“You know this is a public place, people could be watching or sneaking up on us.” Lorence whispered into his ears as his hands reached beneath her blouse.

“Why do you love me Lorence?” Jaden asked, and the unexpected question seemed to throw Lorence off balance. Her heart raced as she sought the right answer to tell him.

“Well, I have a secret. Do you remember all you did in that accident?” Lorence asked.

“Why are we talking about the accident again? What has it got to do with why you love me?” Jaden asked. Lorence sensed he did not like talking about the accident.

“I’m sorry, I have a memory of you from the accident that seemed to create a soft spot for you in my heart.” Lorence explained.

“Oh! What’s the memory?” Jaden asked.

“Split second after the impact, you were trying to shield and protect someone else instead of yourself.” Lorence answered.

“Really? I did that?” Jaden asked.

“Yes, and I loved that selfless act from you. At first I did not want to believe that was you being you, until we introduced each other to each other’s world, and I saw that was who you really are.” Lorence added, and kissed his lips.

“Wow! I’m touched, but would that be all?” Jaden asked.

“Oh no, I also love the fact that you understand me to some extent, and when you don’t, you make efforts to understand me, even if we may not agree on some opinions sometimes.” Lorence explained.

“I’m ready to learn new ways to love and understand you better. I know I have a lot to learn and unlearn, but please be patient with me. I really love you, and never want to deliberately hurt you.” Jaden said.

“I understand, and I know some things I say can be crazy sometimes, but I just need you to see from my point of view too, and I also need you to be patient too.” Lorence added.

“Let’s get away from the distractions so we can get to know each other better.” Jaden said.

“You mean a vacation?” Lorence asked.

“Yes, just the two of us, no calls from work and all. I feel there’s a lot we need to know about each other.” Jaden answered. Lorence was not sure whether she wanted a vacation or not, and so she was not quite sure how she would respond to his request.

“It sounds like a beautiful idea, but the only thing between me and jumping at the idea is my job.” Lorence added.

“I understand; I just thought it would be good to change our environment for a bit.” Jaden answered. Lorence thought about the idea briefly, and she thought she would discuss it with her friends first before reaching her decision.

“Okay, let me sleep on it. I’ll let you know my decision.” Lorence answered.

Lorence thought about Jaden’s vacation proposition, and she had mixed feelings about it. Being away from the distractions seemed like a good idea, but those distractions were already an integral part of her life; they gave her mind different things to think about, and they also contributed to keeping alive her hope for a better world.

“So what did you tell him?” Charlotte asked when Lorence told them about the proposed vacation.

“I wanted to hear your opinions first before making my decision.” Lorence answered.

“Sometimes I think I know you, and then other times you do stuff and I wonder if I really know you.” Charlotte said.

“What did I do wrong?” Lorence asked, seemingly confused.

“The question is what didn’t you do? And I will tell you. You should have accepted it there and then. You both have serious discussions to have, and there’s no better time to have the discussions than on a vacation.” Margie answered.

“If you do not want to go, I can go on your behalf though. I need some vacation.” Charlotte said.

“Charlotte! That’s not a nice thing to say to your friend.” Margie said.

“I don’t like him anyway, but I’ll gladly accept that vacation.” Charlotte added.

“Charlotte, I think you are over reaching here.” Lorence said, beginning to get upset over Charlotte’s attitude.

“No, you’re not living according to your own standards and principles, and it is affecting your reasoning and judgment. You went through therapy because your mental and emotional health experienced a meltdown after the last breakup; a breakup that would have been avoided if you did not build the relationship on assumptions. Here you are again, towing the same path, and then you get an opportunity to go on vacation so you both can have all the alone time in the world to really discuss about the present and future, so you both know where you stand, but here you are, coming to ask us to tell you no or what exactly?” Charlotte said.

“Wow! Bringing my past up to use as points against me? How convenient.” Lorence replied angrily.

“Okay, let's just take deep breaths and calm down.” Margie said.

“I’m not going to do that emotional blackmail stuff with you, and for the records, I’m never speaking to you again about your relationships.” Charlotte said as she stuffed her ears with her earpieces and walked out. Lorence was livid; deep down she knew Charlotte was right, but she was upset at her bluntness.

“That escalated so fast.” Margie added.

“Why does she always think she can talk to me that way?” Lorence asked.

“Well, maybe because you come off as being that way, I don’t know.” Margie answered.

“Are you taking sides with her?” Lorence asked?

