Page 106 of Only After We Met
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: I won’t take no for an answer
Ginger, Ginger…why are you so predictable? I knew you’d say that:Have you lost your mind?It’s the same thing you say every time I propose something totally reasonable to you. So tell me what’s stopping you, and I’ll let it go. What is it? Does the idea of spending the summer alone in the city really appeal to you that much? Come on, Ginger Snap, you haven’t had a real vacation since I met you. That can’t be healthy. I looked at tickets. Next Wednesday there’s a cheap flight that departs in the morning. Don’t overthink it. It’ll be fun. You and me. The island. The sun. No worries.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: Madness
Maybe I’ll regret it in five minutes, but I think you’re right. I deserve that vacation. And it’s not that crazy, is it? We are friends. It’s a good excuse to see each other, and I’ve saved some money these past few months, so screw it, Rhys! I’m going!
Part 4
Love. Madness. Skin.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
The Little Prince
55
Rhys
I felt it when I saw her emerge from arrivals. That tickle. Goose bumps. The desire to bridge the distance that separated us. She was wearing a huge backpack on her back, her hair was sticking out in all directions, and her clothes were too heavy for the weather in Ibiza at this time of year. I walked slowly toward her, enjoying the feeling of seeing her before she could see me. When she did, her lips curved upward, and she took off running. It was less a hug than a collision, a blow to the chest.
I laughed and held her a few seconds.
She smelled just as I remembered…so fucking good…
“You…you haven’t changed a bit,” she said, taking a step back to look at me. “You’re so tan. I look like a ghost standing next to you. I’ve been eating carrots to activate my melanin, but if I’m never in the sun… I don’t know. I’m nervous, Rhys.”
“I can tell.” I smiled and draped an arm over her shoulders before guiding her toward the exit. “Take it easy; you’ve got plenty of time to lie on the beach in the sun. How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“A year and a half. Why?”
“Nothing. You’re just improving with time.”
“Come on! Don’t suck up to me.”
She nudged me with her elbow. It tickled. We walked to the parking lot, and she talked the whole time. Her voice was still comforting to me. Her saying the first thing that came into her mind and combining topics that had nothing to do with each other. Her dark hair rubbed against my arm.
I stopped and let her go, and she furrowed her brows.
“Come on… You didn’t tell me you had a motorcycle.”
“I rented it. It’s practical. Let’s go.”
I got on and waited as she hopped on the back and adjusted the straps of her backpack. I could feel her getting tense as I started up and we headed out. Her hands felt weak, holding sometimes on to the seat and sometimes on to my T-shirt. When I stopped at the first red light, I took a deep breath.
“Unless you want to fall off and die, Ginger…”
I grabbed her hands and wrapped them around my waist.
“I didn’t know…”