A Flame Divine ♕

XLVII. P A R A D I S E

s t e l l a n 

The moment they stepped off the boat, Stellan could feel the joy roll off of Everly in waves. She was like an Energizer battery, practically vibrating in place with her excitement.

"Ready to see our condo?" he asked her, reaching his hand out to take hers.

They had rented a place right on the beach, setting them up for all the adventures Zakynthos island had to offer.

Everly squealed and took his hand, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "Yes, yes, yes! Show me!"

The island was beautiful - the crystal blue water of the Mediterranean Sea so clear that you could almost see the bottom, the sunshine radiating off of everything, especially Everly's shining chestnut hair, and the air perfectly temperate.

Stellan chuckled, always delighted at her smile, her laugh. He lived to see it.

As he led up to the private condo they were renting for their week in Greece, he knew he wanted to keep bringing her joy for as long as he could. She deserved it, and more.

Opening the French doors for her, they stepped into a beautiful foyer decorated with humble sea colors.

"Wow," she breathed. "This is perfect."

She took his hand, pulling him around the condo, looking in every room, oohing and ahhing over all of the décor and perfect natural light that was coming in through all the windows.

"What are we going to do first?" she asked after unpacking everything in their suitcases.

"Your choice. We have the beach, snorkeling, or going into town for some shopping," Stellan said.

Everly grinned. "Let's go to the beach." She ran her hand down his chest playfully. "You need some sun on those muscles," she said with a wink, flouncing off to put on her red string bikini.

Stellan changed into his swim trunks and packed a picnic lunch before they headed out to the exposed cove of Navagio Beach. The turquoise blue waters and pebble shore was only accessible by boat, but the view and the water were worth it.

There was an old rusty shipwreck aground, and Everly ran over to explore it.

"Hey, come here! Look at this!" she exclaimed, dropping to her knees and waving him over. When he reached her, she held up a bottle with a piece of paper in it. "A message in a bottle!"

Stellan chuckled, poking her in the ribs to make her giggle. "Well, open it! What does it say?"

She plopped down on the sand and crossed her ankles, pulling the cork out of the bottle with a *pop*, pulling out the curled up sheet of paper.

She cleared her throat as she read aloud the looping cursive:

To the lucky one who holds this letter in their hand - this is a sign that your life is about to change. And don't worry; they're going to be good changes. Look around you - whoever you're with, they're the one - in case you didn't know that already. Live your life for you and you'll never fail. May the wind pick up your sails and push you onto calm and clear waters.

"Wow," she whispered. "How cool is that?"

Stellan gazed at her, all broad smile and shining eyes. She was the one for him. She was the wind in his sails and the light in his life. She was a caged bird, and now that she was set free, he felt thankful that she wanted to fly with him.

He didn't want to think of all the other women out there who suffered in similar situations, trapped by the decisions of others and unable to be set free. The thought of it soured his stomach. That's when he realized how passionate he was about the subject, and Everly was the catalyst for it all.