Neighbors
And of course, Asher Rocambeau was willing to rent his house in Barbados to his good friend.
Within a day, Aziel arranged the lease and all other logistics and accompanied Loraine to the beautiful bungalow along the beach. He had stayed there for another two weeks to help her acclimate.
It was a wonderful two weeks for Loraine.
Hand in hand, they shopped at the nearby grocery store, bought some extra furniture for her convenience, and did some sightseeing around the island. Slowly Loraine began to know her surroundings. The two could often be found on the beach, where they also met their neighbors. They were kindly introduced to the couples who live on both sides and share the beach with them.
Rick and Michelle, who are Loraine's age and have been married for nearly three years, are especially interested in their new neighbor. A deep friendship develops and the couple is very protective of Loraine. This makes Aziel very reassured.
The neighbors to the east are an elderly couple with teenage grandchildren who often come to stay during school holidays in Europe. Loraine soon noticed that their twenty-year-old granddaughter shows more than usual interest in Aziel, who has not yet realized this.
On the last day of Aziel's stay on the island, Loraine decides to throw a beach party with her neighbors. There is plenty of drink and snacks and everyone is having a good time. Demonstratively, Loraine sits between Aziel's legs, leaning against his chest. Aziel just lands his hand across her shoulders, pressing her against him. “I'm going to miss you, honey. But I call you every day. And as soon as I find a small space, I'll come right away, if only for two days," he whispers in her ear.
Their new friends look at the two with a smile. “Hey turtle doves, we're still here, remember? Don't worry, Aziel, we'll keep an eye out for her. And this neighborhood is secured, there hasn't been anything going on here in ages," Rick assures his friend. Everyone nods in agreement. “And as soon as you feel lonely, feel free to visit us. We're always shy of a nice talk," Abi offers. Two of her grandkids are also at the party, including the daring granddaughter.
Aziel kisses Loraine in love on her forehead.
“I am so grateful to you. Now I can leave with peace of mind. Loraine is my most prized possession and now that I know you are there for her, I can concentrate on the work that awaits me”.
The neighbors who have not asked any personal questions before are now a bit curious. “Uhmm, Aziel, if you don't want to, you don't have to answer this. But we did some googling about you both for security reasons. There's a lot of news about you and Loraine in the society magazines. But nowhere is it mentioned that you are a couple," Rick indicates.
Loraine and Aziel had seen this coming, but also know that it is to be expected that people will want to know exactly who their neighbors are before trusting them. Knowing your surroundings is very important and knowing who your neighbors are, more important.
“As you must have understood, Loraine fled to Barbados after her relationship with a married man ended dramatically. Her ex-fiancé had previously tried to liquidate this man's family and then someone tipped off the wife about their relationship. I am the vice president of Loraine's companies and also had a relationship with her some years ago that was ended by her ex-fiancé,” Aziel tells his friends. At this last sentence, he gives Loraine who is spinning in his arms another kiss.
“Wow, can suitors do that already? Ban relationships instead of fair competition?”, Michelle remarks dryly. This resulted in a playful push in the sand by her husband. “That's called marking your territory, babe,” Rick grins. Everyone laughs at his comment.
“Well, Danner has gotten himself into a lot of trouble, his exaggerated possessiveness got him into deep shit now. Prosecutors insist on attempted murder, while his lawyers demand aggravated assault as a charge. In any case, a long sentence awaits him," Aziel continues. “I've been in love with Loraine for years, basically ever since I lay my eyes on her the first time and waited patiently for her to get rid of her wild side, never entered into a committed relationship. When she started paying attention to me, I was over the moon, but that didn't last long thanks to Danner. But I remained patient,” he sighs.
Jonah, Abi's husband, looks at him skeptically. “Never had sex with anyone else while you waited? Aziel, boy, you've missed out a lot in the meantime." They all roll with laughter on the beach. The atmosphere is great, Aziel and Loraine never feel for one minute like they are being judged by their new friends. On the contrary, they appear to be very open-minded.
When everyone recovered from Jonah's comment, Aziel continues.
“I must confess that Loraine was a little bit out of my league in bed. I think that's why she could easily sidetrack me. At least that's what I suspected. And I knew that when the next opportunity came, I would have to perform much better. So, I let myself have some lessons.” Everyone looks at him open-mouthed now, including Loraine.
“You've got what! Aziel!” she screams, working herself out of his arms. She feels a slight pain welling up in her chest, Aziel with another woman in bed does something to her. “Calm down Loraine, you were busy with Danner and I had some space for further training”, he tells her and pulls her back to his chest, “Not only Danner but also Dordrich Fellogan, it looks like”, Michelle chimed in.
“Well, it wasn't that bad. I was a virgin all the time. I gave Dordrich my virginity, in fact, I only had one lover”, Loraine announces. This elicits astonishment from her company. “Still a virgin? Then what did you do with those men? You dated Danner for years. Was it just holding hands or was he allowed to look now and then?" Rick asks incredulously sarcastically. The rest on the party also looks at Loraine questioningly.
“You all know the sweet game of love, don't you! I made sure never to be in a confined space with my lovers to prevent them from lusting after me. The rules were always clear beforehand, so everyone knew what they were getting into," she says with a wink.
Another burst of laughter and some snacks further, Rick continues on the subject. “And what is your relationship now? You seem really in love and fit together beautifully. Are you going to make something permanent out of it now, together?”. Loraine hesitates. “First, I want to recover fully from my two catastrophic relationships. Aziel deserves a balanced partner, not a broken soul like me. Although these two weeks have been heavenly, I have to get my feet back steady on the ground and plan my future. Aziel is now the acting director of my companies, I stay here to heal. And then we'll see what the future brings."
Everyone nods in understanding, except Aziel...
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
