River had made it his personal mission to make her fall in love with Amsterdam. He’d only vacationed here once, brought along with his best friend's family because they could never imagine a vacation without him. River had loved every minute of his time spent in the city and had been beyond excited to make her love it just as much. It was easy for him to make her love the city. Her love for him spilled into everything he touched. Suddenly she didn’t mind if the pathways were narrow, it meant she got to stand closer to him; steep stairs was just an excuse to put her ass at the perfect height for River to smack; tight spaces meant she could stand against him, pushing herself into him.
They’d rented a houseboat along the canal in the Jordaan district, just beyond the canal ring and surrounded by every world renowned museum in the area. It still had that too-small feeling that Alice felt in Europe but between the Dutch charm and her own personal Adonis in their bed the place had grown on Alice.
The festival circuit could be exhausting, the people lived at a different pace. It was fun in small doses but it could grow to be tedious without breaks in between. River was the one who suggested they arrive early and make a vacation of it, though Alice was pretty sure he was just keen on having her all to himself. It was fun to dive into someone else’s life, live in their home and go to their local market. She could imagine a life like this for them; on a houseboat eating pastries from the Nutella cafe and drinking coffee in bed.
“Let’s just stay here forever,” She whispered into the curve of his neck one morning, his arms squeezing to pull her in closer. He layered on kisses anywhere he could reach, eyes still closed tightly and unwilling to open for the new morning. River hummed in agreement, tucking her body against his and pulling the large duvet over both of them more.
The lazy mornings were Alice’s favorite, drinking coffee in bed looking out onto the canal basking in sunlight. They'd find ways to prolong leaving bed, one always pulling the other back in. Her body was a religion, his temple between the divine of her thighs. Alice craved the warmth of his skin, that contact of their bodies pressed against one another as she wound her hips against him...
Eventually Sampson would grow restless and begin to scratch at the door, begging to be taken on a walk. They might have never left that bed if it wasn't for him, though admittedly they probably wouldn't have to lock themselves away in the bedroom to fuck if they didn't have the pomeranian around to stare at them so damn intently. It was impossible for them to go anywhere without him though, he was a fixture in Alice's presence - hell, in the band's presence. He even had his own instagram account, both official and fan-run.
While Alice loved the damp and grey mornings, the sun warming the dew off the boats porch and the empty streets around their canal, River loved their nights. They’d gone out a few times during their stay, but River had mostly wanted this vacation so they could have a few moments of togetherness before the mayhem of the festival.
He kept their wine supply full, sometimes jumping off the boat in the middle of the night to grab another bottle from the twenty-four hour market nearby. Their canal was right next to a party district, so from their little pocket of warmth on the water they could hear the echoing sounds of bass and yelling. It was almost a welcome noise, a reminder of how comfortable they were in this moment. River had no interest in finding the source of the music, too wrapped up in the curve of Alice’s hip in his hand, or the cocoon of her hair around him when her mouth held his captive.
The boat had a few of a canal bridge, so the two would sit on the deck wrapped in blankets, Alice tucked in Rivers lap and Sampson curled against their chests, drinking wine and sharing a joint and watching the drunk tourists till the early hours of the morning. It was the kind of comfort that made River want to go get his guitar, but he also knew trying to write in the moment would ruin it. Instead he kept his mind as present as possible, letting the wine loosen his lips and hands so he could at least try and catalog every second.
It has almost started to feel like home to Alice. She'd looked forward to their routine. Amsterdam had in fact grown on her, much to her own chagrin. It was meant as a vacation but it felt closer to real life than they'd been in a while.
The Festival circuit tossed them city to city with little respite in between. Funny to think there had been a time where it all seemed so glamorous to Alice, now she'd do anything to just be able to live out her days peacefully on a house boat with River and
“I don’t know if I could manage going back to one of those trailers after this,” She said to him on their last night, sitting on the back of the houseboat sharing a bottle of wine under the moonlight.
“Why doesn’t every trailer come with a shop for wine and weed 20 feet away,” He agreed with her as he reached for the bottle between them, foregoing the glasses because neither of them wanted to do dishes, “They should add porches to those things, and softly lapping whatever. Better yet just have all the artists stay on the canal.”
“I mean....can we?” Alice asked, her face twisting with speculation. “I don’t know if there’s anything in the contract or something that mandates we be on site.”
“I…” He paused and glanced at her, blowing into the wine bottle for a deep whistle as he thought, “Why didn’t we think of that before? I can’t believe we were gonna leave this little piece of heaven for a party trailer in the middle of some field. I guess they think it’s easier and free but we don't have to at all.”
River grinned at her and leaned forward, handing back the bottle as well as an overly excited kiss, “So are you saying I convinced you of Amsterdam?”
“Mhm, you know no one likes a know-it-all,” She smiled, her hand gliding across his jawline and gripping at the hair at the base of his neck pulling him back into their kiss. His hand had already moved to the small of her back, Alice pivoting herself against him. He gripped her thighs, leading them around his waist. The blanket fell from around her as he stood up, Alice wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself. She leaned in, running her tongue along the side of his neck then biting his earlobe gently, River moaning beneath her.
Sampson yipped at their feet, jumping to get between them. Alice couldn't help but laugh as River tried to shoo him away, backing them into the bedroom.
"He probably needs a walk...." Alice said with regretful realization.
"He can wait." River grunted, slamming the door behind them.