Page 21 of Out of Office
“I missed you, Preciosa,” I whispered in her ear, her sweet and spicy scent so intoxicating.
“We were apart less than three hours.”
“Too long,” I complained.
“Are you pouting?” She turned her head again to stare at me. I took advantage and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. Even that soft touch heated my entire being, but I could sense things weren’t completely right with Genevieve.
“What’s wrong? I thought we were supposed to be having fun today.”
“Yeah...well, my mom called me.”
“What did she say?”
“She was guilting me about taking time off again... These last days have been magical, but now that I’m halfway through it, anxiety is kicking in. I even checked my work emails,” she confessed.
“I thought you said you couldn’t check them when on PTO?”
“In theory, I can’t, but I know a hack to get them still.”
I chuckled at her honesty, but, at the same time, understood her anxiety. Once upon a time, this had been me, unable to fully immerse myself in the present, always working, mind always racing. I’d seen that same drive in her stillness and how she held herself; that relaxation dissipated, leaving a tentativeness I wanted desperately to erase. She had tried so hard to be in the moment this week, her intentionality had been alluring. Whenever work came up, she’d deftly steered the conversation to her aspirations, but not in a way that could cause her to spiral back into her worries. Anything I could do to keep her in that mind frame, to help her disconnect and rejuvenate had become my main priority.
“You know those emails will be there, right?”
“Yeah, I do... I just don’t remember the last time I’ve been this disconnected from my everyday responsibilities.”
“Maybe that’s something good?” I didn’t dare hope for too much, but I wanted to be that space for her, even if for two weeks, her refuge and place of calm. Being with Genevieve had me second-guessing all the doubts I’d had in the past year about being whole to love someone else. She made me want to try.
“Yeah, I thought so, and I was in my feelings, still am, I can’t lie. But I decided to get back to focusing in the moment. I want to be present here with you. So I’m going to—”
Before she finished the sentence, I stood up. Only seven days, and already she trusted me to follow my lead without much explanation. I held her warm waist where the sexy folds of hers met and hoisted her to a standing position.
“Adrián! What are you doing?” she shrieked as I pulled her up by the waist, her solid weight feeling like that perfect dead lift in the gym.
“Come, Preciosa, you’re over here stressing yourself, and you still have seven days left. I promised you the time of your life.”
“Put me down! I’m heavy. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
I ignored her pleas, the cold splash of water trickling between my feet, sinking me into the wet sand as the waves pulled back to where they came from. The sun bore down on us, making the cold water feel delightful.
“I could carry you to the end of the earth, Genevieve. Never doubt that.” I tightened my hold on her as she squirmed, the water line surrounding me as I moved into the churning waters.
Once the water was waist-high, I dropped Gen into the sea, still holding on to one of her arms, keeping her close.
Genevieve emerged spluttering, her coils escaping from her ponytail and plastering on her face. She never looked more lovely as she growled inhumanly and lunged to tackle me.
“Damn, woman, you have some force,” I managed to choke out between laughter as I scrubbed my face clean of the salty water, enjoying the view of Genevieve in her white bikini, ready to play.
“Oh, you think you’re slick, huh?” Genevieve taunted, then launched at me again, the shrieks of excited laughter a melody I never wanted to forget.
Water splashed around us, pure happiness saturating every pore. The summer heat was no match to the raised temperature between Genevieve and me as our slick bodies rubbed against each other, activating my dopamine and giving me a high that lasted the whole day.
A high to mask all the ways I’d hurt when Genevieve was gone.
Ten
Genevieve
“So, this is Costa Arriba, right?” I asked Adrián while we drove along the coastline approaching Portobelo, a town close to his own Aguimar.