Chapter Eleven!
A Change Of Scene
May 2021- Malibu
The sun was shining brightly in the californian sky, there wasn't a single white cloud to be seen. The day was hot and the ocean was tranquil, it was the perfect weather for a mini vacation in Malibu.
Albany and Copia were spending a week by the coast, their dream beach getaway had finally been allowed after months of quarantining at the Los Angeles Ministry. Mr Saltarian was still staying at his beach house, but the other beach house the Clergy owned near the rock pools was vacant. It was smaller and located near the other end of the coastline, but the views from the beach were still breathtaking.
Albany was lounging on the balcony with hot beverage, she was enjoying the evening's sunny weather. It had been years since she'd had a proper vacation, it was even better since she could spend it with her lover without hiding their relationship from others. Copia was taking a nap on a lounger not far away from her, he was enjoying his time away from the Ministry. The lovers had spent their morning eating breakfast in bed and indulging in the sins of the flesh, they were enjoying their time together away from the prying eyes of the Clergy. They had already planned what they would be doing for the rest of the week, it was their time to relax. Today they had walked bare foot along the beach, they had collected seashells and had a quick paddle in the ocean. They had also seen Mr Saltarian practicing Tai Chi by the rock pools, but he had given Copia a rude gesture and devil horns sign when he had waved at him. His behaviour had confused them both, they had no idea why he had acted that way since they were on good terms with the Clergy employee.
An amused smile crept across Albany's features when she heard her lover mumbling in his sleep, she curiously watched him. She had heard him talking a couple of times in his sleep about his rats since they had arrived at the beach house, he said the most amusing things when he slept. A seagull landing on the balcony railing near Copia disturbed her thoughts, she immediately got to her feet and shooed it away with a newspaper. The seagulls had been pestering Copia since he tried to throw a rock at one of them for taking a shit in his coffee cup, the birds seemed to have a vendetta with him. The seagull flew away and joined it's fellow sea dwelling birds in the shallows of the ocean, she then kissed her lover's forehead before she headed inside the beach house. Albany had a few things she needed to do before she began preparing their evening meal, it was getting late. Entering the kitchen she placed the newspaper on the counter side and put her empty cup in the dishwasher with the rest of the dirty plates, but a knock at the front door caught her attention. She was unsure who would be visiting them at this hour, there wasn't many Clergy members that knew they were on vacation this week.
Closing the dishwasher's door Albany switched it on before she began walking along the hallway, she could see an outline of a person standing on the doorstep. She stopped for a moment and took the beach house keys from a bowl, they weren't expecting any visitors. Albany hesitantly unlocked the door and slowly opened it, her gaze was met by a familiar face. It was Sister Imperator, she was dressed in her formal attire. She was surprised by her superior's unannounced visit, she was curious about why she was here. They stood silently for a couple of seconds, but Albany's voice soon broke the silence between them.
" Sister Imperator." She said with a polite smile. " What are you doing here?"
" I thought I'd drop by since I was in the area, it's so lovely to see you in person again." Sister said, her gaze wandered towards the hallway behind her. " Is Cardi with you?"
" Copia is on the balcony, he's taking a siesta." She replied.
" I hate to disturb him, but I need to speak with him." Sister said, her hands cupped together. " It's important."
" I guess that's okay." She said before she glanced over her shoulder. " Would you like to use the back enterance to the beach house? You can cut through the lounge if you want, but I'm just think about your safety since the world is still contagious."
" Good thinking, we still need be careful and keep our distance." Sister smiled.
" Indeed. Would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked.
" That would be lovely, thank you." Sister replied.
Albany watched Sister Imperator walking down the pathway that led towards the balcony, her heels clicked against the stone tiles. Sister soon disappeared from her sight, she was left standing alone in the doorway. Closing and locking the door Albany returned to the kitchen and prepared some coffee, she laid out everything she would need on a tray. She could hear Copia's voice from where she was standing, he seemed thrilled by Sister Imperator's unannounced visit. Pouring coffee into three cups she was now ready to join them on the balcony, she carefully picked up the tray and carried it towards the balcony's open doorway. A slightly raised voice from her lover caused her to stop dead in her tracks, he sounded anxious. Albany wasn't sure what Sister had said to him to cause his sudden mood change, but she was curious about their conversation. She hid behind the door's drape while she listened to them talking on the balcony, she could only see Sister from her hiding place. Her superior's voice was soon heard, their conversation continued.
