Love Around the World 01: Andorra

I'd been in Aix-en-Provence for a couple of days, having only spoken to Sofia once during my few days in Toulouse, when Sofia called me.

"I miss you so much," she said softly, "Everything is organised. All I need to do tomorrow is get on the train. There is a change between Barcelona and Marseille, and then a switch to a local train to where you are now."

"I can't wait to see you," I admitted, "I've missed you too."

"I'm still scared, Mark," she confessed, "But I'm also so excited. Not only to see you again but what the future might bring. Part of me thought I'd spend the rest of my life as a lonely widow. I never thought I'd meet someone like you... I won't say again because I've never met someone like you before."

"I'm still wondering what makes me special."

"The fact that I already know you love me so much. As much as I already love you."

Waiting at the train station the next day, I arrived early as I wanted to be there the moment the train pulled into the station. As it slowly pulled in about half an hour later, I saw her through the window, helping her take the suitcase off the train before she practically leapt up into my arms, almost sobbing as she left a series of kisses all over my face. I didn't miss the glances of all the French people around us, most of them smiling as they witnessed a happy reunion.

"I would say take me home, but we won't have one for a little while..."

"Is someone eager?" I wondered, already knowing the answer.

"All my friends know about you, of course. They think you're very handsome."

"I've told my parents about you."

"Everything?" she asked once I had her feet on the ground again, holding her hand as I rolled her suitcase behind me, "Even my age?"

"Yep. I'm not going to hide that from anyone."

"I know you wouldn't be embarrassed but..."

I stopped and turned towards her. "Sofia... Sweetheart... That's my name for you from now on, by the way..." She giggled and it was absolutely adorable. "I would never be embarrassed to introduce you to anyone or be seen with you on my arm. You. Are. Beautiful."

That earned a scorching kiss before she pulled back just enough that our noses almost touched. "You need to take me to our room as I haven't been with my man for over a week now and I'm horny."

"Please always be that honest with me."

The hotel I was staying in was only a short walk from the train station. Aix-en-Provence wasn't a large city by any means but was better than staying in the melting pot that was Marseille, and a perfect place to head west or east along the south coast. The centre of the city was nearly all pedestrianised, lined with numerous restaurants and cafes. Given she'd arrived in the late afternoon, she wanted to shower and change after a long train ride.

"You'll be joining me, yes?" she asked as she started to undress.

Walking around the centre of the city a little later hand in hand, Sofia wearing a gorgeous yellow sundress while I wore a nice short-sleeved shirt and shorts, I did wonder if we looked like two people very much in love. Finding a place to eat, the food was excellent, and Sofia admitted that she looked forward to trying some of the numerous wines available over the next few days and weeks.

Spending a week travelling around the south coast, we moved on to spend a few nights in Nice, including a day in Monaco where we dressed up when visiting the world-famous Monte Carlo casino. We spent most of our time relaxing on the beach and soaking in the sun, returning to our hotel room after dinner to spend the night making love. That was how every night had finished since we'd reunited. She was insatiable, waking me up by wanting to start the day making love, and we always ended our lovemaking with her snuggled against me, wanting my arms around her, holding her tight, whispering words of love before falling asleep.

"Mark, before you met me, what were your plans for when you finished travelling?" she asked one evening over dinner, our plan to leave for Italy in the morning.

"I didn't really have any, to be honest. I can't keep travelling forever. My plan was to eventually end up in the Greek Islands and then drive back up through eastern Europe before arriving in Germany in December. Always wanted to see a few of their Christmas markets. And being Australian, my last stop before returning to the UK would have been Belgium to see some of the cemeteries from the Western Front."

"But your intention was to return to London?"

"I guess. I still have my apartment there, but nothing was set in stone. My plan has always been rather vague."

"So you don't actually have to go back to London? You don't consider it your home?"

"Not really. It was just a place I lived while I worked and enjoyed life."

"Where is home?"

