what?”
“For everything.” I aggressively pulled him to me and
attacked his mouth. He let me, but only for a short while, before breaking
away.
“It’s what I do, Ms. Summers.”
“I’m not sure I want to be called that anymore.” I felt sad
at having a surname of a man that no longer loved me. He touched my cheek.
“What do you want me to call you then?” I shrugged my
shoulders.
“One day you might call me, Mrs. Clark.” I watched t he joy of what I had just said wash over him like a
tidal wave. He scooped me up into his arms and carried me toward one of the
white cone-shaped huts. I was so overwhelmed and overjoyed, it was like a
dream. But I should not have said that—Summers was my name—it was my children’s
name too, and despite the fact the man who gave me that name had betrayed me,
it was still my name. Alexis, you idiot.
***
We were greeted at the edge
of the helipad by a woman dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts.
“Bryce, you can put me down
now.” I whispered as she approached.
“No.” He answered quite
sternly.
“Welcome, Mr. and Mrs.
Clark.” I coughed and subdued a coincidental laugh. Bryce squeezed my leg and
whispered into my ear.
“I like the sound of that.”
He beamed and waggled his eyebrows up and down. I agreed, it did sound nice,
but it was still way too soon. Alexis you are caught up in the moment, what
were you thinking? You should have kept your mouth shut.
“My name is Dorothy, and I
will be your host here at Outback Hideaway. Please follow me, and I’ll show you
to your room.” She called out to a middle-aged man to fetch our bags from the
chopper.
“Bryce, you can put me down
now.” I whispered again.
“No.” He replied. We followed
her along a board walk. The ground was covered in thick, red dirt, at least I’m
pretty sure it was dirt, I guess it could be some kind of sand too. Out of the
corner of my eye, I noticed something scurry through the dirt and go underneath
the boardwalk. I swear I caught the glimpse of a scaly tail. What the fuck
was that? I was so glad I was still up in his arms or I probably would’ve
screamed. I hate reptiles. Frogs I love, but creatures with scales, I don’t.
“This will be your private
lodge. It’s unlocked and everything you need should be inside; dinner will also
be delivered shortly. If there is anything further you require, please do not
hesitate to contact me on the in-house telephone. Enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you, Dorothy, could
you please deliver our meals at 7:30 p.m.? We would like to get settled in
first.”
“Certainly, Sir.” She
practically curtsied, then walked away. Settled in? Is that what we are
calling it now? He carried me up the steps and opened the sliding glass
door with his foot and elbow. I couldn’t help but remember the last time I was
carried like this into a hotel room, and I cursed myself the second that memory
entered my mind. I forced it back down with the others that seemed to want to
rear their ugly heads.
“Here we are my love, home
for the next three days.” The room was beautiful. As you walked in, the first
thing you noticed was a king-sized bed in front of a dark red feature wall,
well that was the first thing I noticed anyway. Of course it was, Alexis,
you little devil. The flooring was a dark hard-wood, making a very striking
contrast to the crisp, white linens. The roof went up like a tee-pee, and was
made of a white canvas material, resembling flowing curtains, giving the room a
touch of both elegance and romance.
“You can put me down now, Mr.
Clark.” He set me down, and like a child I took off to explore my new
surroundings. The feature wall worked like a labyrinth, and when you walked
behind it and turned to the left you found yourself in another room, a room
with a small kitchenette and dining area. This room led out to a private
balcony and swimming pool. I stepped onto the balcony and was struck with awe
at the fact Uluru was pretty