A Fresh New Start Ch. 02.5

"If it were me, I'd never want you to leave."

It is now 2 a.m., the sent of sweat still lingers heavily in the bedroom Rachel is sharing with the stranger she only met yesterday on the plane. Her breasts are heaving, Ron's heavy breathing bouncing against the walls of the room, they shared one amazing experience after another other within the confined space they haven't left for over 18 hours.

They have used 5 out of the 20 condoms Ron bought at the airport, his exhaustion is palpable and the yawns that escape his lips are a clear indication that sleep should slowly but surely take over.

"If it were me, I'd never want you to leave."

It has been an amazing day on Reunion Island. Not that Rachel had seen anything aside from the few sights on the drive to the hotel, but this, right here, was exactly what she had been unconsciously craving for the last year or so. She felt content.

"Good night Ron", she whispered to the already half-asleep Adonis lying next to her, smiling, his hairy body nestled against hers.

"If it were me, I'd never want you to leave."

But then, why? Why were those words still on her mind? She had found them sweet at the time, but now they felt somehow threatening.

No, not threatening, at least not in the sense that he could harm her in any way. He's far too sweet to make her feel anything other than safe and understood.

Rather, those words threatened the whole purpose of this journey.

"If it were me, I'd never want you to leave."

"But I have to leave. I want to..." she thought to herself, dreading the realisation that she will hurt Ron, whether she stayed or left.

"Good night, Goddess... See you in the morning." Ron breathes out between two near-snores.

Her mind can't concentrate on any single thought, sleep no longer being an option, especially not next to the poor bastard. For him it was easy, he didn't expect anything from his trip and was merely lucky enough to get laid. But that "NEVER leave". What about her? She had expectations, namely not to have any. He wasn't the answer, it wasn't him she was looking for, the whole point of leaving everything behind was to find herself. Her true self.

Rachel waited for a seemingly insurmountable amount of time before getting up, trying not to wake Ron up. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. She needed to leave. The weight of responsibility that had been thrust upon her, his desire for her to stay was too much.

She wasn't prepared for this, where would this be heading? She certainly didn't want to know the answer.

The bathroom was large enough for her to pick up her clothes, then silently prepare her small luggage. She felt terribly guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, but the alternative would have been to discuss her situation, her feelings with him in the morning, and the mere thought of that made her skin crawl.

She takes the crimson lipstick from her handbag, thinks for a moment and writes a few words on the mirror: "Thank you for everything. You are amazing. Sorry... Rachel"

Well, showering wasn't an option. She'll have to make do with smelling like sex until she found someplace to at least wash up. Not the worst of prospects considering the alternative, though.

She chose the most inconspicuous and comfortable outfit she had brought with her: a pair of blue jeans and a simple black shirt with the words "Keep calm and have fun" printed on it in a friendly white font.

She spends a few minutes combing her long blonde hair before taking a deep breath and head towards the hotel room door ready to leave the crime scene. One last look back at the man who had given her so much pleasure over the past few hours, a slight tug at her heart as she tries to shake the thought of him waking up in a few hours only to find the bed empty, and she's gone.

She never thought she'd ever experience the famous walk of shame in her lifetime. Her smeared mascara, the faded lipstick and the waft of smells she left in her wake all too easily gave away what she had done in the last few hours. The receptionist stared at her as she walked by, as did the bellboy, some of the late night strangers and the taxi driver she asked to drive her to any cheap hotel nearby.

Weirdly enough, and very uncharacteristically for her, this attention felt...

Empowering