" Have you made a decision yet?" She asked.
" I'm unsure, it's a very big decision to make." He replied, their was a hint of concern in his words. " What if it goes wrong? It could be life changing for me!"
" Don't worry, he's a professional." She said.
" I still need more time to think about this..." He said.
" Of course, there's no need to rush." She said while she affectionately touched his arm. " When the time does come I'll be there every step of the way, we can do this together."
" You're still going through with it?" He asked.
" Of course, it's time for a little change." She replied.
Albany remained silent behind the drape, she was unsure what they were speaking about since she had walked in halfway through their conversation. Walking through the doorway she approached them with a smile on her face, her superior didn't seem too pleased that she had interrupted them. She placed the tray down on a table and poured some milk into one of the cups for her superior, she had already added evaporated milk to her lover's cup. Albany handed a cup to Copia and took her own from the tray before she went to sit back down on her lounger, she planned to keep her distance from Sister like she had promised. Copia remained standing, he was leaning against the balcony's rail and enjoying the cool evening breeze. Sister sat at the table and took her coffee cup from the tray, her voice soon broke the silence of the balcony.
" So, what have you two been up to since you arrived here?" Sister asked.
" Nothing exciting, it's been a quiet few days." Copia replied, he motioned his hand towards his lover. " We picked some seashells and paddled in the ocean, then we had a little sunbathe this afternoon."
" That sounds lovely, it reminds me of our visits to the beach when you were a little boy." Sister said with a smile. " The time you lost your swimming trunks in the ocean, the crab pinching your toe and that seagull stealing your ice cream from your hand. How we laughed, those are fond memories of mine."
" Yes, very fond memories..." He sighed before he took a sip of his coffee. " But the seagulls are still very annoying. One of them took a shit in my coffee, I nearly drank it! Isn't that right, Albany?"
" Yes, it was a very close call." She replied.
" Oh really?" Sister asked.
" Well Copia did throw a stone at one of them, but he missed..." She replied.
" Oh Cardi, you brought it on yourself this time!" Sister said, she gave him a sincere expression. " Anyway, what else have you two been up to this week?"
Sister took a sip of her hot beverage while she curiously eyed them both up over the rim of her coffee cup, she was hinting that she knew more than they realised. Albany shared a look with her lover before she took a sip of her own drink, they planned not to share all of their vacation details with Sister since some were not for the ears of their superiors.
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Later That Night
The Malibu coastline was dark and peaceful, the sounds of the ocean rolling onto the shore disturbed the silence of the night. The world outside of the beach house was deep in it's slumber, but two lovers were still wide awake.
A smile graced Albany's features while she watched her lover making cocktails, her chin resting against her hand she couldn't take her eyes off him. Copia was trying to mimic Tom Cruise's character out of the movie Cocktail, his entertaining display amused her deeply. He shook the cocktail mixer and tossed it from hand to hand, he threw it beneath his leg and managed to catch it on his third attempt. Albany had prepared two cocktail glasses, she had a bowl of cherries and sliced oranges ready for garnishing. They had decided to try and make the rude named cocktails they had dicussed months ago at the Ministry. Copia poured the mixture into the glasses and garnished the alcoholic beverages, the liquid was crimson in colour. His fingers clicking he held his hands towards the glasses, he was proud of his cocktail creations.
" Ta-ta!" He said.
" Well done, Copia!" She said, she applauded him. " Now let's see how they taste since you didn't measure out the ingredients."
" Okay, cool." He said.
Albany picked one of the cocktail glasses from the table, she took a long slurp of it through a straw and stirred it around the glass. The drink was sweet and fruity, she could taste the peach snaps in the alcoholic concoction. Taking a cherry from the bowl her lover soon joined her on the couch, he leaned in close when she allowed him to share the cherry with her. A giggle escaped Albany's lips when Copia tucked some of her hair over her ear, their lips met. Their night together had been pleasant, they planned to continue their mischievous behaviour when the lights turned out. Albany's voice was soon heard, she rested her shoulder against the couch before she spoke with him.
