“Hmm. I don’t suppose any of that is really important though. Not when we’re sat here. Enjoying life. I mean just look at this place. It’s something or nothing, but the location… and the company of course. It’s all I need.”
“Yeah. It is.” She laid her head on his shoulder, the diagonal view of paradise not diminishing one iota.
“So we’re still gonna have time to go to Ibiza regularly. Aren’t we?”
“Yes of course. Might need a bit of London time to begin with. Just to get things settled. But it’s really not that far away. We can just hop on a plane anytime.”
“So what are we going to do with you and planes, anyway? You surely can’t keep getting all stressed about it the way you do?”
“I know. I know it’s irrational, but…”
“Look, why don’t we try to beat this thing together, step by step. How about we start with the flight home? You keeping your eyes open when we take off, and if that goes okay, try the same when we land.”
“I’ll try…but I’m not promising anything.”
“Okay Angel.” Rubbing the back of his hands where she scarred him with her fingernails. Digging them in with all her might in response to the tension she felt when taking off and landing. “But it’s either that, or you wear gloves.”
She glared at him. “It’s a real fear I have you know. Life and death. I’m not making it up to cause a scene. I’m no drama queen you know.”
“I know Angel. I’m not saying you are. Believe me, there’s nothing to be worried about and we have to fly too often for you to get worked up about it the way you do every time. I just think it would be a good idea if we try and get this phobia under control, and the sooner the better.”
She knew she was being narky and didn’t want it to ruin the moment, so she changed the subject. “So what’s this expedition we’re going on tomorrow, anyway? Am I going to like it?”
Chapter Seventeen
“There won’t be any sharks will there?”
“No, they can’t get onto the reef.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Jags said this was a safe place to snorkel. Even his kids come here.”
Believing him she waded in, sucking in her waist as the water deepened and cooled her sunburnt stomach.
“What’s that then?” She pointed nervously at a small grey fin protruding from the water.
“Don’t worry about that, it’s just a baby shark.”
“Baby shark? A baby shark is still a shark. Anyway, don’t baby sharks have mummy sharks?” She had seen enough and turned around, starting to wade back to shore. Her arms pumping frantically above water to hasten the speed of her flipper encumbered legs.
“Eliza come back, don’t worry they’re not harmful. Promise. They’re not interested in anything bigger than a small fry. The fully grown ones can’t swim onto the reef. It’s too shallow for them.” He grabbed her hand to stop her from going any further. “Put your mask on. You can look under the water then and see what’s really there.”
“Humph.” She quietly protested. “Shouldn’t we have instructors or something. Someone with experience telling us what to do.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that difficult. Really. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”
They stood on the sea bed, pulled the masks down and adjusted the snorkels.
Just before he kicked his feet up from the sandy base, Jonny put his thumbs up. Eliza returned the gesture.
Putting their masked faces first into the water, they entered the magical world of the reef.
Bright yellow sunlight from above filtering through the crystal clear waters. Parrot fish weaving in and out of the coral that adorned the seabed. A shoal of squid floated by and through the shaft of light, looking like they had descended from another planet. A starfish crept along the sand, flicking each dark orange leg up in turn; the little tentacles on the underside of each limb twitching manically.
When a huge sea turtle swam by, Eliza panicked, sucked in a mouth full of water and hurriedly kicked up to the surface, coughing and spluttering.
Jonny followed her, grabbing the top of her thighs and pushing her up out of the water so her lungs where free to gasp air.
“You ok?”
Nodding. “Did… you… see… it…? Sucking in air in between each word.
“Yeah, it was awesome.”
Once her breathing returned to normal he lowered her back down.
“Ready to go again?”
“Yeah.”
She kicked her flippers to push down into the depths of the reef towards the sea sponges and fire coral.
Jonny tugged on her arm, pointing ahead of him, in a different direction to the one she was swimming. She followed him.
A sting ray fluttered out of the bottom of the sea bed, kicking up sand and clouding the water. It’s two metre tail flicking around behind it. They waited until it floated off in the opposite direction. Its wings calmly rippling.
They moved forward again and out of the murkiness Eliza could just see what looked like a decaying wooden structure.
She swam towards it. Mostly covered in coral it was hard to make out, but she felt sure it was a shipwreck of some sort. She looked around at Jonny, who swam past her and up to it; halting for a second before entering in through a gap in the bow. It had listed onto one side, the stern eaten up by the sea floor many years ago.
She followed him through, stopping at his side. He beckoned for her to go ahead.
She swam further in, feeling her way along the side, then kicked down with her legs to go up through the broken wooden deck to the surface.
He emerged next to her, frog kicking to keep himself afloat. “You ok?”
She nodded and removed her snorkel. “Yep, just needed some air. That’s really cool. Is it a shipwreck?”
“Think so. Are you going back down to explore it?”
She nodded as she refitted her snorkel and mask.
They meandered through the wreck, pointing at various items. A starfish here. A rusted, barnacle covered anchor there. Until Eliza spotted something glistening in the filtered sunlight. She pointed repeatedly to it.
