Who Am I (A Jai Courtney Fanfic) Book 2

Chapter 45-Meg

Meg

The next morning is exciting.  We head out for a day of deep sea fishing with Chris—Jai's dad.  We hire a charter boat and go out for an all day trip.  The day starts out foggy and I do bring two cameras with me.  I get a few shots as we go. 
The fishing gear we use is monstrous—both of us renting but his dad brought his own.  We catch several fish—one of mine giving a serious fight and I've never worked so hard before to reel in a fish.  I'm praying that it's not a shark or one of those whales I saw pass us earlier—there was a calf and that'd be terrible.  I passed off my reel to Jai at the time and captured several magnificent shots of them.  At one point, I actually have to surrender my rod to Jai and have him help me because I'm getting sore—my arms, shoulders, and back—from the fight.  He laughs in surprise and asks me if it's a great white.  I slap him playfully and tell him not to joke about such things.  And then I immediately pray again for it not to be a shark.  There's some splashing and Jai has me help him again.  I see it and know that's no shark. 
"What in the world is that?" I ask. 
"It's a tuna," Chris tells me grabbing a giant net. 
"Let's hope you don't lose it," Jai says.  "It's huge."
He helps me to bring it in because there's no way I'd lift that thing on my own.  It surfaces again and I'm chuckling. 
"How are we going to eat all of that if I catch it?" I laugh. 
"Don't worry.  We'll divvy it up," his dad tells me in encouragement. 
We keep reeling it in and Jai takes the net from his dad and grabs it.  He's smiling, too. 
"Okay, this beats your walleye.  I've got to get a picture of this one," Jai says smiling. 
I laugh and grab hold of him as he rests on the deck. I pose with the fish and laugh when he moves. 
"That's our limit," Chris says happily.  "She's a keeper, boy."
"We're not throwing the fish back," Jai chuckles. 
"I was talking about your lady," Chris whispers grinning and patting Jai on the arm. 
I laugh in response. 
"Yeah, I'm not throwing her back either.  She's mine," he smiles.
I lean in for a kiss from him. 

*****

The next day we walk several beaches and even bike one.  We're there as the sun rises.  I get several fantastic shots throughout the morning and afternoon.  It's cooler out today and I risk leaving my camera covered with a towel to swim for a bit with Jai. 
Afterward, we walk Barangaroo Reserve and view some modern art sculptures.  They're interesting but probably not something I'd ever do.  I have several tubs of plaster drying at my parents house just waiting for me to find something beautiful inside.  I'm tempted to pay for a class in metal casting or glass blowing but it'll have to be another time since our schedule is so hectic this season. 
We go back to Jai's house and shower before meeting his sister and Oliver for dinner at the Sydney Tower Eye.  I dress in one of my more formal outfits—a medium grey fitted dress.  It's one piece on top with capped sleeves and slightly loose around the collar.  It ends just above my knees.  The material is lightweight and slightly stretchy yet looks like a linen suit material but it's a blend with a little give.  I look at myself in the bathroom mirror as I braid my hair in an updo.  I tuck in the last bit with a few pins.  I see Jai behind me at the door waiting. 
"Sorry, I'm almost done," I tell him putting the remaining pins back in my bag.  I get out my makeup and put some darker grey—almost black with a medium purply-mauve eyeshadow.  I put on some mascara and I'm grateful I don't have to deal with clumps.  My mom buys me some every couple months and I just switched it out before we left.  I pull out a burgundy-wine shade of lipstick that Jai bought me.  It matches the eyeshadow well.  I open it up to apply it. 
"Wait," Jai protests. 
"Huh?" I ask turning toward him. 
He captures my lips in a sweet kiss.  I smile into the kiss.  "You look beautiful," he whispers. 
I grin at that and peck his lips again. 
"Thank you," I reply softly. 
I apply the lipstick and he sighs.  I blot it with a tissue and not much comes off.  The kinds he bought me are really nice. 
I pack up all of my makeup and I'm done. 
"You're ready?" he laughs in surprise. 
"I need my shoes, my camera, and my purse but yeah," I tell him. 
"You've got to have broken a record for ladies getting ready," he teases. 
I laugh at that. 
