With empty plates and full stomachs, Aaron’s mum disappeared inside with the dishes insisting she was fine to clear away on her own even after Freya offered. They remained sitting outside, chatting with the Spanish couple and watching the remnants of the sun disappear on the horizon until the beach was plunged into darkness.
‘There’s not much to do in the evenings besides go to bed early,’ Aaron said, folding his hand around Freya’s. ‘I quite like it; early nights, early starts, make the most of the daylight.’
It was true, compared to the UK it got dark so early it felt much later than it really was. After a long day of travelling, walking and swimming, Freya felt exhausted – in a good way, like she’d properly relaxed in a way she couldn’t on Loabi Fushi. And instead of spending the best part of the day holed away in an office in London, she’d spent most of the day outside, soaking up the sun and swimming in the clearest, most beautiful ocean.
‘I’m going up to bed,’ Aaron’s mum said, from the shadows of the doorway.
‘We’ll be up soon; I’ll close up. Night, Mamma.’
The Spanish couple had already retreated to their guest room, so Freya and Aaron found themselves alone. A light switched on in a room above, but apart from the moon and the stars it was dark, the couple of solitary palm trees on the beach silhouetted against the night sky.
Aaron leant closer to Freya, his hand sliding along her bare thigh. ‘Mamma needs to invest in some comfy chairs out here.’
‘That would be nice...’
He pointed upwards. ‘That’s her room up there,’ he whispered. ‘At the heart of the house to keep an eye on things. Pretty sure the reason she doesn’t invest in something more comfortable is to dissuade couples from getting up to no good out here.’
They watched the moonlight catching the white surf and listened to the flap of bats in the trees for a little longer. They dragged themselves from the chairs and closed the kitchen door behind them. Every step on the way up creaked and groaned beneath their feet. They reached Aaron’s room first and paused outside his door. The house was quiet with only the sound of the ocean lapping the shore, the insects in the undergrowth and the gentle whirr of the ceiling fans. So not exactly silence, but Freya was conscious of making any noise and disturbing Aaron’s mum.
‘Thank you for an incredible day,’ she whispered. She didn’t want it to end. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him, her hands finding his muscled chest and tracing his six-pack with her fingers.
‘It’s been perfect.’
All Freya wanted to do was to slip into bed with him. They’d been getting to know each other slowly and their kiss on her birthday had left her wanting more. Today had been perfect; he was perfect, in looks, personality, so kind and thoughtful, someone she wanted to get to know better, know intimately...
His mum’s door was ajar. Was she already asleep or listening in? She assumed it was intentional that the rooms she’d given them were on either side of hers.
Aaron leant down and gave her another lingering kiss. Her heart pounded as he pulled away.
‘See you in the morning,’ she said, taking a couple of steps backwards, wincing as a floorboard creaked.
Aaron remained leaning on the edge of his open doorway, watching her with his beautiful deep brown eyes. He mouthed, ‘later,’ before closing the door to his room with a wink.
Freya sighed and crept the rest of the way along the hallway. The airy and spacious bedroom was a refreshing change to her compact room in the staff village. The chiffon curtains fluttered with the lightest of breezes bringing the sweet scent of the frangipani flowers. The sound of the ocean ebbed in too, a sound she couldn’t get enough of. She couldn’t go back to city living; she craved space and peace.
She changed into pyjama shorts and a vest top and went to the window. The sky was inky black, lit only by a smattering of silver stars and a sliver of moon. The beach was shrouded in darkness, what little light there was just catching the faint curl of the waves as they dissolved on to the shore.
The sheets were cool and had a fresh floral scent. It felt good to sprawl out on a double bed for once. She couldn’t sleep though. She lay awake for ages wondering if she should creep down the landing to Aaron’s room. Hadn’t his wink and comment about ‘later’ suggested as much? This was their chance; it would be a no-go back at the staff village. She hadn’t expected to find someone like Aaron, someone she was drawn to and wanted to spend time with. Someone she liked in that way. She’d been purposefully single and it had suited her back in London, but she felt different here. Perhaps being somewhere far removed from her life and the memories there had truly helped her to move on emotionally. She stared at the shadows of the chiffon curtains dancing on the ceiling from the breeze. It felt so different lying in a cool room, in a large and comfortable bed, the ocean the dominant sound, rather than her room at the staff village with the noise of people and doors banging, those damn fruit bats forever in the background. However much she wanted to sleep with Aaron there was an overriding sense that she was a guest. Aaron had suggested his mum would frown upon that sort of behaviour, regardless of them being consenting adults. She’d been on her
