She turned for me to fasten the necklace and put on the earrings. When she was finally ready, I offered her my hand.
Before we went outside, I stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a vase, filling it with water. “Here, let’s put your flowers in this.”
Serenity arranged the bouquet in the vase, taking a moment to admire them. I watched her, loving how gentle she was with every petal. Then I took her hand and led her out for our first date.
Outside, under the open sky, a beautiful table was set with candles. As I guided Serenity to the table, a small band started playing soft music at the far end of the yacht.
“My God! Did you plan all this? When?”
“I had a little help. Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding? It’s beautiful.”
“Good, then.”
Hand on her lower back, I led her to our table, pulled out her chair, and slid her in. Drawn in to her, I pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.
“You smell so good, baby. Did I tell you you’re beautiful?” I whispered in her ear.
“You did,” she replied, a little breathless.
“Well, I’ll never say it enough. You are beautiful, baby.”
I took my seat as the chef brought our meal. She hid her mouth with her hand, probably to cover a smile I could feel from across the table.
“Sorry I couldn’t cook tonight. My wife fell asleep on me. I couldn’t move.”
“Shut up, Konflict,” she laughed.
“And she snored so loud.”
“Man, I know you’re lying. I don’t snore.”
I laughed.
“She drooled too. I had to change my shirt,” I teased.
“God, I hate you right now, Konflict.”
“So I’ve heard. But you love me too. Well, I think you love to hate me. And I’ll take it, as long as there’s love in it.”
“Gosh, what am I going to do with you?” she rolled her eyes.
“Huh, if you ask me, I have a bunch of ideas. Like fuck me in the jacuzzi. Fuck me in the kitchen. Fuck me—”
“Oh my God, please shut up already.” She cut me off, and I laughed hard.
It was so easy to tease her, and I loved every laugh she blessed me with.
Dinner was full of easy conversation, laughter, and more stories about us. But when I asked Serenity about her mom, she closed up and became sad.
“I don’t really remember having a good relationship with my mom before she died. She wasn’t the maternal type. Rarely hugged me. The nannies took care of me. Valery was always there, like a big sister, but my mom wouldn’t really let me hang out with her. Maybe because she was the gardener and cook’s kid. Mom had this snobby side I never liked. Even as a kid, I knew she was with other men, not just my father. At ten, you shouldn’t even know what an affair is, but my family lived in a different world, lawless. Maybe I would’ve gone bad too if MamaKate hadn’t secretly watched over me. Anyway, I know my dad killed my mom, out of jealousy. After that, I felt even more trapped in the family. All I had were my flowers and…”
She paused, turning her face away from me, as if she didn’t want me to see the emotions in her eyes. Gently, I tugged her chin back so she had to face me. My eyes locked on hers.
“And what?” I asked softly.
“And my dreams,” she confessed shyly. “Ever since you pulled me out of the pool, I’ve been dreaming about you. It was always my escape.”
