The FINAL installment. Bon Apetite!
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open to the air-conditioned interior of an airplane. Her head was resting on Robert's shoulder and his head was resting on hers. But she was suddenly wide-awake and impatient to move. With her hand on Robert's neck she edged away allowing his head to fall onto her shoulder. He moaned in his sleep but didn't wake. Elizabeth giggled silently and kissed his forehead.
"It doesn't get much better than this." He kissed her neck and trailed a line of kisses until he found her mouth.
"Oh, good, you're awake. I was getting bored." She whispered when he stopped for a breath.
He grinned at her. "I still can't believe I'm here."
"Maybe you're still dreaming."
"I have no wish to wake up then." He kissed her cheek chastely.
The cab stopped on the side of the road.
"Thanks." Robert said and paid the driver.
"Where are we?" Elizabeth asked, picking up her bag.
"No, leave that. He'll drop them at the place we're staying. And you might as well leave your shoes behind as well." She just looked at him quizzically. "We're walking along the beach – it's the best angle to come from."
"Okay." She slipped off her sandals and put them in her handbag. "I'm all yours."
"Excellent." He winked at her making her laugh. The cab drove off as he led her down a sandy path to the beach. The smell of salt and the sound of lapping waves met them seconds before the stunning sunset reflected on the ocean grabbed their eyes. Elizabeth stopped awestruck. Robert grinned at the intended affect and slipped his arm around her waist.
"It's silly, I know, but it feels like all this is just for us." Elizabeth said pulling him closer.
"Sounds good to me." He took her hand and pulled her further down the beach. Hand in hand they walked. Talking sometimes but mostly in an awestruck, companionable silence.
"You know, when you said the south of France, I thought you were kidding." She smiled lightly.
"Well, it is a bit of a cliché." He squeezed her hand.
"You always struck me as one to go against the grain."
He laughed, she was right. "The thing is I always wanted to come here – I kind of promised myself I was if I could ever afford it – my measure of success or something. I always wanted to go on holiday when I was a kid but we couldn't afford it, and one year I asked and mom's current boyfriend said, 'yah, sure, I'll get my housekeeper to set up the villa in the south of France.' For a second I thought he was serious. Maybe I just wanted to prove him wrong, but I started saving as soon as I started working and then I visited and I just fell in love with the place. Then I spent the next ten years paying for it." He laughed.
"What happened?"
"I bought a villa." He stopped on the beach and turned away from the ocean, looking up at a stunning home.
"Are you serious?" she looked at him then followed his line of sight to his house.
"Yup." He took her hand and led her up the beach.
The cold sand gave way beneath her feat with each anticipating step. "This is yours?" she swallowed her disbelief in wonder.
"Ours." He let her go ahead of him up the steps to the patio. At the tops she turned. The sun had just dipped below the horizon but what she could see was about as good as it got – the moonlit beach and Robert's careful steps toward her. "What do you think?" he stopped in front of her, not quite touching her.
"I can't think." She smiled.
"Wait till you see the view from our bedroom at dawn." He grinned back but didn't move.
"Well…" she was impatient to see inside.
"What? Oh, you want to see inside?"
She poked him in the ribs as he stepped away and unlocked the door.
"I'd carry you, but-" he began before she crossed the space between them and put her fingers to his lips with a look that took his breath away.
"Can we take the grand tour tomorrow? It's been a long day."
He nodded and silently took her hand and led her up the stairs. He pushed the bedroom door open with his prosthetic hand – its tap against the wood shocking them both in the silence.
Elizabeth laughed nervously then stopped to face him, "take it off tonight."
He nodded, lifting his hand to her face, "it's just us tonight".
"Good." She bit her lip and just stood there, her hands resting comfortably on his hips, contentedly smiling into his eyes. Then slowly she stepped backwards, pulling him with her, until the backs of her legs were touching the bed. Now he was grinning. She started unbuttoning his shirt.
"I'm completely lost Lizzie." He took her hand.
"That makes two of us."
Ta da! The ACTUAL end. Finito (I'm sure that means the end in some language) Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Keep writing all of you – you rock!
