by S. E. Rose
“What the hell?” I mumble to myself. I can’t believe Zoe went back and didn’t tell me.
“What’s wrong?” Lance asks, looking concerned and a bit confused.
“Zoe must have gone back and she didn’t even tell me,” I mutter.
“I’ll walk you back up if you like?” Lance suggests. I nod, and after saying goodnight to a few folks, we trek up the path toward our rooms. When we reach my door, there is literally a sock draped over the handle.
“Uhhhh…well…” Lance looks lost for words.
“WTF,” I say and pound on the door. “Zoe Rachel Greene, you better have a good explanation as to why you have a sock on the door like some college dormitory!” I yell.
I hear a commotion from the inside and then Zoe cracks open the door and peeks her head out, looking quite sheepish.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Cody thought we should warn you guys. Ummm, we’re a bit busy in here at the moment. Mind crashing in Cody’s room with Lance?” she asks me, although really she’s pleading with me. I can tell by her puppy dog eyes.
“Fine, but you fucking owe me, beotch!” I say. “And give me some PJs and my toiletries.”
She passes me some clothes and my bag of toiletries and then practically slams the door in my face.
“Well, I guess we just became roommates,” I say as I turn to Lance.
“Guess so,” he agrees and placing a hand on the small of my back and guides me to his room.
“Feel free to change…and whatever,” he says, motioning to the bathroom.
I slip inside and get ready for bed. When I come out, Lance is propped up in one of the beds reading something on a tablet.
“All done?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say. He motions to the other bed.
“Make yourself at home. Cody’s clearly not coming back here tonight,” he says and goes to the bathroom.
I sit down and look around the room. It looks just like ours. They have some items sitting out on the dresser and the bedside table. I lean my head back against the headboard and close my eyes. I practice my meditation breathing as I realize I’m worked up over Zoe’s clearly irresponsible behavior. So much for taking my older cousin on this trip, she can be so juvenile sometimes. I sigh to myself. Maybe she just knows how to enjoy life.
“You tired?” I hear Lance ask before I open my eyes.
“No,” I say. “Not really.”
“We could watch a movie?” he suggests and points to his tablet. “I have Netflix.”
I shrug. “Why not? What do you want to watch?”
“Well, personally, I love horror movies, but I’m fine with action or fantasy.”
“Wait, you like horror movies?” I ask, suddenly intrigued with this man that I’ve spent the last three days with.
“Uh, yeah. Why, is that a problem?” Lance says with a chuckle.
“No,” I say. “I guess I just had you pegged as the action war movie type.”
“Well, I have been known to watch some of those too, but I’ve loved horror movies since I was a kid,” he says and sits down on his bed. He grabs his tablet and begins flipping through films. We settle on an Eastern European horror flick that neither of us has seen, but appears to have decent ratings.
“Mind if I sit next to you?” he asks. I pat the bed and scoot over to make room for him.
He props the tablet up and sets it on his outstretched legs and we begin to watch the film. It turns out to be a horrible movie and we spend more time laughing than we do being scared. Afterward, he puts on a cheesy comedy action movie.
“So where are you from in the States?” he asks. “I don’t know why I haven’t thought to ask that before…” He trails off pondering this.
“D.C. area,” I say. “And you?”
“Well, I’m in New York right now, but I grew up outside of Phili,” he answers.
“Zoe lives up that way,” I say.
We sit in silence for a while watching the second film. And at some point, I nod off.
I wake suddenly from a nightmare. My eyes fly open and I bolt upright in bed. I’m confused for a moment as my brain slowly starts to function and I realize I’m not in my room. Lance has fallen asleep next to me. His arm draped over me and the tablet lying between us is now out of battery. I glance out the window and see that it’s still early, very early. The sky is a deep shade of navy blue and stars twinkle. Lance stirs and opens an eye.
“You OK?” he asks, sitting up beside me.
“Yeah, just a bad dream,” I say.
“Sorry, you want to talk about it?” he asks, placing a hand on my arm. I feel the goose bumps emerge.
