"Good." I push off the blanket. "Can the food wait twenty minutes?"
"I can't be held responsible for the disappearance of any sashimi."
"Too many carbs in the sushi rolls?"
His smile is more sad than anything. "Go, do your thing."
"Thanks." I move around the beach, lining up all my future shots, scribbling our shooting schedule into my notebook. This should work. It will be tight doing everything in two days, but we can make it happen. And if not, we can squeeze in a third day.
When I'm finished, I come back to the picnic blanket. Mal is sitting there, watching me with a proud smile.
"Yes?" I slide my notebook into my purse.
He pulls the plastic lids off our containers of sushi and grabs a piece of a salmon avocado roll. "You remind me of my brother."
"Baby, don't stop with the dirty talk."
He smiles. "I won't." He pops the roll in his mouth, chews, swallows, moves closer. "You have the kind of passion that's contagious."
"That's good?"
"Fucking amazing." He grabs another piece salmon avocado roll and brings it to my lips.
I take the whole thing into my mouth, chew, swallow. It's good and I'm starving. "More."
He does it with another. This time, his fingers skim my lips. I can taste the salt on his skin as much as I can taste the nutty brown rice (of course), the soft, rich salmon, the creamy avocado.
He does it again.
Again.
Until I've eaten the entire roll.
With the next, we take turns.
We take turns feeding each other until we're done with our sushi.
There's something sweet about him feeding me. Strange, but sweet.
This really is the perfect place for a picnic. The sun is high in the sky but the ocean breeze keeps the air temperate. The crystal blue water is lapping at the pristine sand gently.
I want to throw myself into the water.
Then Mal pulls me into his arms and I want to stay there forever.
Even with all the ugliness surrounding us, this is a beautiful afternoon.
But I want more than being next to Mal.
I want to do something to wipe his pain away.
I turn back to him and run my fingers through his hair. He stares back at me with those deep blue eyes of his.
God, the hurt in his eyes.
But there's something else too. His posture is softer. Easier. He isn't trying to fight his pain or put on a poker face the way he does with everyone else.
He's here with me.