I turn my head and press my lips to your forehead. Inside the blankets, it is toasty cozy warm. My leg dangles outside in the cool, conditioned air. I...stare at the show seeing, but not really watching. Rather I am feeling the way your breath is like little fingers against my skin. Grazing across, it makes me wish for more. I shouldn't be so needy; I know you are tired, exhausted really. Your work has left you drained. I trail my fingers across your skin, drawing them slowly, wishing that you. "I can't wait to get into the pool!" Josette announced to the ensemble."Go on then. No visitors are staying in the gite, as you know."Josette had removed most of her clothes in the hall and ran across the short turf as naked as when she was born. The sound of her plunging into the cool water brought Jean-Claude to the window of Marianne's room and he enjoyed the unexpected pleasure of watching Josette's naked bottom and back travelling at speed the ten or so strokes that were possible from one. ‘It’s not,’ I said, and chuckled. I wondered if she could detect my fright in my voice. ‘I sit in a little cubicle, and they treat me like dirt. People curse me out on the phone when I can’t give them everything they want. And my boss barely remembers my name.’ ‘Why don’t you get a different job?’ ‘I don’t know. I guess maybe I’m too lazy. I tend to get comfortable, even in bad circumstances. Like…’ I stopped mid-sentence. ‘Like what?’ she asked. ‘Nothing.’ I said, and I smiled, hoping she. Not even Gopi. And here was Shekhar who was funny, could make me laugh and I was feeling so much younger and almost back in my college days. Not to forget that he was an extremely attractive man. We reached my hotel and he gave the car to valet parking and said “How about one for the road?” I said sure. But it was past one and the bar was shut. The Coffee Shop too had stopped serving alcohol. I remembered that my room had a mini bar. And mentioned it to Shekhar. “I’d love to – if you are fine.