“No, it’s alright. We should go back to sleep. We have to be up early to catch the boat and do the tour at the Charles Darwin Research Station before we leave.”
Lance looks around and realizes he’s been sleeping in the same bed as me. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep over here. I’ll give you some space.”
“It’s OK. You’re comfortable and it’s late. Just go back to sleep, Lance,” I say as I lie back down with my back to him.
“OK, if you’re sure.” I feel him lie back down.
“Lily?” he asks quietly.
“Yes?”
“Thanks for being cool about Cody and Zoe. I think Cody really likes her,” he says.
“Yeah, sure. No problem,” I say. “Zoe can be a royal pain in the ass, but she’s my cousin and I love her anyhow. And to be perfectly honest,” I turn over to face him, “I’m probably a bigger pain in the ass.” I smile sheepishly.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he says with a smile. “You’re…different.” My face falls. “No, no…I mean different good. You don’t put up with people’s shit and you’re clearly smart and funny and beautiful.”
All I hear is beautiful. I smile at him. “Thank you,” I whisper. There’s an awkward silence and then I speak. “Can you repeat that last part again?”
He laughs. “You are beautiful.”
I laugh nervously. In a moment of total bravery, I lean forward and kiss him quickly and gently on the lips. When I pull back, I see that his eyes are wide with surprise at my brazenness.
“Goodnight, Lance,” I murmur and roll back over.
“Goodnight, Lily,” he says as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me back against him. He’s warm and his muscles feel hard against my back. I can feel his erection pressed against my back. It takes a little while to fall back asleep, but eventually, I do.
I sleep amazingly well for the first time in, well, maybe forever. I wake slowly this time. My head is on Lance’s chest and my right leg is draped over his legs. My arm is sprawled across his chest. His right arm is wrapped tightly around me and his left hand is over mine. I can tell by his breathing that he’s still asleep. I don’t move while I relish this moment. I’ve never spent the night in the same bed as a guy, ever. And the fact that I won’t see him again after today makes this all the stranger. But it also feels right. I lie there confused, confused by my emotions, confused about what this means. I didn’t come on this trip to meet a guy. Well, maybe we’ll just be good friends, I think to myself.
“You awake?” Lance’s question brings me out of my thoughts.
“Yep,” I say softly. He runs his hand down my back lightly.
We lie there silently for a few minutes, but it doesn’t feel awkward. I draw little circles on his chest with my finger and he strokes my back. I actually feel strangely relaxed. Normally I’m never this relaxed when I’m physically close to people.
“I guess we should get up and go separate the lovebirds,” I finally say as I lift my head.
He looks at me intently. I can tell I’m blushing and I am grateful that my darker complexion probably makes it less obvious than when my mother blushes with her extremely pale skin turning a dark rose. I look down for a moment before I feel his fingers under my chin and he lifts my face until our eyes meet once more. Ever so slowly, as though he thinks I am made of g
lass, he leans in and slowly brushes his lips against mine. I close my eyes at the contact. He presses his lips more firmly against me and licks my lower lip with his tongue. I involuntarily moan, parting my lips and his tongue takes the invitation and enters my mouth. I don’t know how long we stay like that kissing, exploring each other’s mouths with our tongues, but it feels like a lifetime and one second all at the same time. Eventually, it’s Lance that pulls back after giving me one last peck.
“I’m going to miss you, Lily,” he murmurs. “I wish we could stay here longer so I could get to know you more. You intrigue me.”
I smile shyly up at him. “Me too,” I respond, gazing at him.
We both get up and I go to the bathroom to shower and change before we head over to my room. When we reach the door, I raise my hand to knock, but suddenly Lance grabs it and swings me around to face him. He takes my head in his hands, kisses me so passionately I forget where we are for a moment. For one moment, until I hear Betty and Beatrice giggling like schoolgirls. Betty catcalls at us.
