For the sake of readers who have trouble imagining a Second Life relationship, let me describe one day in ours.
In RL, the sun crept through my bedroom window early, splashing across my bed and nudging me awake. As I opened my eyes, memory of the night before brought a smile. Rolling out of bed, I crossed the room to the computer screen, and saw my avatar still nestled in Jonah’s arms, in our bed in the house on the beach. I heard the sound of gentle surf lapping on the sand in that virtual world, and the gauzy white curtains swayed as a soft ocean breeze stole through the open windows. It was easy to imagine the balmy sea air caressing my skin, feel the delicious languour of sleeping in a lover’s arms.
Jonah, who was one time zone behind me, had not yet stirred in RL, so I went to shower and dress. A few minutes later I returned and sat down at the computer with breakfast. Good morning, baby, I typed, leaving the message on the screen so that when he woke up he would know that I, too, had risen. I smiled when the response popped right up. Hi Precious, I’m awake, he wrote, and drew me into a warm embrace and a sleepy morning kiss. We stayed pleasantly entangled in bed for a few minutes, talking about the day ahead. We both worked from home, which allowed us to steal moments together during the workday. I need to hit the gym, and then run to a client meeting, he said, but then I’ll come back, and we can be together while we work, okay, lover?
That sounds perfect, baby, I said. I have a lot to do this morning, but I’ll be right here. I kissed him tenderly, then watched his avatar vanish as he logged off. Rising from the bed, I dressed in a bikini, pulled a diaphanous sarong over it, and wandered downstairs and out onto the beach. As I finished my breakfast in RL, where I was clad less alluringly in t-shirt and jeans, in SL I stood in my Bali bikini on the virtual beach, listening for a few minutes to the surf and the cries of seagulls, watching the sun rise and fill the sky with pink and gold. Then I turned my attention to my workday, with the beach in the background on my computer.
Shortly before noon, a soft chime alerted me to Jonah’s return. My heart leapt with joy, and I left my email for a moment, bringing the Second Life screen to the front to see my incredibly handsome man walking across the beach toward me. I couldn’t get you out of my mind all morning, he chuckled. Mmmm, you look good, baby. He kissed me passionately, and wasted little time before leading me to a private nook and treating us to a little quickie nooner. Then we nestled on a chaise lounge on the veranda, cuddling in SL, while in RL we each returned to our work, popping in to SL from time to time to steal a quick hello.
At the end of the workday, I came back to SL to find Jonah building. He was putting an addition on one end of the house where he’d be able to dock a sailboat. I stood in the shade under nearby palm trees, watching. Jonah was an incredible builder. When I build, I have to plan everything out with sketches and measurements. He had an uncanny ability to just do it by eye, and the results were always ten times better than mine or nearly anyone else’s. We chatted as I watched teak and bamboo turn into a veranda adjoining a small dock. When it was ready, he rezzed his sailboat at the end of the dock, where it was close to the house, but easy to pilot out onto the open water. I could hear the sound of the water lapping against the hull of the boat, see the ocean breeze nudging the lush tropical grasses sheltering the walkway. Maybe it was just a boat dock, but it was so beautifully designed, so evocative, my heart swelled with appreciation for his gifts, his creativity, his desire to make a good life for us to share. To celebrate the completion of the dock, we hopped on to the sailboat, and sailed around the tropical islands where we lived. We laughed and joked as we cruised the virtual sea, then pulled back into our lovely dock.
I have to run and get dinner, he typed. But will you meet me a little later? I smiled. Of course, lover, I replied. I have to run some errands and do a few things here, but I should be back before too long. We kissed, and both logged out of the virtual world for the time being. I was intrigued. What did he have planned?
Later in the evening I logged back in to find that Jonah was online already, but not at the house. An IM from him pinged onto my screen. Hi baby, he greeted me. I’ll be there in a few minutes, just taking care of something. Get dressed up, okay? Let’s go dancing. That sounded wonderful, and I told him so. Hmm, what to wear? Paging through my ample closet, I finally decided on a slender, dark red gown by Last Call, in a softly draped silk brocade with off-the-shoulder lace neckline and sleeves. Black suede peep-toe sandals with a subtle silver trim were a good match. A sensual up-do and a single strand of pearls highlighted my bare shoulders and completed the look: softly romantic, understated, elegant. I was ready for whatever surprise Jonah had in store.
Soon he sent a teleport, and I joined him at our favorite ballroom, where he was waiting for me, looking so handsome in his classic tux. We both enjoyed dancing in SL, and occasionally went to a jazz club, Latin dancing, or kicked back at a blues joint. But tonight was for romantic elegance. Under the stars in the open air ballroom, we swayed to vintage big band tunes. His charm captivated me as his arms encircled me and drew me close for a slow dance. I was in heaven. Leaning forward, his lips nuzzled my ear, and I shivered. I want to take you somewhere more private, he whispered. Breathlessly, I nodded. Wait just a moment, he breathed, and I’ll send for you. He kissed me then vanished.
A few seconds later, he teleported me to a place I did not know. As I materialized, I looked around to see where we were. A waterfall spilled over the edge of a high cliff overlooking the ocean. We stood on a small plateau just below, where the water cascaded into a rocky pool before falling the rest of the way down the cliff. The night sky sparkled with a million stars. Jonah held out his hand with a smile. I took it, returning the smile, and let him draw me close. Soft music blended with the waterfall’s sound, and we slow danced there on the cliff’s edge, seemingly suspended in the starry sky. I saw and felt his hands caressing my back, and shivered softly, leaning into him. His hands slid down to my ass and he pulled my body against his. I yielded willingly, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing up against him, leaning up for a kiss.
Come, Jonah said, and led me down into the pool. The virtual silk of my gown was safe, but it was as if I could feel the cool water rising up my legs as we waded in. Jonah pulled me into a passionate kiss directly under the waterfall, the spray showering around us as he lifted me to him. I saw that the cascading water hid part of the pool behind the falls. Stepping through the waterfall, we found ourselves in a very private small grotto. Jonah had prepared the place for us. We kissed, standing waist deep in the pool, peeling off our elegant clothes to savor the imagined sensation of skin upon skin. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist; he moved to the edge of the pool, so that I was sitting on a rocky ledge, dangling my legs in the water. There, we made love, long and slow, until at last we collapsed in each other’s arms, joyously exhausted.
Afterward, cradled together bathing in the secret pool, the stars sparkling through the curtain of the waterfall, we held each other, talking softly, intimately. Finally, reluctantly, we pulled on our clothes and teleported home. We said goodnight as our avatars nestled together in bed, spooning comfortably. Knowing that 1500 miles away, Jonah was doing the same, I rose from the computer, went to my RL bed, and fell asleep dreaming of one perfect day.
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