Just Play Along

Ninety-One & Ninety-Two

PART NINETY ONE

*Jess’ POV*

Our days were mostly filled with going to the beach and lying around our deck. Chatting away about random things and playing in the water. There was a set of waterfalls just a fifteen-minute hike from our villa, and some afternoons we’d wander down in the shade of the trees to swim around in them instead of being scorched on the beach.

Halfway through our trip we got in the car early in the morning and drove the couple of hours up to the rainforest for a day of adventure. As I had insisted to Aston, zip-lining through the rainforest was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so incredible to pass through the canopies of the trees, the mist from the Cloud Forest splashing across our faces as we took in the vibrant green of the foliage.

We also went on a hike over swinging bridges in the lower levels of the rainforest, looking for wildlife and admiring the beautiful flowers. And, we stayed into the evening, going on a dusk hike through the forest with a guide, looking for wildlife with flashlights, before heading back to our house down on the beach.

I spent the majority of the week living in bikinis and getting the most insane tan of my life. Aston appeared to be allergic to wearing a top, not that I was complaining, and kept mentioning that he was the darkest he’d ever been.

“Want to go into a bar in town tonight?” he asked me as we ate dinner on the deck.

“Sure,” I replied, “It’s so beautiful. Maybe there is some place on the beach.”

“I’m sure we can find something.”

I threw a simple black cover dress over my bikini, forcing Aston to wear a vest top as we made our way into the village. There were a few bars that were all pumping loud music, tourists all around.

“Let’s find something low key,” Aston said, wandering down the street.

We managed to find a place, just at the end of the road before it turned to gravel. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but after walking down a short path in the trees we found ourselves at a cute beach side tiki bar. It had flame-lit torches scattered throughout and wooden benches littered over the sand.

“This is actually perfect.”

Perfect. That word again. Everything about Costa Rica was perfect.

We worked our way through the cocktail menu, sipping drinks made with fresh fruit juice and different liquors. We didn’t get hammered, but we definitely weren’t sober either.

“Want to dance?” Aston asked. A soft tune was playing out of speakers propped up in palm trees. A few couples were swaying away on the sand.

“Sure,” I replied, setting my glass down and falling into his arms.

My arms wrapped around Aston’s neck, we swayed together for several songs. We were both barefoot, the sand slipping between our toes.

“We should go home soon,” Aston whispered down my ear.

“I agree,” I said, kissing the stars behind his ear gently as I drew him closer to me.

He returned the kiss, pressing a hot trail along my neck as he angled my head to the side. I sighed deeply as he made his way across my jaw line, and then caught his eyes right before he kissed me straight on the lips.

“Let’s go,” he said, pulling away and taking my hand.

We slipped our shoes back on, finishing our drinks and sorting our bill at the bar. We took our time walking back to the villa. It was a good 25-minute walk from where we’d been, and every few minutes Aston would drag me off the road under a tree to kiss me again. We just couldn’t get enough of each other.