Chapter 38: Alone
Claire woke up first. Neil was still sleeping on the sand. It was the first time she had ever had sex on a beach. This man revealed her craziness, her wildness, her freedom. All her life she had lived by the rules, now she was making them and it was funny, liberating. She loved being feeling this way. As if she had no ties anymore, like she was able to do anything.
She jumped as she felt something touching her feet. A monkey was literally seated on her ankle. It was so unrealistic she didn't get it right away. And she burst into laughing. Her giggles woke Neil up.
"Sorry but lil monkey sat on my feet and it was so funny."
She bent on him and kissed him. " You know how I love this little noise of yours. I can't be angry at you by waking me up like this." He kissed her back. "Not tired because of last night?"
"Still have a lot of energy…"He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. She giggled again and again. It made him feel like crazy. The heat of their bodies made them shiver. It was like a chemical reaction. When their skins were melting, they could feel the electricity running through their bodies. It was new and exciting. Even if they were together for one year now, they never got rid of this mesmerizing feeling.
They spent a little more time on the beach before packing her stuff back and put on some clothes. This island was likely inhabited by monkeys but it was not a reason to stay naked all day. Taking each other's clothes off was one of their favorite foreplay after all. They walked along the idyllic beaches for the whole day, only waiting to watch the gorgeous nature surrounding them.
Neil told her about his previous trip in Vietnam just before he entered medicine school, his passion for Moby Dick and how he almost wrote an English literature thesis.
"You really are into Moby Dick?! It's like one of the most boring books I've ever read."
Claire burst into laughing. "How do you dare saying something like this? Moby Dick is a piece of art of the 19th century. Herman Melville wrote it after he got the idea when he was a whaler! Deep down he knew hunting whales was a bad thing and he showed people the strength of nature in this novel. He was such an avant-gardist when you think of it…"
Claire looked at him captivated. He was so handsome when he was passionate, defending his point of view. And he was her man. And he told her he loved her. After all that she had been through, she couldn't believe she had found her happy place. It was as if she was waiting for something to go wrong. Because in her life, everything had always gone wrong at some moments.
"Claire? You're alright? You're not freaking out because you're scared something is about to go wrong, right? You do know we've experienced our worst moments and now we can only live our best moments…"
He took her by her chin and made her look at him in the eyes. Her eyes were wet. "You do know I will never let you down. I've literally survived an earthquake for you! "
She laughed. He did know how to talk to her. "I do know that but you know me… Always expecting the worst. Experiences made me think nothing is granted forever…"
"You grant me forever, dear. Deal with it!" He kissed her on the mouth and started to run. She ran after him trying to catch him because he was the only person in the world she wanted to follow in this world.
Days on Ko Tarutao were melting like the snow under the sun. Neil and Claire left the island to join the continent and rent a new car to visit the eastern coast of the country. Neil had already planned everything and Claire had nothing to do but sitting in the car and waiting for the new place to discover. Her new hobby was to read maps and help him to find their way in the middle of the jungle, of the countryside or of the rice fields. After hours of driving, Neil parked the car in front of a hotel in the middle of nowhere.
"Welcome to Erawan National park! This is where I almost broke my ankle diving in a waterfall. I'll tell you the whole story later. Let's go inside, it's getting dark."
Claire dreamt of lying in a large bed. She was exhausted. All these hours in a car had finally fought her usual energy. She followed Neil inside the hotel. They waited in the lobby. She sat in the sofa, she was so tired she couldn't stop yawning. A young woman came to see them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Melendez, your room is ready. Sorry for the waiting. To excuse us, you'll find a bottle of champagne in your room. If you want to follow me."
Even if she was half-sleepy, Claire was surprised to be called Mrs. Melendez once again. Of course, she hoped to get married one day but she never thought of this possibility since she was with Neil. Maybe because she was too scared to lose this little bubble of happiness they had built and thanks to which she was finally appeased. Neil winked at her. "Stop freaking out. And we have free champagne waiting for us."
"I'm not freaking out… This was just unexpected." She stuck her tongue to him. And entered the room. The hotel employee explained to Neil how to reach the waterfalls and then let them alone while the groom was dropping their baggage in the bedroom. Neil thanked him, gave him a tip and closed the door. "Claire, where are you? I need you to hear what the hotel employee just told me, we…"
He found her on the bed, cuddled against the cushions. She was sleeping, snoring a little too. He made her slip on the left side, removed her shoes and hand bag, and covered her with the quilt before kissing on the forehead. "Have sweet dreams, Mrs. Melendez."
Neil woke up the next morning, smelling coffee and croissant. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." Claire was already awake. She was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper." I was waiting for you to start. I'm soooo hungry."
He jumped from the bed and joined her at the table. Before sitting, he kissed her in the neck. She shivered. He knew it was a very sensible part of her body. For their first day here, they chose to rest. They had already travel more than 1500 miles and walked in the woods, tea fields and beaches. A little time to relax was more than welcomed. They enjoyed the commodities of the hotel: the spa, the sauna, the swimming pool and finally the restaurant. "I'm like in a dream!"
"You deserve it, Claire, you know that?"
She blushed. Even after all this time together, he knew how to move her. "I'm not that remarkable, you know."
