ℬᎾℳᎯ

I'VE SPENT THE last fifteen minutes being back at the hotel blow-drying my hair. I would have been mad at him, but being in that water, both of our wet bodies half afloat, half submerged, I think it set off a switch in my head. 

Tomorrow we'll be leaving for Ivan's birthday city, Venice. Yet I feel like Zanzibar is unfinished. We've seen the sunset, then though it wasn't on the list, we got lost in the city, and today, we've been to the Lagoon.

My phone rings. Chinny. I pick it up.

"Those pictures are freaking cute. I wish I was there with you guys," she says. 

"I know right," I put the hand dryer away and tighten the straps of my robe after which I walk to the bedroom.

I love the luxury Zanzibar affords, from the sheets to the bedpost to the chair, everything in the room is white. Where it's not white, it's gold, and where it's not gold, it's glass. I relax on the bed.

"How are you, Chin?"

"Miserable," she says.

I laugh. "Let me guess, you'd rather be here than planning to go to school?"

"It's that obvious. I mean, you're all the way across the world on an adventure, doing thrilling things and I'm here, planning to pack my bags and head off to torture."

"Be careful what you wish for, Chin." 

"Abeg let me hear," she says. "Be careful what I wish for means what?"

"I can't handle you now."  I laugh again.

She hisses. "Have you guys. . .you know?"

"What?"

"You know what I mean."

"I honestly don't."

"Nevermind," she says. "Where is Ivan?"

"In his room."

"I want to talk to him."

"Then call him."

"If I wanted to, don't you think I would have done that already?"

"Well do it."

"Buns, just get your ass up and take the phone to him. Or"—she pauses—"I will never call you again."

I sigh. "Don't get used to threatening me, it's not fun."

"Abeg go and give him phone. Fast," she says. 

I walk out with my key card. His room is directly across from mine so I knock twice and he opens the door.

"Hey," he says, running his eyes over me. Then he smiles. "Are you still cold?"

Why does he have to be shirtless?

"Chinny wants to speak with you." I say. 

"Oh," he takes the phone from me. Leaving me at the door. "Hey, Chin. . ."

I let myself in. His room is pretty much the same as mine, white interiors. The only difference would be that I have pictures of coral reefs and fishes on my wall, whereas he has pictures of the slave trade era. 

I watch him talk with Chinny. Earlier, at the lagoon, I saw him shirtless for the first time and now, again. That switch goes off in my head. 

When the call is done, he returns the phone and I should leave but I don't. I walk around, looking for nothing exactly. He stands by the closed door with his feet crossed over each other and his back against the wall. 

On the table, his phone is connected to a bluetooth speaker.

"Were you dancing?" I ask. 

"In the shower," he says. 

"Hmmm, okay," I smile, running my fingers along the phone screen intentionally pressing play. I want to hear what he was listening to.

It starts with acoustics and then the lyrics: 'Hey, how did we end up at your place?
With my hands around your waist, like you're too cool-cool. . .'

I throw him a raised eyebrow allowing the song to keep playing. "Firstly," I smirk. "This is your room, secondly I don't think I'm that cool, thirdly, your hands are not my waist." 

He laughs. "Is this another cue?"

"Well," I start. Then he walks up to me, close. So close. I inhale the fresh citrus scent of his shower gel.

"Another kiss?" he asks.

"Maybe more?" I say.

He smiles that half-everything-smile and I press my lips to his. Before I know it, he pulls me in even closer and kisses me again. 

Yes! 

My hands already know where to go so they go and they don't stop.

'If it's all a dream, don't wake up.
'Cause I got your body right next to me.
Just wait up. . .'

The song goes on and I start taking little steps backward, leading him. Easy. My fingers tug nervously on the straps of my robe. When it's loosened, I let it fall away as we keep moving backwards. My heart is raging against my chest, his too.

Once we hit the bed, there's no coming back. I remind myself. 

He breaks our kiss, "Bo, we don't have to."

Are you kidding me?

That only makes me kiss him harder until we're on the bed. Second guessing is not an option. I want this, I want him. Now. 

My instincts become a frenzy of what next's and it's against what my head says, but today, I'm following my heart so I take off my bra next.

His eyes look like they'll explode and all the blood in my veins rush north and south, towards my cheeks, my heart starts again when he smiles like a Christmas tree lit up in his head.

"Bo. . ." his hands roam, goosebumps. "Beautiful." He says.

Then I don't hold back, we slide everything off. Off him and off me. Bare. 

I wear my brightest smile when he holds his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes, and I his, knowing that if we go through, we wouldn't come out the same. I kiss him into action. I don't want to come out the same.

Somehow, with two hands, he manages to touch everything, everywhere, at the same time. That gets me. That really gets me. I'm making moves and breathy sounds my mind can't control. 

I steady my eyes on his face, and let my hand wander. Every surface I touch is hard and sweaty, some of it drips on me. 

I'm really doing this. 

My body is a control freak, so it starts doing things I can't stop. Maybe because I don't want to stop.

His hands grip on my hips. Solid, yet as gentle as the cool breeze from earlier.

I close my eyes. Ouch.

He stops. Watching me. "Don't stop." I say and he starts again.

I think it's similar to running on a treadmill. Starting out slow, really slow then fast and faster, just running and exerting, hoping that maybe you hit the goal and burn the calories, or in this case, the promised fireworks so you just keep running.

We keep running. A natural instinct. Now I know what I didn't know yesterday. 

Unbelievable.

ᵈᵉᵈⁱᶜᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ shitddy ᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵉᵉ ʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉʸ ˡᵃⁿᵈᵉᵈ. ♡♡