“You owe me a hundred dollars, Betty,” Beatrice laughs. “Hope you lovebirds had a good night.” They both wink at us as they walk by toward the restaurant.
I look back up at Lance, knowing that my blushing is definitely visible at this moment. After an awkward second, we both break out into laughter.
“Well, that wasn’t the romantic goodbye I had envisioned,” he laughs.
I shake my head and knock at the door. Lance takes my hand in his and squeezes it briefly while we wait for the actual lovebirds to emerge. It’s Cody that answers the door, wearing nothing but a towel.
“Whoa,” I say. “Guess we’ll get breakfast and come back in thirty minutes.”
He sheepishly grins. “Sorry, Zoe’s a bit slow in the morning. We’ll meet you over there in fifteen, OK?”
We nod and make our way, hand in hand, over to the restaurant. We’re nearly through eating when Zoe and Cody grace us with their presence. I glare at Zoe. She gives me the “what” stare and I can’t help but laugh a little.
“You are so in trouble,” I say. “Seriously, I can’t take you anywhere.”
“Oh whatever, I was doing you a favor,” she whispers, nodding toward Lance who has joined Cody at the buffet for seconds.
I shake my head at her and finish my coffee. “I’d better pack up, so I’m ready to leave,” I say as I stand and head back toward our room. I’m packed in record time and Zoe manages to get back and throw her stuff in a bag before we have to check out and meet the boat.
Lance and I sit together as the little boat makes its way over to the city dock. We are alone as Cody and Zoe have decided to spend the ride in the back, locking lips. Lance holds my hand and I lean on his shoulder as we ride in silence. We spend the morning wandering around the research facility on a guided tour. It’s fascinating to see all the work being done there. I, for one, am intrigued with anything plant related, but who can resist the tortoises, especially those baby ones. I snap a bunch of photos of them and then ask Lance if he can take one of me at the entrance. My parents have one at this same exact spot and I want one too. Afterward, we head toward a bus that will take us to a ferry that crosses the channel to the airport. We sit in silence as we make our way back across the island. Lance plays with my fingers as I lean my head against his arm and tuck my legs underneath me. If only we had more time, I think to myself. I wonder what this could have been. A single tear slides down my cheek.
“You OK?” Lance murmurs against the top of my head as he kisses it softly.
“Yeah, just sad to go is all,” I whisper, trying to keep our conversation private. I glance over and see Cody and Zoe making out yet again. Guess I shouldn’t worry about being private, but they definitely should.
“Hey, guys, this is a bus, not a brothel,” I hiss. Zoe unlocks her lips from Cody and turns toward me.
“Why thank you, Sister Lily,” she sneers, “I was confused by the mobility of this moving platform, but alas you are correct. What would I do without you?” She rolls her eyes and goes back to giggling and kissing Cody’s ear and neck.
I sigh with frustration. I’ll miss traveling with her, but she’s doing a great job of irritating me so I won’t miss her nearly as much.
Lance chuckles.
“What?” I mutter.
“You two are entertaining,” he says.
“Yeah, but Zoe’s more like NC17 entertainment and I’m more like PG,” I say and try to suppress a smile.
“Hey, some of my favorite films are PG,” he whispers against my ear. I give in and give him a giant grin.
“That’s more like it, mi amore,” he says softly and kisses my cheek and then my neck.
My eyelids get heavy from the sensations of his lips on my skin. Why couldn’t I have met Lance at home? Why do we not live near each other? Why am I so damned attracted to him? I finally feel comfortable with a man and I can’t even begin a relationship with him. Well, this sucks!
“Hey,” he says. “We still have the whole flight back.” I look at him with my head cocked to one side.
He nods toward the lip-locked lovers. “I have a feeling we’ll be sitting together.”
“True,” I say slowly. “Zoe did once say she wanted to check ‘mile high club’ off her list.”
Lance laughs. “Did she now?”
I nod. “Of course, that was almost a decade ago and I had no idea what she was talking about, but I somehow think that one is still on the list.”
