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CHAPTER ONE
JON
The aeroplane is quiet, and I can hear the faint whoosh of the air conditioning and subtle snoring coming from a few seats back. The lights are down, and I can’t stop staring at my husband.
David’s face is relaxed and bathed in the blue light from the infotainment screen on the seat in front of us.
My husband.
My heartbeat picks up just thinking about it. I can’t believe that I have a husband.
My family always expected me to have a wife, but after spending time with David, I knew I didn’t want him as a friend or even a ‘friend with benefits,’ I wanted him as my boyfriend, then my fiancé, and now my husband.
A cold, wet spot is forming on my t-shirt from David sleepily drooling on my shoulder, and I’m glad he’s comfortable. His arm rests across my abdomen, and his legs are somewhat scrunched up against the seat in front of him.
He deserves rest. He must be exhausted from planning the wedding of his dreams and agonising over whether our friend Greg and his Forever-girl Lauren will have a happily ever after… But I saw them exiting the same room the morning after our wedding, and from the love-struck look on both their faces, I think David can rest easy, which he obviously is.
The plane's flight path is on the screen in front of me, and I watch as we slowly make our way to Italy.
Venice will be the first stop on our Italian honeymoon, then we’ll travel to Florence and Rome, and the last weekend in Paris before flying back home to Cape Town.
Closing my eyes, I lean my head against David’s and try to find a comfortable position in the small space. David’s arm tightens against my side, and I smile.
My chest warms at the action, and my thoughts stray to my parents. They’re the reason I never wanted to get married. They aren’t fantastic examples of what a happy married life could be.
They had a ‘marriage of convenience.’ My mother was knocked up. I’ve never met my biological dad; he was a young Italian man on vacation in South Africa, and my mother had a summer fling that resulted in me. My biological father had returned to Italy before my mother knew about the pregnancy, and she didn’t have a way to contact him after she knew.
And that’s where Steven, my father, the non-biological one, came in and saved the day by marrying young Karin—saving her and my very conservative family from having to hide the pregnancy. Their marriage was never a love match, and they resent each other… and me, especially when I told them I was bisexual and going to marry a man. Not that their censure stopped me from loving or marrying David.
Nuzzling in closer, I breathe in the sweet citrus fragrance of David, trying to clear my mind of these morbid thoughts and enjoy the here and now with the love of my life on a plane to Italy.
* * *
The sky is draped in pinks and corals, making Venice look like a painting. The hum of the water taxi’s engine is a constant sound as we approach Venice. The air is cool and moist coming in through the small window, and I can feel the bite of the cold wind as I watch the city draw nearer.
The orange-hue stone walls and terracotta roofs are awash in a romantic glow, much like David as he’s practically hanging out of the window taking pictures. He’ll be able to name each unique colour if I ask him, but I don’t want to disturb him. However, I drape my arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer to share my body heat; his cheeks and nose are pink from the frigid air coming off the water.
“You happy, baby?” I ask over his shoulder and feel him leaning back against me.
“So much! It’s beautiful, and we're not even in the city yet!” David says, turning his head and kissing my jaw before focusing on the view again.
I take out my phone and take a picture of David’s enamoured gaze at the city before looking up the hotel's address. I have an idea of how to get there from Saint Mark’s Square, but I’ll need to navigate from the boat dock to the square. I don’t want to fuck this up and get lost.
David must feel my rising agitation as he leans against me again and wraps my right arm around him. Inhaling his comforting scent has me calming down.
We’ll be fine, even if we do get lost in Venice.
CHAPTER TWO
DAVID
I’m frozen in the doorway of our suite. I know my mouth is open as I scan the room, but I can’t seem to close it. This room is so, well… Venetian. It’s decorated in soft golds and rich burgundy, a little over-the-top, but in the best possible way.
“How? How can we afford all this, Jon?” I finally ask, stepping into the room.
“I chose this room because I wanted you to feel like a prince on our honeymoon, and I’ve been saving,” Jon replies nonchalantly, stowing our luggage next to an ornate dark wood lacquered wardrobe.
Looking at him, I find his brow quirked, and his mouth pulled into a slight smirk.
