Spaces in between (Stockholm Syndrome: Extended chapters)

August 2021

~Felix~

"What's going on here?"

"I can't find my blue shorts. Have you seen them?"

"I put them in the closet"

"Thanks" I said sarcastically.

"What would you do without me?" Archer said going to stand by the edge of the bed.

He'd had to jump over open bags to get there. After I couldn't find my shorts where I had put them, I had resorted to turning the place upside down. I knew I had packed them for the trip. I could remember doing so.

Archer had put them in the closet after I put off unpacking my bag. What was the point? We were going to have to pack the bags again when we left anyway.

After months of putting it off, Archer and I had finally decided to go on honeymoon. Archer had managed to get off work and the gallery was running smoothly, needing my presence less.

We'd flown to Spain and spent a few days in Barcelona before moving on to our intended destination: Ibiza. Archer had chosen it after being awed by the pristine and sandy beaches. And here we were, two days into our stay in Ibiza. We had only a day left.

We'd spent the two days sipping cocktails at the beach, and some more cocktails at some of the beautiful bars it had. Although known for its nightlife and party scene, there was more to Ibiza than partying. There were some really beautiful serene places that encouraged relaxation. The magical place in my opinion was the hotel room though. We were finally somewhere where no one knew us. There was no Stella and Clark. There was no Marx and Sara. We were "alone".

We could have moments of uninterrupted intimacy for however long we wished, which was the whole point of a honeymoon.

"Uh, without you here my shorts would be in the bag where I put them and I wouldn't be looking for them", I said.

"Yeah yeah", he said.

There was some silence as I focused on putting on my shorts. We had planned to go down to the beach and soak up some more sun.

"So babe, I was thinking...remember earlier when we met that couple?" Archer said.

"We've met a lot of couples", I said, taking just a moment to look at him before I pulled my shorts up.

"Yeah but...that one with a kid in Santa Eulalia del Rio"

I remembered what couple Archer was talking about. Earlier we'd ventured to the coastal town and took long walks just exploring it. While walking, a cute little boy had run to us. Archer took a liking to him and stopped him. The boy was only too happy to stop and didn't seem scared at all. He giggled at Archer and mumbled certain words. It turned out the child had playfully run from his tourist parents, who were following closely behind. They were glad we stopped him and stopped to chat with us.

Archer had spent that time talking with the boy while I made small talk with the parents, who also turned out to be Americans.

"Yeah?" I said and proceeded to unbutton my shirt.

"It felt really good being with that kid. I was thinking... would you like to have a baby?"