“Taking sides? Is there some competition between you two that I don’t know about? Look, we are friends, and the least we can do is understand each other, tolerate each other’s flaws, and not allow each other to walk into what looks like a pit. Charlotte loves you more than you know, and she wept so many times when you were in your dark place, because she just did not know how to pull you out without taking time, she did not like the fact that you were hurting so deeply and there was barely anything we could do to make you happy or look on the brighter side. She’s deeply hurt that you’re not handling the relationship like you should.” Margie explained, and it had an immediate effect on Lorence; her countenance changed, and she felt sad that her actions were hurting her friend.

“I guess I have been a terrible friend, I’ll just go and apologize to her.” Lorence said.

“That’s the right thing to do.” Margie said with her smile.

“Thank you Margie, you’re just amazing.” Lorence added, as she hugged Margie.

“Go and do what you have to do. I can wager she’s crying somewhere.” Margie said with a chuckle.

Lorence went to where Charlotte was and found her wiping the tears from her eyes; she was touched and moved to tears too. She hugged Charlotte and both of them were silent for a while, each trying hard not to let the tears out.

“I’m sorry. I really am.” Lorence whispered, as she tried to stifle the tears.

“Me too. I don’t want you to go through the pain you went through the last time.” Charlotte said, as she wiped her eyes again.

“I know, I know. Thank you for always being there for me. I know I may act irrationally sometimes, but I’m grateful for having you and Margie as friends. I will not trade friendship for anything.” Lorence added.

“Margie is the real angel, I really wish I was like her.” Charlotte said.

“She always knows the right things to say to make you feel good. She is awesome.” Lorence added.

“So I’m getting ice cream from you both then. You both cannot say good stuff about me without backing it up with some good deeds as offerings to an angel like me.” Margie said from behind them. They turned to find Margie grinning at them and nodding.

“How long have you been standing there?” Charlotte asked.

“From the moment she hugged you and whispered she was sorry.” Margie answered.

“You sneaky -” Lorence was saying.

“Angel, the word is angel. Angels don’t make grand appearances though, so we just love to keep things simple and quiet.” Margie answered.

“Come here!” Charlotte said, pulling Margie for a hug.

“You still owe me ice cream though.” Margie.

Lorence was glad that there was no bad blood between her and her friends, and she was more grateful for the fact that she had a support system that was looking out for her and ensuring that she did not get involved in something that could hurt her. She remembered how devastated it was for her when her ex broke the news to her that they could not continue together because even though they found common ground about other things, they both wanted different things and could not compromise their wants for each other.

She knew she had to tread with caution with Jaden, and that meant that away from the romance they were enjoying, they needed to have some deep conversations about their relationship and what possible future there could be for both of them. “Jaden, we are going on that vacation.” she mused.

Jaden told his friends about the vacation he intended to go on with Lorence, and they were shocked to hear it, because they knew their friend was not one to love vacations.

“I cannot remember the last time I heard you mention a vacation.” Mark said.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brian asked.

"Guys come on! Things change, people change, lifestyles change, change never stops." Jaden answered.

"Well, you have a point, but you're going with a lady you just met, and not us or even me." Mark said.

"Why would he want to go with you though? He's tolerating you because we are here. You need to learn to put a leash on your tongue Mark." Jimmy answered.

"What did I say wrong?" Mark asked.

"Guys, I have decided not to allow business meetings, tons of paperwork and emails, and countless sleepless nights brainstorming, to prevent me from living a good life. If I die at this moment, life would go on." Jaden answered.

"So do we get to tag along? You need us three musketeers to watch and protect you." Brian asked.

"No, I'm going with Lorence, we need some quality alone time to get to know each other better." Jaden answered.

"It's alright Jaden, do what you have to do. We've got your back, and do let us know where you are, just in case there's an emergency." Jimmy added.

"You sure you don't want one of us around? Just in case you need another friend to talk to." Mark asked.

"I'll be fine. You guys can have fun here. We'll only be gone a few weeks." Jaden answered.

"So when are you leaving? And where's the destination?" Brian asked.

"I have no idea, I'm waiting for Lorence to accept or decline before I make the plans." Jaden answered.

"Wow! This was really all your idea. I thought she put you to it though. In all honesty, I thought the lifestyle change thing was all her idea." Mark added.

Jaden was not quite sure what Lorence's answer would be, and even though he hoped she would agree to the vacation, being the type of principled lady that she was, he half-expected her to turn the request down, or perhaps stall it. He was used to using his charm and wealth to get whatever he wanted, but it wasn't working on Lorence, and that was one of the reasons he loved her; she was not moved by his wealth. She was so different from the type of ladies he was used to, and so he was ready to go the extra mile to make her happy, since she was asking nothing of him other than he understands and loves her unconditionally.