“Well, I guess I ought to let Cody know,” Lance says, starting to lean toward them. I reach out and grab his arm to stop him. He stops abruptly and turns to me with a giant grin on his face. “Gotcha,” he says.
I poke him in the ribs. “Not funny, mister.”
“It was a little funny,” he whispers and kisses my cheek again.
The next thing I know we are at the channel and then the chaos of the ferry and another bus and passport control inspection and airline ticketing ensues. Eventually, we wait in an open area for our plane. We don’t wait long. I take one bathroom trip and they are calling our flight. Lance is correct, Zoe pleads with me to sit with Lance. I roll my eyes and nod.
“You’re the best baby cousin ever!!” she exclaims, giving me a big hug.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter. I pick up my backpack and we head toward the plane. Lance gives me the window seat and I settle in for the flight. It takes a few hours to get back to Quito from here. I make sure my phone, headphones, and gum are in the pocket in front of me.
“Ready?” Lance asks, glancing at me as I sort my stuff out and grab the in-flight magazine.
“I think so,” I say, trying to smile at him, but really I want to shout no and grab his hand and run off the plane. As though he senses it, he places a hand over mine and squeezes it.
We luck out and end up sitting alone together. I lean against Lance. After takeoff, he puts the armrest up that is between us and pulls me against him. I wrap my arms around him and nuzzle my face against his chest. He smells so good, like fresh soap and woodsy cologne. I glance over and see Betty and Beatrice smiling at us. They give me a thumbs-up and I start giggling.
“What’s up down there?” Lance asks.
“Oh nothing, just entertained by our fellow passengers,” I say. Lance turns and gets a thumbs-up as well. He starts laughing too.
I fall asleep for a while until Lance wakes me up so I can get the in-flight food service. I look around and see both Cody and Zoe missing from their seats. I roll my eyes to myself, figures.
About ten minutes later a very contented Cody comes back to his seat and then Zoe follows about a minute later.
“Well, the deed is done,” I say to Lance nodding back behind us. He gives me a questioning look as he turns and then locks eyes with his brother. I see him roll his eyes and he turns back to me.
“Wanna one-up them?” he asks as he nods at the unoccupied lavatory.
I laugh, “Uh, no, thanks. Those things are disgusting.” I
try to play it cool. Probably not a good time to mention that oh, yes, by the way, I’m a virgin, so I’m saving myself for something a bit more romantic for my deflowering. Oh geez, Nick would be in stitches seeing me squirm my way through this conversation.
“I’m just kidding,” he says quietly. Then he leans against my head and whispers in my ear, “I would want to take my time with you, and airplane bathrooms just would not allow for that.” His teeth graze my earlobe as he speaks and goose bumps pop up on my skin again. How does he affect me like this? Now all kinds of inappropriate thoughts pop into my head, mostly of him having his way with me in some kind of palace or tropical resort. I don’t even realize I’m blushing until he speaks again. “I love when you blush,” he whispers against my cheek.
“I wish we could stay right here,” I say quietly as I rest my head against him.
“Me too,” he replies and kisses the top of my head. He runs a hand through my curly hair and then down my arm. The feeling of his hands on me gives me butterflies in my stomach and my skin tingles under his touch.
I rest my one hand on his chest and the other one falls between us so that it touches his thigh. I can tell he played sports when he was younger and still works out because his body is beautifully sculpted. I can feel the ripple of his muscles under my skin. I listen to his heart beating. It seems a bit fast and I wonder why. He takes my hand that’s resting on his chest and brings it to his lips. He plants slow and sensual kisses on each of my fingers, his lips slightly parted.
Damn it, he really is close to making me consider the whole losing my virginity on a plane scenario. I sigh a contented sigh as he places my hand back on his chest and he covers it with one of his large, warm hands. My hand seems childlike against his. It makes me feel safe, protected, cared for.
We sit like this for the rest of the flight. Unspoken words pass between us and as the captain turns on the fasten seatbelt light. Lance pulls me close once more, turning his head to shelter us from prying eyes.