by Leigh, Anne
My dad nodded. He understood that I explored all of my options before I made my decision.
Zander caressed my back as he said, “I support your daughter in everything that she does, Sloane. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy.”
My dad's eyes twinkled. "It seems like you've found the right guy, Angel."
I held Zander's hand and rested it on top of the table, "Yes, I have dad."
Chapter Two
“My love for you is like the ocean – vast, boundless, limitless.”
Zander
Graduation was both a happy and a sad time; happy because it marked the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, and sad because we were going different ways to pursue our careers.
Sedona graduated with tons of honors. If there was an honor above that summa cum laude stuff she would have probably gotten it. Damn, she was freaky smart. Somehow I managed to garner cum laude in Architecture. Sedona looked happier about the fact that I had cum laude than she was about her own achievements in Nursing and Chemistry. She told me many, many times how proud she was of me.
Tanya, party-planner extraordinaire, spearheaded the graduation party planning. With the help of our other friends, she was able to turn the 2400-square foot room into a spring-themed venue, complete with streamers, balloons, and confetti all around. She even managed to hire a popular band based in San Francisco on such a short notice to provide entertainment. They performed pop, rock, and club music and also old-time favorites. Our friends and families met each other. Some of them were meeting each other for the first time.
When I introduced Sedona’s dad to my parents, my dad and Sloane easily found something in common with each other – their love for wine. Those two started comparing notes on where to find the best wines in town. My dad was also very interested in what Sloane did as a travel photographer. Usually, when my parents went on business trips, they seldom get to tour the countries that they visited. They primarily discussed business with their associates and stayed inside the hotels. Sloane was opening up my dad’s eyes to discovering the beauty of the countries that he had been to. When he described the peninsula in Belize, the exotic wildlife in Spain, and the exhilarating scenery of Mt. Kilamanjaro in Africa, my mom and dad’s eyes started to drift into dreamland. Sloane could be the spokesperson for the Travel Channel. My parents were already thinking of booking a safari adventure in their upcoming South African trip. They all seemed to get along pretty well. It was a relief for both Sedona and I, because now they would be sharing a common bond with each other forever- they were going to be grandparents.
Throughout the night, my mom cried buckets of tears. Every time I saw her she had a wet tissue on her hand.
The fact that she knew she was going to be a grandmother must have contributed to her tears. Sedona and I told my parents about our news during breakfast, after picking them up from the airport. My dad was caught completely off guard, to say the least. He almost choked on the bottled water that he was drinking at the time. My mom started tearing up when the words came out of my mouth, "Mom, dad, we're pregnant. Actually, Sedona is pregnant. I'm going to be a father."
As the shock of the news waned, my parents went all crazy on us. My dad started saying stuff like, "I need to change my will," and my mother started spouting out that she needed to call the OBGYN who delivered the First Lady's child. I was expecting them to be surprised, and hopefully, happy. Not expecting the loony-over-the-top reactions that they had. My mother even started talking to Sedona about ordering baby gifts. Were my parents that eager to be grandparents?
When my mom had finally calmed down she said, "A baby is a blessing. Knowing my son is going to be a father is unexplainable, especially since it's to a woman who is obviously special to him."
I could only imagine what their reaction was going to be when I told them that I was going to marry Sedona. But that was all for me. For now.
My parents also learned that Sedona was still going for her internship at New York State University Hospital. They were apprehensive about it. Their main concern was that Sedona was going to be alone in New York and I was going to be in Minnesota. Thousands of miles would be separating us. We tried to ease their worries by letting them know that we were looking for a roommate for Sedona so that at least she would have someone with her in the city. Plus it was only going to be three months. After her internship was over, Sedona would stay with me in Minnesota.
My dad said authoritatively, "Son, one of our planes will be for you and Sedona's sole use. At least, if you guys wanted to see each other, you won't have to worry about that." I nodded my head. I didn't know how many planes my dad owned. The last time I counted, around two years ago, we had five in total. Having a plane at our disposal would definitely make visiting each other easier.
I've always felt blessed and lucky to be the son of Sev Zobowski, the multimillionaire technology mogul, and Haven Zobowski, a well-known philanthropist. I just didn't let it rule over me. My parents' wealth was not mine. My dad started out his business from scratch while my mom worked long hours to help support our family during those hard times. People thought I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth, that I was catered to all my life. They couldn't have been more wrong. My parents engrained in me the value of hard work and self-determination. Sure, now that my dad was known as the "man with the golden touch" in the tech world, I did not complain about the money or the benefits of having it. It was just that my world didn't revolve around it. What was meaningful in my life was my woman, my friends, my parents, and my sport.
