Fina's laughter as she ran barefoot towards the surf, and her squeals and whoops as the cold waves of the Atlantic began to lap at her legs, had made Marta's heart even lighter and freer.
They had driven a little way past Bayonne to Capbetron, because the beach looked temptingly uncrowded here. When they finally felt the sand under their feet between the dunes and looked to the right and left, it seemed to go on forever. Waves gently washed onto the beach from the deep blue, their white crests breaking on the sand. A few seagulls squawked or squabbled over things they had found in the deep sand. There were a few people walking on the beach, but most of them were several hundred yards away and barely visible. And even if they were to come closer, Marta had realised to her own surprise that she didn't care. If anything happened, they would simply pick up their feet, run to the car and get out of there.
But that would mean missing out on the night in the small, almost cute pension. It was simple but charming. And surprisingly affordable for a coastal town. The landlady seemed a bit tight-lipped, but that didn't bother the couple.
In the room they had found two single beds, but they could be pushed together in a matter of seconds without any effort. But there was still plenty of time to rest in the room later, so they quickly made their way to the beach.
For a while now, Marta and Fina had been fooling around on the beach like children. They hadn't quite managed to stay dry in their clothes, but that didn't bother them. Their shoes were lying at the edge of the dunes between some tufts of grass – and they hoped they would still be there later. Marta's pumps, the only shoes she seemed to own, would have been completely unsuitable for the sand anyway.
Both were a little out of breath, but their eyes were beaming at each other. Marta was sure that she had never seen Fina so happy and carefree. She was equally sure that she herself had never laughed so much as she did on this French shore. Marta had once read the expression in a book that women could be from another shore. She hadn't really understood it. But if this was the other shore, then Marta never wanted to be anywhere else.
She wrapped her arms around Fina, who was panting a lot like Marta. Fina leaned against her and they both stared silently out to sea for a moment, where the sun was already almost touching the water. The yellow was already getting darker, but the blue in the distance seemed endless.
A runner approached from her right side, taking long, fast strides. His panting grew louder and louder with every yard he covered, and his bare feet left heavy tracks in the sand as he got closer.
Fina wanted to break free from Marta's arms, but she held on tight.
'No, querida, no. Don't be afraid anymore. We won't let anyone scare us anymore,' Marta whispered in her ear. Fina breathed out and closed her eyes. She wanted to lean even closer to Marta, but she felt that Marta was leaning back a little and putting her head back. Marta breathed in and out deeply.
Then she suddenly screamed in a loud voice: 'I am Marta de la Reina!' And even a little louder: 'And I am in love with Fina Valero!'
The runner nodded briefly as he passed them, unimpressed.
Fina could not say the same. She would have liked to shout along with her, to scream everything that had been on her mind for so long towards the sky and the sea, but the lump in her throat was too thick. She turned in Marta's arms, her eyes were moist as she whispered: 'Te amo, mi vida, te amo.' Marta held her tighter and gave her a deep kiss.
After all, they had walked hand in hand along the beach for a few metres and then turned towards the dunes, where they wanted to watch the rest of the sunset. They quickly found their shoes again.
They had sat down in a hollow in the sand before the beach grass had begun to thicken. Together they stared out to sea, this time it was Marta who lay in Fina's arms and sighed with more than contentment.
Free, loud and happy. And slowly a little tired. But Marta wanted to savour the moment, wanted to gaze at the sea a little longer, to smell the salty air mixed with Fina's scent, to lie in these surprisingly strong arms, to feel the loving kisses on her neck and...
And what, Marta asked herself. She listened to her inner voice for a moment, closed her eyes and felt a slight, almost tender, gentle desire.
'Touch me,' she asked Fina in a quiet voice.
'Really? Here? Someone might see us.' Fina asked in a soft voice.
'Touch me,' Marta repeated her request.
She didn't have to repeat it again. Fina's lips on her neck became firmer, but at the same time remained tender. Her hands, which had been firmly wrapped around her stomach until then, slowly unclasped and moved towards her breasts. When they reached their destination, a sound emerged from Marta's throat that was hardly a groan, but almost a long, deep exhalation. Fina smiled into her neck, and Marta could feel that too.
She felt everything. Every caress, every smile, every single heartbeat, every whispered word, every breeze, every wave. Every colour. They danced before her eyes and grew stronger and stronger with every movement that Fina now made, her hand between her legs. They were slow movements, but performed with such intensity and devotion that Marta thought her chest would burst and explode.
