Chapter 52
Showers and Surprises


To wake warm and melt into each other—is there a better way to start the day?
Skin upon skin, their lips and bodies greeted one another in a skyrocketing hello.

When Annie Joy’s bones had returned to a solid state she rolled over and cuddled against Urs with a contented sigh. He snaked one arm around her possessively. How warm and soft she felt, like a delectably shaped body pillow. She was made so marvelously opposite, soft where he was hard, convex where he was concave and temptingly full where he was sleek.

Uh oh, she’s starting on my ear again. “Annie Joy, could you give me a few minutes.”

He felt his ear being nibbled and none too gently at that. “Sorry uber-lover, but I’m going to have to take advantage of your weakened state. Dibs on the shower,” she added as she rolled away from him and bounded off the bed.

He heard the shower running and over it came Annie Joy’s voice. “Did you know I sing opera in the shower? I’m very good. All of my shampoos think so.” He shook his head and chuckled as he closed his eyes and waited. Her voice projection was good, he’d have to give her that but he couldn’t ever remember hearing that bit performed in that particular key. Perhaps he’d better investigate.

“Annie Joy, despite the rave reviews from your shampoo bottles I don’t really think humming the Triumphal March from Aida constitutes singing opera. If you’ll allow me to demonstrate.” He pulled back the curtain and stepped in.

Poor Urs. He should have known better than to try singing opera in the shower with a very slippery woman determined to do a little demonstrating of her own. He really never had a chance. The shampoo bottles however were treated to some new and usual sounds as a slightly damp man and woman fell into bed to continue their demonstration.

**********

Gabi lost her bet by two hours. Annie Joy didn’t arrive back at the apartment until 2:00.

When they reached her door, Urs unwrapped his arm from around her shoulder and gave her a brief, but affectionate kiss. It was what Annie Joy would come to call his public ‘less is more’ kiss because afterward his fingers would curl around her cheek, tender and loving as they shared a look that promised more.

More, a small word, often a child’s simple attempt to make his needs known, denoting a milestone in his growth. Such delicate nuances and subtle shades of meaning for so simple a word: additional, also, another, better, deeper, exceeding, extra, fresh, in addition, increased, more than that, new, numerous, over and above, too many. These marked the growth in Annie Joy and Urs’ relationship.

**********

Next weekend would be their last before Annie Joy left for her permanent store assignment. Urs had juggled his recording schedule in order to book them on a four-night trip to see the Northern Lights, a fitting end to her time in Scandinavia. Her last day at work was Friday and they would leave that night and return Tuesday. She would report to her new job the following Monday. But for tonight her thoughts were on another new experience. She would finally see Il Divo perform live and in the Grand Hotel no less.

Il Divo had been asked to perform at a 25th anniversary party for one of the Sony BMG Sweden executives, Nils Sandgren and his wife Katinka. Being part of the Sony family, so to speak, David, Carlos, Seb, and Urs and their guests were invited to the dinner immediately after the program. After dinner they would also perform the song for the couple’s first dance. Since none of the other Divo women were able to be there, Urs had made arrangements for Annie Joy to sit with Per and David tonight.

**********

‘I keep thinking it was someone from the village who took away the parsnips and substituted them with hemlock.’

Annie Joy sat propped up with four pillows in the middle of the king-size bed reading a British mystery and waiting for her toenails to dry. She wiggled her toes, admiring Urs’ handiwork. His technique certainly had improved since that one tickling incident. She’d warned him she was ticklish but did he listen? Oh no. All it had gotten him was some interesting red spots on his underwear. She turned back to her book.

**********

Urs checked his watch and stepped into the shower. Plenty of time, no rush. A nice long shower, a careful leisurely shave and I’ll still be the first one at the soundcheck.

I can’t wait to see her dress tonight. She’s been guarding it like a state secret. Doesn’t she realize she takes my breath away no matter what she wears?

He squirted a dollop of shampoo into his palm and began to lather his hair.

Orange suddenly flashed in his brain as he thought back to the afternoon after their first night together. Damn, that shampoo must be making his eyes water.

Annie Joy knew they’d had dinner reservations so when he’d arrived she was ready. So he was totally surprised when she’d taken my hand and led him to her bedroom. Had she forgotten the cab was waiting downstairs? Now was not the time…but he was wrong. It was the perfect time. He’d seen it and dropped her hand and walked over to the table beside her bed. There he was in his orange marshmallow, a mate to his picture of her. That she too was loathe to break their connection, had wanted to keep him in her memory, touched his heart in a way he’d never felt before. All those weeks ago, since the ship, without knowing it they had been trying to make their way to each other and now at last they were here.



He closed his eyes and turned around in a circle rinsing his hair, ending with the shower beating down on his face. He allowed the water to fill his open mouth, then squirted it out like a fish.

