Diesel Chronicles Ch. 14

I woke up to the sound of running water. Getting up to investigate, I wrap the sheet around me and find Vin in front of the bathroom mirror shaving.

"Good morning," I say as I pass by him, perching myself up on the bathroom counter.

"I was wondering what time you were finally going to come out of your cocoon.”

“What time is it?”

“It's almost noon."

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"I tried, several times. You just mumbled something and rolled over, falling back asleep."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so late."

"Don't apologize. That's what vacations are for."

"Obviously not in your case. What time did you get up?"

"Around 7:00. I went to the gym and worked out, then came back and tried to wake you up. Breakfast is on the table if you're hungry."

"In a little bit. I think I'll just sit here and watch you."

"Why?"

"You watched me shave, now it's my turn."

He finishes up and grabs a towel wipe off the excess shaving cream. Moving over to stand in front of me, he leans down and gives me a kiss.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I ask.

"Nothing as far as I know."

"I think I'm going to make an appointment at the spa for a massage, maybe get a manicure and pedicure."

"I think I'll pass."

Walking into the living room, I call the spa and make an appointment for the following day at 9:00.

"Well, that takes care of tomorrow morning. Think you can find something to do for a few hours while I'm there?" I ask Vin.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem around here."

"Now, what to do today?"

"How about going into town later?"

"Cool. I need to get something for Jennifer and my niece. But you get to do all the haggling over the prices."

"Done."

I go back into the bedroom and put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt, and then grabbing a couple of muffins off of the table and a Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator, I go out to sit in the swing, where Vin joins me a few minutes later.

"I've got some good news."

"Really, what?"

"Remember the story I took back with me? I gave it to several people to look over, and one of them wants to meet with you."

"Vin, quit joking about that. You know as well as I do that nothing is going to happen with my story."

"Gwen, I'm serious. I've got a publisher that wants to meet you."

Looking at him, I realize that he's not joking.

"Do you know what this means?" he asks.

"No."

"It means that you’re going to be a published writer.”

"Wait a minute. You think that I'm going to go through with this? Vin, you are crazy."

"Why not try it? What have you got to lose?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"I've got my reasons."

"How many of these people know that we're sleeping together?"

"Gwen, it's not like that. The people I gave your story to are friends of mine. I would do this for anyone who I thought was a good writer. I'm not doing this just because we're together. You're a good writer and I want to see you do something with that talent. Things won't change between us if you don't pursue this, so don't think that they're tied together, because they're not."

"I'll think about it, but don't get your hopes up."

"That's all I ask. But if you decide to do this, and you're not sure about something, just tell me and I'll see what I can do."

"We'll see."

"Ok, with that out of the way, now what? Oh yeah. Dinner is here tonight, just you and me."

"Fine by me. I can actually get to bed at a decent hour then."

Leaning over to kiss me, he says, "You may be in bed at a decent hour, but you might not be asleep."

"I figured as much." I reply, laughing.

We sit on the porch for a little while longer, watching the windsurfers streak across the water.

"Want to give that a try?" he asks.

"I don't think so. They're going way too fast and if they wipe out, they're fish food."

"It's not as hard as it looks. Balance is the key factor."

"Even so, I think I'll stick with motorized watercraft. At least I know how to control them."

We watch the windsurfers a little while longer, then I go inside to take a shower while Vin calls the front desk to arrange for transportation into town. The hotel has a fleet of jeeps that you can rent to tour the island. We walk up the path to the hotel where Vin picks up the keys, and make our way into town. Driving down here is nothing like driving at home. These crazy fools drive on both sides of the road and everyone thinks they have the right of way, so you either move over or get run over. Luckily there were no mishaps on our way into town. Vin finds a place to park on the side of the road and we make our way into the market place.

Anything you want can be found here. I wasn't sure what I wanted to get, so we milled around a little while, checking out everything that they had to offer. I found an ivory hand-carved dragon to add to my collection, a beautiful bracelet for Jennifer, and a necklace for my niece. Vin did the haggling and ended up with a pretty good deal. We walked around for a little while, and ended up running into Tim and Amber.

"Well, long time no see," Amber says.

"What has it been now, about twelve hours?" I remark.

"Probably." Spotting my bag, she asks, "What did you get?"

Vin and Tim are talking quietly between themselves while Amber and I look at the things Vin bought.

