A Love Like Ours

by Micalea Smeltzer

  “Ollie,” I scold, pushing away from him.

  He cackles and the gum he was chewing on nearly falls out of his mouth. I’m glad he finds himself so amusing.

  I storm away to the beach and his laughter only grows in volume.

  I’m not really that mad, but I’d rather not egg him on.

  “Come on, baby, it was a joke,” he calls after me, and I can hear him lumbering behind.

  I squeal out in surprise when his arms wind around me and he spins me through the air. I kick my legs, urging him to put me down, but he keeps spinning until he becomes too busy to keep us upright and we fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs. I roll off of him and into the sand, breathing heavily.

  Ollie leans over, hovering above me. “Hi.” His lips lift slowly into a wide smile.

  “Hi?” I repeat. “That’s all you’ve got?”

  “Hey.” He kisses the end of my nose and stands, holding out his hand to help me up. Once I’m standing, he slings his arm over my shoulder and we walk side by side down the beach. Raphael and his friends are far ahead of us and keep glancing back to see if we’re coming.

  “Hey isn’t much better,” I joke as we walk.

  Ollie snaps his gum and grins down at me. “Any better ideas?”

  “Hmm.” I pretend to think. “Maybe you could not act like such a disgusting little boy all the time.” I try to sound mad, but it’s impossible to keep the laughter from my tone.

  “But you love that I’m a boy.” He grabs at his crotch and wags his brows.

  “Oh, God.” My laughter tapers off. “I should’ve never said anything.”

  We finally catch up to Raphael and the other guys and they watch us with interest.

  “Ignore my boyfriend,” I tell them. “He’s an idiot.”

  “Fiancé,” he corrects.

  I shake my head. “Right. Fiancé.” The word sounds so strange on my tongue. In the last few years, marriage is one of those things that I neglected to think about. It wasn’t important to me. Not that I don’t like the idea of being married to Ollie, but I don’t need it.

  “Already forgot we’re getting married.” He clicks his tongue and shakes his head so his blond curls bounce. “Maybe we should rethink this whole thing,” he jokes.

  “Um …” Raphael says worriedly.

  “He’s kidding,” I tell him. “I think,” I add.

  Ollie grins. “Definitely kidding, but I need to get a ring on this girl’s finger so she doesn’t forget again.”

  I shake my head.

  Raphael’s brows furrow in confusion. “You … uh … asked her to marry you and you did not have a ring?”

  “No …” Ollie hedges. “It was a spur of the moment thing.”

  “You must plan these things,” Raphael scolds him, and I hold in my laughter while Ollie frowns like a reprimanded child. “A woman deserves that. Especially the woman you love.”

  Ollie looks down at me with a sad look. “He’s right. I’m sorry.”

  I laugh. “I don’t need a ring. You know I don’t care.”

  “Still,” he says softly. “You deserve something.”

  I point a finger at him. “Do not even think about tearing out a lock of your hair and asking me to wear it, because that’s just weird.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “I wasn’t, but that’s a good idea.” He presses his lips together and thinks for a minute. “Maybe we should each braid a piece of hair to symbolize our impending union.”

  I cover my face with my hands.

  “I’m serious, Tal.” He coaxes my hands away from my face.

  “I know.” I laugh. “That’s what amuses me.”

  Raphael clears his throat, interrupting our chat. “The cave is this way. We are very close if you’d like to see.”

  “Yeah, Ollie,” I pretend to scold, “we’re holding them up. They don’t want to hang out with us.”

  Ollie frowns. “Why not? We’re awesome.”

  I pat his chest. “Keep telling yourself that.”

  Raphael and his friends chuckle. “You are … uh … very cute.” He points to each of us.

  “Did you hear that, Tal?” Ollie grins from ear to ear. “We’re cute.”

  “Shall we have that printed on shirts?”

  “I’d wear it.”

  I don’t doubt he would.

  Raphael, Filipe, and Mario start walking again so we follow.

