The Sauna Part 291

We’d spent the night making love like there’d be no tomorrow, but here it was anyway as the sunshine poured through the window and we greeted the day. Jon pulled me closer and nuzzled his face in my neck, tickling my sensitive skin with his whiskers. I closed my eyes tighter, trying to deny it was morning and time for our eventual separation.

“Babe, we should get up” Jon murmured without any enthusiasm.

“I know, but not yet” I coaxed back.

Jon nodded, holding me tighter, as we snuggled together for the very last time before we faced the inevitable. Twenty minutes went by before either of us spoke and I finally resigned myself to the fact that I couldn’t stall any longer.

“Okay, let’s do this now before I totally lose my nerve” I announced with a deep breath.

We rose from the bed and made our way into the shower where we washed one another with ritual attention to detail. It was as though I was trying to memorize every detail; my mind taking snapshots of every scene for later recall. We didn’t speak as there weren’t any words and I was determined not to break down in tears. It was only a brief separation and I kept trying to remind myself of that fact.

“It won’t be long, babe. The tour will be over soon and I’ll be home and we can spend lazy days all alone together. In a few weeks, you’ll be sick of me and wish I was back on the road” he said softly, echoing my own thoughts after a fashion.

“And you’ll be pacing the house, restless and anxious to move on to the next project” I smiled thinly, knowing we were both lying.

“The cats will be glad to have you all to themselves for a little while. I know Floyd won’t be too thrilled to see me” Jon smirked.

“Don’t kid yourself-they miss you too” I grinned, but I had to admit that he was probably right about Floyd.

We stepped out of the shower and toweled off and I began packing my suitcase with whatever items I wouldn’t still need to get ready. I pulled on my jeans and a light sweater and I was leaning over the sink, applying my make-up, when Jon slipped his arms around my waist and brushed my neck with a kiss. I straightened up and smiled at him in the mirror.

“I have something for you, darlin’. Close your eyes” he whispered softly.

I did as he asked and I felt him slip something around my neck as he brushed my hair to the side.

“Okay, open your eyes” he purred.

I opened my eyes and looked at our reflection in the mirror. Lying at the base of my throat, attached to a thin leather cord, was a frosty blue pendant made from what appeared to be beach glass. There was something written on it in shimmering silver letters, but I couldn’t make out what it said until I leaned closer towards the mirror.

“My Love, Always” was scrawled in Jon’s very own hand.

“Oh, Jon, it’s beautiful! How? Where?” I asked as I turned to kiss him.

“I found it on the beach during one of our stops to rest and I thought it was pretty. I asked one of the staff here if they could manage to find someone who could turn it into a necklace and I borrowed the pen from the front desk” he grinned. “I don’t know if the marker is permanent, but the feeling certainly is.”

My eyes glistened with tears as I hugged him against me, completely relinquishing my resolve not to cry. No matter how well I knew Jon, he still managed to surprise me with his thoughtfulness and creativity. He never ceased to amaze me.

“I’m glad you like it. Even if I’m not always there, my love is. You’re always in my heart, baby” he breathed in my ear.

“Oh Jon, I love you so much. You make me so happy. I …” I babbled, giving in to the tears as I clung to his chest.

“There, there, darlin’. It’s okay” he said, stroking my back and soothing me with his strength like he would do for a frightened child.

My tears finally subsided and I kissed him, lingering long on his lips, as time seemed to stand still. There was a loud knock on the door, followed by the sound of Richie’s voice as he bellowed from the adjoining parlor.

“C’mon you two! Rise and shine! Breakfast is waiting!” his voice broke through our trance.

