“Before we go, I need to know who told you about the Conselho wanting me back in their leash. I need to know how serious this is before I get Scarlet tangled up in it. Yes, I do have feelings for her but I am not going to put her in danger because of it.”
“I have a friend who can get a glimpse into the future. I can’t tell you more than that because his gift is a bit biased. So they are after you, but they don’t know how to find you. You have got time to decide what to do. If I get any more news I’ll give you a heads up.” he jumped to his feet and grabbed his car keys from the table. “Can we go now?”
Stephan followed his eager friend to his black Convertible. Material things had lost a place in his life, he gave up all the money he had, and it was just sitting somewhere. He was going to buy Sotera a house with that money. As for his mustang, it sat in the garage rotting away. They got into the car and sped back to Russian hill.
Solara was through the door and had Kayla in his arms. “Hey, fudge cake. I missed you.”
Stephan saw Marcie mouth the words fudge cake to Scarlet, shock on her face. Scarlet must have realized he was watching because she said, “Kayla hates pet names, especially those that are named after desserts. She often says that if she was meant to be a sweet she would be wrapped in a shiny plastic paper.”
Kayla and Solara ignored everyone around them. They kissed, causing a bunch of faces to turn beetroot red.
“Did you? Then why did you stay away so long.” she gave him a quick peck before slapping his hands off her. “Ketchup?”
They shared a look and a chuckle before she went on with her work. Stephan sat in a booth and watched his friend and his girlfriend. They looked so happy. Maybe one day he would be happy.
His thoughts were replaced by Scarlet’s scent. She was walking towards him, he cleared his throat and sat up. He held her gaze as she slid into the booth to sit beside him. For a long minute, they sat in silence. After a while, he kissed her temple then stood up and left.
***
That night he picked her up from the diner. They took her Clio and drove to the beach west of the golden gate bridge. It was quite a distance from where she lived but she was happy to be with him. Wherever he took her was fine with her.
She had to admit that she was startled when he asked her out but was elated. Solara took Kayla home that night so she didn’t have an excuse not to. Her only fear was that he would bring her so close only to pull away.
Once they got to the Baker beach, Stephan took her hand and led her towards the shore. The ocean looked so beautiful reflecting the twinkle of the stars and the light of the moon. It hung so beautifully in the dark sky leading all the other little lights in their shine, the sole witness of everything beautiful and the vicious in the world.
She loved looking at the moon and it seemed he did too, the only time he took his eyes off her was to look at the moon. The waves silently crashed against each other making beautiful music. And as the waves rolled so did the lights it reflected dancing to the sound of the ocean. The scene was beautiful, but its beauty did not take her worry away. She wondered why he brought her here to a place with a romantic ambiance. She waited, now that the stage had been set she waited for direction and to hear the words from his script.
Stephan reached for the back of her head and pulled off the ribbon that held her hair in place. He combed through it with his fingers and twisted it around his pinkie. He then stood behind her so that he could inhale the sweet scent of her hair.
Scarlet stood still as he played with her hair, she didn’t want to risk destroying the moment for him. For her. She loved being this close to him though she knew it would not last. It only took a second before he pulled away and walked away from her. But where would he go now, they were at the beach with nowhere to hide.
He pulled her to the ground she didn’t resist, she was going to let it run its course. She would let herself enjoy the attention he was giving to her. She promised herself to memories every second of this night. It would be her only comfort if he recoiled back to his shell once they got back.
He took off her shoes and socks, then took his off. He pulled her legs to his laps and his tracing his fingers along her bare legs. She was glad that she had decided to wear shorts that morning and even happier that she shaved. He drew her close to his side. Holding her under his arm he buried his face in her hair once more. Taking in her sweet scent wishing he could bathe in it, letting it cover every inch of him.
But that was not his reason for bringing her here. He wanted to be alone with her without the interruptions of the world. He needed this time to convince himself that it was ok to love her. To love someone other than Sotera. Sotera loved the ocean and the smell of it. Although it seemed wrong, he wanted to be with Scarlet in her favorite place.
He stood up and looked down at her then pulled her to her feet. He had one hand wrapped around her waist and the other stroked back her hair from her face. He wanted to look into her eyes, the eyes that had the same effect on him as Sotera’s yet they were so different.
He traced his finger down to her lips before he lifted her chin to kiss her. His lips then traced down to the hollow of her neck. It lingered there for a while before he pulled back.
Scarlet thought it was time she got some answers. The romantic part of it was breath-taking but reality had to set in.
“Why did you bring me here?” She said it in such a low voice she didn’t think he heard her. For a moment she thought he hadn’t because he went on to fiddle with her hair.
She caught his hand to stop him but he brought it to his lips to kiss it. It was as if a million volts had been passed through her body because she shivered. She looked into his eyes searching.
“Just be here with me. Don’t try and rationalize it or find reason or meaning to this. I love the beach, the ocean, and the night lights. I wanted to share it with you.”
He intertwined his fingers with hers and slowly started moving. He was dancing. They were dancing to the sounds of the waves. She didn’t know how to react to this all she knew was that she wanted to enjoy this moment but could not fully do it. A part of her was waiting for him to pull away as he usually did.
He twirled her around the sand and soon their feet were in the water. He then spun her away from him and dropped her hand. She looked at him as he took two steps behind. This was the reaction she waited for. She took in a deep breath and kicked the water.
“Dance for me So… Scarlet.”
She looked at him as if he had suddenly gone insane. “You want me to what?” her body stiffened she didn’t do that kind of thing. It wasn’t in her nature.
He chuckled and closed the gap between them. He took her in his arms and kissed her. As he did he swayed side to side, he could feel her body relax. His hands ran up and down her sides then he turned her around and brought her back against his chest.
He looked at the ocean as the waves rolled and crushed against each other. He then looked up at the sky and stared at the patterns the stars made on the thick dark blanket above them. It was a beautiful night a beautiful moment and he was with a beautiful woman sharing it with her.
He bent down to whisper in her ear, “Dance for me Scarlet. No one is watching except me and the moon.”
He planted a kiss on her neck and pulled her shirt off her shoulders and kissed her where it was bare. “Dance for me Scarlet. Dance with the ocean under these lights.”
He gently pushed her further into the water and watched her as she hesitated. “Dance…”
With that last request, she swayed side to side using the water as her prop. Determined to look as enticing as she could. She got more confident when she saw him smile. It was a genuine smile he looked happy. She had never seen him so at peace before so happy at the simplest of things.
Stephan watched and with each turn she made he saw her, then saw her. He saw both the women he loved. When he saw Sotera he saw her at the beach in Rio, the first time he had laid eyes on her. When he saw Scarlet he saw her here with him.
So with every turn, she made he saw Sotera’s amber eyes and curly strawberry blonde hair dancing with her. He saw Scarlet and saw her hazel eyes, her eyes were like the moon and her hair swaying on her back. He looked at her realizing how similar his two loves were and yet how different they were.
He was happy that he was able to share the moment with both of them. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. Swaying with her and staring into her eyes.
***
Scarlet was at the peak of happiness. She couldn’t imagine anything better than being here with the man she loved. She was convinced he felt the same way about her. This was not something you share with just anyone.
They sat on the sand she wrapped her body around his, staring at his face. She loved the way his dark hair hung around his face. How his eyes stood out from the rest of his face. She loved the feeling of his muscled back and his strong thighs under her. She wished that they could stay there forever.
But she knew they would have to go back to the real world. She hoped that he wouldn’t leave his affection behind at this beach.