Chapter 39 Day 28, continued

I guess being a hero for Earth has its advantages. The financial backers of the Eden project were so happy to have the "celebrity endorsement" of the Planeteers, they arranged for some pretty nice accommodations. And by "pretty nice" I mean, five star hotel! This place has it all. Huge water beds, an indoor pool, a hot tub in the suites…which by the way, we were each given our own suite…I kinda feel bad that one of those suites will be going to waste since Linka and I will be sharing a room…but that's not something we could make known. Sure, the other Planeteers knew, but it's not something we wanted the public to know about…not only would it be considered inappropriate, but it would also lead to having to explain why it was necessary…and Linka's private life was not something that the world needed to know about.

I knock on the door to Linka's hotel room and wait nervously for her to open it. Why am I nervous? I have no idea. It's just Linka. HA! Who am I kidding, there's no such thing as "just" Linka. Even after the closeness that we've developed, she still makes me nervous…like one wrong move, one misinterpreted friendly gesture could be taken the wrong way and she'll push me away…forever.

I jump when she pulls the door open.

"What took you so long Yankee?"

"Huh?" I ask, confused…I didn't tell her I'd be here at any specific time…or at all. After all, this is her day. I don't want to take away from it, as much as I want to share it with her.

"I just thought you would be here sooner…I think this is the longest we have been apart."

"It's only been…" I check my watch. "A half hour."

"Well that is 30 minutes too long," she says with a coy smile as she takes my hand and pulls me inside.

I pull the bouquet of lilies out from behind my back.

"For you."

"Oh Wheeler! They are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," I say as I kiss her cheek.

She blushes at the compliment.

"What did I do to deserve these?"

"I didn't know I needed a special reason to give a beautiful girl flowers…but if I must have a reason, these are to say 'Congratulations' and 'I'm proud of you,' and 'Thank you.'"

"Thank you? For what?" She asks.

"This whole thing is pretty impressive Babe. I'm just in awe of you. We're so young and look what you've accomplished. I could never pull off something like this. A loser like me isn't worthy of being in the same room as greatness such as yours…and yet, you allow me to be here with you…I…"

She stops me by putting her fingers over my lips.

"Do not EVER talk badly about my best friend like that. I am the one who is undeserving of him. I would not be here right now if it were not for him. I owe him my life…I am lucky that he has stuck with me after all I have put him through…and I am honored that he is here with me to share this very special moment."

I smile against her fingers and kiss them.

"So then you think maybe you'd like to have dinner with me?"

"I would love to have dinner with you. I am starving."

"Really? Good! I mean, not good that you're starving…but that you're getting your appetite back."

"Da."

"Great. So do you want to go out somewhere or order room service?"

"Would it be ok if we stayed here? The restaurants will be crowded and noisy. I'd like to just stay here where it's quiet and private, and I can wear something more comfortable."

"Sure…that's fine by me."

More than fine. I love having her all to myself.

"This room has a hot tub," she says.

"Oh yeah?" Of course I already knew that, but my interest is peeked…I liked where this was going.

"Da, I thought it would be good for my muscles."

"Better than my massages?" I ask with a quirked eyebrow.

"I may need both…I was pretty nervous about this…and tense."

I move to stand behind her and reach out and cup the back of her neck, squeezing gently to ease a little of her tension.

"One problem Babe, I didn't pack anything to swim in."

"Neither did I."

What exactly is she suggesting then?

"Umm, sooooo are we gonna go skinny dipping?" I ask, hopefully, but trying to keep my voice neutral…but failing miserably. My voice comes out as a whisper and probably a few octaves higher than normal.

"Nyet," she says as she turns around and smiles at me. "I was thinking after we ordered dinner, while we waited for it to be delivered, we could go to the gift shop and buy swimming suits."

"Oh…yeah. Good idea."

We order our food and head down to the gift shop…which closed at 9…it was now 9:05.

"Damn it," I say.

"I guess we have no choice…skinny dipping it is then."

"REALLY?"

"NYET!" She says as she smacks my arm. "I am kidding!"

"Oh. Yeah…I knew that," I lie.

"Oh well. I guess I will just have to settle for a massage. You should probably not be submerging your wound in water anyway…it is still healing around the edges."

"It'd be fine. I don't think it would've been under…especially if you let me sit on your lap," I tease. "But I guess it doesn't matter now."

"There is a way…other than skinny dipping."

"What's that?" I'm intrigued.

"Do you have an extra pair of boxers?"

"Yeah, I always pack extra in case we end up gone longer than we expected."

"You could wear those. And I could…go in…with my…well, it would be no different than what I wear to the beach, right?"

"Uh, yeah…right."

"Unless you are not comfortable with that."

That's not the problem at all…the problem is, I might be a little TOO comfortable with it and forget myself and do something I might regret…and give Kwame the perfect opportunity to say "I told you so." Linka is waiting for my answer so I hurry up and give it to her before she takes back her offer.

"No, no…it's fine. As long as you're comfortable with it."

She looks at me with more sincerity than I've ever seen in her eyes and says,

"I trust you."

