you get attacked by those birds?" I remembered the last time I was there, a huge flock of birds surrounded me while I was taking pictures of the Doge's palace.

He laughed. "No, they were happy pecking on my leftovers. I couldn't finish my plate of chips."

He handed me a memory stick and said, "While we were apart, I wrote you a song. It's in here. I recorded it yesterday."

"Wow, Oscar. I don't know what to say," I said. "I can't wait to listen to this."

"I hope it describes what I feel about you." he said. "And I hope you like it. I haven't written a song in years."

I kissed him and said, "I'm so proud of you. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me." I added, "Why don't we go back to the hotel room so you can play the song for me?"

"Now?" he said, "Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course," I answered enthusiastically. "Please, Oscar."

Oscar sat down on one of the armchairs in our hotel room, picked up his trusty guitar which always accompanied him wherever he went - and started playing his new song. The moment he began to sing, I was completely immersed in the song. His voice was incredible, almost angelic. I knew he wanted me to listen to the lyrics, but I just couldn't focus on the words. I kept thinking at how comfortable he looked with his guitar, singing. It was something he had done many times and he knew he was really good at it. And boy, he was amazing. There was nothing more attractive than a man who was in his element. And Oscar was in his element when he sang and played his guitar.

When the song finished, he put his guitar beside him and asked, "So, what do you think?"

I kissed his lips and sat on his lap after I said, "I'm sure the song is beautiful, and I promise to listen to the mp3 later, but I just couldn't focus when I saw you sing. You seemed so happy and alive. You were glowing."

He smiled. "I am happy and I feel alive. Thanks to you, I'm writing and singing again."

"I'm so glad, " I said. "Because it's just unfair to deprive the world of your talent and voice."

"I know I've said this many times, but thank you," he said. "You lifted me out of a dark place and gave my life meaning again."

My eyes began to tear up from happiness as I said, "Shut up and kiss me."