Bali Awakening: A Wife's Secret Affair

As Sarah disembarked from the airplane, the warm humidity of Bali enveloped her like a lover's breath, the salty and frangipani-scented air a promise of secrets she had not dared to believe in years.

She squinted against the bright sky and felt the sundress she wore cling lightly to her body from the long flight.

At age thirty-five, Sarah still drew eyes--her curves rounded by the trip of habits, but still distinctly inviting, her auburn hair tousled in a way that suggested some sort of delightful abandon.

But more often of late, in the polished surface of her Chicago apartment, she saw only the lines of fatigue, the gentle slope of shoulders worn from days of habit.

Ahead of them, Mark, her husband of twelve years, took their luggage, already glancing down to the messages on his phone, thumbs tapping out a symphony of missed emails.

The kids, Emma and Jake, raced ahead, waving frantically as they excitedly shouted about the beach and their two-week rental villa.

A family vacation--as if that would rekindle sparks.

At the time she booked it, nearly six months ago, she at least hoped it would be fun--even if the sparks were not kindled about anything more than good time--during one of her wine-induced late nights of scrolling through travel sites for ideas.

"Mom...look at that water!" Emma squealed and pointed toward the glimpses of turquoise blue peeking through the open-air terminal where they were standing.

Sarah smiled, but it felt forced.

The water looked inviting, like sirens calling her to bask in the sun, but her mind was elsewhere.

Mark hadn't touched her, for months, at least in any way that resembled desire--other than a quick peck on the cheek or a hug with no warmth.

He was a good provider, a good father, but desire had turned to embers, buried under mortgages, soccer practices, and his endless calls.

She missed the way he used to look at her, the way she felt perceived as a unique woman in the world.

Now she felt invisible as her body meaninglessly existed in the world as a daily vessel used to perform tasks.

The taxi ride to the villa led them through verdant rice fields and busy villages, the air conditioning providing little respite from the heat.

Sarah leaned against the window, watching the blurred landscape: women in sarongs balancing baskets on their heads, scooters passing by and carefree.

A hint of jealousy rose in her throat.

When had she felt that carefree?

Her marketing job had her bound by deadlines and the demands of clients, as her creativity was drained into PowerPoint slides rather than novels.

Mark's promotion last year had only enlarged the gap, always "on," now complaining about a merger while the kids were engaged in their own chatter about snorkeling.

The villa was a bit of paradise: big compound-style home right on the beach, with thatched roofs, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, and private bungalows in the shade of palm trees.

As the family got settled in, the kids ran ahead to claim their rooms, their laughter ringing off the teak walls.

As Sarah walked toward the master suite, her feet falling pleasantly on the cool tile floor, she couldn't help but strip off the clothes she had been wearing for so many hours, the lightweight fabric grazing her skin as she slipped on a light bikini top and sarong.

The reflection in the mirror looked like someone else; her breasts full and perky against the thin fabric, her hips swaying with the rhythm of her natural movement as she tied the knot at her waist.

She was kissed by the breeze from the open balcony doors and faint sounds of crashing waves and distant exotic birds.

Her nipples hardened at the cotton, a light itch making her hesitate, her hand resting on her stomach.

God, when was the last time she felt this alive?

Not since that weekend getaway five years ago, before the kids' schedules swallowed up their spontaneity.

Mark had been a changed man then, his hands greedy on her body, and his mouth, discovering every inch of her.

Now, he sat in the living room with his laptop, completely immersed in something, lavished with her as she slipped outside to hang their wet swimsuits from the layover splash from their flight.

Their villa's garden sloped down to the beach comprised of swaying palms dancing in the breeze, whispering whatever secrets the wind shared as words.

Sarah bent over to hang the suits on a low railing, the sarong rode up just enough to expose the contour of her thigh to a thin sliver of sun.

Sun warmed her exposed skin, a soothing caress that sent a shiver through her in contrast to the heat.

That's when she felt it--a gaze, not passive or apathetic, but intentional, as though they were tracing her with care across the distance.

She stiffened, adrenaline electrified her veins.

Down on the sand, he stands with a crowd of tourists listening to a guide navigating them in an imperceptible way while pointing toward the horizon.