Instead, the colours exploded before her eyes as she came buried in Fina's fingers. And with that, the tears came, which Fina then kissed away from her cheeks, one by one, just as gently and calmly. They tasted salty and light, like the sea and Marta's skin.
They had remained sitting in the sand, tightly embraced, until the sun had almost disappeared into the sea. The sky was still red above the horizon, but the blue hour was already approaching. With heavy hearts, they had finally got themselves together and set off in the direction of the pension. The path through the dune grass would already be dark enough and it would be good to reach the room before the last of the daylight gave way to the twinkling of the stars.
After reaching their room, both had taken a shower. One after the other, because the shower was at the end of the floor.
Fina had gone second and had almost expected to find Marta already asleep when she returned. But surprisingly, that was not the case.
Marta was looking at her with eyes that were already quite small and clearly heavy. Nevertheless, there was a slight fire in her gaze that Fina did not miss. And when she made a move to take the place next to Marta in bed, she was smoothly pulled down. She laughed, made a reproachful sound.
Then she stroked Marta's cheeks and kissed her on the mouth before saying with a smile: 'No, querina, no. Nothing is going to run away from us, we still have our whole lives ahead of us. And you need sleep, my love. Or don't you want to get us safely to Paris?'
Marta's disappointment lasted only a moment, then she nodded. And when Fina snuggled her back against her chest and gave a contented sigh, Marta had already disappeared into the land of dreams. She listened for a moment to Marta's even breathing, enjoyed the warmth that emanated from her body and listened to the waves that could still be heard in the distance in this silence.
Fina smiled. She had the feeling that she had been smiling or laughing all day. This was much better than a dream, Fina thought for a moment, but then her eyes closed too.
Their breathing was almost synchronised and would remain so for several hours, while otherwise peace and quiet descended on the guesthouse and Capbetron.
The breakfast next morning was abundant, they had helped themselves to fresh croissants and eggs until they were about to burst. Fina and Marta had smiled at each other across the table and talked about the upcoming route.
Fortunately, it was still quite early in the morning and they hadn't slept for too long. Marta had therefore considered for a moment whether they might be able to reach Paris today. But after a look at the map and some worried comments from Fina, she agreed that it would probably be better to spend another night in Tours.
Of course, they had also briefly considered staying in Capbetron for a few more days. Enjoying the sea and the time, enjoying themselves – it had sounded tempting. But on the one hand, the weather forecast for the coming days had not sounded inviting, and on the other hand, Marta had been worried about her finances. They had talked openly about it and Fina shared Marta's concerns. Fina had also added that, as nice as it was here, it was not their destination. They wanted to build a new life, not another timeout.
'You're right, querida,' Marta had agreed with her. 'And once we have this new life, we can always come back here for a holiday.'
'Or explore other, completely new places,' Fina had said.
'Or explore other, completely new places,' Marta had confirmed with a smile.
So when they had finally loaded their suitcases into the car, Marta had put the car into a somewhat reluctant gear and the car had passed the town boundary of Capbreton, they were in a good mood. They fooled around a bit until Marta finally insisted that she had to concentrate a little more on the traffic. Fina had then started to glance out of the window at the passing landscape with a smile. And then she had started to hum.
Marta had listened to her in silence for a while, amazed at how beautiful it was. Eventually she had also started humming. And so hour after hour passed, with towns, meadows and fields rushing past them without them really noticing.
Tours was a disappointment in contrast to the idyllic Capbetron. There were some interesting buildings in the city centre and the Cher and the Loire rivers flowed through the city, but it was no comparison to the peace and quiet and the pleasant sea air on the coast.
The hotel on the outskirts of town was also unable to match the charm of the pension. What's more, they again had two separate beds in their room, but this time they were bolted to the floor and couldn't be moved an inch. Neither Fina nor Marta were too disappointed. After all, it was only a short stopover and, although they were still in a good mood after the long journey, they were also quite tired.
After a dinner that was equally average, they quickly agreed to use the night for a good night's sleep so that they could start early in the morning. Then, at last, they would reach Paris. And hopefully not find Esther's door locked.
Fina also hoped that her friend, her former lover, still had a place for Fina in the corner of her heart and would help them both.
They had already discussed what they would do if Esther was either not there or did not want to or could not help them. Neither of their ideas and thoughts had really convinced either of them. But the fact that they were talking about it openly gave Fina a feeling of security. And Marta felt the same way. Whatever happened, they would tackle it together and, if necessary, overcome it together.