  The sand here is thicker than back home and more yellow in color than I’ve seen anywhere. Against the blue-green color of the ocean, it’s striking.

  We round the corner and step beneath a natural stone arch. Only it’s not an arch, it’s the cave. It extends above us and around, dropping into the water. There’s a round opening in the ceiling letting sunlight filter down. And instead of being enclosed it has several arches that dip into the ground and back up and down again. Almost like the cave is rolling like the waves.

  I’m speechless, and from the silence beside me, I’d say Ollie is too.

  I saw pictures online, but none of them did this place justice. Its beauty is found in its imperfections—the cracks and dents and holes.

  Raphael smiles, pleased by our reaction.

  “It’s beautiful.” I finally manage to speak. The ocean tide moves in and out between the natural archways. There are several large rocks scattered around and people sit on them, chatting or snapping pictures if they’re tourists.

  “It’s so easy to forget that places like this exist in the world,” Ollie says, looking around. “We get so caught up in the everyday, in what’s right in front of us, that we forget to explore. We miss out in so much, because too many of us isolate ourselves. This trip …” He pauses. “I can’t imagine now, never getting to experience this.”

  “Me either,” I agree. I’m still astounded by the sheer size and beauty of this. When I think of a cave I automatically think of something dark, with stalagmites hanging from the ceiling, but not this. This is a work of art, only it’s not art, it’s real.

  Raphael and his friends head further away, leaving Ollie and me alone.

  He reaches for my hand and I give it to him gladly. He pulls me further into the cave until we reach an empty rock. He sits down and pulls me into the space between his legs. I let out a small, happy sigh and lean against his chest. His solid form closes in around me, his arms forming a cocoon. A moment later, I feel him rest his chin on top of my head.

  The pain I’ve felt in my heart since that day almost a year ago has overshadowed so many moments since then, but right now I feel nothing but peace and happiness—and that’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received.

  We spent the whole day yesterday with Raphael and his friends, and even made plans to meet up today before we split off to go our separate ways for dinner.

  “I wonder what Raphael wants to show us,” I comment, blow-drying my hair straight.

  Ollie’s in the bedroom getting ready and he speaks loud enough for me to hear. “No idea. He wouldn’t say, but if it’s anything like the cave yesterday then it must be pretty fucking cool.”

  I finish with my hair and opt to leave it down instead of gathering it back since I took the time to actually make it look nice. I coat some mascara onto my lashes and swipe some gloss onto my lips.

  A knock sounds on the door and I pause, my hand halfway back to my makeup case.

  Ollie’s steps thud across the floor—he’s always been a heavy walker—and he opens the door. Words are exchanged, but it’s too muffled for me to hear.

  Ollie steps into the bathroom and holds up a plain white envelope.

  “I think we got our tickets to our next adventure.”

  I smile and clap my hands together. “Open it,” I plead. “I want to know where we’re going.”

  He shakes his head. “Let’s make a guess first.”

  “Okay,” I agree. “Where do you think we’re going?”

  His lips purse as he thinks. “London.”

  “I want to say Paris
,” I begin, “but so far he’s sent us to more to places on the coast … so … maybe Greece.”

  “Would you like to do the honors?” He holds the envelope out to me.

  I nod eagerly and take it from him. My chipped blue polish stands out against the crisp white of the envelope. I open it slowly and peer inside. I lift the tickets out and squint to read the fine print.

  “Does that say …?” He pauses, not sure if he’s reading it right.

  “Venice!” I cry out excitedly, throwing my arms around his shoulders. “We’re going to Italy.”

  Like Machu Picchu, I’ve wanted to go to Venice forever. It’s always been in my top five places to see. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it around Liam, but if I did, I’m shocked he remembered such a small detail.

  Ollie hugs me back and sets me down, and I sway unsteadily on my feet.

  “Oh.” I press a hand to my forehead.

  His large hands settle on my waist, holding me steady. “Talia?” he asks softly. “What’s wrong?”