No question, he was local; bronzed skin illuminated by the midday sun, disheveled dark hair blown in the ocean breeze, wearing a simple white tank top was stretched across bulging shoulders and a chest that must have been sculpted by daily labor among the waves or fields.

His arms looked heavy with muscle, veins etch a roadmap of rivers connecting to his narrow waist--the length of his shorts hung just below the crease of his anthropic waist, giving away the strength that waited from underneath.

But it was his eyes that held her: deeply brown, nearly black, repeatedly anchoring to find hers behind a magnetic pull making her breath waver.

He cocked his lips in a slight smile, like she was caught in a shared experience, an innocence.

Sarah's cheeks were flushed, but not just because of the sun.

She adjusted her sarong, her fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh absentmindedly, providing a spark that went straight to her core.

Who was he?

A tour guide, she supposed - Kai, she had heard one of the tourists say and the name slid from their tongue like a song.

Kai.

The name suited him, it was exotic and strong just like the island.

She thought about his calloused hands from tying ropes or handling surfboards, slid up her legs, slowly parting the fabric of her sarong.

The thought shouldn't have crossed her mind, but it warmed between her thighs.

Her heart began to race, conflicting feelings of guilt and thrill mixing with the heat and humidity around her, with new goosebumps to add to her delight.

Mark called from inside and interrupted her fantasy.

"Sarah! Have you seen my charger?" His voice was mundane, and brought her back to reality.

She had to tear her eyes away from him, but not before she saw Kai's gaze linger, seeming to travel the length of her body.

That fluttering sensation in her belly returned, low in her gut, and persistent like the first rumbling of an impending storm.

The afternoon melted away in a flurry of unpacking and settling in.

The kids were begging to go to the beach and within an hour they were all out there, their feet and toes sinking into the warm sand.

Sarah found herself laying on a towel, a book in her hand but essentially unread, and her mind was mainly occupied with the memory of Kai's look.

Mark was in the shallows with the kids, his dad bod very comfortable but absolutely nothing to fawn over, his laughter cheerful but distant from her.

She watched waves crash and retreat, mirroring her pounding emotions.

It mirrored the emotions pounding back and forth across her chest like waves crashing against the beach.

The warm ocean breeze teased and fluttered around her hair, slipping beneath her top to tease her hardened nipples as it came down from above.

It was her body's betrayal that made her aware.

Kai reappeared, walking down the shoreline with his friends in tow.

He moved smoothly, his bare feet finding purchase in the sand.

Sweat glistened along his collarbone, sliding down and into his shirt.

Sarah followed the droplet with her eyes, imagining where it would drop... the taste of sea salt on his skin, the heat of his body pressed up against her in some hidden creek.

She shifted on the towel and crossed her legs to take away some of the needy ache.

It was silly, she thought - she was married, with kids, now was not the time to start daydreaming like a starry-eyed girl.

But the discomfort was insistent, and raw, and honest; more honest than those confessions she would read on websites late into the night about... wives that were on vacations that were supposed to save their marriages finding reassurance in the arms of strangers.

As the sun shimmered lower in the sky, with strokes of orange and pink painting the horizon of the ocean, the family headed back to the villa to prepare a meal.

Mark was outside manning the grill while Sarah chopped ingredients for salad.

Her fingers trembled slightly - each piece of fabric that brushed against her felt heightened; her body was re-engaging with sensations that she had dulled.

That night after the children were put to bed and Mark had settled in with a loud snore that shook the walls, Sarah departed to the balcony.

The moon hung low on the horizon over the ocean, shining on the waves like slivers of molten silver running in rivulets down the raging sea.

The temperature was cooler now... but still thick, like a silk blanket wrapped itself around her.

She leaned her arms on the railing, her thin nightgown billowing against the ocean's vaporous breezes, the fabric barely whispering against the pale skin of her thighs.

The beach below was barren except for the subtle flicker of a bonfire in the sand one hundred yards behind the villa.

It could have been Kai's crew or just neighbours enjoying the stillness of a summer night.

To think of him further down the beach swept a shiver through her.

She drew a long breath to quiet her heart.