Jaden wanted to be there for her at all times; he wanted to be her peace, happiness and safety, and he believed the vacation would make her loosen up a bit so he could get to know her better, and understand how she wanted to be loved.

"Hey babe!" Jaden said over the phone as he picked a call from Lorence.

"Hi babe! Are you good?" Lorence asked.

"Oh yeah I'm good, and hearing your voice even makes it better." Jaden said excitedly, and her laughter made him just want to be by her side watching her laugh and feel good.

"So, when are we leaving?" Lorence asked.

"Leaving?" Jaden asked.

"Yes, the vacation." Lorence answered.

"Whoop! Whoop!! I'll start making the plans right away, and will revert soon. You're simply the best; the best I ever had. I love you with everything, Lorence." Jaden said excitedly.

"I love you J. Do let me know what you come up with. I've got to run along now. Bye!" Lorence said before she hung up.

Jaden could not contain his excitement as he thought about the wonderful time they would spend together, and how it would help them bond better and become stronger. Immediately, he started placing calls to get everything set, because he wanted them to leave before Lorence would change her mind and cancel the plans.

He wanted to make the vacation the best one for Lorence, and even though he knew she loved the simple things, Jaden wanted to make it a vacation to remember. He checked the different destinations, and realized he needed to know what she would love too, so as to avoid sidelining her opinions about the vacation.

“Hey babe, quick one: what’s your idea of a vacation?” Jaden asked.

“Just you, me, and nature. No noise, no distractions.” Lorence answered.

“Sweet!” Jaden answered.

“Thank you for reaching out to me first and finding out what I would prefer. What’s your taste if I may ask?” Lorence asked.

“Your taste is just perfect for me.” Jaden answered.

He knew just the right place to go for the vacation; some years ago he had purchased a private beach property because he intended to renovate and resell, but even after renovating and making it better than it was formerly, he decided to hold on to the property and watched as the price kept appreciating. He was happy that he didn’t sell it.

Jaden put a call through to get the property prepared for him and Lorence’s arrival, because according to what Lorence said she wanted, it was just the perfect spot to be away from the hassle and noise of the world around them.

The date to depart New York for Jaden’s beach house in Florida finally came; they said their goodbyes to their friends and made their way into the airport. Few minutes later, they were up in the sky enroute their vacation destination. Jaden and Lorence were excited about their first trip together, and anyone who saw them said they looked good together. He made sure she was very comfortable on the two hour trip to Florida. When the aircraft taxied to the runway and began the takeoff run, Lorence noticed that Jaden shut his eyes, muttered some words and did the sign of the cross. “That’s a weird thing to do.” She thought to herself, and she always found it amusing that people believed in stories about ghosts and phantoms, and then attributed reverence to what she thought were fairy tales. “Imagine me muttering a prayer to the tooth fairy or tinkerbell or some other fairy that religion refers to as a god. That’s crazy.” She mused and smiled, but the smile faded away when she realized Jaden was staring at her.

“Do I look funny? It must be the shirt, I told Matthew that I did not like this shirt.” Jaden said.

“Oh no, it’s not you or the shirt. I must say it looks really good on you, Matthew has good taste.” Lorence said, not sure if it was a good idea to talk about religion, because she already knew that they had divergent views about the subject.

“Okay, so why were you staring at me and smiling?” Jaden asked.

“I was not really staring at you, it was more like staring at you, but getting lost in space.” Lorence said.

“Alright then. May I pour your wine?” Jaden asked

“Yes please. You treat me like a queen, and I’m scared you may end up spoiling me.” Lorence commented as Jaden poured her a glass of wine on the plane.

“Because you are a queen and deserve to be treated like one. I feel like I am not doing enough, and that’s because I’m not allowed to surprise you without spoiling the surprise first by asking you about it.” Jaden explained.

“You are doing more than I deserve. About the surprises, with time we’ll understand each other better, and know just the perfect surprises to give each other.” Lorence answered with a smile and a wink.

“You my dear Lorence are pretty. Wow!” Jaden commented as he sat back to admire her.

“That’s why you’re hooked.” She laughed.

