Chapter 10

"The afternoon arrived; it was 5 PM when Henry arrived at Liz's house. He sent her a message saying he was waiting for her in the car. 'Don't you want to come up?' she asked. 'Am I late?' 'No, my love. We're right on time. Don't worry.' So she opened the door for him to come in while she went to the bedroom to get her purse and suitcase. When she saw him with the suitcase, she joked asking if he planned to stay for a week. Coming closer to her, he kissed her and took the suitcase from her hand. She teased him that when you go away from home, you have to be prepared for everything. 'That way you take everything and a little bit more.' She smiled back at him too. And they hit the road.

Liz entered the address in the GPS so Henry wouldn't ask questions. She turned on the car stereo with the music she liked playing softly, and they talked. 'Liz, is it here?' 'I think so.' Liz grabbed the keys and they went to the house she had reserved. 'What a beautiful place, Liz. Listen to the sound of the sea. I thought we were going to stay in a hotel. But this is much better.' She handed the keys to Henry to open the door. He opened it, turned on the lights, and saw the living room all set up, the table was set, and there was a banner on the wall with 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!' written on it.

Henry looked back and saw that Liz was standing behind him, just watching his reaction. He hugged her, lifting her off the ground, and they kissed passionately. 'Did you prepare all this? I can't believe it.' 'Yes, it was me, alone. I thought of every detail, wanted to surprise you too. I was afraid you wouldn't agree to come with me. But I decided to take the risk. I wanted to be alone with you. And that wouldn't be possible there.'

'Liz, my love. I'm so happy. It's perfect!!!' 'Henry, I want our night to be perfect. Tonight, I'll be yours. Completely yours. I'm ready to take another step in our relationship. If you want that too. It's your birthday at midnight, and I want to be close to you from the first hour of your day.' 'What do you...' Before she finished her sentence, he took her in his arms and kissed her. He kissed his girlfriend passionately. No more words were needed. Their looks said it all. 'Liz, I love you so much, and I've been waiting for this moment.'

'Henry, don't you want to pour us a glass of wine?' 'Of course... Come, let's explore the house together. Because I've only seen it in photos. It's all so beautiful.' They opened the bedroom door, and there were many red rose petals on the bed. They looked at each other, he kissed her, caressing her body as she took off his shirt. They turned on the shower, he lowered the strap of her dress, leaving her semi-naked. They were on fire, they got into the shower, then he carried her in his arms to the bed, and there they had a beautiful night of love.

They stayed silent for a while. Henry ran his hand through Liz's hair, gazing at her intently, and told her how much he loved her. She replied that she loved him too and was very happy by his side. 'Liz, what about the meeting?' Henry asked her, who smiled and replied that there was no meeting at all. 'Didn't you notice? Liz... Liz. Only you! But you've made me the happiest man in the world. Aren't you hungry?' 'I'm starving,' he replied. 'Then let's go downstairs and try everything on the table. Then we can go back to the room. What do you think?' 'I love the idea.' And they went downstairs, embracing, dressed only in robes.

They had dinner, then returned to the room, made love for the second time, and slept intertwined with each other. 'Liz, I love you.' 'I love you too, Henry.'

The next day, Liz woke up with Henry caressing her face. 'Just to see if I wasn't dreaming. Happy birthday, my love.' 'It's not a dream. We're here, in this beautiful place. Let's have breakfast and take a walk along the beach. Enjoy every minute of this day, which is all yours.' 'I forgot to give you your present.' She handed him the wrapped gift that was on the desk next to them. 'But you've already given me the best gift I could imagine.' He opened the box and took out a beautiful watch. 'Thank you so much, my love. For making this day so special. We'll have many special days, I promise you.' He kissed her and pulled the sheet over them, making love again. Then they went to the shower, took a shower together, went downstairs to have breakfast on the balcony, then went out towards the beach. They walked a lot along the seashore, just getting their feet wet, as Henry knew Liz was very afraid of the sea. So he didn't go into the water either.

They returned to the resort, spent a long time in the pool. They wanted to enjoy every minute of that day. They had lunch, then sat on the balcony and while they talked, Henry's phone kept beeping, it was birthday messages coming in. 'Aren't you going to check your messages?' Liz asked. 'Not now,' he replied. 'What if it's something important? Today, you're my priority. There's nothing more important than you.'

'What a shame the day is ending, let's enjoy this night well, as we leave early tomorrow... I wanted to stay longer here with you,' Liz said softly. 'Me too. But we'll do this more often. Count on it. Can you promise me?' 'Yes. Definitely.' Liz had ordered a small cake just to sing happy birthday. So she put a candle, lit it, and asked him to make a wish. He replied that it had already come true. And they kissed. Then they went to the room, where they made love again. They woke up early, had breakfast, and headed back home, to the busy everyday life. He dropped her off at the company and went straight to his work as well."