WAVE

Chapter 2

"You can't see half  these stars in Chicago."

Skipping along the soft shoreline, I wave my strappy stilettos over my head, basking in the humid air, in the brilliant moon. The yellow sand billows like clouds under my feet.

"It's a full moon tonight, isn't it?" he asks, grinning while I admire the scenery, letting the deliciously warm waves caress my legs, soaking my dress.

"Yes, it must be."

"I hope you enjoy this," a deep voice drifts from the restaurant, still slightly in the distance. "The last song of the night."

Another instrument begins to purr along the breeze. We both stop to drink in the moment, the significance of this night we've spent alongside a complete stranger in a place we hardly know, thousands of miles from home.

I look his way, finding him already staring.

Without words, we walk up to each other on uneven ground and I find a warm place in his arms. Maybe it's the liquor finally catching up to us, but my eyes close when his arm winds around my waist, pulling me in for a dance. Our bare feet shuffle in the sand, my gaze frozen on his shirt.

I don't quite know if I'm ready to look up.

"Why did you come to Thailand for your birthday, Tristan?"

It takes him a while to answer.

"To feel free."

My cheek warms against the peak of his chest. "What...does that mean?"

His silence speaks volumes. I lift my head, daring a look at him. I see the first sign of uncertainty in his eyes. "Are you happy?" he finally asks. "Your life? Is it happy?"

"Mostly." I don't get where he's going with this. "Are you?"

His hand caresses my cheek, and I lose myself in his face, his utterly faultless features.

In those eyes.

So soft. So vulnerable. So full of longing.

"Right now, I am."

***

"We close in ten."

Tristan drags his eyes away from mine, nodding once to the bartender. The resort is quiet, most retired to sleep to prepare for another day of sun. Here, you sleep when it pleases and play when you can.

The water I switched to hours ago is drained on the counter, a sign that the emotions charging through me aren't induced by the multiple sabais I consumed earlier. Feverish, I hold my tongue.

It's been a long time. This is beyond me.

"You look nervous," Tristan observes quietly.

"I...don't know what happens now."

"Whatever you'd like. Tonight won't be the last time we see each other."

I fight a smile. "Oh?"

He leans closer, his sun-streaked hair waving over his eyes. "Name a place. I'll be there."

"I work tomorrow."

"Then name a date and I'll be there."

My dormant heart leaps. Actually leaps. "Sounds like you really like me," I tease, squinting playfully.

He stands from the bar stool, clasping the back of my neck. "Sounds like you're right."

Butterflies.

Stars.

Bells.

Fireworks.

His lips sink into mine, slow and sure. So sure.