Day 28
Jaco, Costa Rica
We make it to Costa Rica two weeks before Christmas, which is coincidentally also around the time everyone begins getting a little too stir crazy on the boat.
Rolling green hills and lush tropical forest taunt us in the distance as we sail into Puntarenas. One we're docked, we're immediately interrogated by customs. Two seemingly unfriendly men make their way into our space, requiring tons of documents, barking orders in Spanish. It's insanely intimidating, and I have no idea what's being said, but luckily Marcus handles it all.
Eventually we get clearance to stay in the country, and sail the short distance to Jaco, where we'll be docking the boat during our stay. Once we're there, we work fast to pack up our belongings and make sure everything will be secure on the boat while we're gone.
The drive to our Airbnb is a half hour away from the marina, and according to Marcus, this is a good thing. Earlier he'd grumbled about Jaco being a tourist trap—apparently he prefers to be hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The beach town passes in a blur, and the further away we drive, the more it becomes farms and pastures, flat but still so green.
Edward's shoulder brushes against mine as he peers out my window. "See that mountain over there?" I hum in agreement. "That's where we're gonna zipline."
I groan. "You know I'm terrified, right?"
"You'll be fine," Marcus throws out from the passenger seat of the van. "They bought new harnesses after someone fell."
Carmen pipes in from the row behind us. "Slap him for me, Edward."
Everyone laughs, except me.
"He's joking," Edward murmurs in my ear, squeezing my thigh.
I give him an unconvincing smile, one that he laughs at before placing a quick kiss to my shoulder.
The van makes a sudden turn onto a dirt road, which we follow for a good ten minutes. It's secluded, eventually covered by a canopy of trees, until the road opens up and reveals a modern-looking house. It's all floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed concrete and chrome. It's not what I was expecting, especially imagining the way Edward usually travels. He whistles when we get out of the cab, and if his face is any indication, he wasn't expecting these digs, either.
"Who's paying for this again?" Jasper asks as we unload our bags.
"Let's just say friend owed me a favor," Carmen says with a wink. "He usually rents it out on Airbnb, but is letting us stay for free."
Jasper looks impressed, while I'm curious as to what exactly would warrant letting someone stay here for free.
Once we're inside, we spend some time marveling at the amazing architecture while giving ourselves a tour of the grounds. The space is open concept and insanely minimal, with two bedrooms on opposite ends of the house. Everything is immaculate, all white and natural tones.
When we make our way out back, Jasper immediately makes himself at home by cannonballing into the pool with all of his clothes on.
"He usually isn't so modest," Edward says loudly, I assume for Jasper's sake.
Jas breaks the surface, swimming to the shallow end. "I can change that, if you want." He pulls off his shirt and tosses it onto the pavement in front of us.
"No one wants to see that," Edward chides, walking toward a cushioned lounge chair.
"Speak for yourself," I tease, earning a playful glare from Edward.
He tugs on my hand until I'm sitting in his lap. "Real funny," he whispers close to my ear.
"I thought so," I beam. "Couldn't let Marcus be the only one with the jokes today."
With a grin, he squeezes the side of my thigh before leaving his hand there, tracing small circles along my skin. The contact creates a deep, warm feeling that courses throughout my body. It's natural, being with him like this. There was no awkward phase after our first kiss the other week. No second guessing or feeling unsure of where this goes next. But between the gnarly storm we passed through and Jasper's sudden stomach issues, causing Edward to do extra work on the boat, we haven't had many opportunities to be alone. Until today.
"—and the hot springs, too."
I realize I've missed half of what he's said.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Just listing off some of the things we should do while we're here."
"Oh, you're making plans?" I tease, playfully shaking his shoulder.
"Got to. Island life is slow but the time passes fast."
"I'm looking forward to slow," I murmur, locking eyes with his.
His smirk is warm, easy, as he closes the distance to kiss me. Maybe it was meant to be chaste, but I deepen it, keeping our lips locked together, kissing him harder. His grip on my waist tightens as our mouths move together. And just before it starts to get indecent, Jasper hollers at us.
"Get a room!" he calls out, attempting to splash us.
"We did," Edward quips. "You're sleeping on the couch again."
"God dammit," he mumbles, swimming away.
"He hates us," I whisper, breathing out a laugh.
"He gets it. If he were with someone, he'd get the room too."
"Oh you're with me?"
"You know what I mean."
I smile at the way his cheeks turn red beneath his beard.
"I think I'm gonna go unpack," I say, standing.
With the sun behind my head, Edward squints up at me, shielding his eyes with his hand.
"I'll come with you. But there's no guarantee all of my shit won't end up on the floor eventually."
"What?" I balk. "You mean you're not overjoyed to hang up your clothes and put things away in drawers?"
He shrugs, following me into the house where the blessed air conditioner immediately blasts us. We grab our bags and leave them in the corner of our room, and I can't help but peek into the attached bathroom.
"A real shower!" I practically cry, taking in the overly large space. "And a real bed," I add for good measure. It's a king, I think, but anything looks large after you've been sleeping on a boat. I throw myself into the lush mattress, thrilled that it feels as comfortable as it looks.