I wasn't stupid and knew what she was angling towards. Taking her hand, I moved my chair, sitting closer to her. "Sofia, I know what you're trying to suggest here. I'm guessing you think things are going well with us?"

"I know travelling is different to living together somewhere permanently, but I was wondering..."

"Barcelona would certainly be an interesting place to live."

"I'd rather sell my apartment and live outside of Barcelona. Still in Catalonia, but... Somewhere quieter... Would you miss London?"

"No reason we couldn't pop over to visit occasionally. I know where I'd rather be."

She took a deep breath before leaning in to kiss my cheek. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Sofia... These last couple of weeks have been the best of my life."

"I didn't want to regret anything else in my life. I know I won't regret making any decision when it comes to being with you."

We both absolutely adored Italy, travelling down the west coast first, savouring the sights of Cinque Terre, enjoying all the history that Rome had to offer, stopping off in Naples as we wanted to visit Pompeii, before we fell in love with the Amalfi coast. Aware summer didn't last forever, we headed back north, definitely stopping in Venice as we loved walking the quiet paths away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas. Rounding the coastline into Croatia, we stopped here and there, wherever took our fancy though we agreed that we had to stop in Dubrovnik. Everyone raved about the place, and we understood what they meant.

Though we would have loved to explore all of the old Yugoslavia, we cut through to North Macedonia and Lake Ohrid, hiring a boat where we found a secluded beach so we could make love in the open air. Her cries of pleasure as she rode my cock through one orgasm after the other would live long in both our memories. We eventually cut back down into Albania and managed to link up with a ferry that took us to Corfu, and from there it was on to the Greek Islands.

Two weeks of gorgeous sunshine, beautiful blue sea, a villa where we would be woken by sunlight and the breaking of waves against the shore. Sofia had bought clothing on the way, and I loved how the sunlight showed everything resting underneath. We made love constantly as we were still in that honeymoon period. Admittedly, I didn't have any experience with a woman in her fifties, but Sofia admitted that she'd really started to feel an increase in her libido in her forties, just when her husband was showing no interest in her whatsoever.

"I never wanted to cheat on him," she explained one afternoon over lunch, "Not to say I didn't receive more than one offer from men of similar age. And younger men..."

"I think it's a known fact many younger men enjoy the company of older women. And I include myself in that statistic now."

"There I was... Early forties. I thought I was beautiful. Friends would compliment me. I had interest from men. And I was horny, Mark. So horny all the time. I just wanted my husband to show me something, a modicum of interest. Yet nothing. So... I bought a lot of toys and made sure he found them."

"How did he react?"

She lowered her head. "He simply didn't care. He knew by then that I wasn't going to leave him. And he knew I'd never cheat on him. I'm not built like that."

"Do you think he..."

That made her snort. "Not a chance. On the few occasions he did show an interest in me, he needed a little pill and even that barely made him hard enough for me to derive any pleasure from it, and he was nothing but selfish. I knew he wasn't going to attempt to arouse me, so I'd usually spend an hour getting myself off before I'd give myself to him."

"It sounds like there was little love by the end."

"I still loved him in a way, but you're right, our marriage was far from happy by the end. I thought he would have at least retired to be with me in his later years, but he just kept on working. I was never important enough..."

"Does anyone know how you feel?"

"My sister never supported the union. It's why she married an American and moved away. She never really forgave my parents for practically forcing me into it. My brother was disgusted at the thought of his sister being married to a man double her age. He had words with my father and my husband and never spoke to either of them again. I'm just glad he still talks to me."

"What will they think of me then?"

"We haven't been forced into this relationship together. My brother will give you the third degree then want to share more than one beer together. My sister already knows about you and is absolutely dying to meet you. Thinks it's wonderful I've got a toy boy of my own."

"Want to put your toy boy to the test?"

Her eyes lit up as she rose to her feet and offered her hand, leading me inside to the bedroom. She spent a good couple of hours ensuring she left me completely drained before cuddling up into my side, her hand gently caressing my chest as I held her in one of my arms. "Sofia... I've been thinking about something since we started travelling together and I've learned so much about your life..."

