Bubbles of the Ocean

The soft drone of the engines and the endless view over the Aegean Sea enveloped their voices. With each exchange, Julien felt his heart flutter, as though he were treading the line between anxiety and exhilaration. Emma, for her part, smiled more and more, amused by the slight tremor she noticed in this young man’s voice, so attentive to her stories.

In turn, Emma felt a spark of excitement. She’d already met people passionate about diving, but rarely someone whose gaze was so completely enthralled. Bathed in the golden light streaming through the windows, they shared their fondest diving memories: hidden caves, vibrant coral, and the mysterious serenity of the depths. Short sentences, quick questions, bursts of laughter: their conversation became increasingly lively, like waves crashing against a boat’s hull.

As the conversation progressed, Julien found himself studying Emma’s expressions, waiting for the smallest gleam in her eyes. An unfamiliar warmth coursed through his chest. Emma, for her part, was not indifferent to Julien’s thoughtful manner: whenever she spoke, he listened with a near-childlike seriousness, as though discovering a whole new universe with each sentence. Finally landed, they were ready to savor Greece in all its glory.

“I wonder where this aura around her comes from…” Julien thought, barely daring to look at her. Under Santorini’s azure sky, with the salty scent and the fragrance of orange blossoms floating in the warm air, he felt his heart pound. Usually calm and reflective, he was seized by a new kind of thrill, as if he could already sense the echo of an extraordinary destiny.

An Immediate Connection

Their stay in Greece drew them together, with the gentle hush of the waves, the soothing lap of water against the rocks, distant tourist laughter, and the hypnotizing sight of silvery olive groves. Sometimes they would get lost in the scenery, then exchange lively and spontaneous comments. They marveled at red-and-violet sunsets, tasted juicy fruits from local markets, and were lulled by traditional Greek songs. They now dreamed of diving together with majestic whale sharks in Belize, a shared desire nurtured through their conversations.

Between each excursion, their discussions grew more profound. Julien felt increasing affection for Emma. At times, he spoke quickly, as if trying to capture every impression she sparked in him. When he went diving with her, he was captivated by her skill and passion, his own heart racing each time he saw her surface with that radiant smile. Emma, for her part, felt perfectly in sync with him: between their playful remarks, she allowed a joyful, almost electric silence to linger.

It was during these dives that their sensory world expanded: feeling the sun’s warmth on their still-damp shoulders, noticing the salty droplets drying on their skin in the sea breeze, shivering at the touch of a cooler offshore wave… Each moment became a painting, in warm hues with nature’s music playing in the background. Then, in a burst of laughter, they emerged from the water, companions with heightened senses. Often, Emma would lean closer to Julien and whisper:

– Did you see those parrotfish? It looked like they were greeting us!

And he, still enthralled, would reply:

– Yes… that was magical. Like you.

Sometimes they also talked about their families. Emma mentioned her mother, always ready to support her crazy diving ideas, and her father, who had passed on his love of the open sea. Julien, for his part, spoke of his protective father and welcoming mother, both eager to finally meet this Emma their son had been raving about.

An Unforgettable Kiss

The Saint-Charles train station in Marseille rumbled with hurried footsteps and loudspeaker announcements. Emma waited, slightly nervous, holding a bunch of roses she had just bought for her mother, clasped against her. She scanned the crowd, her heart pounding, when Julien finally appeared, a somewhat shy smile on his face. Time seemed to slow.

As she greeted Julien, one of the roses pricked his hand, making him recoil. Their eyes met then, and in an instant, the atmosphere shifted. Their breaths mingled, while around them, the station’s noises stretched out into a distant echo.

Then, in a move as unexpected as it was irresistible, their lips found each other. Slowly at first, as if the whole world were holding its breath. Julien felt his heart pound in his chest, each beat resonating like a promise. Overwhelmed by emotion, Emma felt warmth flow from the back of her neck to her fingertips. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but for them, it seemed to stretch into infinity.

A moment later, time picked up again. Julien’s legs began to tremble from a sudden, overwhelming joy. Emma, her cheeks flushing, realized what had just happened: an unexpected kiss, a contact that sealed something precious. They looked at each other, breathing unevenly, then exchanged a smile of shared wonder and mild confusion. Around them, the station came back to life, but it took them a few moments to truly return to reality.

A Shared Life

Their weekend was idyllic: dives in turquoise water, basil-scented meals, lively discussions. Julien, originally from Lyon and employed in finance at a bank, was thinking of joining her. They soon talked about living together, and thanks to his skills, Julien quickly found a position with Olympique de Marseille, the famed soccer club. Their apartment filled with travel memorabilia and dreams of exploring Belize.

Those first few days of cohabitation were colored by a sweet excitement. Each morning, Julien woke up smiling, still thinking about the talks they’d had the night before. Emma, meanwhile, savored every moment spent with him, her heart light at the thought of sharing daily life. They shared many small, intimate moments: a quick coffee before work, a knowing glance over a book, a few hurried words on the phone.

Over the course of their joint dives, they got to know how the ocean played over their bodies: the gentle, silent embrace of the water on their skin, the slight pressure around their chests as they went deeper, and the exhilarating feeling of finally surfacing, where the air felt purer than ever. After each outing, they let the sun warm their shoulders as tiny salt crystals formed on their tanned arms.