"It's official," I say decidedly. "I'm never leaving."
Edward kicks off his shoes before lying next to me, eyes dancing with amusement. "So roughing it isn't really your thing, huh?"
"Sleeping in humidity with bugs and other creatures? And not having access to a real shower? I'm sorry if I led you to believe any differently but I'm fine right here in the air condition."
He laughs, probably at me, but I don't care. I'm owning who I am and right now it's someone who wants to be clean, cool, and comfortable.
"I appreciate the honesty." He brushes back a piece of my hair. "I saw you writing this morning."
"Barely," I groan. "I've been lacking inspiration. Or maybe I've been distracted..." I trail off, giving him a pointed look. It's not his fault, though. I had plenty of time to write on the boat, and that time wasn't used wisely over the last week.
"What were you writing about?"
Just how crazy it is that it'll be Christmas soon. And a week after that, an entirely new year. How I spent most of last year in a funk, completely aimless and anxiety ridden. And the confusing thing is that I still don't know which direction I want to go with my life, but things don't feel as dark right now. And I know a large part of that is because of Edward.
"Just stuff," I say, stalling.
I try my hardest to push away any feelings of self-consciousness. And I know he can sense it, because when he looks at me, he really sees me. It might be my favorite thing about him, despite how intimidating it is.
"I was writing about how I hardly recognize myself anymore," I finally reply.
"Is that a good thing?" he questions carefully.
"Yes. Definitely. I don't ever want to be back in the place I was months ago."
Edward's gaze is soft, understanding. "You took the steps to starting something new. You couldn't go back now even if you wanted to."
"Couldn't go back to where, Texas?"
"Back to that state of mind." He pauses. "But Texas too. If you didn't want to… I don't know. I feel like you could make that work. You're more resilient than you give yourself credit for."
I chuckle, because I think he's joking. When he doesn't laugh, I say, "Of course I eventually have to go back home. Resilient or not, what else would I do?"
He shrugs, unconcerned. "You'd figure it out."
I move to sit up, legs dangling off the bed. "And if I didn't figure it out I'd just follow you around to different countries? Live out of a van? Abandon my cat?"
"I don't necessarily have to be part of the equation if you decide not to go back."
I open and close my mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. Usually I'd drop it and let my mind wander. I'd assume he's saying this because he doesn't want to be part of the equation. But things are different with him. We aren't about games or avoiding difficult topics.
"I mean, you're part of the equation, Edward. Whether you want to be or not. You get that, right?"
"I do. I just…" He stops, scrubbing a hand over his beard. "I don't want to say anything that'll stress you out."
"Well that is stressing me out," I blurt. "Say whatever you want."
He sits up, facing me. "Okay. My biggest regret would be influencing any decisions you make. That rarely ever works out for anyone."
"I know… but this trip wouldn't be on the table for me if you didn't provide the opportunity. So saying you aren't part of the equation is stupid."
His eyes smile but his face gives nothing away. "You're right. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
I blow out a sigh. I hadn't thought about not going back. Of course maybe only in the way that everyone does when they're on vacation. You don't want it to end but ultimately you know it has to. Because that's adulting. Doing the stuff you don't want to do.
"I think for now, I need to stick to my plan: book a flight when we make it to Chile, and fly back." Even I'm not convinced by my words, so I try again. "I came into this with an expiration date. So… yeah."
"Okay." He nods, always understanding. "And if you change your mind, that's fine. Plans change sometimes."
"And sometimes they don't."
"Right."
"Okay."
Hawaiian music plays from the living room, echoing throughout the house, a nice reprieve from this tense conversation. It takes me back to the start of our trip, our first night in Mexico at Marcus and Carmen's place. Their playlist only consisted of Hawaiian music the entire night, and hearing it now brings so much comfort to me. That night feels so far away, almost like a different lifetime.
"We're good, right?" Edward asks quietly, searching my face.
Reaching for his hand, I tangle my fingers with his.
"More than," I murmur, repeating his words from our conversation the other night.
It's kind of become our thing since then. A phrase only the two of us can say, and know the meaning to.
"Good." He squeezes my hand. "I'm thinking we should have dinner tonight."
"Well yeah. I always wanna eat dinner. Lunch and breakfast are nice too," I babble.
"I mean just us."
"Oh." I smirk, fingers grazing over his bearded chin. "Like, dinner dinner."
"Yeah."
"Like a date," I add, brows raised.
"Like a date," he confirms, the corner of his mouth lifting just so. "I figure I've put you through enough shitty meals and owe you something real."
"I like real."
"Me too."
His face is open, earnest. I think about how many women he's taken out, or if he's ever been on an actual date. I hate that my mind wanders to these insignificant details, but with every passing day my feelings for him grow that much more. I'm worried about getting hurt, but ultimately I need to remember that being worried leads to being guarded, and building walls won't get me anywhere.
"So, what do you say?" His fingers brush against my knee, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Don't leave me hangin'."
Leaning in, I kiss him once, twice, then say, "I'd love to."
Well I'll be damned. That right there is another dang chapter.
Thanks for reading, y'all!