Jaden stared at her for a while trying to decipher the type of person she really was, but the more he tried, the more the realization hit him that he barely knew her. He had questions to ask, but he was not certain how Lorence would react to the questions, and he did not want to spoil the precious moments they were enjoying together. He believed that as long as it was God that brought them together, then every other thing would fall in place, and so there was no need for him to worry. He looked forward to unraveling the mystery of the woman seated opposite him.

Jaden knew there was more to Lorence than the little he barely knew, and he had resolved within himself that no matter how long it took, he was going to take his time to get to know her better. He believed that the spontaneity would come the moment they connected deeper, and he was hopeful that the weeks away from the distractions of work, friends and activities would help them connect more, because he had the deep seated feeling that she was still being uptight.

The two hours flight felt like it was only a couple of minutes, because they were having some interesting but lighthearted conversations, and they were oblivious of the time until the pilot announced that they were approaching the airport.

The moment they stepped into Jaden’s beach house, Lorence knew her stay there would be a very memorable one, even if she was not quite certain whether the memories would be good or painful. She decided she was going to do nothing but make pleasant memories while hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Jaden showed her around, and she loved the extent he had gone to make sure that their stay would be a favorable one; because Jaden had ensured that everything had been taken care of such that there would be no need for them to ever leave the house or the beach.

“You took care of everything, including supplies that can last months, are we expecting a zombie apocalypse?” Lorence asked sarcastically.

“I take every mission seriously.” Jaden answered.

“This place is beautiful. I love the view of the sea.” Lorence said excitedly, and Jaden was pleased that he had made her excited.

There was a chef and a housekeeper, and so Lorence and Jaden did not need to bother about anything at all. They walked down to the beach to take in the beautiful sight of the sea as it rocked back and forth with different sizes of waves. Oftentimes, Lorence marveled at the beautiful things that nature made available for humans to enjoy, and wondered why humans evolved from enjoying nature’s beautiful wonders to becoming the vile creatures that hated each other and always sought dominance and territoriality when everybody could co-habit and be at peace with each other.

“Really beautiful.” Jaden said.

“Everything was beautiful the way nature made them, but humans had to come and mess everything up.” Lorence added.

“Even God regretted creating humans at some point.” Jaden said.

“God?” Lorence asked. “I think this is the point where I need to burst this bubble.” Lorence thought to herself.

“I know you don’t believe in the existence of God, and that’s fine, it is no one’s place to force anyone to believe in what they don’t want to believe.” Jaden answered with a smile. Lorence felt defeated even before she could put up a defense; it felt like Jaden knew when she was about to go off, and balanced off her thoughts or opinions in order to avoid confrontations.

“That’s very correct. I am curious though, why would anyone decide to believe in fairytales to the point that they become fanatics?” Lorence asked, hoping the question would get Jaden to talk more about why he had chosen religion, but he just looked out at the ocean and smiled.

“People believe in what works for them. No matter how argumentative we want to get about the existence and non-existence of God, it won’t negate the fact that there is a higher force responsible for mysteries we will never be able to solve, and also responsible for these beauties you see around.” Jaden explained calmly. Lorence was not about to back down, even though she knew there was no possibility of them getting a common ground on the subject.

“These beauties are nature’s works, and not some fairytale personality. The land, the sea, flowers, trees, etc. they are all nature's works, so I don’t see your point.” Lorence defended.

“So what part of nature brought us together? Knowing that we are two different individuals with different views about life, and knowing that we have so much to learn, unlearn, and relearn? Why did your nature and my God pick the two of us? Don’t you see, we can talk about the same things in different ways and arrive at the same conclusions, and one of them is that we need each other to learn about aspects of life we may not have paid attention to.” Jaden added, as he held Lorence’s hands and kissed her lips. Lorence was not about to let herself fall for his charm yet again.

"So, what do you think about the government? What are your general views?" Lorence asked.

"I believe that it should be a small government, and they should have a minute involvement in civilian business, yeah they can help the people succeed in their ways, without intervening too much. The high taxes are there to make it difficult for the working class to climb the ladder. What's your opinion? Jaden asked.

"I don't agree with you though. I believe the world needs big governments that are big on social care, and are ready to help the people no matter the condition. I'm shocked that you would think otherwise." Lorence said, and was about to say another thing when Jaden kissed her neck. Like clockwork, Lorence’s defense dropped, and she gave in to the kiss, because had no idea what to say to uphold her argument. She was not sure if they would ever revisit the conversation about religion, but one thing was certain; at that moment all she cared about was the way his kisses made her crave him more. “At this rate, I don’t know if I will ever win an argument between us.” she thought to herself, as he lifted her and took her inside.

