CHECKOUT
BY ERIC FREEMAN
1
Although the summer sun had long since faded off into the distant horizon, the heat of the day still seemed to hover in the air like a satin veil. Nightfall had cooled it down somewhat compared to that of the afternoon's brutal heat. The meteorologist on that evening's newscast had said that the temperature would reach a low of eighty-two but even that still seemed much lower than it actually felt right now.
Moonlight filtered in through the open window casting a silver tear into the complete darkness of the small bedroom. The curtains billowed outward softly as a gentle breeze pushed through them every so often. It didn't do much for the stagnant heat inside the room, but the oscillating fan on the nightstand offered some aid to the situation. As the fan's blades slapped swiftly at the dead air, the breeze that it kicked up would sporadically blew upon the soft sheet which lay haphazardly across the full sized bed causing it to lift gently upwards like some type of spectral entity only to float back down again when it would turn away on its pivot.
As it made another pass towards the foot of the medium-sized bed, the small fan was able to blow the air hard enough to lift the sheet farther up onto the bed to expose the slightly sweaty leg of one of the room's slumbering occupants. As the wind passed over the damp limb, it stirred briefly as its owner adjusted to gather as much relief as possible from the brief moment of reprieve.
A deep nasal exhalation arose into the previously silent bedroom, suspended in the silence for a moment and immediately subsided as quickly as it had come. After several seconds, there wasn't a repeat performance as the covered figure relaxed back into the warmth of the evening and began to slumber yet again.
From the other side of the single bed, the room's second occupant, who had been huddled closely behind the sleeping individual, slowly began to roll away from the other turning so that she faced the opposite wall. A soft pleasured sigh escaped from her lips as she began to resettle among the ruffled chaos that was the light colored bed linen. Almost half an hour had passed since she and her lover had peeled their sweat-soaked bodies from one another. They had snuggled for a few moments, both breathing in the aroma of each other's passion until she began to hear the gentle purring of sleep escaping her man's lips. She had lain with him many times within their year-old relationship and enjoyed listening to him as he faded towards unconsciousness afterwards.
She inhaled deeply, reveling in the wondrous bouquet they had created, which still hung within the inert warmth of the room. The warm moisture between her thighs reminded her of their night of passion and she simply let out another sigh of contentment. She began to realize these were indeed the moments that people remembered when they looked back on their lives as those perfect pinpoints of happiness.
She rolled onto her side as the small fan made another pass over her exposed upper body causing small prickles of goose flesh to rise on her still sweat-coated arms. Even with the heat in the room, she still felt quite comfortable, almost cool, as she lay lost in her own thoughts. She began to reminisce about the earlier days of their time together. These thoughts filled her with yet more joy and a small smile fell upon her soft lips.
She recalled the trips that they had taken together to that quaint little get-away a few weeks ago in early spring where they had planned a great vacation. Unfortunately, Mother Nature hadn't gotten the trip itinerary because it had rained for the entire four days they were there leaving them confined to the house they had rented. For some, this would have been a vacation catastrophe, yet they managed to make the best of their time together. They had gone for a walk along the small-fabricated lake behind the house and had even made love on the edge of the water in the light drizzle. Although they both were sick as dogs the next day, they agreed that it was the best time they had ever had. Nothing short of a tsunami was going to ruin their peaceful retreat with one another.
Exhaustion slowly began to steel over her, pulling her deeply into its tender embrace. She allowed herself to fall under its wondrous spell, drifting into unconsciousness with the thought of her loving fiancé laying next to her still fresh in her mind. Listening to the quite hum of air passing over the lips she had kissed not moments before. Those same lips, which had touched the very sensitive area below her bellybutton, sending her instantaneously downward into the deepest pits of ecstasy.
As she began to doze, one thing slowly started to nag at her weary mind. Even though their little jaunt was a mere few weeks ago, for the life of her she could not remember the name of the little town where they had stayed. It had been on the tip of her tongue yet she couldn't recall it.
She let out a silent yawn, folded her hands underneath her pillow, and drifted off to sleep. She had simply written it off as fatigue and figured either she would recall it in the morning or if not, she would just ask her husband-to-be. He was always good at remembering the names of places like that.
Her dreams enclosed on her and she went to sleep with a small smile on her lips. She would soon be wed to the most amazing man she had ever met, and knew that he loved her as deeply as she did him. The harmony now joined the chorus as their night sounds combined with the crickets and other nocturnal creatures to form an almost beautiful symphony.
It had been a truly terrific evening of all she could remember.