Great. That's great. I'm glad…Now if only I trusted me!

"Good…I trust you too," I say with a wink, letting her know I'm joking. Although I would hope that she knows that if she ever did want to try something on me, I'd be more than willing to let her.

We go back to her room and wait for our dinner to arrive, but first we make a quick stop at my room to get an extra pair of boxers. Linka changes into more casual clothes and I take off my dress shirt so that all I'm wearing is my sleeveless undershirt.

Dinner was good…at least I think it was. I ate it so quickly, eager to get to the awaiting hot tub, I hardly tasted my food. Linka seemed to enjoy her meal. It was good to see her not totally turned off by food.

After dinner, we call the front desk to have them come to pick up our dishes. Once they've taken our dirty plates away, I lead Linka over to the couch and motion for her to lie down on her stomach and then sit astride her, ready to start her massage.

She wasn't exaggerating; she really was full of tension. Not for long though. It only takes a few minutes of my "magic fingers" to have her relaxed. I love feeling the warmth of her skin under my fingers. I slip my hands under her shirt in order to be able to give her a deeper tissue massage, considering the huge amount of tension in her muscles, I needed to rub her skin, to manipulate her with my hands, not with her clothing getting in the way.

All the walking we did today took its toll on her as well. There were a few times when I had to support her or we had to sit down to give her time to rest. I move down to work on her thighs, doing the best I can through the thick material of her sweatpants. Once I'm satisfied that I've done the best I can there, I pull the pant legs up to her knees so that I can work on her calves, squeezing as I run my hands up and down her muscles. Her legs are very muscular and well defined…and smooth. My hands very easily glide over them.

I move back up to straddle her hips and finish up by brushing her hair away from her neck and using my thumbs to rub small circles on her shoulders and up her neck. She sighs every time. I often wonder if it's because it feels so good or if it's because she realizes it's almost over.

I lean down and do something I've never done before…not during a massage anyway…I press my lips to the back of her neck and kiss her several times, making my way up to her ear before whispering,

"All better?"

"Da."

I slide off her and help her up.

"Ready for more relaxing?"

She nods her head. I wait for her to make the first move towards the hot tub. She hesitates.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" I ask.

Once again, all she does is nod. I make the first move by undoing the belt and button of my jeans and letting them drop to the floor.

She immediately starts laughing.

"LINKA!"

But she doesn't stop.

"You don't laugh at a guy when he drops his pants Babe…you just…you don't. It ain't right."

"I am sorry Wheeler, but I will never get used to those boxers!" She manages to compose herself long enough to say.

I wore my lucky gorilla boxers because I knew this was going to be a big day for her and I wanted it to go off without a hitch! I'm glad the mood has been lightened and hopefully she's more relaxed.

I climb into the steamy water and sink down into it.

"You better be confident in your choice of undergarments Babe, because it's only fair if I laugh at you now!" I warn.

"I think you will be disappointed Wheeler," she says as she pulls down her sweatpants. "Just plain black."

I watch admiringly as she bends down and pulls the pant legs from around her ankles. She's wrong. I'm not disappointed at all. As a matter of fact, black is my new favorite color.

Next is her shirt. I avert my eyes so that I don't make her uncomfortable, but my deed is not as noble as she may think. It just so happens that the direction I'm looking in gives me a perfect view of her in the mirror. I wait until she's in the hot tub before meeting her gaze.

"Feels nice huh?"

"Da, it is perfect."

I'm a little disappointed that she's chosen to sit on the opposite side of the tub as me. I know I shouldn't have expected anything, but I guess I'd envisioned her sitting next to me, leaning into my side as I put my arm around her and rested my head on top of hers.

"Earth to Wheeler," she says as she splashes me from across the hot tub.

"Hmm? Sorry, did you say something Babe?"

"You were a million miles away. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, really. Just relaxing."

She sinks down into the water so that her shoulders are fully submerged. She must be feeling modest, but then she stretches her legs out and rests her feet on my knees.

"My feet are not used to being in dress shoes for so long. They have gotten used to being in athletic shoes…and all that walking…"

The one thing I missed during her massage…her feet. I take the hint and take her foot in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over the arches, sides, and balls of her foot, applying light pressure to her toes. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back to rest on the edge of the tub. Her smile and the content hum she makes let me know that what I'm doing feels good. I mix up the order of my ministrations, and then switch to her other foot.

For a second, I wonder if she's asleep until she pulls her foot out of my grasp when I tickle her arch. She opens one eye and glares at me.

"You could not behave yourself could you?"

"Couldn't resist!" I admit.

"Why are you sitting so far away? I will not bite," she says.

Too bad.

"I got in and sat over here. You're the one that sat so far away."

"The view from here is beautiful," she says, referencing the window behind me.

"So is the view from here."

"I was talking about London."

"I was talking about you," I say as I move to sit next to her, putting my arm behind her, along the back of hot tub.

She leans into my side and I put my arm around her shoulders and rest my head on top of hers, just as I'd pictured us earlier.

After a while, she reaches up and touches my knife wound.

"You are making sure this does not stay submerged too long, right?"

