A Dance of Life

49

"So, how do you feel?" Bethany asks as she leads me back to the reception.

"Like I'm gradually descending from cloud 9," I laugh lightly. "How often can I do this?"

"Every day if you have time," she chuckles.

Before I can reply, my phone starts to ring. The sound seems louder than usual, shocking me a little, but I know the feeling would wear off and everything would return to normal.

I face away from Bethany as she goes behind the reception desk to get my receipt and pick up the phone. "Hey, are you on your way?"

"I'm actually here already," Nathan replies, his voice sounding a bit distorted. "I knew it'll take about an hour and then some."

My stomach flutters and I know it's not because of the babies. "Okay, great! I'll be out in a sec."

"The car's actually a little way off." I hear a car door slam and then a blast of a horn. "It's also pretty hot out, so I'm bringing an umbrella for you."

"Okay, see you." I hang up and smile, taking a deep breath before facing the receptionist.

She hands me the receipt, as well as some brochures. "Just in case your words don't convince others, this will help them," she informs me, a poster salesman expression on her face.

I laugh and take them from her, "Alright, but be warned, I might bring my whole family next time."

We exchange goodbyes and I push open the door to the real world. Sunlight immediately invades my eyes, blinding me for a moment. I shield my face with my hand and search for Nathan, squinting to reduce the light penetration as well.

I see him walking from my right with a black umbrella open over him, casting him in a very appealing shadow. He slows when he sees me and I walk the remaining feet to him, eager to get out of the scorching sun.

He shifts the umbrella to cover the both of us when I reach him and greets me with a smile. "How was it?"

Before I can psych myself out, I grab his face and pull him towards me, smashing our lips together as I close my eyes. I can tell that he's shocked because he hesitates for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. I wrap my hand around his shoulders, bringing him as tight as my swollen belly will allow, while he wraps his free hand around my waist. I don't care that we're in the middle of the sidewalk, right now, to me it's just the two of us, and it's more than enough.

Someone whistles and laughs, and I come to myself, moving away from him and laughing as well. Nathan looks dazed as he blinks, coming down from the shock of it. He removes his hand from behind me and runs it up my arm, bringing it to my cheek and sending shivers down my spine.

"I take it it was good, then?" He chuckles, his voice ruff.

"That's not even the half it," I say, bending my head to the side.

I bring my fingers to his face, outlining his jaw. He still hasn't shaved and the shadow from this morning is becoming more pronounced. I stroke his cheek as he leans his forehead against mine, closing his and enjoying my touch.

"What are you doing, Annelise?" He whispers, his breathing uneven.

"I don't know," I admit breathlessly. "I'm just taking you in, I guess."

He opens his eyes, and although we're in the shade, he's close enough to me for me to see all the features. Blue, green, and brown fighting for dominance, yet equal in the distribution for the left and the right.

God is really such an artist.

I close my eyes again, breathing in his cologne and feeling even closer to him. I know we can't stand on this sidewalk forever, so I savor it; the smell, the feeling, the emotion. Storing it away for later.