Chapter 22: Will

Chapter 22: Will

How does one show gratitude and appreciation to a woman who has given you everything? How does one atone by way of action for his past behavior? These thoughts had given me pause. It was a dead-end of thoughts that I could not resolve.

Until finally, it struck me.

After confessing my love and then making love to Alexis, my most imminent desire was to take her out on a date. But an ordinary date would not do. Nothing about Alexis was ordinary, so it did not make sense that I just take her out for dinner and a movie. Besides, there weren’t all that many places where one could take his significant other in this small town.

The Grimm Reaper, as it had once come to my rescue all those long years ago, came to my rescue now. Earlier today, I had put the finishing touches on it. It was while I was staring at it in all its splendor in the sunlight that my brain fog lifted and allowed me to see this finished ship for the opportunity it was.

This world and so much of what it contained were beyond my understanding. But on this ship, time had stood still. Thanks to my repairs, it looked as beautiful as it did a hundred years ago. The ocean knew no concept of time as well. On that boat, I would be in my element, no longer a man who knew nothing of the world but a man who knew how to captain a ship across continents.

As far as I knew, Alexis hadn’t been on a boat before. The wonders of the sea were still hers to behold. It would mean the world to me if I got to show her the magical wonders that the sea kept shrouded under its surface.

I did not exhibit this to her, but I knew how worried she was because of the whole Blair thing. She was a woman of fortitude and grit. Even when something troubled her, she never let it show. But the fact remained that we shared a bond and that bond had been strengthened ever since we had professed our love for each other and had accepted each other as mates. Now, if I focused, I could sense how she was feeling.

It would do her good to let go of her stress and worries for some time. Not to mention, an outing such as the one that I had planned would do wonders for our new relationship.

With that in mind, I began making the necessary preparations.

***

“Will, I work at the warehouse. I see your ship every night. I know it’s been repaired,” Alexis said, but I still did not remove my hands from her eyes. Even if what she had said was true, I still wanted to show her the surprise. What she did not know was that I had spent last night repainting the ship to create a new theme. The Grimm Reaper was now in a navy blue and ash white theme, which suited it far better than the original brown and maroon one.

I had also stocked it with the necessary things for the date that I had planned. Vintage wines, smorgasbords of cheese, grapes, marinated meats for a barbeque, and so forth.

“You may see now,” I said, lifting my hands.

“Holy shit,” Alexis exclaimed as she saw the newly painted and polished ship. “You changed the entire color scheme? It wasn’t like this yesterday.”

“I told you I wanted to surprise you, but that’s not all. I have planned something. You see, I wanted to wait for your day off. Well, make that two days,” I said, smiling at her from behind as she looked at the ship and admired its new coat of paint.

“What’s happening?” Alexis turned.

“I’m taking you on a getaway,” I said, now unable to hold back my smile in front of her. “Our first romantic getaway as a couple.”

“Oh my god. For real? Where are we going?” Alexis asked. Watching a smile break across her face was priceless. It made all my efforts feel worth it.

“Let’s see. A romantic cruise across the sea. We’ll set sail from Fiddler’s Green to the open sea and explore to your heart’s desire.”

“No one’s ever done something like this for me before,” Alexis said. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I would love to do that.”

I hugged her back with glee and then planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Ready when you are, my lady.”

“You mean we can go right now?”

“Of course. I put Vincent in charge for two days. I figured, given everything we’ve been through, we’ve earned some time off for rest and recreation.”

“Come here,” Alexis beckoned, prompting me to lower my face. Then she kissed me on my lips. I could taste the hot chocolate she’d drunk earlier today. I deepened my kiss and let the feeling of affection and belonging flood through my body, spreading its wholesome warmth to my extremities.

This sudden arousal inspired me to suddenly lift her off her feet.

“Will!” Alexis laughed as I slung her over my shoulder and began climbing up the ship’s stairs.

“What? It’s customary to carry your mate across the threshold for the first time,” I said, putting her down on the deck.

“That’s only for bedrooms,” Alexis said. “And that’s only applicable for newlyweds.”

“Well, this is maritime law, and it applies to all couples, not just newlyweds,” I said.

“My captain,” Alexis said, batting her eyelashes and clasping her hands. “For you, the bugle trills.”

