Reigning Love. (A Sequel To Boundless Love) (Christian Romance).

4 || HONEYMOON

Mario had gone to extra lengths to keep our identities a secret. The late arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport had been a calculated move to avoid human traffic. Unlike my last visit when I had easily passed for a simple tourist, I had no such luxury this time.

My face had grazed several international media houses for a couple of weeks after Joe's disappearance. Mine and Mario's wedding had also received quite the coverage. So, hiding behind a pair of dark shades, baseball hats, and heavy trench coats, Mario and I walked hand in hand through the sparsely populated airport, our security personnel forming a discrete perimeter around us.

We sauntered to the parking lot where a three-car convoy awaited us and slid into the backseat of the middle SUV. Within no time we were speeding through Mombasa road into the city, my gaze lost past the tinted window into the night.

Try as I might, my thoughts kept drifting to the last time I'd been on this very road. All I remembered of that drive was who was sitting next to me, his knee discreetly grazing against mine. I had been a ball of nerves during the entire ride, I heard Halima chatting away from the front seat but my focus was clouded. My heart was beating ferociously against my ribcage and I was certain he could hear it. Once we found ourselves alone in a parking lot, Halima nowhere in sight, I had thrown all caution to the wind and had kissed him. His reaction made me smile each time I remembered it: "minty strawberry!" He had said, referring to my strawberry scented lip gloss and minty chewing gum. "Weirdly awesome!" He had said again before dominating my lips with his.

Now that memory made my eyes prickle. A warm hand encased mine, bringing me back to the present. I turned to see Mario watching me concern etched in his face. "You OK?" He asked.

I was about to assume my usual everything is okay pose when a stray tear betrayed me as it made its way down my cheek. He quickly reached out to wipe it away.

"You know, you can talk to me." He continued.

"What?"

"I actually am really good at listening."

"I'm fine Mario."

"This is hard on you. You shouldn't have to work so hard to hide your feelings. You can talk about him, I don't mind." He squeezed my hand, plastering a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. A conflicting emotion lay in his brown orbs...hurt? A guilt wave flooded through me. All this man had done since our engagement was worry about me. He did everything to make sure I was comfortable with our situation, on the other hand, all I did was dwell on my misery. Suddenly it dawned on me, this was his life too. He had vowed to have and to hold, to love and to cherish forever. He had shackled himself to me without the guarantee that I'd ever lived up to my own vows. That right there was unfair. He didn't deserve my indifference. The least I could do was set aside my sorrow and actually enjoy the trip with him.

"You don't deserve this."

"What?" He asked.

"My unpredictable mood swing's... How about you tell me what you've planned for this trip? Starting with where we are headed..."

"Are you sure?"

"Certain."

He stared at me for a moment before sighing in resignation. "You hardly ate or slept during the flight. How about a late night dinner in the city, a couple of hours of rest then tomorrow morning we set out to Masai Mara..."

"Sounds wonderful." I unbuckled my seat belt then scooted over to his side. I felt him tense as I placed my head on his shoulder. After a few moments, he relaxed then snuck his arm around my waist, pulling me closer.