Shadows in the Sun
Chapter 1
"What am I doing?" yelled Jeremy at the top of his lungs. As he refilled those lungs, EVERYTHING started to enter his brain as a kaleidoscope of emotions and memories. His eyes hurt from the bright sun, his lungs hurt from the coal smoke and his butt reminded him that this horse was not gentle to novice riders. There was so much more though with the warm sun on his skin, the smell of the horse and the dusty smell from the field all mingled in as well.
As he rode on things started to clear up. He was on his horse and they were moving at a full run. He could tell that they were going towards town but not directly. The wind was in his hair and his heart was lighter than it had ever been. He was close to flying.
He looked around and found Isabella riding her horse beside and a little ahead of him. This was okay with Jeremy because she might have expected him to talk, and right now he was not sure he was ready or even capable of doing that. They rode for what seemed like forever, but they slowed down once they were on a ridge looking down on this strange little Italian town that had so thoroughly gotten under his skin.
They plodded along silently taking in the beauty of the scenery and the enormity of the situation. Finally, on a bluff, they stopped and just took in all of the Tuscan hills. "I am not sure what just happened, but when you can talk again, find me" and with that, she pushed her horse down a steep embankment that he could never follow and off down a hidden trail.
Jeremy walked into the familiar hotel lobby only to find that it was noticeable different. Sure, this morning when he left it was different than when he first walked in the first time, but it was different again. This was not a foreign country with its different sounds and smells, but a place of warmth and familiarity. The big difference, of course, this time was instead of a grumpy suspicious innkeeper who made him feel like a Londoner out of England, it was now Gustavo who had a small grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye that said "I knew you would be back, so I didn't bother cleaning your room". This alone was an overwhelming amount of change in just a few hours.
Unlike last time when he dragged his suitcases up the stairs while Gustavo watched with contempt and indifference, this time Jeremy bounded up the stairs and into his room, free. First of all, he was free of things like possessions and a tight suit, but he was free of something else. This was an indescribable free and one that he had never experienced before.
As he sat on the bed, his head swimming in thoughts, he knew some things that he had not known when he left the room. They were new, they were strong and they were exciting. He knew that his life had changed forever, he knew that he belonged to something and he knew that he belonged to someone. He flopped on the bed out of pure exhaustion from the hugeness of it all.
He woke up to an amazing set of lips kissing his face. When his eyes finally adjusted to the dim light, he saw that not only was the room darker but his whole field of view was surrounded by long chestnut brown hair. The next explosion in his brain was the smell. There was a perfect mix of warm sweet breath, some sort of exotic shampoo and a touch of horse. He closed his eyes and let his poor brain take in the love that was being poured onto his lips.
"Sorry I had to run off like that", Isabella whispered between kisses.
Jeremy was suddenly fully awake. He rolled Isabella over onto her back and looked down into her eyes. He then kissed her like he had never kissed anyone in his life. His whole being was in it. It lasted; Jeremy didn't know. What he did know was that she was kissing him back with an exact matching passion, and during that kiss, an understanding was communicated between them.
Finally, Jeremy pulled up for air and looked at her again. Those eyes were both hard to look at and too wonderful to turn away from. "I would love to say here longer with you, but I came by to tell you that Dad is expecting us up at the house for supper." Jeremy just kept staring at her. He really could not take his eyes off of her face. She gave him a little push on the arm and said: "did you hear me?"
"What's the rush?"
"Well, I hate to be late or Father Moretti digs around and gets all the good parts of the stew that Dad made," she said with a half grin.
Just as he was fixing his resolve to roll off of the bed, he heard an all too familiar rhythmic pounding and moaning coming from the next room. Isabelle's incredible eyes flashed open and with a sly little grin and a shrug of her shoulders, she said, "I guess we have some time."