"And what's that, honey?"

"I want to be a much better husband than your first one." She lifted herself up immediately, a smile forming on her face. "I don't have a ring, and I know this isn't exactly..."

"When you're ready, I'll be saying nothing but yes," she said softly, "I never thought I'd get married again."

"I never gave marriage a thought until I met you."

"I've already had a big wedding, Mark," she said after a few seconds when snuggling against me again, "All I want is to stand in front of someone, confirm that I want you as my husband, as much as I will be your wife, then have the certificate that states it is fact."

That was food for thought. At least she knew my thoughts and feelings about our relationship. I knew it was serious between us, but now she would understand just how serious. But what I really loved hearing was that she would accept my proposal. I bluntly asked what sort of ring she'd like, assuring me that all she wanted was a nice ring to show off, but that the cost didn't matter. What did matter was that I bought it and that she was going to wear it.

After two weeks of relaxation, we rode the ferry back to Athens and from there it was a long and slow drive north towards Germany. Sofia had never visited the country before while I'd only been to Berlin a few times for work and to Munich for Oktoberfest one year. Spending late November and all of December in Germany was a lot of fun. Sofia absolutely loved the Christmas markets once they were all set up, and I made sure we took in plenty of scenic smaller towns and villages.

I proposed with the famous Schloss Neuschwanstein in the background, a rather bitterly cold day, but I still took off her glove, the proposal very simple as Sofia could barely choke out a soft 'Yes' before I slid the ring on, place the glove back on her cold hand, before we shared a kiss, both of us a little embarrassed as a crowd had quickly formed around us.

"I love it," she stated later that night as we sipped at some beer in a pub, staying in a small village not far away, "It's perfect, Mark."

"I knew you'd want something simple but meaningful."

"How long have you been carrying it around exactly?"

"I decided to propose while we were in Greece. You know when I bought it as it was the day I couldn't stop smiling."

"When do you want to get married?"

"I know you want something small, but I want it to mean something for both of us. I'm thinking when we're back home in Spain."

She didn't miss how I phrased that though kept it to herself until we were back at our little lodge we'd booked for a few nights. It was only in bed after making love that she whispered, "You called it home."

"I can live without London, sweetheart. I can't live without you. Wherever you are, that's where I'll be."

"Will you want anyone there?"

"Just my parents. I'll let them know in the morning that I'm engaged."

"You know where we must now visit at least twice a year... Where we fell in love..."

"Maybe we could buy a holiday home there?"

The idea excited her enough that we made love again before finally falling asleep, my arms wrapped around her tightly as always, her hands holding mine to her chest. To my surprise, she slept like a log though I think the excitement of the day simply wore her out in the end, in addition to some wonderful lovemaking. It wasn't like our first time each and every time, but she knew I couldn't get enough of her. She'd stop occasionally to see me just gazing at her. It embarrassed her slightly though she knew it was a look of love... And occasionally she would be doing something very simple, but it would still arouse the hell out of me.

After completing the few things that I wanted to do before finishing up my travels, Sofia was adamant that we not return home until I was happy to do so, we wound our way through the centre and east of France before we crossed the Pyrenees.

And we just had to stop in Andorra for at least a couple of days again, this time taking advantage of the ski season before we drove south in Spain and into a new future together.

*****

Epilogue

Sofia is now sixty years old and, in my eyes, still as sexy as ever. The hair had slowly been turning a dignified silver as she hit her later fifties, but that was the only thing that really changed about her. Maybe it was the lack of stress. Maybe it was the skincare routine. Maybe it was the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet. Maybe it was the fact she'd been deeply in love for a few years. Whatever the case, while there were the obvious signs, in my eyes, she was aging as gracefully as any woman could.

Our wedding was a small intimate affair. Her friends were present, and I'd already met her sister and brother by the time we exchanged vows. Her sister loved me from the moment we met, and her brother was a great guy... After I received the sort of interrogation that eventually had us laughing, sharing a few beers together. As for my parents, they were surprised at the age gap, but seeing how in love I was with Sofia, they gave us nothing but their blessing.

