Chapter 4:
(Maria POV)
Maria's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. Excitement and anxiety performed a feverous dance inside her. She tried to force her hands to stop shaking, but it was no use. She waited by the front door while Tony checked them into their room. She felt her cheeks turning red every time she looked towards the man at the desk. She was ready to leave this awkward moment and just be with her husband. Husband. It seemed like a foreign word to her, but also felt like home.
Tony was finally handed a key and started making his way towards Maria. She smiled, but quickly looked away for fear of him seeing her nervousness. They walked in silence and finally made it to their room for the night. The room was simple but also charming with pictures of the forest hanging on the wall, a cozy sitting chair, and two sets of towels folded perfectly on the bed. Maria quickly averted her gaze from the bed and looked at Tony.
He set the suitcases by the chair. "Do you want to shower first?"
"Que? Oh, si, yes.", she replied nervously. She quickly grabbed the towels and made her way to the bathroom. Feeling overwhelmed, Marie moved automatically through her nightly routine. Unfortunately, she finished quickly and dressed in her nightgown, suddenly feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. She never realized how thin her nightgown was until now. When she entered the room, she couldn't form any words. She simply motioned to him that the bathroom was free, and he entered without another word.
Maria couldn't get her heart to stop pounding in her chest. She wished she could talk to her mother or Anita right now. If this had been a normal wedding day, her mother would have spoken to her privately about what to expect on her wedding night. Maria was not naïve, she knew what was going to happen, but she was unsure of how to make it happen. She didn't know what to do and all she wanted was her mother to tell her it was okay.
Maria walked over to the window and looked out to see that night had fallen. The only light shown was the moon. Maria was instantly brought back to that night many months ago when she stared up at the moon wondering about how to make her way in this world. The only thing she did know was that she wanted to make that path with Tony. He was everything to her, and with him beside her, nothing was impossible.
As if sensing her thoughts, Tony appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was shirtless, feeling his skin on hers which seemed to set her ablaze. She could feel his breath on her neck as he leaned in to kiss the spot behind her ear that always made her melt. She leaned into him, realizing that all her fears and anxiousness weren't important. She was in the arms of the man she loved; the man she married. Turning to face him, she looked into his eyes and saw the same emotions she was feeling mirrored in him. Maria reached to cup his cheek, and feeling brave, laid her other hand over his heart; feeling the same frantic beat matched to her own.
With one more look in his eyes, Maria pulled him into a searing kiss. Everything seemed to move in slow motion but felt ten times stronger. Every touch, every kiss, ignited more passion and love in both of them. Time and space seemed to dissolve around them, so that all that was left was this moment for them. Maria never knew love could be this consuming and powerful. It was as if the two of them were two incomplete souls lost in the world until finally finding each other and making each other completely whole.
Later that night, Maria and Tony laid together in silence because no words could ever describe what they had experienced. They simply wrapped their arms around each other and fell into a deep blissful sleep.