Raphael's Captive

Chapter 17

TAMI SIGHED in delight as she recorded her new daily log. 

For the first time since she started, this one had a positive assonance to it. She stretched her stiff muscles as she let her eyes adjust to the light of the new morning. 

Hunger called her name, but her heart called for something else. She starched her legs over the bed, immediately sinking them in the fluffy softness of her huge carpet. Since she and Raphael are somewhat on the right track, she decided not to wait until he came to her room today. Instead, she’d go and see him. 

It was barely seven in the morning, and he usually visits her at eight with breakfast. But Tami couldn’t stay in her slumber any longer as she had always. Every second of the night she'd dream of the almost fairytale-like kiss that they shared the night prior, on his balcony under the beautiful sunset. 

Unlike their first kiss, this one had been special, not only from the heat of an argument and primitive instincts. But it was slow, sweet and promising. It was the burying of the past and the birth of something new for both of them. She'd enjoyed it, and the way his eyes sparkled showed her that he had too. 

Still, they'd gone to bed quite early. After a long day of closing meetings, travelling from one island to another and almost dying in rough waves were enough to tire them both out. So they had parted only an hour after their kiss and gone to bed. 

Despite her shuffling from the recurring dream, Tami couldn’t help but acknowledge how better she slept since the day she'd been abducted. She slept like a baby in her soft quilts and the mesmerizing song of the waves crashing on the coast beneath Raphael’s huge mansion. Now, it was morning, and she wanted to see him before he came to her. 
 
Despite her decision to give him a chance, there were still a few things he needed to know and respect before they could move forward. He had laid his rules, as you may put it, straight from the start, so now it was her turn. 

She grabbed a pair of leggings and a tank top from one of the bags that she's yet to unpack and quickly rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. After feeling satisfied with her appearance, Tami ventured down the hall to a familiar white door. 

She knocked once but didn’t wait for a reply as she shuffled in. Immediately, Raphael's eyes snapped from his laptop screen and towards her as she moved closer to him. Tami didn’t know why, but suddenly the view of him in a tight plain t-shirt and black sweats were the most attractive things on him. 

They smiled brightly at each other in a new light, as Raphael openly welcomed her in his arms. Tami thought it was a bold move to sit on his lap, and they haven’t completely established where they were with one another as yet. Nonetheless, he didn’t protest or even looked the least bit bothered by it. He simply wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a soft peck to her full lips. 

"Good morning," he greeted softly as he smiled up at her. It was a hearty smile, a real and beautiful smile, she noticed. Tami was already making him happy, and she liked it. 

"Good morning," she reciprocated as her hand flew up to run through his dark hair. It was growing out, but he still looked irresistible. "Slept well?" 

"I slept like a baby." He smiled even brighter, causing her to giggle. This is what he'd wanted all along, and now he was finally getting it. 

Tami appreciated his warmth and the fact that he seemed so content. It assured her that talking to him would be easier. Still, she didn’t want to rush into it right away.

"What's this?" Her eyes flickered quickly to his laptop screen, seeing what looked like boring spreadsheets and numbers. Her face scrunched in perfect confusion as she read over it.