My parents wanted to give Sedona and I a graduation present to Bali. We both declined it. We had made plans with our closest friends to a 5-day trip to Maui. Sedona's dad also offered to help pay for the trip, but I refused that as well. My signing bonus was more than enough to cover for it. Sedona also pitched in. I didn't want her to, but she had insisted. She threatened me with no sex if I didn’t accept the money. What was a guy to do? I just put the money aside to buy something for her later.
*****
Our flight was due to board in half an hour. I eyed the Boeing 767 from my seat through the glass-paned window overlooking the tarmac. We were waiting for the announcement that we could board our flight from San Francisco International Airport to Kahului, Maui, Hawaii.
From my line of vision I saw John chatting up Tanya. Sparks were flying between those two. Nalee, Xavier, and Dom were huddled in a deep conversation. Sedona’s head was leaning against my right shoulder.
"Babe, how long is the flight again?" Her voice sounded sleepy. She was always feeling sleepy these days.
I responded, "I think it's about six hours." Her hair smelled so good. My favorite scent; strawberries and peaches.
She looked up at me, her eyelids drooping, "Mmm..." Her hand started caressing my left arm.
"Why?" I asked.
She whispered, "Nothing, just asking."
I slowly tilted her chin so I could see her eyes. "What is it? You need something?"
"It's nothing, babe." Her eyes were opening up, showing light violet eyes, framed in overlong lashes.
"It's not ‘nothing’ if you're asking about it," I urged her to go on. Did she need something? Was she feeling okay?
She continued caressing my hand and said, "I wish we were there already. I just want to spend time alone with you."
‘Time alone’ was Sedona's code for ‘I want you.’ Trust me - I have learned this after spending lots of time alone with her.
"Oh." I couldn't say anything else. The combination of her caresses and her silent plea was causing a constriction underneath my boxers. I slightly shifted my position on the seat.
"Do you want time alone, babe?" she asked.
Did I? If I could, I'd lock her up for the whole five days at our hotel, order room service, and leave the room only when it was time to go back home.
"Of course. I love spending time with you. Are you getting, you know, turned on right now?"
She lifted her mouth to
mine and kissed me. Against my lips, she murmured, "I'm always turned on. I actually think it's the baby's fault. I should probably be in the record books for always being aroused."
I replied huskily, "Woman, don't blame it on the baby. You're just a freaky lady." She was. She was definitely my match in that department.
"Hey guys! Can you stop all that mushy, gushy stuff? We're ready to throw up over here." Xavier's green eyes were mocking us from where he sat.
John added, "Who's going to sit by these two horn dogs?"
"Unfortunately, that's me," Tanya snickered. "I will probably be pregnant when we get out of that plane, with all the fertility hormones that you guys are giving off."
Sedona laughed. "I can't help it. It's Zander's fault. He's just so yummy."
Nalee interjected, "Zander, you've reduced Sedona's IQ to that of a confused teenager. She used to describe things as 'sources of magnetic polarity'. Now she's spouting off stuff like 'yummy.'"
Sedona and I laughed at all of them. They were a hilarious bunch of friends. They've been with us through everything. Kieran, Sedona's best friend, was the only one who could not join us. He was training in Omaha for the World Championships.
We heard the intercom above us come to life with the announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. We are now boarding the flight to Maui."
Sedona slowly stood up, folded her scarf under her light pink jacket, and smiled at me. "Let's go, handsome. Here's to time alone."
Chapter Three
“You see me for who I am and not for what I can give you.”
Sedona
Maui was captivating. The scenery around us was breathtaking. If paradise was a place on earth, Maui would be close to it.
I was standing by the window of the oceanfront beach cottage/resort that we were staying at, thoroughly mesmerized by the view of the ocean. I've always loved the ocean. The perfect blend of the lush greenery, wide array of the colors of the sand, and the endless stretch of blue-green waters never ceased to make me breathless. I could spend hours staring at its captivating beauty. Kieran shared my love for the ocean. Most of my childhood memories were of us frolicking by the beaches in Santa Monica, Laguna, and Huntington.
When I first met Zander, his eyes were what struck me speechless. His eyes reminded me of the ocean. They were the same bottomless blue with tiny flecks of green. The colors changed with his mood. Blue when he was calm and green when he felt stronger emotions.
"Do you want to go out for a swim?" I felt his warm breath against my neck as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. His eyes were directed at the infinity pool right in front of the deck.
"Maybe later. I'm getting hungry. Do you think everyone would want to go out for dinner?" I inquired.
Tanya and Nalee were staying in the suite across from us. The guys were situated two doors down. When we made the reservations, our friends made sure that none of their rooms were right next to ours. Xavier had warned everyone that with the 'action' happening in our room no one would be getting any shut-eye. Tanya and Nalee agreed. I was sure that they heard all the noises that Zander and I made in my room or his room during college.