I sold my London apartment for an easy seven-figure sum. Sofia's apartment we chose to keep as an investment property, and it was a good idea considering what happened soon after our wedding. Our nuptials had her sister giving her own marriage serious thought and within three months, she was telling us about her impending divorce and that she would be returning to Spain with her daughter. Her son would remain in the United States near his father.

Our niece, something the three of them insisted I call her once I was married to her aunt, moved into what Sofia insisted was our Barcelona apartment, and it was spacious enough that we could occasionally visit when we wanted a weekend in civilisation. Her niece loved having us there and her mother was there to visit once a month. As for her son, he would visit us at least twice a year and had always ensured he was with us for Christmas.

We'd bought a property close enough to Barcelona and the coast but far enough away from the hustle and bustle. In addition to a large four-bedroom property, it came with plenty of space for other things such as lots of animals. Aware we wouldn't have children of our own, we filled our lives with animals. Dogs, cats, horses, chickens, even pigs. No, we were not farmers by any stretch of the imagination, but Sofia had always enjoyed riding, and once her sister was settled into our property, not hesitating to open our home to her, and our life settled into domestic bliss.

"Any regrets?" she asked me once evening as we sat back and relaxed on the swing I'd installed on the veranda.

"About what, sweetheart?"

"Just about all of this."

"What's to regret? I'm married to a woman I love. Her equally wonderful sister is currently inside preparing dinner for us. We have our own little world here and a wonderfully quaint little town nearby. If you're wondering about family, we have a family. It just doesn't involve children for us, but I wouldn't trade a minute with you for all the children in the world."

"You know I'm going to slow down over the next decade or two..."

"You weren't slow last night, sweetheart."

"Well, when my husband goes out of his way to push all my buttons, I can't exactly say no. I swear my sister hears us each and every time."

"Good thing she's dating a nice man in town then, right? Maybe kick her out occasionally and we'll revisit the early days of making love around the house."

That made her snort as she cuddled into me. "We're still making love nearly every day, honey. I thought I would have slowed down completely by now..."

"Even if you did, I'd still love you, Sofia. When I said my vows, I meant them."

Kissing my cheek, she snuggled against me as we swayed slowly, watching the sun sink over the horizon, the descending night sky a kaleidoscope of colours that had her sighing contentedly against me. Her sister eventually called out that dinner was ready, walking out to find us still sitting. Without any hesitation, she sat on my other side as her sister wasn't jealous and I wasn't interested, but I knew she was lonely and simply liked a cuddle.

"I think I'll head into town tomorrow night," she stated, "I think you two need another night alone."

"Are you suggesting something, dear sister of mine?" Sofia teased.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm flat-out telling you that I know you need a night with your husband without me being in the house so you can scream your head off and only scare the chickens. And before you say a word, Mark, you love my sister and that's all I ever wanted. You're clearly a better husband in every regard."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now you two should come inside as dinner is ready to eat."

Her sister headed inside as I spent a few more seconds alone with my wife. "Want to do anything except spend tomorrow night in bed once she leaves?" she asked.

"Well... Maybe I could cook my beautiful wife some dinner, a little music to dance to..."

"Dear husband, are you trying to romance me?"

"Have I ever stopped trying?"

"Hmmm. I can't remember a day I haven't felt totally loved by you."

"And that's what I hoped you would feel every single day we were together."

Rising to our feet, I took her hand as we shared the sort of kiss that we'd shared our entire relationship, full of love and there was no missing the fact we were as in love in that moment as we were the day that we admitted our love for each other. With a smile on my face, she turned and led me inside, a last glance back with a suggestion in her eyes that I would be in for a good time when heading to bed later that evening.

I loved my wife.

*****

A/N - I'm sure many of you might be asking 'Where the hell is Andorra?'

Here are a few facts about the tiny nation in the Pyrenees: