Quench Me
      Chapter 30
 

As I climb the steps to the second floor, I’m quietly wondering which bathing suit I should wear. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why it matters, considering the way Danny has already seen me, but for some reason, I’m nervous about wearing a bathing suit in front of him. If I wear a bikini, will he think it’s too revealing? If I wear a one piece, will he think I’m too conservative? As I shut my bedroom door behind me, I decide on a happy-medium and choose my tankini. The material across the bust line is a flaming fuchsia color, while the material below my breasts is solid black. I pull it over my head and carefully smooth the slick material over my abdomen. It stops just above my navel, revealing just enough to keep him interested. "He’s already interested, Michelle," I think to myself, as I pull on the solid black bottoms. Making sure that all of the appropriate body parts are covered, I slip on my black flip-flops and make my way back downstairs.

When I reach the kitchen, I stop for a long moment to take in the sight before me. There, leaning against the kitchen counter, is Danny. He’s shirtless, which is always a good thing, and wearing a pair of navy blue trunks. The legs of the trunks are long and hit him just above his knees. The drawstring is pulled tight, and the waistband hugs him beautifully. His chest looks more delicious every time I see it, and my mind recalls this morning, as I woke up with my face against it.

Danny’s voice brings me back to reality. "What Michelle?" he asks.

"You just look really good," I say, walking toward him. "And really inviting."

"You have a standing invitation, you know that don’t you?" he replies as he reaches out and pulls my body to his.

"Same here," I answer, tip-toeing to kiss his cheek.

"You look pretty damn good yourself," he says, stepping back to look at me. "Damn good."

"I’m glad you like it," I say honestly, relieved that he’s pleased with my choice of swim suits.

"Shall we?" he asks, gesturing toward the door.

"Of course," I answer, as he takes my hand and leads me to the pool.


After what seems like an eternity of splashing and dunking, not to mention the occasional kissing and heavy petting, Danny and I climb out of the pool and begin toweling off.

"I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun," he says.

"Me either," I say, snapping my towel at him.

He snaps back at me with his towel, and says, "Really, Michelle, we never did ‘normal’ things like this in my family. My father tried to make things fun, when he was still alive, but considering who we were and how we lived, there wasn’t much he could do. And my mother… well, I don’t think she ever even tried. I don’t have any memories of just being with my family and talking and laughing like this."

I find myself suddenly angry and saddened that his childhood was less than perfect. He deserved so much more. There are no words to describe the way I feel about what he just said, so I simply say, "I’m sorry, Danny, that you don’t have memories like this."

"Don’t be sorry, Michelle," he says with a smile, as he towel dries the soft curls on the top of his head. "I’m not sorry, not anymore, because I’m making new memories. Memories that include you. You’ve given me what I’ve never had - real love with no conditions."

I feel the tingle of tears behind my eyes, as I reply, "You’re giving me too much credit."

"No I’m not," he says, tossing his towel on the lounge chair. Placing his hands on his waist, he continues. "If anything I’m not giving you enough."

I run my towel down the length of my hair, gently rubbing the ends with the soft terry cloth to remove the bulk of the water. I can still feel tears forming in my eyes as he continues.

"You’ve given me yourself, and just by being yourself you’ve brought joy and happiness into my life. You’re constantly challenging me to be more than I was yesterday, and even more than that, you honestly believe that I can be. You never doubt me, even when I give you every reason to. You let me into your life and your heart, despite the fact that I fought you pretty hard. And you give me moments like this, moments like the morning you brought me donuts for breakfast, moments like waking up with you next to me - moments that might seem really insignificant to anyone else, but to me they mean everything. And when we add them all together, they equal a life full of love. The kind of life that I want… for us."

As I drop my towel to the concrete at my feet, Danny walks toward me and envelopes me in his arms. "Thank you, Michelle. Thank you for giving me so much."

I wrap my arms around him and lay my head against his chest. "You don’t have to thank me, Danny. You’ve given me plenty yourself."

"What could I have possibly given you except a headache?"

"My life was dull, boring, and pretty pointless before I met you. Sure I had my studies to keep me busy, and my ambitions of becoming a doctor, but I didn’t have any sort of personal fulfillment. I was alone, in my heart. You brought excitement and purpose into my life. Suddenly, the highlight of my day wasn’t sitting on the sofa reading a magazine after a long day of classes. I knew that there had to be more to life than what I had, but I just didn’t know what. You blew into my life like a hurricane, and suddenly I realized that there was this whole other part of me that I never knew. The emptiness that I couldn’t even describe before was completely filled… by you."

"Now you’re giving me too much credit," he says, lifting my face to his.

I shake my head and reply, "No. I can’t even put into words what you’ve given me."

"Me either," he says, lowering his mouth to mine, kissing me with all the tenderness and sweetness that I’ve felt from him before.

"I love you, Michelle," he says, looking in my eyes. "And I always will."

"I love you too," I answer, smiling at the sweet look on his face. "Forever."