He thought of times when the arrangements or recordings were heavy going, when he didn’t feel like even smiling. Still she could make him laugh. How did she do that? He’d never known what he was missing till she came into his life.

He could still hear her laughing that time they got stuck and had to unwind from each other limb by limb as if they were playing Twister. His body reacted just as it had done then. All it had taken was a look and their laughter became sighs and exclamations as they began again until they knew their very souls were tangled in a link that could not be undone.

He turned off the water and toweled himself dry. Then wrapped another towel around his hips. He ran his fingers over his face checking his beard, grateful the hot shower had done its preparation. He applied the shaving cream carefully, avoiding his sideburns and held his razor under the warm water.

We’ve come so far in the short time she’s been here. He smiled at the Urs in the mirror as he remembered welcoming her home from Amsterdam. Later that night, long after Annie Joy had fallen asleep like a trusting child in the warm curve of his arms, he’d stared up into the darkness and realized how incredibly lucky he was to have this woman in his life. With Cecile it had only been possibilities. The things Annie Joy gave him were more than that; they were real. They were the things that mattered: happiness, contentment, trust, and unconditional love.

Just as he started around his left sideburn he thought he heard the phone ring over the sound of the water. Had they changed the soundcheck time? No matter. He was almost ready. Annie Joy would answer it. He rinsed his face and patted it dry. Then he and his freshly shaved face prowled into the bedroom. Annie Joy was sitting on the bed talking on the phone, probably to Syd or Angie or Gabi from the sound of it.

“Yes, very soon. That sounds wonderful.”

“Of course. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out where I’m going.”

“Really? You don’t mind? I feel the same way sometimes.”

Annie Joy laughed.

**********

Maybe it was the relaxing sound of the shower or perhaps she’d just lost interest in murder by hemlock. Annie Joy closed her book, scooted down on the bed and pulled one of the pillows from behind her for her head, ready for some delicious daydreams of Urs. She smiled at how often at random times during the day thoughts of him filled her mind.

All I have to do is picture that smile he gives me and I swear for that one second -- I can barely breathe.

Those eyes…no matter how much times goes by I’ll never forget the first time he looked at me and I fell in love with his eyes. And the easy way their hips fit together as he pulled her toward him and how he smiled in his sleep and his kisses.

She rolled over and buried her face in his pillow, drinking in the scent of him.

Kissing, definitely an art and one he’s mastered. That touch and go kiss, that pecky on the cheek kiss, that here I am kiss, that I’m lost in you kiss. Slow, sweet, tender, hungry, teasing, tickling, tasting kisses.
How does he know to kiss the right thing at the right time,
then kisses the things he's missed?
How had I ever settled for less?

Sighing gently, she snuggled down into her pillow a little deeper and thought of his playful teasing when he’d come to pick her up at work last week. Although it was late, most of the people in her area were still there working on end of the month reports.

In an attempt to tidy his wind-blown hair, he’d raised his arms and raked his fingers through his thick dark curls, pulling it into a ponytail, causing several inches of firm stomach to be exposed above his well-worn jeans slung low on his hips.

“You do realize you’ve caused every female heart in here to simultaneously skip a beat don’t you?” she’d scolded mildly after they were alone.

He’d answered with a Cheshire cat grin, “Yours too?”

“Mine most of all, you sexy Swiss,” she’d laughed.

Laughing, there was so much laughing, even when they made love. There were times Urs would joke and tease and play until she was laughing so hard that when he finally kissed her their passion came as a shock.

They’d survived their first separation when she’d been sent to Amsterdam for three days training. She wouldn’t have put it past the old Urs, the one she’d met on the ship, to schedule phone calls like appointments. This new and improved Urs, and David at least seemed to agree he was, was able to embrace time frames like ‘in the evening’. Granted he embraced them quite a bit, she certainly wouldn’t want to pay his phone bill, but if truth be told she’d used all her extra minutes and then some. If that’s what it took so be it. They’d get used to it. Oh how she wanted to get used to that, not the leaving but the knowing he’d be waiting to welcome her home.

And what a homecoming it had been. He’d planned another room service dinner and crossed his heart the food would be served first, and it wouldn’t be burgers and fries, he’d added with a twinkle. When she arrived, scattered around the room were vases from IKEA each filled with a single red rose. Twenty-five, he’d explained, one for each day since we met again. And they did eat their dinner first. She blushed as she thought of dessert.

**********

“Alright I promise, but I don’t think he’ll like it.”

She giggled as she looked over at Urs.

“You too. I’m so glad you called. Bye.”

Annie Joy hung up the phone and turned nonchalantly back to Urs. “Oh, your mother says hi.”