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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 20, 2009 3:07:17 GMT -5
Thought it had been a rather spur of the moment decision to come to Portugal, especially as quickly as they did, Riley had already put a lot of thought into it.
It was still on her mind that they were going to her childhood home, the place she ran away from as soon as she could. She told herself that she was never going to come back... but she didn't mind breaking that personal promise for Roland. Besides, who was to say that her mother was even still here? Brian was in London now... maybe her mother was gone, too. Part of Riley wanted to take Roland to the home she had grown up in, but that presented a myriad of problems. She was struggling with the thought.
After apparating to a more or less desolated alley, Riley took Roland's hand and lead him out onto a main street. The sun was setting, and the lanterns and lights on the street were all being lit. The restuarants were alive with patrons, and it had an almost tropical atmosphere, even if the evening air was a bit chillier than she anticipated. Oh well... they would be in a hotel soon, and she did have Roland pack a sweated.
She walked slowly with Roland. This was a getaway, which meant there was no rush, no urgency to get into the hotel room, except the ache that she felt for him.
She didn't point much out though, promising Roland that she would give him a tour of Sagres the following day. "It'll be an insider's tour," Riley told him. "Everywhere that I used to go."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 21, 2009 0:20:46 GMT -5
Roland knew she was a little nervous about this trip, even though she wouldn't say it. He also felt it was good for her, and that she would ultimately be happier if she could come back here and see that everything was fine. Still, he was willing to see whatever she wanted to show him, and he wasn't going to push her to take him to see the house where she had grown up. The point of this trip, ultimately, was just for them to be together and make some beautiful memories together.
"It looks beautiful so far," he said. "I can't wait for the tour."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 21, 2009 0:29:16 GMT -5
"Tomorrow," Riley promised him. "Tonight, I'm thinking we get our room, maybe order some room service, and settle in?" She gave him a playful and suggestive look as she mentioned this, and part of it was meant to be that way.
The other part of her felt like she needed to take this slowly, or she would be too overwhelmed and too nervous to do this with him. Riley, scared of nothing, couldn't even handle coming home. Merlin, Roland had chosen such a messed up person to fall in love with.
"Anyway, that's the hotel just up there," she said, tilting her head slightly. "I guess it's more of a bed and breakfast. Sagres was never one of those tourist trap places, and I think someone just converted their home a while back to a bed and breakfast. One of my friends when I was little was the son of the owner."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 21, 2009 0:44:21 GMT -5
"That sounds perfect," he replied, responding eagerly to her suggestive tone. The idea of just hiding away with her, just shutting out the world as they had done at the safe house, just sounded perfect. He loved being alone with her more than anything else. And really, it didn't matter where they did it. Still, he was excited to see her childhood home and get the tour of the town. He knew she was nervous, and he couldn't blame her. He was just glad she was letting him be there for it.
He looked ahead to the hotel. "It's nice," he said. "Do you think it's owned by the same family?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 21, 2009 0:52:03 GMT -5
Riley shrugged as they came closer. "I don't know. I guess it's possible." When he asked, she was struck by a sudden fear that someone was going to recognize her. True, the last time she had actually been here was somewhere around age 14, and she was a skinny, flat chested little girl then. She had grown up, she was a woman now. It would be hard to recognize her, right?
"The boy's name was Paolo. If his family still owns it, I bet he'd be the one running the place."
Even if they did decide to go out tonight, she wanted to get settled into a room first, so she didn't hesitate taking Roland inside the building when they reached it. The man behind the front desk greeted them in Portuguese, and Riley responded in the same manner. If Roland liked hearing her speak the other language, he was going to like the next few days/
After a few minutes, she had keys in her hands, and she was nodding down the hall. "I asked him if Paolo is still in town. Apparently, he is, but he sold off this place when his parents died. Turns out he's a doctor now."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 21, 2009 1:13:31 GMT -5
Roland was quiet while she talked to the man at the desk. He was carefully trying to listen to what she said and pick out familiar-sounding words, but he couldn't make out much. It was a good thing that she told him what the conversation had been about, or he would have felt lost.
It was a humbling situation for him, being the only one who didn't speak the language. He had traveled on the job before, but not to many places that were non-English speaking countries. He knew a tiny bit of Spanish, because the Ferrera family had originally come from Spain, three generations earlier, and it was enough to help him pick out a few words of Portugese here and there, but he was still mostly dependent on Riley to take control.
"Oh, that's good," Roland said. "You probably won't run into him then, if that was worrying you."
He squeezed her free hand as they made their way down the hall to their room.