I slip on my strappy heels he bought me in Chicago and tuck my inhaler in my purse.  I grab my smaller camera bag with only two cameras along with my tripod and I'm ready. 
I turn around and he's standing in the doorway watching me.  "You ready?" I ask.  He nods. 
We go downstairs and he drives us off.  "So... how long did that dress take to make?" he asks curiously assuming this is one of mine. 
"It was kind of difficult to pin the pattern on to it because it's so stretchy.  That, and cutting it and pinning the pieces together took the most time," I shrug.  "It took maybe ten minutes or less to sew the seams."
He raises an eyebrow. 
"Maybe an hour," I shrug.  "It's a simple dress."
He nods and continues to drive.  I notice how smooth the traffic is, how friendly the people are.  It's nice.  There has been some congestion on the roads before but it's not bad. 
We get closer to the venue and he parks downtown.  We climb out and exit the garage, walking toward the tower.  It's impressive from below.  Jai pays for us and we take the elevator up to the observation deck.  We step out and the first thing I notice is the Blue Mountains in the distance.  I walk toward them and I'm in complete awe.  It's so beautiful.  I fumble with my camera and take a picture.  Then another and another.  I decide that's enough for now.  I turn to him and he's behind me.  He steps closer and leans his hands up on either side of me along the ledge beneath the windows. 
"What do you think?" he whispers in my ear. 
"It's beautiful," I tell him.  I smile and kiss his cheek backing off to make sure I didn't leave anything behind.  I kiss him again and he smiles. 
"Aren't we having dinner with your sister?" I question.
"We got here earlier than I expected," he tells me.
"So we have some time?" I ask grinning.
"A little bit," he nods staring at me. I set my bags down and turn around in his hold. I put my arms around his shoulders and sit down on the ledge. He leans the extra inch forward and kisses my lips. I feel him try to lick my lips and I back off.
"I don't think you want this dark color all over you," I laugh lightly.
He growls in frustration.
"What's with the makeup?" he asks.
"I don't wear it very often," I point out. "Plus you bought this one."
"I thought they didn't come off," he replies.
"They do if you get them wet," I explain.
He sighs harshly.
"I prefer you in no makeup," he says gruffly.
I laugh lightly.
"I'll take it off when we get back," I tell him.
He smiles and kisses my cheek, then my neck. I feel a wet kiss there and I shudder. I whimper when his tongue glides across my skin.
I kiss his cheek and rise. He growls in frustration again.
"What time are we meeting her?" I ask.
He looks to his watch.
"Five minutes," he mumbles.
"We should probably go then," I say grabbing my bags. He takes my camera bag, though, and I thank him.
We ride the elevator up to the restaurant and get seated at a table along the window right away. He reaches for my hand beside him and kisses my palm, then my wrist. I'm reminded of something I read in The Atlantis Grail Series about pulse kisses and I find it incredibly romantic. He grins at me and leans forward for a gentle peck on my lips. 
"Look at you two lovebirds," I hear Ollie say as he approaches us. 
We rise and greet them both.  Emma smiles at me and it looks sincere.  We sit down and order, Jai getting me some sort of sparkling beverage and a beer for himself. 
"You better not have more than that if you're driving.  The booze bus is in force," Emma comments. 
"Would I get drunk and drive?" he asks her. 
She smiles in response. 
We all get the buffet and rise.  I hadn't realized this was a buffet.  Emma approaches me.  "I love that dress.  Where'd you get it?" she asks. 
"I made it.  You want one?  What size are you?" I ask. 
"You made it?  Like fashion design?" she questions. 
I shrug and nod. 
"I wear a four," she says softly. 
"Same size as you," Jai tells me.  "Australian sizes are different."
"Oh, well then I can dry clean it and give it to you.  I'll make a new one for me," I tell her simply. 
"You'd do that?" she asks touched. 
I nod.  "Sure," I smile. 
She hugs me and I hug her back. 
We help ourselves to the buffet.  The selection is incredibly elegant. 
I hear Ollie talking to Jai about the oysters.  Jai says he doesn't want any. 
"I had some the other day.  That was a mistake," he chuckles. 
I smile at them and help myself.  The selection is both delicious looking and beautiful in appearance since many of the items are artistically designed on each plate.  I choose some sort of pasta and an interesting-looking salad. I also see some cold crab and shrimp. I try those. I sit back down and everyone joins me.