“Avast!” I said, feeling the surge of the sea that captains get when they first get behind the wheel of their ship.

“How does it feel, being back on your ship, getting to sail it again?” Alexis asked. “Also, I’ve never been on a boat before. Am I going to get seasick?”

“It feels tremendous. I feel like I’m back to my original self. As for your getting seasick, you don’t have to worry. The sky’s clear. The sea is very tideless today. It’s all very idyllic. You’ll have a heck of a great time.”

“Let’s do this then!” Alexis gleamed and clapped her hands. She even jumped up and down in excitement, making the entire ship bob with her.

I loosened the rope tying the ship to the dock and lifted the anchor. The engine roared to life and propelled the craft out of the harbor. Alexis immediately steadied herself by holding on to the rails on the side.

“Engines?” Alexis asked.

“It’s got both sails and engines, depending upon the captain’s choice. On windy days, the sails suffice. But when it’s pretty stagnant in the sea, or when we need to maneuver the ship, we make use of its engines,” I said while guiding the ship out of the harbor and into the open sea.

“All this time tending to ships in the warehouse, and I didn’t even know that,” Alexis said, then whistled slowly to exhibit her astonishment.

“Back when I was in Germany, I was, among other things, a naval engineer. Sailing out to the sea was one of my favorite hobbies. There was a little seaside town named Wilhelmshaven. My father named me after that town. I remember there was a bridge known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge. It spanned across the Grosser Hafen port. Whenever I’d sail the Grimm Reaper under it, it would make for an excellent sight. The sea below me, the bridge above me, and the horizon in front of me waiting for me to venture into the unknown.” There was no use stopping me now. I was already deep into nostalgia country, reminiscing to Alexis about the good old days in Germany.

“I bet you were just as handsome back then. Didn’t the German frauleins flirt with you? Even though those hypothetical German dames are all dead, I’m still getting jealous thinking about the fact that they might have flirted with you,” Alexis said. I sensed right away that she was jesting, as her face was on the brink of a sly smile.

“Ah, yes, the port city of Wilhelmshaven was infamous for its wenches and ladies of the night who would woo sailors coming from far-off voyages,” I said. It felt good to jest with her.

“Shut up,” Alexis grinned harder, slapping me on my shoulder. “Be serious. We’re mates now. Hell, shipmates as well. Was there someone who struck your fancy back when you were like a little teenager or in your early twenties?”

“You must understand that back in those days, people did not flirt with each other. It was considered the height of indecency to ogle at women or to catcall after them. The Germany of that time was very conservative. Women wore loose and long dresses. Men were still getting used to coming out of the Victorian era, hence dressed in coats, hats, and carried canes. Even the younger ones wore caps and were always dressed in suits. Flirtation was limited to a lady accidentally throwing her handkerchief and a gentleman picking it up and passing it back to her. The two would share a gaze, and that was it. But none of that happened to me because, well, I knew that deep down, I was different. I was a werewolf, and all these were humans. Back then, I hadn’t controlled my beastly self as well as I have now. I was always afraid that any act of intimacy with anyone would result in me shifting into a wolf. Thus, I kept my distance.” Funnily enough, now that we were on the ship and out in the open sea, reminiscing about that time made me feel like I was reliving it. After all, here was Alexis, a spitting image of her grandmother. The same yet so different.

“If you don’t mind my asking, did you have any romantic endeavors of that sort with Ariana?” Alexis asked, her tone cautious.

I shook my head. I was far too good in a mood to be concerned by her spontaneous inquiry. I was already thinking about it as it was. It only made sense that she was thinking about it too.

“Ariana and I barely ever verbally communicated, let alone go on a romantic adventure. The most she had ever done was look in my direction and smile once or twice. But even that was just a formal acknowledgment. Not a confession of affection. Compared to what we have, she and I had nothing but the faintest infatuation,” I said. It was the truth.

“I’m glad to know that I’m the first woman in your life in that sense,” Alexis said.

“Am I? The first man in your life in any sense?” I asked.

“Of course. Up till a few months ago, I thought I was asexual, having no feelings for any person whatsoever. It wasn’t until I met you that I started feeling things that I’d never felt before,” Alexis said.

“What’s asexual?”

