4. Honeymoon
1451 Words
My eyelids flutter open as the sunlight hits my face. I look around the room and groan as I realize I am still in the hotel room. But when I look down, I gasp as I realize that I am no longer wearing my wedding dress. Instead, I am dressed in a silk nightgown.
Holy s**t, did Axel take my dress off while I was asleep?
My neck grows hot at the prospect of him seeing me naked. To him, it was probably nothing since I am his wife, but to me, it was horrifying.
But right now, I am alone in bed. Where was Axel anyway? I wonder.
I roll out of bed, the carpet fibers tickling my feet in a way that is too specific, too real to be a dream. My heart thumps against my ribs, keeping pace with the whirling thoughts in my mind.
"Right, let's figure this out. I died. But here I am, very much not dead. And on top of that, I am married. That reality did not change when I slept through the night," I tell myself.
I pace the room, hand running through my tangled hair.
"Okay, breathe..." I close my eyes, taking in a shaky breath. "New game plan: embrace this weird-ass second chance or play Nancy Drew with my own murder mystery?"
"Talking to yourself now?"
I turn around, startled. Axel is standing in front of me with a tray in his hands. I get a whiff of bacon and cheesy eggs, and it makes my stomach growl.
Axel's lips curve into a playful smile as he sets the tray down on a nearby table. "Good morning, sleepyhead. You finally decided to join the land of the living."
I blink, still processing the situation. "Morning," I mumble, avoiding eye contact. "Why am I in a nightgown?"
He chuckles, a warm sound that eases some of my tension. "Well, sweetheart, your wedding dress was a bit impractical for sleeping. Thought I'd let you rest comfortably."
I cross my arms defensively, feeling exposed. "You shouldn't have done it."
Axel raises an eyebrow, his eyes dancing with amusement. "You act like I've never seen you naked before."
I gasp. "You have! I thought you said we never did it?"
"We didn't go all the way, but we did...other stuff," Axel says and grins knowingly.
I flush, realizing that my embarrassment is probably amusing him. "Oh my god," I mutter, glancing away.
He steps closer, reaching out to gently cup my cheek. "Relax, love. We're married, remember? No need to be shy around me."
I nod, trying to convince myself that this is normal. "Right. Married." I wish he would stop reminding me of that.
"Anyway, I brought you breakfast. Eat up. Our flight is later today, so make sure you have everything ready," Axel says.
"Flight?" My eyebrows go up in confusion.
"For our honeymoon, silly. We are going to Hawaii, remember?" Axel says, furrowing his brows.
I stare at Axel, my mind struggling to catch up with the reality he's presenting. "Hawaii? Honeymoon? Why is this happening? I died. I remember dying," I blurt out.
Axel stares at me for a moment, then bursts into laughter. It takes him a while before he finally stops. "Jesus, Chloe. I can never get used to your sense of humor. You are something else, you know?"
He thinks I am joking, I realize that. I am the only one who is aware of my other life.
I wonder about the aspects of my current existence that are completely different from my life before death, and those that have remained unchanged.
~-~
Before I know what's happening, I'm on a plane headed to Hawaii!
Typically, this would be cause for major celebration - I mean, who wouldn't be thrilled about visiting a tropical paradise? But at the moment, I was feeling more hesitant than excited.
I nearly fall out of my seat when Axel reaches for my hand.
"Scared of flying?" he asks with a sly grin.
"Nope, just nervous about missing the in-flight snack cart," I joke with a forced smile. I had made up my mind not to mention my old life to Axel and go along with this adventure, no matter how ridiculous it may seem.
As the plane takes off, Axel tightens his grip on my hand, and I try to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. I close my eyes and hold onto the armrests.
"Are you okay?" Axel asks with concern etched on his face. He squeezes my hand reassuringly, his touch grounding me just enough for me to take a deep breath and nod slowly.
Maybe being married to him isn't such a bad thing. He seems almost sweet now.
As I muse to myself, he leans in close and gruffly murmurs into my ear: "I may have spared you last night, but once we touch down in Hawaii, I'm going to pound your brains out so hard you'll see nothing but f*****g stars."
Okay, never mind. He is not sweet.
The moment Axel and I step out of the airport in Hawaii, the warm tropical air envelops us.
The sun casts a golden glow over the vibrant surroundings as we make our way through the crowd.
As we make our way through the airport, a welcoming committee of locals approaches us with smiles that mirror the sunshine. Leis made of fragrant flowers are placed around our necks, their sweet scent mingling with the ocean breeze.
The locals greet us with the traditional "Aloha!" and warm embraces. For a moment, I forget all my problems and feel genuinely happy to be here.
"There should be a car picking us up soon," Axel tells me, and I curtly nod at him.
Finally, our ride arrives, and we hop in the large SUV as I sink into the plush leather seats. The engine roars to life, and we pull out onto the busy highway.
The road winds through lush greenery and sparkling blue waters while Axel tries to make small talk. I barely respond to him as I am worried about this trip in general. No matter how normal everything seems now, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know something is going to go wrong.
When we arrive at the resort, it's everything you would expect - over-the-top luxury with palm trees swaying gently in the breeze and white sandy beaches stretching out under cerulean skies.
Axel tells me to follow him after he checks us in at the main desk. I sigh heavily and follow him inside our room. It has an open floor plan with sliding glass doors leading out onto a spacious balcony overlooking the ocean.
Axel smirks at me as he drops his bag on the bed before heading towards the bathroom with a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket by the Jacuzzi tub. He pops it open without any hesitation and pours us a glass.
"To our future as the husband and wife," he toasts.
"Yeah...the future," I mumble before taking a sip.
I step out onto the balcony. My heart starts to race as I feel Axel walking up and standing behind me. I can feel the heat radiating off him as he places his hands on my waist.
"Um...I am really tired. I think I should take a shower and sleep for a bit," I say in a trembling voice.
For a second, it looks like he will argue with me, but he simply smiles. "Okay. Go take a nice, hot shower. I will start unpacking here."
I release a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't trying to have s*x with me.
I walk into the marble-clad bathroom and turn on the showerhead, watching as crystal-clear water flows down in sheets across my skin.
God...it feels so great after such a long flight!
The warm water against my skin feels like a soft caress, slowly bringing me back to life. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the cool tile, enjoying the sensation of being clean once more.
Suddenly, I hear the door creaking open, and I freeze mid-movement.
Axel walks in, his large hands reaching for the hem of his shirt before he slips it off over his broad shoulders. His chiseled torso gleams under the light, and he seems to be watching me from under lowered eyelids as he approaches slowly.
My breath hitches when I realize he is about to join me in the shower.
He silently takes his pants off, followed by his boxers, and my eyes automatically lower to his nether region.
Holy cheese! Is that a Boa between his legs!?
- Writer