"Sorry to contradict you but yes, you are, Mrs. Browne. I won't be there if you've not been by my side and I won't be the humble man I'm today if you've not set me straight more than once."
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. This night, they fell asleep cuddled in each other's arms. Them against the world. The next day, they took their backpacks and went in the woods to find the waterfalls Neil had so often talked about. As they reached them, Claire was once again amazed by the beauty of the place. They sat for a while to enjoy the nature surrounded them, the calm of the place, the sound of the water.
Claire never thought she had the soul of an adventurer and here she was, in the middle of nowhere with the man she loved. Her mother would be surprised to see her like that. She had always told her she will end up alone because no one except her could love her unconditionally. She was toxic, always had been. She just wanted to keep her under control to have someone to take care of her. Parts of her childhood had been ruined because of her. She got back to reality when Neil asked her if she wanted to have a swim in the waterfalls.
"I'd love to!"
On their way back to the hotel, hand in hand, still wet from their improvised bathing, Claire asked him about his almost broken ankle. "And tell me the truth!" He told her how he came here by accident, how his best friend asked him to jump from a rock and how he did it and almost landed on a huge spike. He only got bruises but he was shocked, traumatized; he could have been badly injured, or even worst, he could have killed himself.
"I was young and stupid. But it's a perfect story to seduce women."
"Don't be ridiculous. And promise me not to do this kind of things again!"
She turned and took a moment to hug him. Her head against his chest, her arms around his torso she liked so much, listening to his heartbeat.
"Never."
As the time passed, they continued to travel through Vietnam. She couldn't believe there were so many treasures in only one country! Claire had a little heartache when she thought it was almost time to go back to San Jose and find her routine again. Not that she didn't want to be a doctor anymore. She loved her job so much. She just felt new desires in her heart. Surely a brief off moment, the nostalgia of the end of the holidays.
Sam Phan Bok was their last destination before going back home. Such a beautiful name for such a bittersweet memory. Yet the place was gorgeous: a large canyon and rocks worked by the time and the natural elements. Around them, nothing but emptiness. Claire started to like not being in a big city, she liked the big spaces when she had the impression to be free, to be without ties.
"Lost in memories?" Neil asked her, putting his hands on her waist.
"Just enjoying the landscape. This is so stunning…" Her voice lost in the wind.
"We've just getting started, you know that?" He kissed her in the neck. "Plenty of other places are waiting for us. It's just the beginning…"
She took his arms around her waist in her hands and pressed them. "I do know this, I'm just feeling nostalgic… I kind of really love the moments we've been spending here, just the two of us. No more gossiping, no more judgmental look, just us and infinite possibilities…"
Without a word, he took her hand in his and pulled her. They walked for another ten minutes. The place was over there, far from the ordinary paths. She followed him, he knew the place better than she did. But she was anxious, not knowing where she was going. They finally stopped a few miles away from the last hiking sign.
"When I first come here, I got lost. I came hiking alone and don't ask me why, I lost track of the hiking path and found this place. As I was looking for my way back, I saw this so special rock and I made myself a promise. If one day, I was in love with a woman I will bring her here… And here we are…"
He pointed to a special rock on her right. She came closer and see a heart-shaped gap in the it. How cute was it! She turned to him smiling. "I think you've brought all your girlfriends here."
"Nope, not only one until you. You're my first one, Claire Browne."
"Really? In that case, I'm pretty honored, Neil Melendez. Even if I'm not fond of romantic gesture, this one is very nice."
"So I'm not a lame?"
He loved to tease her. She was always blushing. Then she stumbled on words and finally giggled. Which she once again did this time. This was at this moment, at this precise second, he knew. He searched in his pocket what he was hidden for several weeks now. He had bought it in a small shop in a small village he couldn't even remember the name. He was waiting for Claire who bought some food for the road. And when he saw it, it had been so obvious, so he bought it and kept it in his pocket since.
"Stop teasing me! I shouldn't have told that. And by the way, I may like lame people…"
She turned back to the heart-shaped gap to take a picture. It was really too cute, she had to send a picture of it to Morgan and Alex, who seemed to be closer than ever, judging by the last email she shared with Morgan. She turned and raised her head to show Neil the message she was about to send to their friends when she saw him with something in his hands, something really tiny. Oh my God, it couldn't be…
"Claire Browne, I won't put one knee on the ground because you'd say, I'm so romantic and old-fashioned and you'd say you don't like this. But I want to give you this ring because I want the world to know you're mine and I'm yours. So here, in the middle of nowhere , in front of this spot I found randomly decades ago, I have a question for you Miss Browne, would you like to become my wife?"
Claire was stunned, like literally paralyzed. Will Neil just ask her to marry him? It seemed so unreal and in the same time, so obvious. She came closer to him, eyes full of tears. "Are you asking me what I thinking you're asking?"
Neil smiled, she could see tears in his eyes too. He was shaky, sweaty and as insecure as she was. "I think. Will you marry me, Claire Browne?"
"I will assuredly, Neil Melendez."
Without leaving each other's eyes, he put the ring with a jade stone on Claire's left ring finger before kissing her with passion. As their lips got apart, they shared a conniving look. He pressed her hands in his. "Think we're engaged then."
Claire gave him a faint smile and reached his hand. She was engaged to Neil Melendez!