The conversation is nice and lighthearted. I ask Emma about her wedding and she's all smiles, telling me details so far. She shows me her ring—it's very modern looking. It's like a thick swirling platinum band with tapered ends and a solitaire circular diamond set in the middle. She's wearing kind of a modern-cut dress. It's a bit more revealing than my taste but still quite classy. Her jewelry she's wearing matches it as well.
"It's beautiful," I compliment. "It matches your style."
"Ta," she replies smiling happily and shrugging. "What about you? You don't seem to wear much jewelry."
"Not really," I agree. "I'm more of a simple girl. I like small, unique kinds of things."
"Oh, if someone gave you a gargantuan ring, I bet you'd love it," she replies.
I feel Jai touch my arm as if I don't have to respond to that.
"Well, someone did give me a ring like that. I gave it back to him," I admit.
"Really?" she asks surprised. "Was it because you didn't like the ring?"
"No, I guess I kind of accepted it but I couldn't marry him. He just wasn't the one for me. The ring had nothing to do with it, although I had to leave it at home for work since I was so afraid I'd break it or lose the stone. I couldn't imagine trying to replace something like that," I say in a daze.
"What kind of ring was it?" she asks curiously.
"You know Beyoncé?" Jai asks her and she chokes on her drink. Ollie pats her back. She clears her throat.
"Are you serious?" she questions in shock. "How could you give up something like that?"
"Because the man attached to it was not very nice to me," I admit. "I wanted no further attachment to him."
She meets my eyes and I think she understands. She smiles sadly at me and we stick to a more lighthearted chat after that.
We go to leave and stop at the observation deck once more. I photograph the sunset with my color film. I notice a thunderstorm in the background and take a few long exposures. I smile knowing that I got them. That'll be a diptych if they come out.
"That's fascinating," Ollie comments. "I've seen some of those thunderstorm pics. They're amazing."
"Thank you," I smile packing up.
We take a cab to the Sydney Opera House. I smile when I find out we're listening to the Bach Mass in B Minor. I'm so excited about this. It's a little crowded and we have a few minutes. I decide to take some shots of the opera house itself—it's incredible structure—and the city, some with the bridge... I rush over to them and we enter the facility. I'm blown away by how incredible the interior is—just the lobby alone is a sight. We step inside and I thought it was impressive on the outside but the inside must hold the best acoustics. I've never seen anything like this before. Jai pulls me along with him. We take our seats in the front again and I smile at how he always gets the best things. It's very thoughtful and sweet. He's making the experience so memorable. Em sits beside me and she looks excited, too.
"I never can get him to come to these when he's in town," she tells me.
"Really? He went with me to the symphony in my hometown," I tell her surprised.
She raises her eyebrows in shock. "Good for you. He's more of an Acca Dacca fan. If they were playing, it'd be no problem. Perhaps you have that ability to get him more cultured," she tells me.
I smile in reply. But I do lean over and whisper. "You don't mind coming here, right?" I confirm.
"Anything for you, love," he tells me.
I smile at him but I hope we do more things he enjoys in the future. I don't want it all to be about me. I truly don't want him to give up everything and follow me around. I want to be a part of his life, not take over it.
The music begins to start and grasps my attention. I feel a squeeze to my hand from him. I look back to him and his eyes meet mine.  I see love there and such affection for me.  I saw that before, too—before we were together, I just didn't know it yet.  I squeeze his hand back and focus on the music.  It's so lovely.  I close my eyes listening to the instrumental, the vocals.  It's as if I'm taken to another locale, the music becoming a part of me and carrying me to heavenly places.  I feel the light, yet powerful sounds reverberating within me.  The whole space magnifies the glorious tones.  It's as if I'm in a church and this moment is absolutely sublime. 
I feel a familiar caress to my hand and I open my eyes to Jai's touch.  I focus on that, on him.  I meet his eyes and he's already watching me.  I smile at him but he looks absolutely entranced by me. 
