If you haven’t read January 10 yet, you can do so here.

If you stumbled onto this post by accident and haven’t read any of the other stories, head over to this post to find out more about this project.

“Yaz! If you don’t hurry up, there won’t be time to eat.” Pippa sprawled on the luxurious bed, already dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a black t-shirt. She’d been looking forward to the Margarita and Watercolor sunset painting class for days. 

“Is this outfit okay?” 

“Yes. Just like the other six outfits you’ve tried on.” The denim shorts had been fine, so had the summer dress. It was just a painting class after all. 

“You look beautiful,” Pippa added. 

“Thanks. Now, just let me finish my makeup and we can go,” Yas said.

“No, you look lovely. I’ll give you one minute. Then we’re leaving whether you’re ready or not. I’m starving,” Pippa paused. “Plus, there are margarita’s with both our names on.”

Yasmin dashed into the bathroom and Pippa pulled herself into an upright position. It had been a long few days of tours around Australia and she was glad to have had a full day at sea with nothing to do. Bliss. Somehow she was still exhausted. 

In truth, she gave Yasmin two minutes before sliding into the bathroom and slipping her arms around her waist from behind. 

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“You look beautiful. Now, can we go?” Yasmin sighed. 

“Yes fine. Let’s get you fed.”

“Thank god.”

The buffet was something of an affair. Almost anything Pippa could think of showed up at least once a week. Their departure from Darwin had brought on a bit of a fish themed day which wasn’t Pippa’s cup of tea. Thankfully, it was accompanied—as always—by a wide selection of other fare. Her hunger prompted her to pile her plate high with everything from shrimp—or prawns as the Australians liked to call them—to roasted vegetables. Yasmin followed along with a smaller plate piled almost entirely with vegetables.

“I thought you wanted to hurry?” Yasmin reminded her as they slipped into one of the few free tables. 

“Yeah, but I’m starving.”

“Well, don’t give yourself indigestion.” Pippa shoveled food in as if she hadn’t even heard her wife. 

There were already plenty of other women clustered in Ellen waiting for the class to start. Easels had been set up across the entire 280 degree view offering many options for viewing the sunset they were painting. Most of those options had already been taken leaving Pippa and Yasmin to grab two easels on the eastern side. The sun hadn’t yet dipped below the horizon but it was approaching it swiftly. Even on the eastern side the view was gorgeous. 

“What can I grab you to drink?” The pair had barely begun to admire the view when one of the staff approached.

“I think we’ll definitely take a couple of margaritas.”

“Certainly ma’am.”

“This is beautiful,” Yasmin said turning to Pippa.

“It’s amazing. We never get a chance to stop and look at the sunset at home. I forget how beautiful it is.”

She looked to the pile of paints set up between their easels, already her brain had begun thinking about the colors she’d need. Oranges and reds, yellows, but also purples and blues for the ocean, maybe some pink. The sun had started to fade quickly, many of the women around them had begun their paintings so Pippa followed their leads. 

She decided to start with the horizon, the bright yellow radiating out from the sun. Her brush swirled over the canvas easily leaving a neat yellow circle. She glanced across to Yasmin who still hadn’t picked up her paintbrush but stood watching Pippa with a lopsided grin on her face.

“You’re so cute when you concentrate.”

Pippa blushed. Somehow Yasmin still had the ability to take her breath away. 

“Don’t stop. I was enjoying watching you.”

Pippa blushed deeper but turned back to her canvas. She turned to the lighter oranges painting in a radius around the sun. Yasmin slipped in behind her and slid her arms around her waist. 

The heat from Yasmin’s body filled her, heating her like the sun. Lips pressed into the softest part of her neck, tracing the outline of her favorite gold pendant. A gift from Yasmin for their first wedding anniversary. 

Pippa moved onto the blood orange. She’d stopped thinking about what she was doing and started grabbing the next color on her palette, blending as best she could with the previous color. 

Yasmin’s tongue continued its exploration of Pippa’s neck and shoulders, one hand pressed flat against her stomach, the other caressing her hip in slow circular motions. 

They stayed like that for a long time while Pippa worked on her painting. Even as their drinks showed up and their condensation pooled on the little table.

The rest of the world faded away around them. All that remained was the sunset, the canvas and the two of them. 

“I wish we could do this every day,” Pippa whispered. She’d been adding tiny but totally unnecessary details to the painting for twenty minutes, she didn’t want the feeling to stop. 

“Me too.”

“Great. That’s decided, we’ll stay here forever.” Pippa leaned back into her wife, it had been too long since their relationship felt fresh and new again. It turned out all they needed was a year away from all their responsibilities and stress. Actually, it turned out a week was enough. Every day, Pippa felt more stress disappear from her body. Her shoulders felt looser, her chest finally felt free of anxiety. 

In that moment, she knew, Yasmin had been right. They needed this trip.

Read January 12 here

Thanks for reading! If you’d like even more Pride 365 including cool bonus stories, head over to Patreon and become a supporter.

If you’d like to keep up with Pride 365 and be notified when the ebooks and paperbacks go on sale, subscribe to this email list. If you’d like to see cute photos of my pets and hear about my life as well as new releases, subscribe to this email list.