Page 41 of Stronger Than Fate

He pulled me and I fell into his arms.

“Another clause to add to the implicit contract of our relationship: ‘you must always give me a good morning kiss,’” he pointed out, smiling broadly.

“I can accept that,” I said, as I leaned down to his lips and kissed him.

He took my head in both hands and deepened the kiss until we both moaned. I pulled away and looked at him.

“If we continue like this, breakfast will get cold. I brought you coffee, scrambled eggs, toast, and some other things.”

“Did you make it yourself?”

“I made it myself today, that’s why there aren’t the warming plates that the hotel provides.”

“Let’s eat breakfast, then. I thought it was later, it’s only eight thirty,” he said, taking his watch from the nightstand, looking at it and putting it on. “When I sleep with you, I rest very well.”

“Are you trying to say that I’m soporific to you?” I asked, looking at him with a frown, and he burst out laughing.

“I would never say such a thing. What might be happening is that you bring me calm, serenity. Well, not all the time—most of the time you stir me up and awaken things in my body,” he pointed out, laughing.

“Let’s drop this conversation and have breakfast,” I said, smiling.

I brought the tray to the bed and sat at the foot to face him.

“I can’t remember the last time I had breakfast in bed,” he commented.

“Neither can I. When you’re alone it doesn’t make much sense, but with company it’s fun, like a picnic in bed.”

Henry laughed and took the cup of coffee I handed him. While he drank and ate, I took the opportunity to ask him about something he had said.

“Why did you say yesterday that you left here in a bad mood?”

“Because I felt that you made plans without considering me. If I was at your place spending time with you, it wasn’t right foryou to make them. I felt like you were kicking me out,” he stated, bringing the cup to his lips while still looking at me.

“I’m very sorry, you’re right. I did it because I thought you weren’t going to stay.”

“I was planning to stay and spend more time with you, but you didn’t give me the option.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, because I realized I had acted poorly. If someone had done the same to me, I would have been upset too.

“Apology accepted. Now I’m the one who needs to ask you something.”

“Tell me.”

“Is there any possibility that you could use birth control? That way we could stop using condoms. With you, I’d love to do it without anything,” he proposed, looking at me expectantly.

“I’ll schedule an appointment with my doctor to prescribe me something. Have you always used protection or have you ever done it without a condom?”

“I always use protection because I don’t have a steady partner, but I can show you my latest medical tests.”

I nodded and we continued eating breakfast peacefully. We shared some anecdotes from our time at university and also talked about our friends. Henry was a man of few friends, though many acquaintances. As friends, he only mentioned two, and he had maintained friendships with them for many years. They got together once a week to play soccer and occasionally organized outings or meals. One of them was married with three children and the other was single. I told him about Sol and Sean and also elaborated more on how I had met his sister.

“The twists of life, or rather, stubborn destiny fulfilling itself as it pleases, right? It’s crazy that you met my sister in Mykonos and that led to our reunion at my house. Among the multitudesof people that exist in the world, you crossed paths with Niky and she brought you to me. It surprised me a lot,” he affirmed.

“I thought about that too, it was quite a coincidence.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence but, as I said, it was destiny. Maybe we were destined to find each other, don’t you think?” he asked, looking into my eyes.

“Of course I believe that. I believe there’s always someone waiting to make us happy,” I affirmed, but I noticed that with that phrase he looked at me very seriously, staring without blinking.