We smiled at each other and with one final kiss, we opened the door and joined Richie, Jim, Hugh and the rest of the guys who were all waiting. Eva and Elena were there too, looking a bit haggard, and I guessed that they both had been well-loved last night by their men. We followed the group out to the terrace where we were greeted with a mouth-watering farewell buffet.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but the tantalizing display of fresh fruit and cheese, warm breads and eggs florentine, accompanied by the aroma of fresh coffee soon sparked my appetite. Eva and I were flying out in just a few hours, but Elena was taking a later flight this afternoon. The guys would all be leaving late in the evening and they planned to spend much of their flight to Japan asleep on the plane. Tico and Jon were accompanying Eva and I on the helicopter ride to the airport, while the rest would be attending to last minute packing and details.

“Trish, any chance I could talk you into staying with me in Florida for a few days before you head back to Colorado? It would break up the long flight a little bit” Eva coaxed.

“I’d love to, Eva, really I would, but I’m anxious to get home and get settled and take care of some business that’s waiting” I declined. “Would you consider coming with me to Colorado? You could see the new house and I found some great places to shop…” I suggested, dangling the bait.

“Oh no, you said the magic word! Damn, we’re in trouble now, bro” Tico nudged Jon.

“Really? Are you sure, Trish?” Eva beamed, the wheels turning already.

“I’d love it! C’mon, it’ll be fun” I cooed with enthusiasm.

“You got yourself a house guest then” she agreed as she gave Tico a wicked smile.

“Sorry, man. I just didn’t see that one coming” Jon winked at Tico as he shrugged his shoulders with mock helplessness.

We finished our breakfast and headed back to our rooms to finish the packing and soon the time had arrived to finally start saying goodbye. Everyone was assembled in the lobby for a final send off and Eva and I made the rounds, hugging everyone as the staff loaded our bags into the car for the short ride to the heliport.

I hugged Hugh and assured him I’d give Alice his love before moving on to Dave and Elena. I’d never seen Dave look more content and I said so and Elena blushed in response. I knew there’d be some logistics to work through, but I had little doubt that it wouldn’t be long before Elena was packing her bags and moving to Jersey. I also knew that this wouldn’t be our last trip to New Zealand and I suspected that the kiwis would never be neglected again on future tours.

Jim moved in next and gave me a hug and a squeeze as he whispered jokingly in my ear.

“Hey, just make sure my room is ready when the tour’s over” he grinned.

I laughed and assured him he was always welcome to visit, but I knew he was planning to go out and stay with Richie for a while after the tour was over. I wasn’t too sure where things stood between him and Cherie and I suspected he wasn’t sure either. That was another thing I wanted to follow up on once I got home. I hadn’t heard much from her, only an occasional phone call here and there, and whenever I’d returned her calls, she didn’t seem able to talk very long and Cherie didn’t do email. I knew she was still seeing her counselor, but when I had prodded her about Jim, she seemed somewhat evasive.

Next came the hardest goodbye next to Jon. Richie. He swept me up in a great big bear hug and kissed me heartily on the lips. Jon gave a mock scowl while the others hooted and howled, but it all was a show to try and avoid the real pain we both felt. It was hard to imagine life without Richie, but I knew we had to return to our everyday lives. I just wasn’t sure exactly what that really was. My life with Jon had so far been anything but “everyday”.

“Hey, I’ll see you again pretty soon. I know you’re planning something for Jon’s birthday and you can always call me or email me, you know” Richie whispered. “And I’ll call you if Jon’s asshole shows up in the next couple of weeks!” he said a bit louder.

“Hey! I’ve got my asshole right here. It’s name is Sambora!” Jon retorted and we all laughed.

“I’ll be okay, doll. Don’t you worry about me now. Jim’s coming to California to stay with me for a while, so I’ve got a babysitter” Richie smiled softly.

“I’m still gonna miss you, ya big jerk” I smiled, hiding my sadness as I pinched his arm.

“Hey, playing arm, remember!” he reminded me with a laugh. “I’ll miss you too, Trish” he said, finally serious for a moment.

I hugged him again and bit back my tears as Jon looked at his watch and cleared his throat. It was time to leave. We all waved goodbye as we crowded into the jeep and headed off to the heliport.