The following weekend
"Ellie, we're literally staying away for one night just half an hour from here. There's not much you'll need" Sam laughed at my worrying about forgetting something, as we left for my birthday gift-weekend.
"You never know" I closed my flat's door behind me.
I didn't really know what to expect from the hotel we were going to, even if I might have spent too much time googling photos of it. And it seemed way more luxurious than any place I'd ever stepped in. I absolutely didn't want to know how much money Sam had spent on it.
"Sam?" I said while on the way there, in the car.
"Yes?" her manicured hand rested on my thigh.
"I've never really been in such a, uhm, glamorous place before. I might seem uncomfortable at times, but it'll probably just be me getting used to it. I don't wanna seem ungrateful, I really do appreciate you doing this for me" I nervously twisted my fingers in hers.
"Out of all the thoughts I could have, not even the last one that would come into my mind has to do with you being ungrateful" she chuckled. "Don't worry about it"
"Okay, thanks" I squeezed her hand.
"Basically everyone in the place's job is to help you have an as relaxing weekend as possible, no one will judge you" she reassured me.
Sam's pov
I never let go of my girlfriend's hand as we got out of my car and entered the hotel, making sure she knew there was nothing to worry about.
I was really happy to spend more than a few hours with her and her only, somewhere that wasn't my apartment or my office. We both needed a relaxing weekend, and what other place better than a good spa was there to get that? While I knew it wasn't the kind of experience she was used to, I was sure she'd enjoy it a lot.
After breaking up with my ex I'd kind of neglected any self-care activity, also because she was the one who encouraged it in the first place. So I really missed doing something like it.
Of course, I recognized my privilege in even thinking how much I'd been missing it, but I'd never denied having a passion for luxury from time to time. And I was alway happy to use my money to make people I love enjoy such things too.
"Woah" Ellie exclaimed as we entered the main lobby, an enormous room with cream colored walls and staircases covered by brownish carpets on each side. Glass pots with white flowers in them were scattered near the black railings.
"Pretty cool, huh?" I smiled at her.
"Definitely. It's gonna be a great weekend"
"Indeed" I kissed the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her waist.
We went to the reception to check in, an elegantly dressed young man giving us all the information about our room and the services. But I doubt that Ellie was actually listening to any of it, judging from her startled face while looking around the room the whole time.
"You're so cute, you know that?" I laughed as we followed the guy leading us to the elevator that took us to our room.
"I'm just amazed" she giggled. "The view is gonna be incredible! What floor are we on? Like 10th?" she said as the doors opened.
"Here's your key" the man handed me an electronic card. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know. Enjoy your stay!"
"Thank you, sir" I said, handing him a tip.
"He looked scared of you" Ellie whispered as I unlocked the door.
"Did he?" I chuckled. "There's no reason for him to be"
"I'd say you tend to cause that kind of reaction on people" she laughed.
"It's not the first time you tell me that" I said, opening the door.
In front of us was a quite big room, covered with the same color scheme that was in the lobby.
"I've never seen such a huge bed" Ellie said as she sat on the white sheet covered mattress so quickly that she slightly bounced.
"Yeah, it is quite impressive" I laughed, taking my coat off. "And look at the balcony, there should be a hot tub out there" I pointed towards the door window on the other side of the room.
"There is?" she got up, sprinting towards it.
I followed her outside as we went on the terrace, a view of the Manhattan buildings and a round hot-tub both in front of us.
"This is gonna be a great place to be in the evening" I said, grabbing her waist from behind as she admired everything.
"It's amazing" she basically squealed, turning towards me. "Thank you for this" she got on her tiptoes.
"No problem, baby. I'm glad you like it" I kissed her. "What do you think if we get some lunch up here now, and explore all the spa service after that?"
"Sounds like a good plan" she smiled, kissing me back.
I was really glad to see a visibly more calm and bubbly version of Ellie as we had lunch and then got ready. I didn't want to point it out but I'd noticed she'd been more on edge than usual lately, which was one of the reasons I thought a break from everything would be good.
"What?" I jokingly asked as we were getting changed in our swimsuits and I looked up to see her basically staring at me.
"Uh, nothing" she resumed her getting changed.
"If you say so" I shrugged, grabbing a robe from the bathroom.
"You look really good" she added with a lower voice volume.
