Stanton Box Set

A surprise… what is it? I smile as anticipation runs through me. Joshua leads me to an opening in the handrail that protects the cliff at the back of the property. I didn’t even know this was here. You can’t see it from the pool area. He opens the gate and I see a large set of stone stairs hugging the wall and disappearing down the side of the cliff. My eyes meet his and I bite my lip in excitement.

“What’s down here?” I smile.

“Just something I wanted to show you.” He smiles as he keeps leading me down the steps. We get halfway down and stop to look over the handrail and I gape in awe. There is a ledge that is probably the size of a tennis court naturally carved into the side of the cliff. I can see a table for two set under a big tree and the area is adorned with fairy lights. My eyes meet his.

“I thought we might eat down here tonight,” he whispers. I smile and hunch my shoulders like a little kid.

We reach the bottom and are literally suspended on the side of a cliff on a natural rock ledge overlooking the water. There is an antique handrail around the perimeter and three large trees towards the back. Fairy lights light up their branches and there are lanterns that are lit hanging sporadically. Underneath the middle tree is a lone table set for two. Citronella lanterns line the perimeter and there is a large daybed at the back of the ledge that is obviously there all the time but which has been covered in cushions. My eyes meet Joshua’s and I smile. I kiss him on the lips and I walk towards the handrail. Music is piped throughout the space through speakers.

“Why have we been hanging around the pool when this heavenly place has been just below us?” I whisper as I look over the handrail out to sea. Joshua walks up behind me and embraces me from behind as I hold the rail. He puts his hands over mine as the sea holds our gaze and he kisses me gently on the side of the face.

“I adore you,” he whispers.

“I adore you, my beautiful Lamborghini.” I sigh as my gaze holds his. God, I love this man. Our moment is broken by four of the kitchen staff emerging from the stairs, one carrying margaritas, another carrying a huge platter of grilled seafood, and the two behind bringing a large silver ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and champagne glasses. They hand us our cocktails, put the platter onto the table and set up the champagne stand and ice.

“What time do you want dinner Joshua?” the head chef asks.

Joshua’s eyes flick to me. “Give us an hour please.”

The four men all line up and then bow in unison and disappear up the stairs.

I laugh out loud. “Oh my god, isn’t this the dinner?” I ask as I walk over to the table and pick up a piece of the most beautiful lobster known to man.

“This is without a doubt the best date you have taken me on. I’m giving you a ten for this one.” I widen my eyes to accentuate my point as I smile mischievously.

“I haven’t taken you on many dates, Tash.” He smiles nervously. “Yet,” he adds.

“You don’t think that my apartment is a date?” I hold my hand to my chest as I act offended.

He shakes his head as his eyes hold mine. “No, your apartment is home to me. Not a date.”

I smile. He’s beautiful. He is wearing brightly coloured board shorts and a white singlet… so very un-Joshua Stanton, so very relaxed. His large ripped body is more tanned than usual due to our time in the sun and his dark eyes are intense as they look down at me. I have sandals on so he is towering over me. How did I ever get this lucky? The song changes to ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ and I gush. “Oh my god this is one of my favourite songs.”.

He smiles and takes my hand and pulls me up onto my feet and into his arms. We start to dance slowly to the beautiful words.

“Do you know why I love this song so much, Joshua?” I ask as I pull back to look at his face.

He looks down at me and gently kisses my lips. “Tell me.”

“When we were young and I left you…” I hate this memory. “I couldn’t stand the fact that you thought that I didn’t love you, that I had hurt you. It broke me. I listened to this song on repeat for two years,” I whisper. Hurt lingers in my psyche as if it was yesterday.

“I know,” he whispers as his eyes hold mine.

I pull back to look at his face. Huh? How does he know that? Oh shit, the diaries. I smile broadly. “Of course you know that.” I shake my head as I smile and kiss his shoulder and lay my head on his chest.

“Tash, when we were young, did you know why I came to your tent that night?” he asks.

We stop dancing and stay still. I shake my head. This is very quickly becoming a night of confessions.

“I came to your tent not because I wanted sex. I didn’t want sex.”

“You didn’t.” I smirk, yeah right.

“I came to your tent because for the first time in my life I wanted to lie next to someone that I cared about, to hold you as you slept, to keep you safe.”

I gently kiss his lips. “That’s a lovely thing to say.” I smile.

“I didn’t mean for things to progress as they did. I never set out to pursue you,” he whispers.