Sunburn and secrets

I stripped and hopped into the shower again, needing to wash the morning’s sweat, sun, dust and pollen off of me as well as washing the weariness of the travel off. As the water hit my skin, the lukewarm spray felt like a relief. It was the first time in a long time that I didn’t have to look after my shoulder. The freedom of moving without having to be careful or guard myself  felt like a weight was being lifted from me. I knew that I had more work to do with leaving the work of other governments behind me but Russia was my biggest adversary.

"Need some help with that?" Santi asked, stepping into the shower a few minutes later, the steam swirling around us in the small space.

I turned slightly, letting the water run down my tits briefly. "I think I can manage, but I won't say no to the company."

He reached out to touch my arm, intending to pull me close, but he paused. His eyes scanned the heat radiating from my back, noting the angry red hue.

"Deppgrl," he murmured as he leaned in and kissed the back of my neck, his breath warm against my damp skin. "You're really red. I don't think shower sex is something that would be good for your skin at the moment. Your skin is sensitive from that sunburn."

I chuckled and agreed, leaning my head back against his shoulder as the water ran over us. "I think you're right," I said. "It’s definitely not the time for that. As much as I’d like to, I think the friction might make me cry."

"Then let's just focus on getting you clean," he whispered, picking up the soap.

We took our time showering, enjoying the quiet proximity and the slick slide of soap over skin, and when we finally got out, we toweled off.

I threw on one of the casual outfits that I just purchased—linen shorts, a cotton shirt, and cute sandals. Santi dressed in jean shorts, a polo shirt, and sneakers. As we headed downstairs, we stopped at the desk and asked reception to have our bedding changed and the room cleaned.

"We can certainly do that for you," the clerk said, looking up from his ledger.

"If I gathered my clothing, would you wash those for me as well?" I asked.

"We would," the clerk replied, "but please add them to the bag that designates items are personal so they stay separate from the in-house laundry."

"I'll be right back down," I told Santi. I headed back up to the room to gather my clothing. Once I had everything, I tossed my clothing in the bag mentioned by the clerk. It was a tight squeeze, the fabric bulging against the drawstrings, but it was fine. I knew that some of my clothing was extra dirty and needed a thorough cleaning, but at the end of the day, I was grateful that my clothing was getting cleaned.

When I got back downstairs, Santi was waiting by the door. We decided to take a cab to a local museum. Even though we knew that the cabs didn’t have air conditioning, we were okay with that as the cabbies drove with the windows open in the summer which made the air a little cooler as we moved.

In no time, we arrived at the museum. We thanked the cabbie and paid him well, then entered the museum after paying an entrance fee. The air conditioning felt great on my burned skin, instantly taking the sting out of the heat. It was only a few dollars for each of us but since we both cherish museums and appreciate history, we paid a few dollars more.

"We want to pay a little bit extra in case someone can’t pay," I told the employee as I handed over the extra bills.

The museum employee looked surprised and grateful for the extra money and the employee was clearly thankful for it. They knew that there are some locals who come to the museum to get out of the heat and the cold but don’t have the money to enter.

Santi and I spent the next few hours in the museum and lost track of time. The museum had wonderful displays, it was well organized, and we were blown away with the artifacts that it held.

"Look at the detail on this," Santi said, pointing to a centuries-old carving. "It’s incredible it’s survived this well."

"It really is," I replied, though my mind was already shifting to my plan. I knew that I would step away from Santi—claiming to need to use the bathroom—but rather than heading there, I wanted to head back to the museum employees accepting payment to make a donation.

"I'll be right back," I told him. "I just need to find the restroom before we move to the next wing."

"No problem," Santi said, smiling. "I'll start looking at the colonial era exhibit."

I excused myself and headed back to the employees. I found the one that accepted the payment for Santi and I then explained to her what I would like to do. She was happy that I was making a donation.

"What is the largest donation amount you are aware of?" I asked her.

She said that it was two thousand Cuban pesos. I knew that was approximately equivalent to ninety-five dollars from many other countries. I looked at her and told her that I would like to donate forty-five thousand Cuban pesos—the equivalency was about one thousand nine hundred dollars from many other countries.

The employee was stunned, her mouth opening slightly as she processed the amount. She was incredibly grateful for the generosity.

“What name can I put down for the administration?” she asked. “They like to know who donated so they can send a thank you note."

"It’s an anonymous gift," I said, wary of the possible real reason why the administrators needed my name. “No note necessary.”

She nodded her head to acknowledge what I said. I smiled and thanked her after providing the money.

As I left her to head to the bathroom, I took out my phone and texted Sera, my spy friend and former lover. I knew at this point, I was asking for far too much.

"Hey, Sera. I know you know where I am. I just made a large cash donation at the museum. It’s heavily guarded with security cameras. Can you please do your magic and make me blurry for my most recent interaction with the staff?" I sent.

I waited by the sinks for a moment. The phone buzzed.

"Of course. Give me five to ten minutes. Cuba’s cameras are old technology and hard to manipulate but I’ll get it done for you. Elena sends her thanks for your generous gift that was delivered and released me from dog house. She said that you’re welcome to text us any time you need us," Sera replied.

I put my phone away, went to the bathroom, and headed back to where I left Santi. Once he saw me, he smiled, walked over, and kissed me.

"Did you miss me?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I did," he said, his voice warm, then kissed me again.

I smiled a little bit. I had some guilt, though. I was enjoying my time with Santi when Boris wanted to spend the time with me as well, and I did wonder why he wasn’t fighting Santi for time with me.

As we walked, I decided to ask Santi that. "Santi, why isn't Boris fighting you for time with me? It feels strange that he's just letting us have this time without an argument."

Santi slowed his pace, his expression turning thoughtful. "He realized that you were right, Deppgrl," he said quietly. "We both did. You’ve been through so much in such a short amount of time. Having confirmation twice now of who you truly are, it's a lot for anyone to process. He understands now that marriage to anyone isn't in your best interest at the moment."

I looked at him, surprised by the sudden clarity.

"Boris does love you very much," Santi continued. "He does want to marry you and have kids with you, eventually. But he knows that right now, you need space to breathe and just be. He’s willing to give you that space, though he did make one thing clear—he won't wait for you forever."

I nodded my head.