"Thank you" I chuckled, walking towards her. "Could say the same for you"
"I've never been a fan of wearing swimsuits. Luckily you're the only one who's gonna see me"
"Oh, shush, you're stunning. Plus, I've seen you with less clothes on anyway" I smirked, playfully patting her butt.
"I mean, you're not wrong" she laughed.
I'd booked a couple's package spa treatment, which included a full-body massage, a facial and access to the sauna and the swimming pool.
The whole atmosphere in the place was incredibly comforting, a pleasant heat and scent invading the rooms. And the massage beds were close enough for us to hold hands during the whole of it, which made it even more comforting.
I was dying to know what Ellie thought of all of it but I didn't want to ruin the atmosphere by breaking the silence. Her face looked quite similar to when she was asleep with the addition of a kind of pleased smile, though.
Personally, I didn't realize how much tension I'd accumulated until I felt it all being released thanks to the massage.
"You good?" I whispered as I saw her eyes open once it was over.
"That was fucking amazing" she tried to whisper back, but was loud enough for the women who'd gave us the massage to hear and laugh. "Oops" she added.
"It really was" I also laughed. "I'm sad it's over. But we can go to the sauna now. Or do you prefer the pool?"
"I've never been in a sauna" she said as I saw her cheeks turn red.
"Well, today will be your first time then" I squeezed her hand, waiting another while to initiate getting up after being in a relaxed state for so long.
Saunas had been my favorite part of spa treatments, until I once stayed in too long, got really cold and got the highest fever I'd ever had the next day. But I wasn't going to tell her that, she genuinely looked so excited.
The room we moved to had marbled walls and was lit up by very few small lights on the ceiling. A small glass door led to what looked like the sauna, with wooden benches in it.
We left our towels beside it, entered the room and I closed the door behind us.
"I'm not sure what to do at this point" Ellie giggled as I sat on a bench.
"Just sit and relax. For like no more than 20 minutes, though" I gestured towards the space next to me.
"Can I get close to you or are you not supposed to share body heat or something?" she asked, sitting.
"Of course you can" I laughed, pulling her closer to me so that her head was resting on my shoulder and her legs were resting in my lap.
"Good" she whispered. "I know I've already said this many times, but thank you for this, really"
"I'm happy you're having a good time" I said as I placed my hand on top of her head, kissing her forehead.
We sat there in silence for the remaining time, my fingers running through her ginger hair.
I'd noticed I'd developed this kind of protective instinct towards her, subconsciously always making sure to act caring enough. Not in the sense that I worried about her too much, but I just wanted to make her feel as comfortable and at ease as I could all the time.
"Ellie baby?" I looked down after enough time had passed.
"Mhm?"
"Okay, I thought you fell asleep there for a second. We should head out"
"This is so relaxing" she lifted her head.
"I know, but ending up dehydrated is definitely less relaxing"
"True" she sat up, her green eyes looking at me. "You mentioned we have free tea next to the pool earlier?"
"Yeah, we can do that now" I chuckled at her excitement over tea, out of all the new things she'd just experienced, kissing her before standing up.
Our package included a private dinner too, so after spending some time by the poolside and watching Ellie trying to convince me to get in the definitely too cold pool for me with her, we moved to a separate room with a candlelit table and rose petals around it. A bit too clichè for me, but it was all designed for couples after all.
It was all connected to the spa so we didn't even have to go upstairs to get changed, even if it did feel a bit weird to have a meal while wearing just a swimsuit and a robe.
"That's enough, thank you" I told the waiter as he poured my second glass of champagne.
"Holy fuck, this food is amazing" Ellie once again failed to whisper.
"And they made it especially for you since I had to specifically request a vegetarian dish"
"You did?"
"Yeah, I'd looked at the menu and everything here seems to include meat or fish in it" I shrugged.
"I really appreciate that, then" her face lit up. "Even if it wouldn't be the first time I'd have to make do with eating just salad or random vegetables"
"No, let's avoid that" I laughed. "Happy birthday again, my love" I added, raising my half full glass to initiate a toast.
"Thank you" she also raised her glass as she smiled.
Once we finished dinner and I left a tip for the waiters we went back up to our room, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking of the private hot tub on the terrace for most of the day.
"We're gonna be freezing" Ellie said as she stuck a hand outside the window.
