Gold Wings and Sparrowhawk - Chapter 5
Nell and Virginie were sitting on their towels in their bikinis when Harm arrived with his shipmates. They were talking and laughing and Harm thought Nell had a happy nature, despite the harshness of her life.
Swan whistled softly. « Nice ink ! »
Nell turned back and smiled to him. « Thanks ! I like yours too. I get why you got your callsign. » On his right pectoral, he had a beautiful rendering of a pelican nourishing his young from its flesh, that unfortunately looked a bit like a swan.
« It's not a swan ! »
« I know. I did a bit of heraldry. It's the symbol for paternal love. »
Swan was taken aback, as were the others. « You know that ? »
« I know a lot of things about a lot of things. »
Wedge sat down at Virginie's side, while Loki tried to cham Nell. The three others dropped their gear and ran to the water.
« So... what else do you know ? » He was clearly in flirting mode, and Harm wasn't having it.
He pulled Nell's hand to get her up and lead her to the sea. When they were waist deep, he pushed her slightly, making her loose her footing and sink with a shriek. He dived after her and they emerged with a laugh.
The five men and the two women spent a long time playing in the waves. When hunger became too much, they went to the little restaurant in the corner. The afternoon was spent much as the morning had been, between water games and rests on the sand. The mood was light, the atmosphere pleasant.
When the sun started to descend on the sea, they went back to the beach. Harm sat down on a towel, and Nell settled between his legs, her head resting on his chest. It was the first time they had displayed any kind of intimacy since the morning, but time was running short, and Nell wanted to enjoy their last hours together. They talked about what they wanted to do that evening, and settled for dinner and beer at an Irish pub situated half-way between them and their accommodations. Virginie and the Americans took cabs to go back to the city, while Harm and Nell stayed behind.
Alone at last, still sitting together, they watched the sea for a moment. They sun wouldn't set for a long time, and they couldn't stay until it did, but they could relax and savor the moment. Harm put a kiss on Nell's temple and murmured a few words in her ear. That brought a large smile on her face and she looked bewitchingly at Harm. They grabbed their belongings and walked quickly to the hotel.
*****
The sky was graying in the west when Harm woke up the following morning. He turned to go back to sleep, but felt an empty space beside him. At the same moment, he caught a movement near the door. Nell was facing away from him, practicing her kata in her pajamas. She was very focused, every movement very precise, her breathing even.
He just laid there, watching her. He was fascinated by the way she moved, she had to have practiced the kata a thousand times or more.
« Hello Harm. »
She surprised him by greeting him without looking at him, and without skipping a beat.
« Hey. How did you know I was awake ? »
An inspiration. « Your breathing changed. » A kick. An expiration. « Did I wake you ? »
« The bed is cold. »
« Sorry. I'm almost finished. »
A few more movements, a final bow, and Nell turned to Harm with a smile. « Let's warm up this bed. » She knelt on the bed and advanced towards Harm. He put his hand out to her, hooked it behind her head and put his lips on hers. Nell melted against him, snuggling in his arms.
« We haven't emptied the box. »
Nell smiled. « We can keep the rest for next time. Naples is not very far from France and I don't have a deployment scheduled yet. »
Harm grazed her mouth with his. « I'd like that. » He rolled over her and proceeded to make love to her one last time.
A few hours later, they left the hotel, both dressed in their uniforms. They didn't smile. Inside the cab, Nell put her head on Harm's shoulder, she looked a bit sad. Harm inclined his head and took her lips. They shared a long and tender kiss that the driver had to interrupt when they arrived at the airport. Time was up.
Harm exited the cab, closed the door and Nell scooted over. She leaned through the open window for one last look at her lover. Harm smiled warmly at her. It took her a second or two, but she ended up smiling as well. She was a little blue to break up like that, but they would get in touch. Harm bent down and they kissed one last time.
« So long, Sailor ! »
« Bye, Dragon ! »
And as the taxi took Nell to her destination, Harm watched her go with a pensive air, wondering what the future would bring them.
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