I feel like God is speaking to me in this moment, without prompting. I feel like he is leading us together, like our relationship is a blessing. I smile again knowing that this is what God wants for me... and I am so grateful. I want him, too. I thank God for all he's done for me and for Jai and for the two of us together. I'm so incredibly appreciative to be here with him. I truly have a blessed life. I can't keep my eyes off of him for most of the remainder of the performance. I'm still moved but I'm not ignoring him this time, I'm making him a part of the moment. I know how he feels about me and I'm so incredibly happy and content and overjoyed and blessed all at once. The music fills me—fills us and I can see him moved as well. Perhaps he does enjoy it, perhaps he just had to try it out. I'm so grateful to be here and I thank God again, if not for that chance meeting on the beach halfway around the world. Even then, if Sister Abigay hadn't told me to step out and not hide, I would've walked away from the love of my life. I can't help but reach out and kiss him gently. He seems surprised but responds. I make it a chaste kiss, though. I don't want him getting too carried away.
He reaches out for my cheek and caresses me. I close my eyes and lean into the touch. I open my eyes to him observing me. It looks as if he wants to say something to me but holds back. I smile and figure now is just not the time. I lean back in my chair and he laces out fingers together once more, continuing to massage the back of my hand with his thumb.
I listen to the music... how it changes, slowing down at times, speeding up at others. Different soloists perform—vocals, French horn... the two flutes' duet. It's so lovely and perfect.
My favorite part comes up—Et in Spiritum Sanctum. I don't know why I've always loved this. It's so light and happy and positive. I feel so moved. Perhaps it's because I've looked up the translation before and I just absolutely love the lyrics. The sound is overwhelming as well.
Next is Confiteor—confession. It's a bit tense with everyone singing, all instruments playing. It's beautiful in a different way. It increases and increases and then slows...
The next section always makes me smile—how incredibly upbeat and positive it is. I sigh in amazement of how beautiful this is here.
The music continues on and they sing Osana in Exelsis—Hosanna in the highest. Jai leans forward and whispers in my ear, "Is this in Hebrew?"
I turn to him and whisper, "Latin."
I do a quick search and find a translation of the whole performance. I point to where we are. He grabs my phone and smiles, then glances at his sister. She seems to be enjoying it. He takes his time and reads over what looks to be the entire translation before he hands me back my phone and I pocket it.
I continue to listen in and glance to Jai as they start the next section. He looks to have an entirely new appreciation for the music. He glances to me and smiles before returning his focus on the music.
The last two sections are so incredibly soothing. I close my eyes and I'm away again, in heavenly places. The music is so dramatic and exquisite that I can't help but be moved by it. They climax with a crescendo and I hear a few trumpets playing different parts in a round. The skill of everyone playing this incredible music at once just floors me. It's completely breathtaking. Then there's silence for a moment and we all applaud. It was fantastic—truly incredible. The conductor takes his bow while we continue to clap and cheer. 
After they all exit the stage, I turn to Jai and thank him for bringing me.  He tells me it was Em's idea. 
"Really?" I ask surprised.
"I love hearing the symphony," she admits. 
"Yeah, and we rarely go," Ollie adds. 
"What'd you think of it?" Em asks me. 
"Oh, this mass has always been my favorite from Bach," I admit.
"Oh?  You've heard it before?" she inquires. 
"Yes, actually my mom took me to a Catholic Church on Christmas Eve when I was a little girl.  They performed this.  I think it might've been our local symphony but I can't recall.  It was good but this version was fantastic " I tell her. 
"A church?" she questions. 
"Well, yes.  This was a mass, a Latin mass.  It's considered one of Bach's best works.  I think it may have been his last.  It's common to be played at Christmas and Easter," I explain. 
"Oh, I didn't know that.  Are you Catholic?" she asks me. 
"No.  I'm Christian, but we generally believe the same things.  There's a few differences but nothing major," I explain. 
She nods but seems surprised. 
We head out and separate.  They hail a cab but Jai and I will remain a little longer.  We hug them and say goodbye, waving as they leave. 
"You want a few more pictures?" he asks me. 
I kiss his cheek.  "Did you enjoy it?" I ask. 
"More than I thought I would," he nods. 
I smile in response.  "We don't always have to do things you think I want to do.  We can do what you enjoy, too," I tell him. 
"I don't mind," he insists.  "I like to be with you no matter what we're doing."
I smile and kiss him again.