Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 36.3: 1967, Georgina

Chapter 36.3: 1967, Georgina

 

The gentle ripples of the water lapped along the white sides of the yacht like heavenly rockings. Out here it was a cold one, biting our noses and threatening to gust bitter wind up the blanket that covered us on the deck, but we resisted together. His hand was intertwined with mine under the black wool, the ivory plush seats of the lounge on the back of the boat soft and cozy. He was all the warmth I needed. 

We were drifting away from it all, the Manhattan lights floating away like it all didn't matter anymore. 

"Can you believe how somewhere in that city there's people making noise and celebrating? It doesn't feel like any of that exists out here." Frankie's voice entered my ears like little fairies dancing. 

"Mm? Oh," I said, breaking out of my peaceful dream. But it was okay, because listening to him was another.

"Oh, were you sleeping?" His breath was so warm. Almost hot compared to the frigid Winter air.

"No. No, I wasn't asleep." Truthfully, I almost had, but that was a secret. I was just so comfortable with him. Under this blanket, his body heat.

"Okay. Hey, didn't you tell me Paulie was going to Times Square? Can you imagine him out there?"

I smiled, nuzzling into him. He relaxed into me at this, and I sighed into him. "Yeah, he said he wanted to take Cha Cha. Cha Cha's never been." I found my voice softer than usual, in my complete satisfaction of being here with him like this.

"Oh, I see. Have you been?"

"Mm..." I wrapped my arm around him under the cover, resting on him. "Yeah, I've been. Loads of times."

"What is it like?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He peered down at me, smiling lovingly, his eyes like sea glass orbs in the cold. "I've never been."

"What? How have you never been to the ball drop? Everybody's gone..." Oh shoot maybe I was a bit more sleepy than I thought. It felt like he was talking in a silky fantasy. 

He chuckled. "I don't know." At this, he kissed my forehead and the euphoria of the warmth of his lovely pink lips was too much. A rush of weakness made my body completely collapse. I felt as liquid as the water all around us, rocking us back and forth like we were little babies.

His hand slipped away from mine and so instead I clung to his sweater. My eyes trailed with his hand outside of the blanket and it snapped open his pocket watch. This was so classy to me, so grown up. Even more so it made me think of him as a grown up, my previous thoughts of him being just a boy washing away with each passing moment spent with him. 

"Its almost midnight," he whispered to me in a hush. At the same time, his pocket watch closed with a click, the white gold shell top glittering yellow in the fairy lights still strung all along the boat for Christmas. It was such a lovely ambiance. I hoped he'd never take them down. 

"Mmm, I'm so glad you took me out here instead of Times Square," I purred, snuggling into him impossibly more. My face was now buried in his sweater. My universe was his baby powder smell and that nameless cologne which reminded me of berries and mysterious things. 

"I love you," he whispered to me. 

"I love you, too," I purred into his sweater.

"No, I mean I really love you."

"I really lo-"

"Look what's in my hand, Georgina."

"Huh? What's in your hand?"