Alexis took a deep breath and said, “So, modern science has understood that sexuality is sort of like a spectrum. You can be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, and even asexual. Asexuality is where one doesn’t feel sexual feelings of any kind. I used to identify as an asexual because I never felt sexual towards anyone.”

“But you do like me, right?” There was some insecurity in my question, which I was not ashamed to show.

“I love you, silly,” Alexis said, squeezing my hand.

“I love you, too,” I said.

We shared our first kiss on the open sea, the ship in the direction of the setting sun, bobbing idly as the ocean engulfed the red sun. I kissed her gently and warmly, holding her body close to mine, our heartbeats loud and rhythmic.

This officially kicked off our romantic getaway. Alexis wanted to be at the wheel, which gave me the perfect opportunity to go below deck and prepare some wine, cheese, and charcuterie for a nice evening drinking session.

I headed downstairs and fixed a tray filled with the fixings of a nice, romantic evening of drinking.

When I went above deck, I opened the lights I had fixed to create a nice ambiance. Alexis was already sitting by the deck-side table, staring into the sea and the darkening sky. Upon seeing me holding the tray, she lifted her hands to her face in shock.

“Is that a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Will! Those are extremely expensive!”

I couldn’t help but feel a little smug. I smiled at her and set the tray on the table. “I found a crate of those in the storage of my ship. Those were vintages when I bought them in Germany. This one’s from 1855. We have eleven more bottles below.”

“Jesus Christ!” Alexis said. “Do you realize how expensive these would be?”

“Ah, yes, but they’re not for sale. I want to drink them with you. There’s no price to be put on enjoying a nice vintage with a woman you love,” I said.

“You’re killing me,” Alexis said, putting her hands over her heart. “How on earth did you get those?”

“So, before the First World War, a lot of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape was sent to Burgundy in France to help with their wine-making. They would add this wine to their mixes to make the alcohol level stronger and to make the color redder. However, some of those bottles were never opened. So, a few years before the war, I happened to be in Burgundy when a fellow werewolf friend of mine gifted me these in return for me fixing his ship,” I said, taking the cork off the bottle to aerate the wine and letting the tannins mix.

“You know what amazes me about you? You’re filled with stories. Everything you do or say has a story behind it. That’s so enriching. I can’t even tell you. Sometimes I feel inadequate in the face of all your stories. I don’t even have any stories yet,” Alexis said.

“Together, we’ll write newer stories, stories that are better than the ones I have told you,” I said, pouring the wine into our glasses. “Meanwhile, help yourself to the assortments.” I pointed at the charcuterie tray.

“You went above and beyond,” Alexis said, helping herself to some cured meats. “Did you cook these yourself?”

“Kroeger’s,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “I was buying cheese when one of the shopkeepers said that they had cured meats too.”

“Kroeger’s is the best,” Alexis said.

“They really do have the best variety of things, don’t they? I spent two hours in that store last night,” I said. “They even half-convinced me to buy a smartphone.”

“One of these days, you’re going to have to get over your tech-phobia,” Alexis said, pairing the wine with the cheese.

We clinked glasses and drank together. The wine was exquisite. As it entered my mouth, an aroma gushed through me, and the mellowest flavor with earthy undertones greeted my palette. I drank it slowly to savor each sip.

“Tell me more about your life in Germany,” Alexis said. “In the movies, they show the German countryside to be so serene. Was it like that?”

“Plump cows used to graze in those meadows. Windmills turned in the slow wind. As far as the eye could see, there were green pastures studded with the oldest of trees. It’s no wonder that so many fantasy stories came out of Germany. It was truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. On the rural roads, horse-drawn carriages would deliver milk, hay, beer, and meats to the villages. People were kinder back then. Apolitical people, specifically. The Germany I remember was not yet permeated by Hitler’s sordid philosophy. Berlin and Munich might have fallen to the Nazi Propaganda, but the villages, where people’s hearts were pure, and they bore no ill will, thrived in secluded harmony. It was only until things took the most harrowing turn and things came to an abrupt change that we had to leave that country like so many other people who did not care for the war and the politics,” I said. Alexis had poured me another glass of wine while I talked, and I had been drinking it while talking. I now poured myself another glass and did the same for Alexis.

“Tell me what it was like being a werewolf back in those days,” Alexis asked, nibbling on cheese.

“The wolves…”