Page 31 of Eternal

Is he referring to us getting along and spending so much time together? I just turned back to look out the car window. Reaching for my phone, I realize it’s 2:00 am.No wonder I’m so exhausted.Soren’s head rests against his hand, propped up on the car window, waiting for us to be told we can board the plane. Two extremely attractive flight attendants descend the stairs to stand at the bottom, waiting for us to board. Soren opens his door, and gets out, I reach for the door handle when it’s suddenly opened by an attendant I didn't see.

Soren shakes hands with the pilot and copilot as I round the back of the car. Someone else gets into my newly gifted Lambo and starts to drive off. Soren turns his attention solely to me, while the flight attendants make eyes at him. As I approach him, he moves quicker than I can react, and I’m scooped up into his arms. Soren starts to walk up the stairs to the jet; his jaw is set and rigid. The interaction with Abe didn’t make him happy, but he can get the fuck over it.

“I can walk, you know.” I huff, but my heart flutters as his fingers flex against my upper thigh.

“I know you can. It was just too hard to resist.” He grins at me.

I stare forward as we enter the plane. It looks like any other private jet I’ve been on. A bar on the left side of the entrance, followed by the captain’s pit and a cluster of seats to the right. A couch lines the wall behind them and what looks like a back room towards the plane's rear. He sets me in one of the seats closest to the bedroom. The sitting area can accommodate four people, two on each side with a table dividing them. I sit closest to the window. Staring at the landscape outside, Soren sits across from me. The attractive flight attendant brings me my purse, a blanket, and a pillow for each of us. She continues to make eyes at Soren, actively trying to seduce him as if I’m not sitting right here. I roll my eyes, and he notices. A small smile plays on his lips, but he’s trying hard to suppress it.

Another flight attendant approaches, “Do you need a drink, Mrs. Astor?”

I don’t respond at first, then realize she’s talking to me. No one has referred to me as Mrs. Astor yet.

“Oh yes, a glass of Chardonnay, please.”

She turns to Soren to ask what he wants, and he orders the same thing. She struts away, collects our drinks, and returns. I grab the pillow and lean it against the window, trying to get comfortable. I stare out of the window into the dark night sky as we take off. The windows are open throughout the plane, and I can see Soren in the window's reflection. I watch him instead of the city lights below us. He’s staring at his hand, a look of pride and admiration on his face while he examines the ring I gave him. It’s the most simple design, but he's looking at it like it’s the most intricate ring he’s ever seen. I stifle a happy sigh as my eyelids start to get heavier, and I finally allow myself to slip into dreamland. I feel a heavy blanket settling over me, and Soren presses a kiss to my forehead.

“Goodnight, my darling.” With that, I drift into a deep sleep.

When I awake, we are still in the air. Soren sitting adjacent to me, his legs stretched onto the seat in front of him. He looks peaceful.

“You know it’s rude to stare at someone when they sleep.” His deep gravelly voice breaks the air. I flinch, not realizing he’d awoken. “How long have you been awake?”

“I just woke up,” I say mid-yawn.

He sits up, peels the blanket off of him, and stretches. His muscles tense under the shirt he has on. I guess he ditched his button-down at some point during the night. The cufflinks I gave him rest on the table in front of his seat.

He nods and gestures to the attendant. “My wife and I would like breakfast.”

Her lip curls, but she covers it with a sweet smile. “Of course, sir. What would you like?”

“We will have a bagel with fresh fruit and yogurt.”

“And a cup of coffee, please,” I chime in. I just need some caffeine to get my brain kick-started.

She returns with our food quicker than I expected, and I drink my coffee, delighted by its warmth. The flight attendant refilled it for about the fourth time when the pilot finally announces we are 20 minutes from our destination. I continue to look out the window. It looks tropical. Jungle everywhere, then we get to the residential area. The pilot comes over the intercom.

“We have arrived in Bali, Indonesia. The weather is 80 degrees, and it is noon local time. We hope you both have a wonderful honeymoon.”

“Bali?” I question him.

He shrugs his shoulders. “Your sister thought it would be a good idea. She said you’ve always wanted to go.”

If it were physically possible to make heart eyes at someone, that would be the look on my face. It’s incredulous how he’s tried to paint himself as someone disinterested in our relationship when it has been the opposite so far. I doubt he’s even expressed any interest in going to Bali, but here we are, fulfilling a dream of mine.

When we land and are cleared to exit, Soren stands when the stairs open up, reaching for my hand. I gather my purse and take his hand. We leave the plane and meet people putting our bags into a limo. Someone reaches for my hand, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Welcome to Bali, Ma’am. Please, this way.” He leads me to the limo door, opens it, and smiles.

I smile softly at him. “Thank you very much.”

Soren doesn’t look at him as he enters the limo behind me. As soon as the door shuts, the man gets into the driver's side of the limo and takes off. We drive for a while, entering a city, except the limo doesn’t stop as we enter a more rural area., The further we get, the more the worry builds, but finally, we hit a paved road and then reach a gate. The driver enters a number into the pad and speaks with the guard. The gates open slowly and he continues forward, the gate sliding shut right behind us. The limo comes to a stop in front of a beautiful, contemporary home that looks like it was plucked straight out of Beverly Hills.

Two people are standing at the door waiting for us. Immediately, they go to the trunk and start to unload the bags, carrying them inside. Soren and I climb out of the limo, walk up the path that leads to the door, and enter the home. As I begin to take everything in, a worker pulls him off to the side.

I continue wandering through rooms without him. The house is a comfortable size; the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open to each other. There’s an office off the living room with glass doors and a hallway on the other side of the living room leading to a bathroom and spare bedroom. The dining room is almost all glass, where I see the breathtaking view. My breath hitches slightly as I take it all in. There’s a large patio with two small tables and umbrellas, a couple of steps to an infinity pool. Off the pool is another deck, then stairs leading down to the beach. A private beach at that too. It’s so beautiful. The sand is so blindingly white and a stark contrast to the blue ocean.

“I thought you’d enjoy it here. We have no reason to go anywhere, and we don’t have to worry about anyone visiting us here.”

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