" What's this cocktail called?" She asked.
" Sex on the Beach." He replied.
" Oooooh!" She smiled.
" Do you like it?" He asked.
" It's lovely, it's very fruity and sweet." She replied before she took another slurp of it. " I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little tipsy right now. I think you added too much vodka, but this is our fourth cocktail."
" Okay, that's enough cocktails for you tonight!" He said while he tried to take the glass from her hand. " We don't want a repeat performance of decades ago at that All Hallows' Eve office party back in the ninities."
" Don't remind me!" She said, their gaze met. " I'm still embarrassed about that night, but luckily I had you to hold back my hair."
" And I would do it all over again." He said.
" You're too sweet." She smiled.
" I try, I try." He said.
Albany leaned closer towards him, she cupped his cheek and softly kissed his lips before she turned her attention towards the television set. There was an old movie playing, she had forgotten the name of it but there was a lot screaming and a vampire circus. She remembered watching it when she was in her teens with Secondo and Terzo, they always allowed her to join them on Friday nights for their late night horror movie marathons. Her thoughts were disturbed when she felt her lover curling a strand of her hair around his finger, their gaze met again. He looked thoughtful, their was something preying on his mind. His gaze was upon his lover, but his voice soon broke the silence between them.
" Albany, can I ask you a question?" He asked.
" Of course." She replied before she fully turned around to face him on the couch . " What's on your mind?"
" What do think of my face?" He asked.
" Your face?" She asked.
" Yes." He replied.
" I love your face. You're still very handsome for a middle aged man." She said.
" Not too many wrinkles, crow's feet or deep lines?" He asked.
" No, it's fine." She replied.
" Okay, cool." He said.
" What's the sudden interest with your face all of a sudden?" She asked.
" It's nothing, it's okay." He replied, he placed his cocktail glass down on an end table. " I'm just thinking ahead to my future tours, the face paint may highlight them."
" I thought you looked very striking in your Papa face paint." She said, she took another slurp of her cocktail. " I didn't even notice your wrinkles, it was perfect. I really liked your nose lines, they're adorable."
" Thank you." He said.
" Would you like me to show you how much I love your face?" She asked.
" Are you going to sit on my face?" He asked.
" Copia!" She sighed with a slight chuckle. " Honestly, what are you like?! Im being serious..."
" That's one way to love my face, yes?" He asked.
" I didn't mean it in that way!" She said.
" I do like it when you sit on my..." He said.
" Stop right there, mister!" She interrupted him and rested her finger tip upon his lips. " Let me show you what I really mean instead of you making it sound dirty..."
A mischievous grin crept across Copia's features, she told him to behave himself before she placed her cocktail glass on the coffee table. Albany shifted on the couch and climbed onto her lover's lap, she rested her hands against his chest. They shared a loving gaze and a single kiss before she brought her hands to his face, she told him to relax. She kissed every deep line and wrinkle, she ran her finger tip over his lips and down his chin. His face had aged since they first met over two decades ago, he had gained many wrinkles. Albany didn't mind them, she still adored the man who had seduced after he had won the game of Buckaroo. She kissed his lips and rested her shoulder against his chest, her lover tenderly touched her cheek. His mismatched eyes looked her up and down, his thumb brushed against her bottom lip.
" Can I show you how much I like your face now?" He asked.
" That seems like a fair request, but no funny business." She said with a flirtatious smile. " Not yet anyway."
" Oh, baby..." He said.
An amused chuckle escaped Copia's lips while he gazed into her eyes, his lover's flirtatious behaviour had aroused him slightly. His thumb brushing against her cheek he pulled her down onto the couch, she was soon beneath him. His lips hungrily met the nook of her neck, he was showing more love to her neck than her face. Nibbling and licking at her skin Albany softly moaned, she was falling once again into his seductive ways. His hand slipping underneath her dress his finger tips found the waistband of her underwear, she knew for a fact that they may not make it to the guestroom tonight.