"I can order room service." He was trying to persuade me into staying in.
I swallowed and said, "No, babe. I want to go out with them." As much as I wanted alone time with him, I really wanted to wait until later tonight. Because if what I had in mind went into fruition, Zander would not want to leave our bed for hours. I needed some sustenance before then.
He must have sensed my resolve and muttered, "Fine. I'll call the guys and let the ladies know about our plans." He reached for the cell phone in his jeans pocket.
As he talked to John my left hand reached under his jeans and cupped him. His eyes blazed and his breath caught. "Alright, man. See you in five minutes."
I placed both of my hands around his neck, and he whispered, "You are such a tease."
"I'll make it worth your while tonight. I promise," I said, slowly licking the bottom of his chin with my tongue. His breath hitched and his eyes held the promise that I was going to get it tonight.
"Okay, fine." He removed my hands from his neck. "Let's go now so that we can return to our suite early.” He placed my right hand in his left and we walked out of our room.
*****
Zander
The guys were crazy. They were the living, breathing definition of lunatics.
After dinner at Chillers, a highly-recommended restaurant by the hotel staff, we walked towards the beach. The breeze was chilly. It was a good thing Sedona and the girls were wearing light jackets. Even so, I kept rubbing Sedona’s hands with my own hands to keep her warm. We were all walking peacefully, talking about random stuff, when Dom brought up this crazy idea.
I heard Dom bet John twenty bucks that Xavier would not go skinny-dipping in open view. Xavier was walking ahead of all of us so he did not hear about the bet.
John, one who never backed down from a wager, said, "I'll triple that bet. Xavier will not only go skinny-dipping, but he will walk to our hotel in his boxers."
They shook hands on it.
I shook my head. Sometimes I wondered how these fools got through college.
Sedona and the rest of the girls had no clue as to what was going on. They were busy laughing at something that Tanya said.
Dom called out to Xavier, "Dude, slow the fuck down. What's with the hurry?"
Xavier looked back. "You guys are too slow. I just want to do some power walking. It's beneficial for lacrosse." Lacrosse was his sport. Xavier, in his own words, was ‘king’ of it. He planned to pursue it professionally while looking for computer design work.
"Hey Xavier, remember the time when your car got dented on the front bumper last summer?" John asked, loudly.
Sedona and her friends were now eyeing the unfolding scene. They had stopped talking. Sedona looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders.
Xavier stopped and walked back towards us.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"If you really want to know who did it I'll tell you," John said nonchalantly.
Xavier's eyes bugged out of his head, and he almost screamed. "You mean, after all this time, you knew the fucker who dented my car?" For the people who were close to Xavier, they knew that his Audi R8 was his baby. He hand washed that car, dried it with organic, cotton towels, and applied ridiculously expensive car wax and polish on the car by himself. It meant a lot to him.
"He's lying, man. John doesn't know who did it," Dom said.
"Well, it's cool with me if you don’t want to find out." John started walking ahead.
Xavier followed him closely. "Tell me, John. Tell me who did it!"
"I will, but only if you do something for me." John's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. He then said something to Xavier quietly.
The next thing we saw was Xavier taking his clothes and shoes off and running towards the water. The girls stood in bewilderment. Seeing Xavier's ass was something I would rather forget. Thank God it was night-time. Though the lights from the nearby establishments still provided us a view of Xavier's backside. Dom and John were guffawing like madmen. It didn't matter to them who won. I was pretty sure that this was one of the highlights of their lives.
Xavier called out from the water, "You better fucking tell me, John! I swear I will light your ass up when you sleep tonight if you don't tell me who did it!"
"I'll tell you," John managed to say in between laughs. "Here, you have to wear your Peter Pan boxers to the hotel." He waved Xavier's clothes up in the air.
Sedona, Tanya, and Nalee were giggling uncontrollably. Sedona pressed her body closer to mine. "Babe, I just don't know what to say."
"Me either, babe. Me either," I told her.
*****
It was late when we got back to the hotel. The guys, Nalee, and Tanya wanted to head out to a club after Xavier changed into dry clothing. Sedona and I declined at the same time. Tanya smirked, "Uh-huh, there'
s going to be some hanky-panky in Room 128 tonight."
Sedona blushed.
I said, "Alright, guys, goodnight. Have fun." I took Sedona's hand and slowly guided her towards our room.
"Dude, be careful, you might get her pregnant with that stamina," John teased. "Oh wait, she’s already pregnant.”
I let go of Sedona's hand and smacked John on the shoulder.
"Come on, babe. Let's go before these guys get any more bonkers than they already are."