Jonny shrugged, so she went to see what it was. It was golden in colour, partly covered in sand and wedged under a large post from the wreckage.
She tugged at it. Lifting what seemed like a handle at one end and pulled again. It started to free. Sand billowing up, making small fish dart out of the way.
She looked around at Jonny for help, indicating to the post that was wedging it down. He lifted the post up and she yanked again. This time it moved about a foot. Letting go of the post it silently settled back down on the sea bed. He took the other handle and helped her bring, what now seemed like, a casket to the surface.
She pushed the mask and snorkel up onto her forehead and gasped for breath. Sneezing several times at the sea water that had gone up her nose.
Jonny took the casket from her, balancing it on his chest as they swam closer to the shore. Eliza tested the depth, spluttering as the water engulfed her nose and mouth once more. He took hold of her hand, casket in the other, steering them back on course with his feet. Finally, they could walk on the bottom of the sea and waded the rest of the way.
As soon as the water was shallow enough they sat down, ripping off their flippers and masks.
“What have you found?” Jonny gasped.
“Not sure? Do you think it’s treasure?” An excited but nervous look on her face.
She brushed the sand off the casket and examined the lock.
“I don’t think it’s locked. Shall we open it?”
Jonny nodded.
“It won’t budge. Will you try?”
He pulled on the small clasp but nothing.
“Think we need something to pry it open with. Come on.”
She picked it up and carried it over to some rocks. Jonny following her with the snorkeling gear.
“What can we use?”
&nb
sp; “Here try this.” Jonny passed her the buckle from one of the flippers.
She forced it in-between the lid and the base and twisted.
It parted slightly.
Gripping the top and the bottom she prised the lid open. Looking at Jonny with wide eyes.
“Wow. There’s stuff inside here.”
Her heart was racing. Fancy them finding treasure. Pirate treasure?
She pulled out the first item, a small opaque bottle with a tiny cork. It looked antique. She rubbed the side of it and peered in.
“A note. There’s a note inside. Look Jonny.” Pushing the bottle up to his face.
“Open it up then. See if there’s anything written on it.”
She dug her fingernails into the cork and started pulling.
“Do you think we should? I mean is this okay to do?”
“Yeah of course it is,” he reassured her.
She continued pulling. Eventually a piece of cork came off under her nail.
“Shit. I’m gonna destroy this.”
“Why don’t you try pushing it in instead.”
“Good idea!”
He handed her the buckle again. This time she used the pin to push down on the cork. It moved. She pushed again and it disappeared past the neck and into the middle of the rolled up note. Using the pin again, she pulled the note to the top and pinched it out with her fingers.
“What does it say?” Jonny asked eagerly.
“It looks like a love note. It says:
My love,
My only,
My one true Angel.
Her voice faltered. She carried on reading as if just to herself.
You light up my life,
Every day and every night.
My heart is forever yours.
Our lives entwined on a path laid down by fate.
Angel, be my love for ever more.
“Angel? Why does it…”
She stopped mid-sentence, her hand drawn to the other item in the casket.
A clam shell.
Her hand hovered over it.
Mesmerised.
She drew her hand away slightly before plunging back towards it.
Clutching at it she pulled it towards her face. Now she could see that there was a small gold hinge and a tiny clasp. She pushed the hook from the eye of the clasp and prised the shell open with the buckle.
Nestled in the middle, secured in a groove of a small leather bound cushion, was a ring. A sparkling, beautiful, meaningful ring.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she took in a quavering breath before turning to Jonny who had pushed up onto his knees in front of her.
“Eliza, my Angel. Will you marry me?”
She was dumbstruck. Her mouth fell open, tears trickling unchecked down her cheeks. She gasped and then tried to compose herself, brushing away the tears with the back of her hand.
“I…this…was never supposed to…happen to me.” Gasps of joy sobbed out of her.
“Yes, Jonny. Yes.”
She flung her arms around his neck.
“Yes Jonny, I would love to marry you.”
“Thank fuck for that.” He took the ring from the cushion and glided it on to her finger. “For the one horrible moment, I thought you was going to say no.”
She laughed and cried simultaneously once more.
“Oh. My. God.” She sat down on her heels. “I can’t believe what you just did to me. How on earth…Just how?”
So with sea salted hair stuck to her face, sargassum caught up in her bikini top and pressure marks around her nose and forehead from the snorkel mask, Eliza became Jonny’s fiancée.
Chapter Eighteen
All night she kept holding out her hand and looking at the ring. A continuous smile on her face. Intermittent “oh I’m so happy” and repeated “I’ve no idea how you managed to pull that off.”
Jonny just smiling in response each time. The magic and mystery not to be broken with the explanation of how.
“Congratulations.” The waiter placed a bottle of champagne in the ice bucket.
Jonny outstretched his hand across the table, twisting her ring so it was perfectly set. The moonlight stretching across the sea to them, like a spotlight from heaven.