Her fingers wandered lower, skimming the hem of her panties, through the gown.

The contact was light, tentative, yet it was enough to create quite the spark.

She shut her eyes and envisioned Kai instead, rough palms, hot breath on her neck, whispering in an unknown tongue, words she did not understand yet felt in her bones.

Her other hand traced the shape of her breast, fingers rubbing gentle circles on her peak as a soft gasp dripped from her lips.

"Kai," she murmured, the name saturating her tongue with sinful flavor.

Then she heard it - Mark stirring toward the latter end of the house, a reminder of her vows and everyday reality.

Sarah pulled her hand away, her body throbbing with irritation at the extremity of sexual need... loyalties were so difficult to navigate.

The morning sun dangled like a golden pendant over the Balinese horizon, slicing through the palm leaves and setting everything aglow in warmth that tingled on her sensitive skin, fuelling unspoken assumption of all kinds.

She woke this morning before morning, her sheets bundled around her legs like the aftermath of a restless night's restless sleep had afflicted her in her dreams with rough hands and dark eyes.

Mark snored gently beside, with an arm flung over the pillow rather than her body - an obvious metaphor for the distance and disbelief of their current status.

Twelve years of marriage, two beautiful kids, and an everyday life full of pitching clients and being a school child pick-up ghost seems so distant now they were back on the island of Bali, a repetitive sonic landscape of crashing waves and birdsong a world away from it.

Sarah thought back to the balcony, the moment and the feeling of secret upheld sparks that left her aching and unresolved, yet somehow different today.

Today, an itch of defiance began to bubble up within her, like foam on the shore.

Down on the beach, the family had laid claim on a location under a striped umbrella.

Emma and Jake were already off to the races-- constructing sandcastles with miniature plastic buckets while bursting into giggles.

Mark was applying sunscreen to his withering skin, but was already distracted by his phone.

"Are you coming?" he asked, still focused on his screen.

Sarah paused for a beat, because her red bikini fit differently than the sarong she wore yesterday.

The fabric was taut and thin, the color bright against her lightly tanned skin, and she could feel the sun's kiss awaken every nerve of her skin.

"I think I will take a walk," she said, her voice light almost to a point of being dismissive.

"Clear my head, you know? The beach seems endless."

Mark simply nodded, waving her off with a distracted look and smile.

"Don't get lost. Lunch at noon!?"

As she strolled away, she felt each step reluctantly liberate her feet from the hot, gritty sand.

The shore stretched out ahead.

Fishing boats were going like it was an ordinary day, fisherman casting nets, and emphasizing every third word--and they were, as always, crying out coconuts for sale.

The salty spray misted against her face, delectably washing away the flush that emerged up her neck when she recalled Kai looking at her.

Was it lucky or did this island throw the right spell?

She shook her head; the thought was part of what she was working through and she couldn't leave without it evolving from a guilty whisper into a mischievous but lightly thrilling what if.

Mark was a good man, as steady as the tide; but where was the storm, where was sensation?

He had enough good to not be pitiful like her students, but he came up short.

Her marketing job during the 2020-2021 remote work drained her creativity into spreadsheets, while her home life drained her out in routines.

Still, this vacation could grant her a moment's freedom, if not her sense of self; at least that was possible.

The crowd dissipated as she ventured deeper, the beach now wrapping around a rocky formation swathed in vines and ferns.

The air became heavier as well, the scent of earth and jungle infusing with the ocean's saltiness.

The bikini top rubbed against her breasts a little, the friction teasing and mirroring the rhythm of her elevated heartbeat.

She stopped to wet her toes in the shallows, the water cool and inviting against skin, swirling around her ankles like curious fingers.

That's when she saw him.

Kai stepped out of a shaded path like a mirage made of flesh.

He had a woven basket for gathering shells or fruit, and the sun glinted off his bare chest, glistening with a bit of sweat.

His shorts clung to his thighs still wet from the surf, and as their eyes met, his smile widened, with a quickening of breath that felt like striking a match to flint.

"Lost already?" he called, his voice rich with a thick Balinese accent, the way he rolled the 'l' sent a chill down her spine.