After a good time together, they lay in bed staring at each other and smiling like kids that had just eaten the best candies they had ever gotten.

“You know there’s so much we don’t know about each other.” Lorence said as she stroked his hair.

“Yes, and that's why we are here.” Jaden answered.

“I would really love for us to have those deep conversations where we talk about life, us, the present, and the future.” Lorence added.

“I totally agree with you.” Jaden added.

“But you have a way of making me lose focus when we are having such conversations and you just kiss me.” Lorence said.

“Do I?” Jaden asked sarcastically, and with a smirk playing across his face.

“I know we both want to make the most of our time here to create pleasant memories, but we also need to talk.” Lorence explained.

“That’s right, and we are talking. I totally love it.” Jaden added, and kissed her again. This time Lorence pushed him over and sat astride him, as she began to kiss him.

“No, this time, I want to control the pace of this.” Lorence whispered seductively in Jaden’s ears as nibbled on his ear and kissed him.

Away from getting carried away by the exploration of the sensualities of their bodies, they agreed to talk more about sensitive issues, and in having those conversations, they discovered that they had divergent opinions about so many things, and even though they sought ways to reach an agreement on some issues, there were just some areas that remained grey for both of them.

The vacation was an eye-opener for Jaden and Lorence, because they learned new things about each other, and even though they had divergent opinions about different things, their souls yearned for each other, and so with each passing day, they learned to tolerate the opinions that they could not accept, and respect each others views. They had come to the conclusion that they needed each other in order to learn new lessons about life and living from their different perspectives.

When they got back from the vacation, they went back to the lives they lived before the vacation, but this time with more information about each other, and better understanding about how to treat each other with respect to their different views and ideology.

“I am ready to do all I can to make this work, even if it may not be easy for any of us, but I just need to know that you are on the same page with me.” Jaden said when they arrived at the airport in New York.

“Yeah, it may not be easy, but as long as you do not drop the energy below redemption, I’ll be able to pull through. However, I need you to remember that being in a relationship with someone who has so many divergent views and opinions isn’t something I’m used to, and so there may be times when I slip.” Lorence said.

“Fair enough. We will do this as a team. Team work makes the dream work.” Jaden added, and Lorence affirmed with a hug.

Lorence was not quite convinced about the direction of the relationship, but she was certain that Jaden loved her. However, that uncertainty seemed to make her think of their differences a lot, and sometimes it made her wonder if she was making a mistake with some of the decisions she had made concerning herself, her life, and her affection towards Jaden. She knew she loved him, but she was not sure whether she loved him for who he was or loved him because of the way he treated her like she was royalty. She could not understand how she loved him more with each passing day, even though they had conflicting interests. She wanted to tread carefully with her thoughts, because she did not want to self-sabotage the relationship, and jeopardize the ember that was growing between them.

“I love him, but I feel like I am withdrawing myself from loving him with everything.” She said to Margie.

“Did he act up or do anything stupid?” Margie asked.

“Oh no. He’s a great guy, he’s patient too and wants this to work.” Lorence explained.

“Why do you say that, like you both had a fight? Was there a fight between you two?” Margie asked.

“No there was none, and this is not really about him, rather it is about me. Yes we have contrasting opinions about so many things, but he’s looking way past those and seeing good attributes in me that even I do not see in myself.” Lorence explained.

“So, what’s the problem?” Margie asked.

“I love him dearly, no doubts, but deep down there is this concern about our compatibility and if we will be able to survive the test of time because some of our deep seated ideologies conflict.” Lorence answered.

“I figure you discussed a lot with each other. It is valid to feel the way you feel, but you need to check your thoughts, so you do not end up being like me that ruined the best relationship I ever had, just because I started nursing negative thoughts that were not even real.” Margie explained.

“Yeah, I don’t want to self-sabotage the beautiful thing we have going on for us. I used to think it would be very easy for people of divergent opinions to love each other without being in each other’s hair, but I think I was wrong, because it takes a lot for us to actually tread this path.” Lorence added.

“One thing I have noticed about successful relationships is that it takes two people who are ready to go the extra mile to make it work, and that includes two people with different views about life. There is always a place for seeing life through the eyes of the other person. Sometimes you need to drop your ideologies and try to understand a situation from the other person’s point of view; that's what empaths do.”Margie explained further. Lorence thought about herself, and if she had really taken time out to really see Jaden’s views from his perspective, or whether she had always wanted to argue her standpoint so that he could accept it as what she felt it was.