Joining us, Vin comments, "I know of a little place a few streets over if you guys want to join us for a drink."

"Sounds good to us," Amber says.

Following Vin, we make our way to a little bar. We found a table and the waitress took our drink order. We sat and talked for a little while after she brought our drinks over.

"Gwen, can I borrow Vin for a few minutes?"

"Sure, just bring him back when you're done."

I turn to Amber. "I wonder what that was about."

"Tim wants to get me something but he doesn't want me to know about it. Don't ask because I don't fully understand his way of thinking either."

"How did you two meet?" I ask her.

"He ran into me, literally. We were in college where I was a freshman and he was a junior. I was at a stop sign and he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing and he rear-ended me. I was furious. I jumped out of my car ready to smack someone and when he finally got out of his, I gave him all kinds of hell, called him every name in the book. My parents had given the car to me for a graduation present and here is this dumb-ass not paying attention and he hits my car. His insurance paid for the repairs, but still, he wrecked my new car. He asked me out a few times after that, and I blew him off, but he kept on. Finally, I gave in and went out with him. The rest is history."

"In this day and age, being married to the same person for five years is a landmark. I have friends who are working on their third husband. I almost got married a few years ago, but when it came down to it, I couldn't see myself growing old with him. I mean, don't get me wrong, he was very good to me, but something was missing. I'm glad that I saw it before it was too late."

"And Vin. How does he make you feel?"

"I’m scared as hell of my feelings for him. I know that one day he's going to ask himself why he's with someone like me."

"What do you mean, someone like you?"

"Amber, I'm just a simple girl from Texas who has nothing to offer him except my love. And I don't know if that would be enough for him. I mean, he could have his pick of thousands of women all over the world, and yet he chose me. Why?"

"Maybe you can give him something that the others can't."

"Which is?"

"A normal life. You're not involved with the Hollywood scene and you don't care about it. You said it yourself, you're just a simple girl from Texas. Maybe that's what he needs in his life to balance it out, to keep him tied to the real world."

"Maybe."

The guys make it back to the bar a little while later with no purchases in sight.

"Where's my present?" Amber asks Tim.

"Search me when we get back and you might find it."

"That sounds interesting," she comments, pulling him down for a kiss.

"Hey," Vin says, coming around the table and giving me a quick kiss.

"So, how'd it go?"

"That man is pickier than a woman." Looking over to see if it was safe to talk and seeing them kissing, he adds, "We found lots of gorgeous jewelry, but he kept finding things wrong with them. Too big, too small, wrong color. I was ready to give up on him when he finally found something for her. What did you and Amber do while we were gone?"

"Girl talk."

"About?"

"I'll never tell."

"Which translates into men," Tim replies.

"Any in particular?" Vin asks.

"No, just men in general."

Tim warns Vin, "Don't even try to pry it out of them. It doesn't work."

Vin starts laughing and pins me with a stare. "Does the term cruel and unusual punishment ring a bell?"

I groan. "Oh, no you don't. Not again."

"Gwen, what's he talking about?" Amber asks.

Not taking my eyes off of Vin, I reply, "Nothing."

We finish off our drinks and decide to call it a day. We head back through the market to where Vin had parked the jeep and make our way back down to the hotel, where Vin goes in to return the key. The sun is setting about the time we make it back down to the cottage. Standing on the porch together, we watch until it's completely gone.

Taking my hand, he leads me into the living area, where there are lit candles all around and our dinner is on the table.

"How did you manage this?" I ask.

"I'll never tell."

He leads me to the table, holding my chair out for me, then sits in the chair to my right. He takes the covers off of the plates that were on the table. Crab, lobster, boiled shrimp, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and rolls. We take turns dishing out different items onto each other's plates, then start to eat.

Naturally, I hit the crab first. The shells have already been cracked, so the only thing left to do was break it apart to get the meat. Picking up a crab leg, I snapped it, pulling off one side and using the small fork, split the shell down the center and fished the meat out. Luckily it came out in one piece, so I dipped it into the butter sauce and holding it up, opened my mouth and slowly let it slide in. Vin watches me the entire time.

"Mmmmm, this is excellent," I comment, going after the next crab leg.

"Here, let me," he offers, following the same steps I just used. He dipped it into the butter sauce and held it above my mouth, waiting for me to open it. When I did, I snaked my tongue out and wrapped it around the crabmeat, pulling it into my mouth, with Vin's fingers brushing my lips.

