Recursion B.0.

RECURSION

B.0.

Olivia looks at her fiancé of over a year and asks: “Are you trying to back out on me?”

Joseph grins, shakes his head, and raises his hands in surrender, “No, of course not.”

They’re standing in front of the Hotel Recursion, an all inclusive resort, a retreat for couples to truly find their connection. Or something like that. The brochure was filled with vague promises about communication and intimacy and strengthening bonds. Olivia and Joe have no problem with the intimacy part of it, thank you, but they perhaps needed to test their bond a little. They’re in love, obviously, have decided to get married, eventually, when the time was right, what’s the big rush? A long engagement was good practice. Olivia for her part is impatient to get it over with, but nervous too, staring down a lifetime commitment to a single person and feeling a mild case of cold feet. Call them chilly toes. How could they possibly know at just twenty-five that they’d found the right person? That they’d truly found their best possible match? What if they got bored? Fell out of love? Joe knows he loves Olivia, knows he wants to be with her more than anything, forever even, but he’s terrified of consummating this awesome desire. Marriage took away options, cut away freedom, and he valued his independence… didn’t he? It was important to be strong, to be manly and self-reliant, and the depth of his need for Olivia was scary and weak. How could he need Olivia so badly and still be a man? How could she respect him? Was he too needy? Maybe coming to this retreat was what they needed to get past the last bit of uncertainty and take the plunge.

“I know it’ll be good for us,” Joe says, as much to himself as Olivia. He smiles at his wife-to-be: petite and red haired and slim. She was so clever and conscientious and calm, and if she thought a trip to the resort was prudent, then clearly it was.

Olivia grins with a blush and says: “If nothing else, it’ll be fun to spend some time alone together,” but thinks it will be lovely to build a lovenest and experiment a little. She eyes her honey blonde fiancé and his broad athletic body, and feels butterflies in her stomach. 

“Yeah,” Joe agrees, aware of his fiancée’s ardor, picturing her happily naked, hair loose, laughing, freckled shoulders, little breasts…

“Earth to Joseph,” Olivia sings, grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the entrance. “Time’s a-wasting…”

“Right…”

Hand-in-hand they walk through the door>>>