The flight from Heathrow was a long one; we'd paid extra for business class but by the time we arrived in Bali in the evening, we were still dazed and bleary-eyed. I held her hand when we waited outside the airport for a taxi; I couldn't stop thumbing the silver band on my ring finger, and I often noticed Esti touching hers as well. Just light movements over it, mindless strokes of it while focusing on something else.
'It's hot, isn't it?' She asked through a long yawn, whilst in the back of the taxi.
'Oh darling,' I pulled her into a hug. 'It is hot. There'll be air con in the villa.'
'Can we call Daniel when we get there?'
'I was going to suggest the same thing.' I checked my watch. 'It'll be around midday in London.'
She yawned again and let her head laze on my shoulder. We pulled up outside the villa after ten or fifteen minutes, we had to drive along a rough stretch of road to get there but it was worth it. I saw her eyes perk up. It was a beautiful building; encompassed by its own miniature rainforest, encasing us in our secret paradise, the pure white outer walls looked freshly painted, the flat roof, supported by giant bamboo pillars, stretched over a tiled front porch.
The first thing I noticed was the glimpse of the bright blue ocean view, beyond the dark green trees surrounding the front of the villa. Once we got inside, the cool air of the conditioning unit blasted us awake and with the fresh burst of energy, we explored.
The front door led straight into the gigantic, open plan living room; a leather corner sofa and large mahogany dining table hogged the majority of the room. The sofa sat in front of a thin, widescreen television that wouldn't be watched at all while we were there. The spacious kitchen joined onto the living room; our footsteps mildly echoed as we stepped around the tall island, where a bottle of champagne in a metal ice bucket and two glass flutes had been placed on top.
'Ronit...' Esti said, grinning.
'What is this?' I asked, trying to sound surprised. 'I don't know how this got here... someone must have left it behind.' I lifted the bottle slightly; the ice was mostly still solid. 'I suppose we may as well drink it.'
'Such a romantic.' She purred, leaning on the counter.
'Well,' I started pulling the metal casing from around the top. 'It is our honeymoon.'
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. 'We're... married, Ronit.' Esti said, partially blocking her mouth with her fingers, as though she were trying to keep the words to herself.
'We're married, Esti.' I repeated as I twisted the cork. 'Finally we can have sex!' It popped out just as Esti started laughing.
'We've been so good at waiting.' She said, poorly feigning sincerity. 'So patient.'
'It's definitely been a struggle.' I poured the clear, fizzy liquid into the glasses and we sipped at it; the bubbles tickled my throat. 'Shall we look at the rest of the place?' I asked, desperate to see the ocean view at the back.
There was only one more room to see; the master bedroom with an en-suite attached to it. Esti admired the pure white bathroom with its granite, double sinks, huge walk-in shower and deep, wide bathtub while I gazed at the panoramic view offered by the ceiling-to-floor glass panels directly opposite our four-poster bed, which was draped on each side with thin, shimmering fabric.
The ocean stretched out for miles ahead of us, flirting with the thin line of the horizon. Immediately outside the glass door was the infinity pool and the jacuzzi, accompanied by a double lounger bed, shaded by a thatched canopy and low hanging foliage.
