A Christian Romance

Chapter 40 - En Garde

"My feet are killing me!" Joel complained as soon as he entered the room of a five-star hotel near the airport in Melbourne.

Debora was distracted by what was about to come out of that night. She expected Joel - like any man in her past - to be eager to engage in sexual intercourse. But she was physically and mentally exhausted, had a headache, and her feet were also killing her. If she could choose for herself, she would go straight to bed.

"Did you hear me?" Joel reached out for her waist.

Only by his touch did she wake up to reality.

"Are you alright?" He was worried.

Debora welcomed his embrace and put her caring hand on his face. "I didn't hear you."

"Do you wanna go take a shower first?" he meant if she wanted to go ahead of him.

That question confirmed to her that he was willing to spend the night in a more romantic environment.

"Yeah!" she bluntly replied, afraid of turning him down right on the first night. "Would you mind going first?"

"Are you sure?" Joel reluctantly asked, failing to figure out his wife. "I'd be grateful," he sighed in relief. "Because my feet are killing me, and a shower would be so relieving..."

"Go ahead!" She encouraged him.

Before he walked into the bathroom, he looked into her eyes intently.

"By the way, you took my breath away when you walked down that aisle." He was tender and emotional, caressing her face firm and tenderly. "I felt so blessed that God chose someone like me for someone like you."

"You were beautiful too, Joe!" she replied, disguising her anxiety.

"I'm excited for tonight. I'm glad I waited. It was worth it." He was excited to spend the night next to the woman he loved, he wasn't necessarily talking about sex, but the way he approached and kissed her convinced Debora otherwise.

"Me too." She was going through the bad habit of her former relationships, keeping her true feelings and fears to herself to avoid upsetting her partner.

When Joel finally disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door, Debora sat on the bed. Her dress felt so uncomfortable, but she didn't plan on removing it. It was her first time with Joel, but not her first time, then why was she so nervous? On previous occasions, Debora had sexual experiences that hadn't met her expectations. She hoped for things to be different with Joel, but what if she was mistaken, as she was about Adam? Maybe it would be better to postpone intimacy with her now-husband and, probably, another disappointment. Especially now that she was married, the frustration could weigh even more.

She heard the bathroom door unlocking and nervousness overcame her. Standing up quickly, Debora walked to the bathroom. She rushed past Joel and locked the door behind her.

"Okay..." He murmured, fastening the belt of his bathrobe.

Something was wrong with her, and he would wait patiently for her to return and communicate.

He yawned and sat on the bed. He grabbed his Bible and read it. After a moment, he wasn't managing to keep his focus, how tired he was! He put the sacred book on his bedside table and stood up. He walked to the window, enjoying the night-sky. He thought he had made enough time and walked back in, his wife was still in the bathroom.

He crawled back to bed, set an alarm, and rested his head on a pillow, quickly falling asleep. Fifteen minutes later, the alarm resounded and he woke up. He looked around, but his wife wasn't there. He kept the focus and stayed awake. Finally, he saw the reward of his patience. Debora walked into the bedroom in her bathrobe.