Love Me After the Wedding

Untitled Part 38

As the plane began to descend, there was a little turbulence. Enough that Clare thought she would be sick so she took the motion sickness bag out just in case. "You get air sick?" Niel asked?

"Sometimes." She tightened her neck as she drew the corners of her mouth down. "I might get a little queasy during turbulence. Sometimes." She looked out the window still holding Niel's hand. "It doesn't matter how much in advance I take any meds for it either. It's completely tied into some kind of anxiety."

Niel nodded in understanding. "I get that too, sometimes."

The plane landed without incident and as they got off, Niel said, "We have to wait in the first class lounge for Charles and Roberto, because there's no other place to wait without being rushed."

Clare shook her head. "I can do without that."

When they finally met the guys, they got into their rental car, Roberto spoke first. "If you need a translator, I'm your man."

"Thanks, Roberto, but if you don't mind, I'd like to try my tourist Spanish a little, first." Clare smiled. "It's not so bad." She snorted. "Really! I'm serious!"

The men just laughed as Niel looked surprised. "You haven't mentioned you knew another language"

"I took Spanish in high school." She shrugged, as she cautioned, "don't get any ideas, Roberto! I'm not fluent. I can only shop and order my dinner. Sort of."

They laughed again and Clare put her arm through Niel's elbow and he rested his other hand on hers. Their security carried their bags, and for the two weeks they'd be staying, they each only had their personal bags and one carry on each. Charles and Roberto fell into a comfortable stride behind them as they walked down the corridor toward the car rental.

"I can't wait to ditch these two," Niel leaned in to his wife's ear so the others couldn't hear.

"Mmm hmm." Was all Clare could manage. She looked behind at their guards, who either were really good a poker-face, or knew enough to leave them alone for a long while.

*****

With the spotty Wifi, Charles managed to check in with Sasha. He let them know they'd arrived and she filled them in with all the juicy gossip she could get her hands on surrounding the nuptials. There was a media frenzy, which they were thankful enough to miss, but weren't jealous of the barrage of  reporters and paparazzi she was being hit with to explain things. She maintained, even in the only two days since the wedding, it had been unbearable almost. She'd rented a room in a rundown neighborhood, paid cash and turned her phone on only during business hours. It was that bad.

The four of them had been sitting in the living room area of the hotel suite Niel had rented for the newly weds and were casually discussing plans when Clare noted the wistful look Charles was trying to hide. "I have to...use the facilities," She told them, dragging her bags behind her to the bathroom. "Don't you have another, more important phone call to make, Charles?" She winked as she shut the bathroom door behind her. She could hear the men talking.

"I'm going, now." She overheard Charles tell the other two. "She's right. I don't want either of you to eavesdrop."

Roberto playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't want to eavesdrop, besides, I'll go check on security and pick up some sandwiches while you're on the phone. See you guys later," Charles said as Clare heard the door open then close again.

"Tell her hello from me and her sister," She heard her husband say as the door opened and closed again.

*****

Niel heard the flush and the sink turn on. "Hon."

"Yeah?" Clare answered back.

"Do you know what was in the box your mom left  at the house?" He wasn't ever going to let this go, she decided. She knew he was suspicious, but had to make him wait a tiny bit longer.

"I have an idea," She answered.

"What do you think?" he asked back, through the door.

"It was just some odds and ends, since I didn't get much time to get out by myself..." She unlocked the door to the bathroom and opened it just a fraction. "I think it was something for you. For me to wear." She said, in her best bedroom voice.

"Wha?" Niel pushed the door open all the way to reveal his new bride in a slinky white negligee. It was perfect.

"Did you lock all the locks?" She asked as he scooped his bride into his arms. "It would be a shame..." She couldn't finish her sentence for Niels lips crashing against hers with an urgency that had been unmet before. He turned around and walked them to the door so he could double check the locks, to which, she sighed, were all done up in a matter of seconds.

"She was very thoughtful," Niel said, leading Clare to the bedroom.

*****

When Roberto returned, sandwiches in hand, Charles intercepted him as he turned to the newlyweds room. "Bring the sammies in here, Roberto. I'm starving."

Roberto eyeballed the door across the hall from them and turned towards Charles. "I guess they haven't had time to be alone yet, have they?"

"Nah." Charles replied, taking one of the bags of food from his friend,

"What about you?" he asked. "What does Suzie have to say?" They shut the door behind them and Charles blushed, which was hard for him to do behind his dark skin. "You think she's the one, Chuck?" Roberto sat in front of the coffee table. "I've met her before and I know she's a little vulnerable. Tread carefully, bruh."

"I know. It makes me...angry, to say the least, to think of how Dave treated her." He sat opposite Roberto and took a sandwich. "I mean, if he wasn't out for money, which Suz said she doesn't have, or won't get until she's much older, I probably wouldn't be so angry. I'm afraid he'll try to get a hold of her after she goes back home." he took a sip of water. "But I think I've kind of carved out a spot in her life," he said. "I hope."

Roberto only smiled. He was happy with himself for answering back when Charles called a couple of weeks ago. "I think things will look good for everyone coming up." He said, and they ate their sandwiches in amicable silence.

*****

"I think I've found something, Stephanie." Dave said to his accomplice as he waited for her to sit down at the table. He had decided to take her out to celebrate his findings, but had a hard time keeping it a surprise for the day. It had only been two days since she texted him the picture of the happy newlyweds, and as far as Dave could tell, they were truly happy. This would be harder than he would have wanted it to be.

"What? What is it?" She asked, turning her head as she sat down. "How? It's only been two days since they got married."

"I have my ways," he replied, walking around the table to seat himself. The waiter came to pour their water and Dave asked for an appetizer platter. He waited for the man to leave before he pulled his phone from his breast pocket of his jacket and showed her the picture of the newlyweds flanked by their security guards in the Mexico airport.

"It's a start, anyway," Stephanie said. "I know that hotel. We went there a few times..." She let her focus go weak as she reminisced the past vacations and Dave crowed with laughter. "What's so funny?" She demanded. "It's a very nice resort!"

"I'm not saying it isn't. But you'd think he'd take his wife to someplace he hasn't been with another woman?"

Realization hit her that Dave was probably right. "It's like giving her the same ring he gave me, but I kept it for a while then sold it off." She shook her head and looked smug. "It got me a lot of money, because it was attached to Niel Carter-Smith, you know." She drank her iced tea. "I wonder how Clare will feel after she finds out I was the first woman he took there, many times," she said into her glass.

"Now you're seeing it the way I do."