“So, you okay with this?”
“Okay? I’m more than okay. I never, ever, thought this would happen to me. I just never dreamed I would get married. But you…this… I’m just so happy.”
“Good. Me too.”
They finished their meal with just their forks. Not able to stop holding each other with the other hand. Feeding each other dessert whilst gazing into each other’s eyes. Only moving when the sea started to lap at their toes.
Not wanting to let anyone else into their little self-created bubble just yet, they walked, still hand in hand, along the shore towards a hammock pitched between two coconut trees. Jonny holding the champagne bottle and occasionally taking a swig. His rolled up white trousers, wet at the hem.
She climbed on. Steadying herself with a hand on the sand as Jonny settled beside her. He set them gently swinging with his outstretched foot. The sand cool between his toes.
“Do you remember that night in Holland when you told me about Orion and some other constellations?”
“Yeah,” he said, looking up to the stellar sky.
“So what do you see here?”
“Okay.” He stared for a while, getting his bearings. “So last time I told you about Orion.” Pointing straight up with the bottle of champagne as a cursor, he continued. “So there’s Orion, see his belt? His bow?” He looked at her to make sure she had seen it.
She was nodding, he put the bottle down, twisting it into the sand to keep it upright.
“Well there, just to the east, can you see the really bright star? That’s Sirius and it’s in the constellation Canis Major. Canis Major is supposed to be a large dog that’s following Orion and next to it is Canis Minor, a smaller dog.”
“Wow. It’s like a whole scene up there.”
“And there, just above Orion’s head, on the other side to his bow and above the big dog, is Gemini.”
“Gemini, like the horoscope Gemini? My star… sign. Duh… of course, that’s why they call it a star sign.”
“Yes. The twelve horoscope signs are actually constellations too. So Gemini are twins. He traced the stick man figures from their bright star heads down to their small star feet.”
She let out a contented sigh, snuggling next to him. He reached down for the bottle and took a swig before offering it to Eliza. She declined and continued to stare up at the sky above.
The rhythmic swinging of the hammock was in danger of sending her to sleep and she had other things on her mind. Jonny proposing to her had been the most romantic thing she had ever experienced. She loved this man with all her heart and here, on a warm Jamaican night, she wanted to end the evening perfectly. And what could be more apt than making love to this gorgeous fiancé of hers.
In her mind, a hammock wasn’t the place to do it though.
“Come on.” She stood up off the hammock. “Let’s go for a swim.”
Before he had time to disagree she had pulled him up. Ditching her dress; she ran off towards the sea.
The moonlight rippled on the surface and for one moment stood on the beach in Jamaica he had a perfect vision of her walking towards the horizon, hair illuminated like the sea goddess, Ursula.
He ran, full pelt into the spray, diving athletically under a wave. They swam and frolicked in the sea before laying close to the shore. The still warm Caribbean Sea ebbing up and down their bodies.
She kissed him, moving her hand over his silky taut stomach, and down, until her hand could reach no further. Rubbing gently along his lengthening cock.
“Angel?”
“Yes?” she mouthed into his, not wanting to stop kissing him.
“Maybe back up there a bit. I don’t fancy extracting sand and crabs from every orifice later.”
“Oh, ok
ay.”
He pulled her up and they ran towards a palm tree.
Effortlessly, he lifted her up and positioned her against the trunk. Holding her backside with one hand and steadying himself on the tree with the other.
He pushed in.
She let out a yelp.
He stilled.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m being flailed by the spiky bark on the trunk of this tree.”
“Shit, sorry.”
He carried her away towards the hammock. Rubbing her back to rid her of the fragments of bark before kneeling down and lowering her back on to it. Then, holding onto her hips he slid in. Pushing the hammock back and forth; the sound of the ebbing and flowing sea echoing his movements.
Slow and deliberate. Back and forth.
She knew he could go all night like this. Perhaps a hammock was a good place after all, because she never wanted it to end.
Back and forth.
The friction she desired building slowly. She was riding the wave, holding onto it. Fearful it might fade away at any time.
Without changing pace. No quicker. No slower. Low rumbles came from his throat. His head falling backwards. Still fucking her long and slow.
Just that slight pulsing as he released pushed her over the cliff. Her hips lifted in response.
He eventually stopped pushing, letting the hammock swing them both gently to a stop. Their orgasms petering out with it.
He rolled off onto the hammock next to her.
They laid for a while, looking up through the palm fronds to the star studded sky above. Just enjoying those few moments to become aware again of the world beyond their two bodies.
“Come on, let’s head back.” Jonny offered out a hand to Eliza.
He walked out onto the beach.
“Where are we going? Home’s that way.”
“To find our clothes.”
“Can’t we just leave them and pick them up in the morning?”
“We can but what if someone else finds them and thinks we’ve walked off into the sea? Drowned?”
“Oh yeah. Good point.”
Her white dress easy enough to find. His pale shorts and t-shirt a little more difficult.
Loving his ANGEL_A Rock Star Romance Page 12