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 22, 2009 1:05:25 GMT -5
Riley glanced at him, watching him for a moment as they walked. He was perfect, with all of his flaws. He was patient when she needed him to be, and he understand that this was difficult for her.
"I dreamed about this," she told him suddenly, candidly. "A long time ago, that night when I yelled at you outside our rooms. I dreamt that you and I were somewhere together, and it was innocent, but I remember it because it didn't end blood." The dream had scared her more than any violent nightmare ever had, but now that she was here, she wished she could have taken it to mean something back then.
She pulled away from him to put the key in the lock, opening the room that they would be in for the next couple of days. There was one large bed in the middle of the room. The decorations were similar to Riley's apartment, bright, vibrant colors and accents. On the wall opposite the bed, there was a long, muggle photograph of the beach.
"I like it."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 22, 2009 21:58:58 GMT -5
Just by being here, Roland was starting to understand more about her. The decor, the atmosphere, the overall feel of the place, it reminded him so much of her. This place, this town, this country... they were so deeply ingrained in her that she was almost like a living, breathing embodiment of them. The place where she grew up was a very big part of who she was, even if she didn't realize it. And yet, he knew she wasn't entirely comfortable being back here. All this time, she had been avoiding this place, running from her home. It was like she was running from herself. Realizing this, Roland ached for her.
"I love it," he answered softly, his eyes filled with affection for her. He set down their suitcases and walked over to pull her into his arms. "I love you."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 22, 2009 22:24:36 GMT -5
Riley had been in her own little world for a moment, looking at that photograph of the beach. As uncomfortable as this place made her, she always felt like she sort of belonged here, too. She hated that feeling. Well, no, she more hated the fact that it was this place that gave her the feeling, and not London.
The only thing that made her feel more at home was Roland. He was her home now, and wherever he was, she would be.
He caught her off guard as he pulled her into his arms, and she turned, putting her arms around his neck with an easy smile on her lips. "I love you, too," she said, not making the same connection about herself that he had, or realizing that when he said he loved this place, he was really saying he loved her.
"If you're hungry, there's a restaurant we can go to that I have to admit I love. Or we can get room service, and just settle in tonight. It's completely up to you."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 22, 2009 23:05:22 GMT -5
Just as he was her home, she was his. Where ever they were, they would always be home as long as they were together. "The restaurant sounds nice," he said, his voice sounding low and sultry in his throat. "But we can save it for tomorrow. Let's stay in tonight. Just the two of us."
His hands were behind her head, slowly pulling it out of the tight knot she had it in. Meanwhile, he moved his lips in closer to hers for a long, lingering kiss.
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 22, 2009 23:18:58 GMT -5
She wondered if he was trying to distract her from the fact he was taking her hair down by kissing her. She sighed anyway, though she was coming to realize it was a losing battle. If Roland could get his hands on her, her hair was coming down. She didn't mind. In fact, she thought it was kind of cute, and would make a more conscious effort not to automatically pull it back. Especially now that it was getting longer.
"In it is," she whispered, her lips still brushing against his as she spoke. She realized they couldn't do this forever, that someday, the normal day to day routine of life would have to settle in, but she craved this. She always would.
"You're giving me that look," she accused him, though she didn't clarify what look he was giving her. "Tell me more about your childhood. How did you react when Cyrus was born?" She kissed him again before he could answer, and added, "I want to spend this whole time learning everything about you."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 22, 2009 23:40:29 GMT -5
It was actually sort of a natural thing to him, to take her hair down when he kissed her. He liked the feeling of burying his hands in her hair while he kissed her.
He smiled against her lips, just enjoying her breath on his face. His eyes widened curiously when she mentioned "that look," and he silently wondered what she meant by that. He had been about to suggest that they go over and "test" the bed, but she caught him off guard with her next question.
Letting out a surprised laugh, he kissed her quickly, then pulled away. "Honestly... I don't remember. I was only three. I'm told I was jealous of Cyrus at first and that I showed off a lot, trying to get attention. I believe it, though... I think I still do it without realizing. That might be why you think I'm arrogant."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 22, 2009 23:58:22 GMT -5
Riley smiled. "I believe it, too. I hope you weren't offended when I told you that you were arrogant. I mean, you are," she told him, unable to help the way her smile widened. "But it's not a bad thing. Not from you, anyway."
Then, giving him an impish look, she said, "Besides, it appearently goes well with my self righteousness, right?"