  The moment passes as quickly as it came. “I’m fine.” He looks at me skeptically. “I mean it,” I add. “I think I’m just hungry.”

  He still looks like he doesn’t believe me and I guess I can’t blame him since I haven’t felt quite right since we left Costa Rica. It’s hard to explain to him how I’m feeling though when I don’t even understand it. I don’t feel sick but I don’t feel right. My best guess is that it’s a mixture of exhaustion and not eating enough.

  Ollie backs away toward the bedroom. “We’ll get breakfast and then meet Raphael at that address he gave me.” He pulls the note out of his pocket with the address scrawled across it in Raphael’s messy handwriting.

  I nod before he disappears fully. I finish in the bathroom and then change out of my robe into a bikini with a pair of loose cotton shorts with small white dangly pom-poms on the legs and a tank top.

  We head down to the lobby of the hotel and then out onto the street. Since there are so many eating areas nearby we opt to try something different from yesterday.

  It’s a larger building than yesterday’s and not as busy. We grab a seat inside and place our order.

  My stomach rumbles as we wait.

  Ollie notices and his lips twitch. “Don’t even think about eating your food and trying to snag mine too,” he warns.

  When I’m really hungry, I’ve been noted for taking his food too. But hey, a girl’s gotta eat.

  “No promises,” I chirp.

  Our food is placed in front of us a few minutes later. I ordered some type of egg sandwich. The bread is thick and it’s piled high with egg, tomato, and some kind of seafood. It sounds gross but it smells amazing. Decorating the side of the plate is a few orange slices and I go straight for those.

  “Oh, man,” I moan. “I’d give anything for some orange juice. Do they have orange juice? I should’ve asked,” I say to Ollie.

  Ollie raises his hand, calling over our waitress.

  “Do you have orange juice?” he asks her.

  She nods. “It’s fresh.”

  I suppress another moan at just the thought of the orange juice.

  “She’d love to have someone.” He tells her for me since apparently I’ve lost the ability to speak.

  She smiles in acknowledgement and goes to get the juice.

  I finish with my orange slices and tear into my sandwich before she returns. When she sets it down, I reach for it greedily, dropping my sandwich on the plate where it falls apart.

  Ollie laughs at me but I ignore him, gulping down the orange juice. The waitress watches me with wide eyes and picks up the empty glass when I set it down.

  “I take it you’ll want another?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone drink orange juice that fast,” he comments. “Do you have a sugar rush?”

  “It’s really good orange juice,” I defend, putting my sandwich back together. “You should get some.”

  “Would I actually be able to drink it?” His lips lift into a smirk as he appraises me. “Or would you snatch it from my hands before I can even get the glass to my lips?”

  “I’m not a heathen,” I mumble, taking a bite of my sandwich. It’s good, but not nearly as good as the juice and orange slices.

  The waitress returns with another glass and I eye it, wanting to snatch it up and drink it but scared to make a spectacle of myself again. I manage to refrain, but only because Ollie keeps giving me side eye, waiting for me to grab it.

  I take another bite of my sandwich before picking up the glass. I force myself to only have two small swallows and put the glass down. It’s an effort. The juice is sweet with a slight tang, and I honestly think it’s the best orange juice I’ve ever had.

  We finish our breakfast and I ask if I can have a cup of orange juice to take with me. Ollie looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I probably have. I’ve never drank so much orange juice at one time in my entire life.

  The waitress returns with a plastic cup of juice and we pay our bill. Ollie asks her for directions to the address Raphael gave us and it turns out it’s not too far from here so we won’t have to take a taxi.

  Ollie and I walk hand in hand down the street. It’s a sunny day with only a few fluffy white clouds dotting the blue sky. A light breeze blows around us, stirring up my hair around my shoulders.

  A year ago at this time we were the happiest we’d ever been. Everything, for once in our lives, seemed to be perfect. We had no idea the hell we were about to go through and how it would affect us.