"Honestly, that stupid thing is the last thing on my mind right now."

"What is the first?" She asks.

I move my hand from around her shoulder to brush it through her hair.

"Same thing as always," I reply as I turn my head to kiss her temple.

"Food? But we just ate?" She jokes as she lifts her head from my shoulder to look at me.

"Yeah. Food," I smile back at her and then lean down to kiss her forehead, then nose, then lips and linger there. It's still innocent. I don't press any further, but it lasts a little longer than my usual "friendly" kisses.

I can feel her smile against my lips and I smile as well before pulling away.

"We should probably get out before we turn to raisins," I suggest. "And I have a present for you."

"A present?" She says excitedly. "Where?"

"In my pants."

She quirks an eyebrow at me.

"In the pocket," I clarify. It seems like my sense of humor is starting to rub off on her. A few months ago, she would have never gotten that joke.

"We should get out. The scab on your wound is starting to get soft. You need to let it dry and then I will reapply your medicine and put the dressing over it."

"You just want to get out and get your present," I tease.

I stand up and reach for a towel, drying off as much as I can before stepping out of the hot tub and wrapping the towel around my waist.

Linka also stands up. I'm mesmerized as I watch the water trickle off her body. I'm brought back to reality when her hand reaches out for me. She braces herself on my shoulder with one hand as I reach out my other hand to take hers and help her climb out and jump down off the edge of the tub. I reluctantly hold the towel out for her to step into, hiding her body from my appreciative gaze. She's starting to put on more weight. Not much, but her ribs aren't as noticeable.

"I'm uh, gonna get ready for bed. I'll let you have the bathroom first," I say as I rub the towel over her shoulders. "Keep warm."

"Ok…thank you," she says before retreating to the bathroom.

I slip off my wet boxers and put on the dry pair. I pick up my discarded jeans and reach into the pocket, checking to make sure the small package was still there…and for the record, that's the only time that I've ever reached into my pocket and felt a "small" package!

Linka emerges from the bathroom wearing a lot more clothes than she went in there wearing…back to the sweatpants and hoodie.

"All yours."

"Thanks," I say as I toss my jeans at the foot of the bed.

"Do not forget to bring out your medicine and bandages," she reminds me.

"Yes Dr. Orlova!" I say with a wink.

When I come out of the bathroom, she's lying in bed reading a book.

I shake things up, literally, when I dive onto the waterbed.

"Surf's up Babe!"

"Very mature of you, Yankee!"

"I've been waiting all night to do that," I confess.

She puts her book down and holds out her hands for my medicine and bandages.

I lie back like a good patient and watch her as she expertly applies the ointment.

"Not done yet," I pout.

"Da, I know…I still have to put the dressing over it."

"Nope, not that."

She rolls her eyes, knowing full well what I mean, but she doesn't seem too put off by the task. She leans down and presses her lips to each side of the wound, just like she did earlier in the day on Hope Island. I twirl her hair around my fingers as she does it. I love playing with her hair. It's so soft.

She pulls the backing off the bandage and presses it onto my skin.

"Now…where is my present!" She asks as she pokes her finger into my good side.

"That was it…the joy of taking care of me," I joke.

She responds by poking me again, repeatedly.

"Ow! Hey!" I protest before finally being able to capture her wrist. "Fine. I lied…that was only part of it."

I crawl down to the bottom of the bed, retrieve my jeans, and pull the small box out of my pocket.

We are sitting across from each other, cross legged in the middle of the bed, our knees touching. She pulls off the wrapping paper and opens the box.

"A new charm! An apple…for Eden. Very creative Yankee."

"I wasn't sure if you'd get it…the whole Garden of Eden and the apple thing."

"The apple that Eve ate even though she was told not to…she was tempted by the devil and gave in."

"You're my apple," I say shyly.

"Wheeler, are you calling me the devil?"

"NO!"

Her smile lets me know that she was only kidding.

"If I thought you were the devil, I would've said you were my snake…but you're my apple…my temptation."

She blushes. I hope I didn't make her uncomfortable.

"This apple reminds me of you as well," she says.

"Really? How's that?"

Please say "temptation!"

"Well, first of all, it is red!" She says as she ruffles my hair. "And they say New York is the 'Big Apple' so that makes me think of you."

"Will you put it on my bracelet for me?" She asks as she holds out her hand to me.

"Of course."

Once I have it attached, I take her hand and kiss it before releasing her hand back to her.

She smiles and then uses her hand to cover a yawn.

"Sorry," she says.

"Don't be. It's been a long day. We should get some sleep."

"Da."

I pull the covers back and then we crawl under them. I tuck my arm under her and curl up behind her. This bed is huge, but we only occupy a small space; two people taking up the space of one because we ARE one.

"Goodnight Babe," I say as I kiss her behind her ear.

"Dobroi nochi, Yankee," she replies as she laces her fingers with mine and brings my hand up to press her lips to my knuckles and nuzzle her cheek against my hand.

To Be Continued…

And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Linka's side of the story in Chapter 39 of LouiseX's Codependence!