I continued through the rest of the meal as if nothing had happened. Everything was delicious. We somehow made it through the rest of the meal without any other incidents, but it was hard as hell.

Vin gets out of his chair and taking my hand, leads me into the living area. He flips a button on the wall and music starts to play.

"Dance with me?" he asks.

I walk into his arms and it feels like coming home, a safe place that you never want to leave. We dance to a few slow songs, and then my favorite one comes on, "This I Promise You" by *NSYNC. Closing my eyes, I lay my head on his shoulder. He tilts my chin up, looking deep into my eyes, as if trying to read my soul. An unwanted tear falls, and he brushes it away. I try to lay my head back down, but he won't let me. He slowly lowers his lips to mine, conveying his feelings in this kiss. It's soft and tender, full of promises. We break the kiss and he takes my left hand in his, sliding a diamond ring on my finger. I'm watching this as if it's a dream.

Tilting my chin up, he says, "I love you," before tenderly kissing me, then holding me even tighter in his arms as we continue to dance together, listening to the words of the song.

When the song is over, I pull back from him a little, and the tears that I had so desperately tried to hide from Vin fell openly. "Why?" I ask. "Why me? What could have possibly happened between us that led you to this decision?"

"Well, let’s see. You don’t put up a front and act like someone or something you’re not. You speak your mind. You don’t take shit from anyone. And you don’t give me my way every time I want something either. I love being with you. I love being myself when I’m with you. I don’t want to end up old and alone. Yeah, I’ve had girlfriends or lovers, or whatever you want to call them, but nothing comes close to what we have. This is real, Gwen, and I don’t want to lose it. I’ve had my playtime. Now I want to settle down, well, as much as my profession will allow, and I want to do that with you."

"All of that in the short time that we've known each other?" I cautiously ask.

"I told you in New Orleans that I could read people, know when they want something from me, and know when their feelings are genuine. You have got to be the most down to earth person that I know. And I know that deep down you care for me, probably more than you want to admit, and that’s why I feel that we can make it work between us." Then after a short pause, he adds, "Oh, that plus the great sex."

That made me smile a little. "You’re not going to stop until I say it, are you?"

"Nope," he replies with a smug grin on his face.

I take a deep breath and look into his gorgeous eyes and say, "I love you too. God help me, but I do. But I want you to know that that fell in love with the man, not the Hollywood Hero. I tried my hardest not to, but you make it so easy to love you, the real you."

"That’s all I wanted to hear." He leans down and his lips meet mine for a long, slow, thorough kiss.

Taking my hand, we go around the room blowing out the candles, then walk into the bedroom together.

After slowly undressing each other, Vin gently lowers me onto the bed with him covering my body. This time, our loving is slow and hot, taking our time, savoring each moment. Slowly and gently he slides into me, my body wrapping around his. He begins to move slowly, the passion building until we both can't take it any longer, then stopping to lay motionless for a minute before beginning again, loving the way our bodies felt together. The sea breeze drifting into the room cools our heated bodies. We loved this way for hours. With the moon high overhead and candlelight dancing on the walls, we finally let ourselves go and fall over the edge together.

Vin slides off of me and cradles me in his embrace. Holding up my left hand and watching the diamonds reflect the candlelight, he asks, "So, what do you think?"

"It's beautiful. Thank you." I say, reaching up to gently kiss him. The ring has a marquis cut diamond in the center and marquis and baguette diamonds at its side.

"You know, I've bought lots of jewelry before, but this one scared the hell out of me."

"Why? It's just a ring."

"No, it's a ring that I bought for the woman I love. There's a difference."

"I feel bad because I don't have anything to give you."

"You already have. You've given me your love and you've given me hope that we can make a future together."

"I don't know how we're going to accomplish that, with us living and working in two different places."

"We'll figure it out."

He gets out of bed to blow out the remaining candles in the bedroom, and then joins me again.

"Get some sleep, we've got a big day ahead of us," he says. Taking my hand and bringing it to his lips, he presses a kiss on the symbol of our love. "I love you, Gwen," he says looking down at me.

Reaching up and gently placing a kiss on his lips, I reply, "I love you too."

We both fall into a peaceful sleep, now knowing where our lives are headed.