  But standing here, right now, I can say that I feel happy.

  I feel like me again.

  I don’t know if I could say that if we hadn’t gotten this opportunity to get away from home for a bit. I owe Liam a lot. He might’ve thought he was only giving us a trip, but he gave us so much more. He gave us our lives back.

  I’m not saying I’m healed because I will always have a place in my heart where our baby belongs, but I finally feel ready to move on with my life. To stop being stuck on pause.

  The address we were given turns out to be a bakery and Raphael comes outside when he sees us approach. Filipe follows behind him but Mario isn’t with them today.

  Raphael spreads his arms out wide, like he’s encompassing the whole city, when he says, “Are you ready to see Pego do Inferno?”

  “Lego de whataco?” Ollie mutters, his brows furrowing in confusion.

  Raphael laughs. “Pego do Inferno,” he repeats. “It is a waterfall. A small waterfall, but it is still a waterfall. Very beautiful. You will see.”

  He motions for us to follow him and we end up in his Jeep. I know it’s not a Jeep, but since it looks like one and I don’t know what else to call it, it’s what I’m going with.

  The vehicle is open on the top and sides, and my hair whips in my face as we drive. I’m now regretting my decision to not wear it back. It’s going to be twisted into a thousand knots and impossible to brush by the time we stop.

  The drive is about an hour, and by the time we arrive, I feel like I’m going to be sick. I hold a hand to my stomach, looking out the window. I try to play it off as best I can, but I’m sure Ollie picks up on the stiffness in my posture.

  Raphael slams on the brakes, parking in a grassy area. I groan and close my eyes, breathing out through my nose.

  The last thing I need to do is throw up in this guy’s car. He might be nice but we’ve only known him a day so I don’t think he’d take too kindly to that.

  The guys file out of the car, Ollie included, and I count to five before following them.

  My stomach continues to roll but it’s better now that I’m not in the moving vehicle.

  I linger behind the guys, following them through a thicket of trees and shrubbery.

  Ollie glances back at me repeatedly over his shoulder and I give him a reassuring smile.

  I wish I hadn’t drank all my juice in the car ride now. I feel sure if I had some
it would make this feeling go away—then again, all the juice might be the root of the problem.

  The trees open up and we step into a clearing. There’s a natural body of water like a swimming pool, leading to the waterfall. Raphael was right, it is small—but it’s still beautiful. The natural pool is surrounded on three sides by stones and trees. The waterfall shoots out of the stones about twenty feet high. The water is a bright green color, like it’s reflecting the color of all the leaves on the trees. Several people swim in the water already, laughing and splashing each other. Others sit on the ground by the water, chatting or eating. There’s a peacefulness that fills the air. Like this place sees nothing but happiness. It’s untainted with sadness and suffering or even anger. Every person I look at boasts a smile on their face. Maybe the water has some sort of magical powers that make people happy all the time.

  “I’m going in,” Ollie declares. He hooks his thumbs into the back of his shirt and yanks it over his head. He tosses it toward the ground, not paying attention, and it lands on a person’s head.

  “Oh, my God,” I cry, running forward.

  Ollie’s already dashed into the water like a mad man and still hasn’t realized what happened.

  I grab his shirt off the poor woman and clasp it against my chest. “I’m so sorry,” I tell her.

  She gives me a disgruntled look and mumbles something in her native language. It would probably translate to something like stupid kids.

  I sigh and take a seat on the grass. Raphael and Filipe have gotten into the water like Ollie and they swim around, speaking to each other.

  Ollie floats on his back and spits out a stream of water then shoots straight up before landing on his face.

  “Look, Tal!” he calls, getting my attention even though he already had it. He gets more water in his mouth and does the same thing again. “I’m a whale!”

  I laugh and shake my head. “You’re probably going to get a disease from that water and die,” I joke. “It was nice knowing you.”

  He straightens and lifts his arms above his head. “Get in!” he yells and splashes the water. A kid nearby glares at him when some droplets land on him.