"Baby, the water in the pool is incredibly hot. I don't think we'll have that problem" I closed the window because of the cold air coming in. "Plus, the view is worth it"
"You get in first then. So if the water is actually cold you can tell me"
"Seriously?" I laughed. "But I will, just 'cause it's you. And we're celebrating your birthday"
"Thank you" she kissed my cheek.
I did as ordered and walked outside, stuck a foot in the pool and immediately felt the water was even warmer than I thought it would be.
"All good" I nodded in her direction, leaving my robe on a nearby chair.
She soon after joined me, sprinting from inside the room to the chair where I'd put the robe and then in the pool, almost looking as if she was about to dive in it.
"Okay yeah, it's pretty warm" she said, moving towards me.
Once she was in front of me I gently placed my hands on her hips, pulling her closer to me.
"This view is incredible, isn't it?" I said, looking at the skyline of buildings and lights in front of me, a few stars in the sky above them.
"Yeah" she briefly turned around. "Not as much as this view" she said, turning her face towards mine.
"Oh, stop it" I pecked her lips.
"I'm not wrong. You're genuinely more beautiful" she wrapped her legs around mine.
"Nothing will ever be more beautiful than this city. Maybe you're close to it, though" I chuckled. I'd been feeling more and more grateful to be living in New York with every day that passed.
I loved living in London of course, but New York was a whole different atmosphere. I didn't even know how to explain it.
"Definitely not. But yeah, I feel lucky to be here right now. Like, here in New York but also here with you, right now. When I was about to move I was ready for years confined to my small flat living out of frozen food and barely even seeing this part of the city. And now I'm in this gorgeous place with my also gorgeous girlfriend. Who is also my professor" she said the last sentence with a snicker.
"I've honestly been forgetting about that last detail sometimes lately" I let out a light laugh. "Life is unexpected, huh?"
"Really unexpected. I just wish I could go back in time and tell my one year ago-self that she wouldn't be stuck living a miserable life with a man"
"Maybe the problem wasn't that he was a man, but the kind of man he was, don't you think? But I get what you mean" I laughed again.
"I guess so. I've been having some doubts about myself recently" she looked down. "Maybe I felt like I was obliged to like him not only because I felt like I was supposed to like a person with my family's same values, but also because I felt like I was supposed to like men in general. I don't know if it even makes sense"
"Hey, of course it does" I reassured her as I lifted her chin, surprised at the sudden seriousness of the conversation but also glad she felt comfortable enough to share. "That's alright. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share. You've just turned 20, it's pretty normal to not have everything about yourself figured out. Just know that I'll support you no matter what"
"Thanks. You always make me feel so safe, I don't know how you do it" she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"That's the biggest compliment ever" I chuckled, pressing my lips on hers.
"It's just the truth"
"Still. I've had people tell me the exact opposite in the past"
I'd been accused of having caused trust issues to more than one person in the past, and while I knew that people often exaggerate what they're saying when mad, I knew it was partly true. But I'd been trying really hard to leave that version of me in the past, and maybe it was working.
"Well, they clearly didn't really know you" she said as she pressed her body against mine.
"I don't know about that, but I'm happy to hear you think that of me" I smiled, softly cupping her face with my hands.
"You've really changed my life in such a short time" she said, her lips not even an inch away from mine.
"You too" I kissed her. Being with Ellie for just a few months had helped me immensely with coming to terms with myself and not being scared of being vulnerable. I felt as if she'd unveiled a version of me that hadn't shown itself in years and had been covered with some kind of shell I'd keep everyone outside of.
As the kiss seemed to be lasting longer than the ones we'd shared before, I ran my tongue across her bottom lip, making sure she was okay with it before doing anything. Once she granted access I felt her tongue in contact with mine, the kiss getting more heated.
"You good?" I momentarily pulled back, feeling her legs squeezing more tightly around mine.
"Mhm" she breathed out, eager to reconnect our lips.
I smiled in the kiss as one of my hands slowly moved along the side of her body, reaching the hem of her swimsuit's bottoms. I then slowly guided our bodies towards the border of the pool, so that her back was resting against it.
She nodded as I briefly looked at her, telling me it was okay to continue, as my hand entered the front of them. I couldn't help but grin as I heard a soft moan escaping her mouth.