He set the basket down and approached, a confidence in his stride that closed the distance effortlessly.

Her heart thumped irregularly and she stayed still, playful banter bubbling up.

"No, I'm just exploring. There are surprises everywhere here."

His laughter was low and warm like distant thunder.

"Ah, surprises are Bali's gift. I'm Kai. your tour guide, sometimes fisherman. You were at the villa yesterday, yes? With the family."

She nodded.

Her cheeks felt hot under his gaze.

He smelled of sea salt and something that smelled spicier, cloves from the market maybe.

His deep brown eyes roamed over every inch of her close-up form.

He lingered a fraction too long on the dip of her cleavage, trailing close to a bead of sweat running down.

"Sarah," she said, surprised how steady her voice felt, "Yes, first time here, it's... intoxicating."

"Intoxicating," he repeated, enunciating the word with a smile that revealed a gleam of white teeth against his tan.

"Then let me share a real secret with you. Not in the maps--a cove, hidden away, with water as silky soft. All silence, and you will be all alone. No one else is there but you, and maybe a dash of adventure."

The tantalizing proposal lingered in the air, ambiguous with suggestions.

Sarah thought of Mark and their children, even their crumbling sandcastle in the sun--her shelter where and towards which she was willingly drifting away with each step.

But this time, the interest of exploring inside her was stronger than a touch of guilt because an act of willing brought forbidden depth.

What would it hurt to take a little walk?

"Ok, then lead the way," she replied, sounding much lighter and accommodating to his playful charm than when she arrived on the beach.

They stepped off the beach onto a narrow path through the underbrush, leaves washing along her arm like velvet sapphires.

Kai strolled out before her, the muscles shifting against his wool t-shirt as he swept after branches and well with his accent describing little stories about things in the locale that were magical; gods of the sea all luring mortals to swim into the water, and waves themselves carrying lovers doomed to eternal and secret bliss.

After glancing back with hope in his eyes, he quietly told her, "The pleasure is in the hidden things."

She was going faster than she had moments ago in the heat and living leavings of underbrush were warm, jetting up inside and through her legs somewhere between her thighs.

The misplaced path was drawn together quite a bit, forcing her close and even to meet an arm touching an arm, and it felt different, nicer, as her skin hummed along with present contact.

The cove opened suddenly: a crescent formed by white sanded sky line with the jagged rock on all edges and turquoise water beyond.

The outer ocean barreled around on the cove, waves arriving quietly, made of stroke or tapping beat sound while these rhythm, swishing back and forth.

"Beautiful," Sarah breathed softly and stepped in as the waves curled her legs at parts, further than just above the contour line of her calf and instead of only cool, their silk was soothing of all kinds of thought.

Kai splashed beside her, sending droplets flying that speckled against her thighs.

"Just like you," he said in a lower register that added a playful touch.

The water had begun to make his shorts slightly sheer in places revealing the shape of what lay underneath.

Sarah's eyes moved there despite her efforts to keep them elsewhere, her throat suddenly dry.

As a way of covering the sudden rush, Sarah laughed and splashed back sending water across between them as if she was challenging him.

"You really are a flatterer. Is this how you charm all the guests?"

"Only the ones with a fire in their eyes," he answered as he imperceptibly drew closer so the splashes made a fine mist that enveloped them both.

His hand deftly captured her wrist in the mist of water and pulled her nearer, closing the gap between them and making Sarah take in a quick breath due to the unexpected closeness.

The air hummed around them, the scent of wet earth and his skin surrounding her.

Her mental fortitude wavered, memories of Mark coming to her mind with disembodied ease--his oblivious emails, and the years of unmet need had loomed for so long.

But in this moment, Kai's breath warm on her face ignited defiance and she didn't pull away when he backed her against the smooth surface of the stone where the water was rushing back.

The rock was a solid and cool surface behind her that sharply contrasted the body heat of his form pressing in against her.

His mouth seized hers in a ravenous kiss, his tongue tasted of salt and something more wicked, and had a rhythm reminiscent of the waves of the ocean.

Before long, Sarah quietly moaned, her hands moving up to his chest and began exploring the ridges of his chest, slick with water and drawn by lust.