Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

You closed the door and laughed so hard you nearly dropped the bucket on the floor. Christ Jaime, you were so fucking bold! Balls of steel. " Shane's voice dropped to a sultry whisper. "Fucking gorgeous balls of steel. Can't wait to taste them again babe. Can't wait to wrap you up in my arms again, Christ Jaime I missed you so much!"
    SiIence. And then…a subtle shifting in the seat that Jaime occupied. His hand dropping down to rub his thigh as if to remove excess sweat. A faint tremble in his lower lip. Was that a smile? Shane's heart picked up. He put the car in park. He had deliberately parked far away from the hotel entrance, close to the beach. Looking out through the car window, he could see the surf pounding the shoreline. He spoke again, hope giving strength to his voice.
    "I really fucked up Jaime. I know I did. I failed you. Failed to trust you. Failed to remember how much we loved each other…love not loved. There's no past tense about us Jaime. No what ifs or might have been. You and I are made to be together baby. We can't live apart from each other. I can't live without you Jaime. Can't breathe without you. We need each other. Have to be with each other. Forever Jaime. Remember that promise? Together forever. We made it right here, right here on this beach 5 years ago. We sat here as the tide washed in and we told each other how much we loved each other. How we would never be apart ever again. You remember that don't you babe? Tell me you remember that, please."
    Jaime turned toward Shane. Unshed tears glittered in his eyes. His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.
    "Walk with me."
    Shane scrambled from the car, tearing around to open Jaime's door and reach out a hand to draw his lover to his feet. Jaime ignored the outstretched hand and rose from the car. Shane fell into step next to Jaime and they walked on in silence. When they got to the edge where sand met roadway, Jaime stopped to remove his sandals and Shane did likewise. Jaime then pulled off his shirt and turned toward Shane, silently waiting for Shane to do so as well. Shane willingly complied. Jaime carefully took the shoes and shirt from Shane and, together with his, left them in a small pile under a bush that hugged the strip of dirt where the parking lot ended.
    "They'll be safe there."
    Shane nodded his head at Jaime's quiet promise. He was unwilling to break the tenuous peace that had sprung up between them. They walked on, the warm sand pressing between their toes, the air sharp with the salty tang always present at the ocean.
    Jaime led Shane on to a small cove just off the beach proper. Not another soul could be seen for miles in either direction. Shane remembered this cove. The two of them had discovered it on their last trip here. It had become their "private" beachfront. Shane recalled with a shiver how often they had come here with a beach blanket and picnic. As they paused in their walk, he closed his eyes for just a moment and replayed the many times that they had slowly stripped one another naked and made love in this spot. After, they would run into the pounding surf and swim until they were utterly exhausted.
    At the sound of clinking glass, Shane opened his eyes and felt them widen in surprise as Jaime pulled a blanket and picnic basket from behind a set of rocks just to their right.
    "When you told me where we were going...back at Ryan's house, do you remember what I did?"
    Shane nervously licked his lips. He wasn't sure what was going on here. He didn't dare hope that the familiar picnic items meant that Jaime had forgiven him---in fact, had planned ahead for them. But when? Shane's frantically searched his mind to remember when Jaime would have made the call to the resort. How had he known ahead of time that Shane was planning on bringing him here? The only possible time he could have had to make any phone calls was right after he had told Jaime where they were going and Jaime had gone into the…
    "Bathroom! You made the call to the hotel when you went into the bathroom. But how…why? You were so pissed off. You were in there for so long. I was really worried. I thought you were going to come back out and tell me to leave. But all along you were making a…"
    "Phone call. With a phone."
    Shane face lit up with a mystified look at Jaime's response.
    "The answer to your question, how? With my cell phone. I used it to make the call to the hotel while I was in the bathroom. I asked them to leave these here on the beach