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open to the air-conditioned interior of an airplane. Her head was resting on Robert's shoulder and his head was resting on hers. But she was suddenly wide-awake and impatient to move. With her hand on Robert's neck she edged away allowing his head to fall onto her shoulder. He moaned in his sleep but didn't wake. Elizabeth giggled silently and kissed his forehead.
"It doesn't get much better than this." He kissed her neck and trailed a line of kisses until he found her mouth.
"Oh, good, you're awake. I was getting bored." She whispered when he stopped for a breath.
He grinned at her. "I still can't believe I'm here."
"Maybe you're still dreaming."
"I have no wish to wake up then." He kissed her cheek chastely.
The cab stopped on the side of the road.
"Thanks." Robert said and paid the driver.
"Where are we?" Elizabeth asked, picking up her bag.
"No, leave that. He'll drop them at the place we're staying. And you might as well leave your shoes behind as well." She just looked at him quizzically. "We're walking along the beach – it's the best angle to come from."
"Okay." She slipped off her sandals and put them in her handbag. "I'm all yours."
"Excellent." He winked at her making her laugh. The cab drove off as he led her down a sandy path to the beach. The smell of salt and the sound of lapping waves met them seconds before the stunning sunset reflected on the ocean grabbed their eyes. Elizabeth stopped awestruck. Robert grinned at the intended affect and slipped his arm around her waist.
"It's silly, I know, but it feels like all this is just for us." Elizabeth said pulling him closer.
"Sounds good to me." He took her hand and pulled her further down the beach. Hand in hand they walked. Talking sometimes but mostly in an awestruck, companionable silence.
"You know, when you said the south of France, I thought you were kidding." She smiled lightly.
"Well, it is a bit of a cliché." He squeezed her hand.
"You always struck me as one to go against the grain."
He laughed, she was right. "The thing is I always wanted to come here – I kind of promised myself I was if I could ever afford it – my measure of success or something. I always wanted to go on holiday when I was a kid but we couldn't afford it, and one year I asked and mom's current boyfriend said, 'yah, sure, I'll get my housekeeper to set up the villa in the south of France.' For a second I thought he was serious. Maybe I just wanted to prove him wrong, but I started saving as soon as I started working and then I visited and I just fell in love with the place. Then I spent the next ten years paying for it." He laughed.
"What happened?"
"I bought a villa." He stopped on the beach and turned away from the ocean, looking up at a stunning home.
"Are you serious?" she looked at him then followed his line of sight to his house.
"Yup." He took her hand and led her up the beach.
The cold sand gave way beneath her feat with each anticipating step. "This is yours?" she swallowed her disbelief in wonder.
"Ours." He let her go ahead of him up the steps to the patio. At the tops she turned. The sun had just dipped below the horizon but what she could see was about as good as it got – the moonlit beach and Robert's careful steps toward her. "What do you think?" he stopped in front of her, not quite touching her.
"I can't think." She smiled.
"Wait till you see the view from our bedroom at dawn." He grinned back but didn't move.
"Well…" she was impatient to see inside.
"What? Oh, you want to see inside?"
She poked him in the ribs as he stepped away and unlocked the door.
"I'd carry you, but-" he began before she crossed the space between them and put her fingers to his lips with a look that took his breath away.
"Can we take the grand tour tomorrow? It's been a long day."
He nodded and silently took her hand and led her up the stairs. He pushed the bedroom door open with his prosthetic hand – its tap against the wood shocking them both in the silence.
Elizabeth laughed nervously then stopped to face him, "take it off tonight."
He nodded, lifting his hand to her face, "it's just us tonight".
"Good." She bit her lip and just stood there, her hands resting comfortably on his hips, contentedly smiling into his eyes. Then slowly she stepped backwards, pulling him with her, until the backs of her legs were touching the bed. Now he was grinning. She started unbuttoning his shirt.
"I'm completely lost Lizzie." He took her hand.
"That makes two of us."
Ta da! The ACTUAL end. Finito (I'm sure that means the end in some language) Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Keep writing all of you – you rock!