As she spoke, and he pulled away, she turned to ivestigate the bathroom. It must have been a girl thing, but Merlin, it was a nice bathroom. There was a bathtub and a shower, and the tub would definitely fit two. "Roland, I think we should order some champagne," she told him, nodding towards the bathroom.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 23, 2009 0:17:56 GMT -5
"I don't think of it as arrogance," Roland said, but his tone was light and his lips were curved into a smile, letting her know that he was not insulted by the accusation. "I guess it comes off that way sometimes, but I don't mean it that way. I'm just very confident in myself. And maybe I'm guilty of a little too much pride sometimes. But I'd still bend over backwards for anyone that I love. Especially for you. Don't ever forget that, OK?"
He laughed about her "self righteous" comment. "For what it's worth, I no longer think you're self-righteous. I only ever said that because I was frustrated by the fact that you always seemed to be right and I was always wrong. I'm used to always being right."
He stopped at her suggestion and moved over to investigate as well. He smiled slowly at the sight of the tub. "I think that's a great idea," he replied.
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 23, 2009 0:40:28 GMT -5
Riley only shook her head. "I'm never going to ask you to bend over backwards for me." She left it at that.
"It's fine. I probably am self righteous. I'm not really used to being wrong either. In fact, half of our arguments? You were probably right. I developed a habit of making other people feel like they're wrong. I'm not proud of it. But we all have our faults, right?"
She watched him as he came towards her, judging the bathroom for his own. "You want to call down for it?" she asked, assuming by now that he knew how to work a telephone. "And I'll start the water?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 23, 2009 0:52:47 GMT -5
"Maybe not," he replied. "But I'd still do it." He would do anything for her, and she knew that now. He didn't need to keep telling her.
"Most of our arguments were my fault, because I was behaving like an arse. You were right to call me on it."
Of course, there was one argument that had mostly been her doing. That was the argument over Nathalia. She'd had some good points, but ultimately, that argument had been her fault.
"OK, sounds good," he said, glancing at the phone. He knew there was some sort of trick to calling for room service, but he figured it was written on the phone. That was how things usually worked in hotels. "I can order us some strawberries, too... you like strawberries, right? They go great with champagne."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 23, 2009 1:06:15 GMT -5
She paused when he asked her for confirmation about liking strawberries. It dawned on her suddenly how little they actually knew about each other. It was little facts like that, and to be honest, she had no idea if he liked strawberries, though she could now assume he did.
But ultimately, did that even matter? Everything important about each other, they already knew. And those little details, they could learn along the way. Still, maybe it was why she told Roland no when he asked her to marry him... while she felt safe and perfect in his arms, and loved him deeply, they were moving pretty fast. That and his generous offer to go to the trouble of putting pants on for her. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I like strawberries."
She disappeared into the bathroom a moment later, and turned the water on, waiting for it to heat up.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 23, 2009 15:54:15 GMT -5
Roland was aware that there were many things that they didn't know about each other, but he also felt that he knew the most important things already. The little things didn't matter that much to him. He wasn't going to change his mind about loving her if she didn't like strawberries or if she liked to eat a big juicy hamburger once in a while. He loved her exactly as she was, and each little quirk he found made her all the more fascinating to him.
Thoughts of his first proposal were very much on his mind as well. As he ordered the champagne and strawberries from room service, the thought occurred to him that this could be a nice moment to propose. Hot water, steam, champagne and strawberries... they added up to a nice romantic moment. But if she hadn't liked him proposing while they were in bed, she probably wouldn't appreciate it while they were in the bath, either. He would wait. There was sure to be a better moment. Maybe at the restaurant she mentioned... or on the beach.
After placing the order, he hung up the phone and went to find her in the bathroom. "It's on the way," he said, walking over to kiss her.
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 23, 2009 20:19:38 GMT -5
Riley looked up, sitting on the edge of the oversized tub. She gave him an appreciative glance over, and sighed before he kissed her. "There is nothing more I would like to do right now than undress you and get you in the tub. But I'm guessing we should wait for the champagne to arrive."
Her eyebrows went up. "I think they knew, too. I found a radio... It's like a muggle music box. And it has some really pretty music. I think you might like it."
She reached across the tub to turn the little stereo on. A soft, romantic instrumental filled the room, and it reminded riley of the beach. She turned back to him, smiling.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 23, 2009 21:29:36 GMT -5
"I've seen muggle radios before," he replied with a smile. "Like a wizarding wireless, only with wires."
Looking at her there, perched on the edge of the tub, he felt just as anxious to begin undressing her, especially when she gave him that appreciative look. No woman had ever looked at him quite that way before, and it excited him more than he would have thought possible. Yes, women had looked at him with desire in their eyes, but never mixed with the warmth and tenderness that added up to love.
She turned on the stereo and looked at him, and he smiled back at her. Then he bowed down and held out his hand to her. "How about a dance while we're waiting for room service?"
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