Sometimes, in the evening, Emma liked to snuggle against Julien on the couch, listening to him recount his day, while imagining the next escapade in her mind. Laughter often rang out, blending the aroma of tea with the sweetness of their confidences. A new balance began to form, woven with trust and mutual curiosity.

From time to time, Julien and Emma faced small challenges of life as a couple: paperwork for a future trip, a busy work schedule, or little differences in habit (Julien loved watching OM soccer matches live, while Emma preferred planning Sunday outings). But these minor tensions, swiftly resolved, only strengthened their bond. Whenever doubt arose, they recalled the intensity of their first kiss and the peace they felt diving side by side.

The Project of a Lifetime

Filled with emotion, Julien pictured Emma smiling underwater. He dreamed of the Belizean jungle scents, colorful markets, and deserted beaches. Aretha, a Marseillaise living in Placencia, in southern Belize, became their ideal tour operator. Julien was about to propose to Emma, having already obtained her father’s blessing. Sylvie suggested: “Two mermaid guides, champagne bubbles tickling the whale, and Emma discovering the sparkling ring…” Julien, moved, agreed.

Thinking about his formal proposal filled Julien with both confidence and nerves. His nights were crowded with dreams of Emma smiling at him before vanishing into the deep. Each morning, he woke up with his heart pounding, eager to make this dream come true. Emma, on the other hand, suspected something, sensing Julien’s growing excitement but unable to guess the cause. Even so, their love only grew, nurtured by this subtle mystery.

In his daydreams, Julien could already feel the sultry Belizean jungle: the heavy, humid air clinging gently to his skin. His thoughts came in an unbroken stream, like a rush of uninterrupted ideas. Sometimes he caught himself recalling the diving signs they used together: forming “OK” with thumb and index to confirm all was well, or the thumb pointed downward to say, “Let’s go deeper!” At times, he almost sensed the tropical wind caressing his face and ruffling his hair. He saw himself treading white sand, Emma’s hand in his, with the ocean bearing witness. When he confided in Emma about his desire for faraway places, she rested her head on his shoulder and whispered:

– I’d love to feel that sand between my toes one day, too.

Emma was sometimes surprised that her father was so enthusiastic about them going so far away. But being proud of his daughter’s independence, he encouraged her to pursue her dreams. “We only live once, Emma,” he told her on the phone. “So enjoy it. Don’t hesitate. I’ll always be here to support you.” Her mother, for her part, already won over by Julien’s kindness, kept asking, “So, is that big trip coming soon?”

A Proposal Under the Waves

Beneath crystal-clear water, sunlight traced golden patterns across the multi-hued coral. Julien’s heart thundered in his chest as he glanced at Emma, who watched a lionfish with childlike fascination. Despite the calm of the underwater world, his thoughts swirled: What if she hesitated? What if this moment didn’t unfold as he’d hoped?

He approached slowly, careful not to disturb the majestic whale drawn to their bubbles. His slightly trembling hands took Emma’s. Their eyes met through their masks, and in hers, he saw both surprise and endless tenderness.

Then, calmly but with a nearly theatrical slowness, Julien retrieved a ring from his waterproof pouch. He could feel his breath quicken in the regulator, as if the entire ocean were a silent witness to his feelings. He slipped the ring onto Emma’s finger, and a wave of relief mixed with adrenaline washed over him upon seeing her silent consent. A flurry of bubbles escaped their gear, as though sealing that suspended moment.

For Julien, it was a condensed surge of joy and gratitude. He felt his heart expand, as if it could no longer contain all the happiness flooding in. Emma, tears in her eyes, let herself be carried by that nearly unreal bliss, aware that she had just said yes to a life of adventure and deep companionship. Slowly, they rose to the surface, buoyant with excitement, as though the entire ocean was propelling them toward a bright future.

A Life of Adventure

Julien and Emma dreamed of opening a diving school, writing a book, and settling on an island. They recalled their first glance in Greece and the underwater proposal.

“Our greatest adventure is the one we haven’t lived yet,” Julien would say, his eyes gleaming.

“And it’ll be just as unforgettable as the first bubble I saw at your side,” Emma would add, with contagious enthusiasm.

Married in a garden overlooking the sea, they continued to explore the world, etching their love into each new horizon. Their plans multiplied: an impromptu departure, a spontaneous dive, an unknown destination. In day-to-day life, their speech grew briefer, charged with energy: “Shall we go?”, “Ready?”, “Let’s do it!”

Every project they embraced was powered by their feelings. When one of them doubted, the other would find just the right words to reassure them. They drew their strength from the memory of their earliest moments: Emma’s smile on the plane, the rose that pricked Julien at the station, the heart-stopping sweetness of that kiss, then the “yes” shared in the blue hush of the ocean.

From then on, their story continued with each breath, each journey, each knowing glance, like an invisible thread binding their two hearts into one. And as they ventured to as-yet unexplored places, their words shortened, sharpened, capturing the essence:

“We’re together,”

“We’re happy,”

“We live.”

Véro Infini