AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And when I finally released her and saw her face coated in my pleasure and her big blue eyes wide with their adoration for me, I felt a connection with her so intense I thought nothing could ever break it.
I was awoken a second time at 7 a.m. by an announcement from the Captain. She gave her usual spiel to let everyone know we’d docked, what the weather was like for the day, and how to leave theship if you wanted to disembark. Claudia had a work thing all day today with Sue. She’d managed to pin her down again, so I was flying solo.
As much as I hated the never-ending early wake-up calls, especially after a late night working, the Captain’s voice always put me at ease. Her soft but raspy tones were a damn sight better than the heart-racing foghorn noises that phone alarms insist on using.
I jumped out of bed and straight into the shower. I knew if I scrolled through my phone in bed, I’d most likely fall back to sleep and then kick myself for wasting the morning.
I got changed, dried my hair, grabbed my bag, and headed down to the ship’s main cafeteria. While it's customary to start your day with a coffee, this morning I opted for a hot chocolate with extra cream. I felt like I needed sugar more than caffeine, and no one made a silkier hot chocolate than Ron, the barista.
I held my cup tightly, shoved a few breakfast snacks in my bag, and made my way to the disembarkment area. This morning I was going it alone, as Urduja was stuck on board working. I could hang out with the other crew who were leaving for the day, but I felt like I was due a day by myself.
I scanned my ID on the way out and trundled down the ramp, careful not to spill my drink—something I’d seen far too many people do—and took a deep breath of sea air. Hull, the city once voted the worst place to live in the UK as well as the worst place to live in the North of England, was an area described in the past as a “sad story.”
However, I wasn’t going to let any of that influence my day. Beauty is subjective, so I was going in with a positive attitude, especially since I hadn’t had the best attitude yesterday. I was determined to be different this morning.
Lucky for me, there were no gray clouds in sight, and the Humber Bridge sparkled to my left. I snapped a few pictures, as I was genuinely taken aback by its presence. Sometimes, things look better in pictures, but other times, like today, things look far better in real life. It wasn’t a beautiful bridge by any means, but it was impressive and formidable against the desolate landscape.
I headed off toward the old town to wander around the shops. A majority of the time, I’m only ever window shopping, but I found that looking at clothes, shoes, bags, and knick-knacks helped me unwind more than a spa day ever could. At least when I’m walking the aisles of New Look, strangers aren’t rubbing my neck or prodding my back.
After imagining myself in all the outfits I didn’t buy, I walked to The Deep. The Deep was listed as one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world, and I won't lie, I was a little bit excited.
Being an adult definitely doesn’t mean you should stop exploring the world around us, and once I got inside and started gawking at the beauty of the sharks, turtles, and penguins, I stopped thinking about what others might think about a lone woman in her late 30s walking around an attraction that spends a lot of money advertising to children.
I grabbed a keychain and dolphin plush from the gift shop. The keychain was for me and the dolphin was for Urduja. I was sad in the end that she’d missed the part of Hull. She found the natural world to be far more exciting than anyone I’d ever met, but hopefully, my small gift might make her feel a little better.
Selfishly, it made me feel a little better, anyway.
While the weather was still on my side, I decided to walk around the city as much as I could regardless of how tired I felt.
I meandered around the shopping center, grabbing an extra large coffee with cream, and continued through the cobbled streets along the Marina, finally stopping outside the Minster.
I found a bench to admire the view and refuel with the snacks I’d brought with me. I had a slice of banana bread and a fruit tart. This was me telling myself I was making healthy choices.
It was early afternoon, and I was running out of steam. Maybe days alone weren’t a good thing. It was far too easy to talk myself out of walking or activities when I was tired. Sometimes, you need someone with you to keep you in check.
My final few hours were spent in St. Stephen’s Center and a few thousand more steps walking the vibrant city streets.
As I headed back to the ship, I felt a warm rush inside, not just from the lowering sun but from the wonderful day I’d had. Perhaps Hull has revamped itself since it collected its large list of terrible accolades, or maybe the judges needed to go to Specsavers because I’d been to some drab places in my time, and Hull was not one of them.
A single beam lit up the stage. The band sat in a semi-circle around the edge. Mist rose, seeping around the shadowed musicians dressed in black, only fingers visible as they softly caressed keys, gliding along the ivory with a slow stroke as the first note rang out and the sensual strum began. "I remember…"
My eyes were closed with sweeping dark lines of make-up brushed over my eyelids. Padding barefoot to the center of the stage, my gown flowing behind me in a fiery red blaze. My lips almost kissed the microphone as I sang softly. My fingers curled slowly around the stand, drawing it close to me, hooking the mic in place, and then my eyes opened wide.
“Yeah, it’s you…” I sang from the bottom of my heart, every single word felt as my gaze scanned the crowd until I found her.
The song went smoothly, and I fell back to my very best performances. I was at my peak, even if my star was fading.
A flush spread across my chest as I bit down on my lip, leaning into the microphone one last time as I whispered over the last fading notes of the band. “You. Claudia.” And I fade to black.
I had never done that before. Never said a name in a performance. I knew it could ruin the moment for the fans. But I needed that moment with her. I needed her to see that she meant so much to me. She was all I could think about, all I wanted and needed, and no matter what the future held, we would navigate the seas together.
“I want to spend all morning with you,“ she whispered against my skin as the sun had barely risen across our infinite blue horizon. Starting slow. Quickening, sweat on our skin as we fell into each other, then changing positions, slowing down. We could both orgasm at any moment, but we didn’t. We just gave in to each other, letting our bodies decide how deep, how slow.”
Each whispered word brought me around. Her hands meandered around my body as her voice grew huskier, laced with sex.
“Giving in to pleasure and what feels good. No rush. Just instinct. Drawing it out until we're drowning in it. Lost. Each other's touch is the only thing that keeps us above water. And even then, I’m drowning in you. Aching for each and every touch. Kisses that just last hours, my lips so hungry for all of you. Limbs aching but not stopping because I need you so much,” she whispered.
“I need you too, Claudia,” I replied. “Every touch I take shows. Every sound that leaves my lips only to find yours proves it. The way my fingers caress you. The way my tongue dances with yours. The tempo varies the time between changes. But each one is charged with the same primal desire.”
