The Arrangement

Chapter 9: Tess POV

The rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains pulled shut across the balcony doors. My eyelids felt heavy as they struggled to open. I eventually fell back asleep for another twenty minutes or so before managing to sit up and stay awake. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I heard the swoosh swoosh of the sea.

Then, there was a sharp knock at the door, interrupting my dreamlike state. "Come in!" I commanded.

The door creaked as Declan pushed it open. We had opted to sleep in separate rooms, at least for the first few nights until we got to know each other better. I took the master bedroom with the balcony, and Declan graciously offered to stay in the guest bedroom. He made his way through the open door and softly pushed it shut behind him.

I held my breath as I realized he was shirtless. His beautiful tan skin complimented his ripped torso nicely. He had blue joggers on his bottom half, and I blushed when I could tell he wasn't wearing underwear. His chest muscles twitched as he walked over to me. He had a tray in his hand with a small golden plate on it. As I got closer I noticed the plate had some floral design on the rim.  On the plate was a flaky, buttery chocolate croissant. Next to it was a matching small fruit cup with an array of fresh tropical fruit. The tray also had a glass of orange juice. Declan sat next to me on the side of the bed and set the tray down on the dresser.

"Morning, Tess," he said somewhat tiredly. "Don't forget to breathe," he added as he saw I was still holding my breath.

"Hi," I said. I looked at the croissant and picked it up. "Thanks for the breakfast in bed. It's a real treat." I took a bite. "Mmm. Delicious."

"Glad to hear it," he said with a smile.

I used the fork on the tray to pick up a piece of luscious pineapple and held it near his mouth. "Try some."

He took a bite and swallowed. "Mmm. Delicious," he repeated.

We sat there for awhile and talked about what we wanted to see first. Declan mentioned some good restaurants with traditional Brazilian food he wanted us to try for lunch later.

After breakfast, he left to go get ready and I quickly showered and dressed. I didn't want to waste a minute. There was so much to explore.

****
The aroma of fresh sizzling meats from street vendors filled the air as we walked down the streets of Rio. Many other vendors were also selling clothes and knick knacks to overly eager tourists. Most natives and tourists alike had bright yellow and blue colors on, as they danced and sung in the streets.

Our first stop was to see Christ the Redeemer. You simply couldn't come to Rio De Janeiro without seeing it. We made our way to the gray staircase leading up to the statue. We chatted as we ascended to the top.

I was slightly out of breath by the time I reached the top. Declan caught that and chuckled, "perhaps we should've started you on some smaller steps first."

"Tell me about it!" I exclaimed. The statue was huge and loomed over us. It commanded respect but at the same time had a sense of security to it. As long as it was standing, we would be safe.

After a few pictures, all of which I sent to my mom, we descended back to the bottom. Everything was actually going really perfect... up until a voice called out from behind us.