I was so excited to hear there will be a Christmas special of Not Going Out this year. I'm looking forward to it already. I hope Lee decides to make another full series. As much as the wedding was in a way a perfect ending to Lee and Lucy's story, IMHO I still think there is mileage in exploring their relationship as a married couple, and I'm sure Lee will not disappoint, for me his writing never does.
I was given the following prompt: an alternative version of 'Boat'. In this version, the boat is not as bad as the one in the episode, the engine is not broken and there is no insurance scam so it doesn't capsize.
As they approached the harbour, Lucy felt her stomach turn over. She still wasn't sure why she had agreed to spend the weekend on Frank's boat. It was just that Lee had seemed so keen. He thought it would be fun and had somehow convinced her that this was the perfect opportunity to overcome her fear of water. She sincerely hoped he was right, as right now just glimpsing the boats in the distance was making her uncomfortable. Lee kept reassuring her that everything would be fine and she found herself repeating his words in her head like a mantra.
Lee had been reluctant when his dad first suggested this trip, the thought of spending a significant amount of time in an enclosed space with his dad was his worst nightmare. To say that they had a rocky relationship would be an understatement. There was a very good chance Lee would end up throwing his dad, or himself, overboard before the end of the first day. Still, he had been persuaded by the romantic notion of a weekend away with Lucy. Now, he wasn't so sure. Frank and Daisy were there, so there wouldn't be many opportunities to get her alone.
As she stepped onto the wooden panels of the jetty, Lucy grabbed Lee's arm to steady herself. They were now surrounded by water, and her legs had become wobbly. Noticing her hesitance to continue, he held on to her and they walked on.
"There he is", declared Lee, spotting his father.
Looking at the boat that Frank was standing beside, he compared it to the one in the photo he was holding. The two boats were clearly not the same. On closer inspection, it did seem that the actual boat, though not exactly new, was in pretty good shape.
Daisy skipped ahead, and her and Frank boarded the boat and disappeared below deck. Daisy had been keen to see inside.
Lee had thrown their bags onto the deck and was about to board, when he noticed Lucy seemed to be frozen to the spot.
"Come on then, we don't want dad to set off without us".
Lucy just couldn't bring herself to take that step up. There was a gap between the boat and the jetty, and she could see the water below. The boat was also rocking from side to side.
"I don't think I can do this. I want to go home".
"You'll be absolutely fine".
Lucy felt stupid, but couldn't stop her mind from playing out all manner of disaster scenarios.
"What if I fall into the water and drown?".
"There's life jackets. You can wear one when you're on deck".
That made Lucy feel a bit better, but she had to get on deck first.
"What if the boat moves away from the jetty while I'm stepping on? I've seen 'You've Been Framed', it happens all the time".
"It won't. Firstly, there's a rope here, look…the boat's moored. It can't move that much. Anyway, I'll help you on".
"No. I'm going home".
"Come here", Lee announced before swiftly scooping Lucy off the ground. She squealed in surprise, but soon realised what was happening. She clung on tightly as Lee stepped up and onto the boat.
"There you go", he said, sounding almost triumphant as he placed her carefully back down.
Lucy was still a little shocked, not to mention embarrassed, but managed to whisper a small "thanks". Lee had made that look so easy, and she felt a bit pathetic about making such a fuss. She expected him to start teasing her, as usual, but he didn't. Instead he suggested they went inside and took a look around.
They met Daisy and Frank in the small living area. Daisy explained that there were only two bedrooms and that she and Frank had agreed to share the bunk beds. Lee and Lucy would have to share the double bed. Lucy listened to Frank's excuses as to why this arrangement was necessary, and whilst it seemed fairly implausible, she didn't argue. In truth, sharing with Daisy would have driven her insane. She talked in her sleep. Besides, although she would never have admitted it, she found the idea of sharing a bed with Lee rather appealing.
Lee was surprised that Lucy had been so quick to agree to sharing a bed with him. When Frank mentioned his plan to wangle this for him he hadn't expected her to actually buy it.
Lee and Lucy went to check out their room whilst the other two returned to the deck to untie the mooring ropes and pilot the boat out of the harbour into the open water. Thankfully, Frank seemed to know what he was doing, as the other three had never even been on a motor boat before, let alone know how to drive one. Daisy had agreed to help though, the thought of which filled Lee and Lucy with some dread. They had to hope Frank only gave her the simpler jobs, or they would probably all be in trouble.
"Where are we actually going?", asked Lucy as her and Lee unpacked their belongings in their cabin, which was small but cosy.
"Not far, I think dad's just planning on cruising up and down the coast a bit".
"Oh...sorry!", Lucy exclaimed as she turned around. Her arm accidentally made contact with Lee's chest and they found their heads just millimetres apart. She had heard Lee's sharp intake of breath as they collided.
There wasn't a lot of room, and they were clearly going to have to get used to living on top of each other over the next few days.
"That's alright", Lee whispered, making eye contact with Lucy. He noticed she was blushing, and he felt his own cheeks redden. The phrase, 'is it just me or is it getting hot in here?' sprang to mind, but somehow this didn't feel like the time for jokes.
For some reason, both seemed reluctant to move or look away from each other. This was…close, and Lucy could have sworn that Lee was inching even closer to her. Were his eyes training in on her lips?
Lucy sighed when after what felt like an age, Lee looked away and stepped back from her. She kicked herself. She could have easily closed the gap between them and kissed him just then, but something had stopped her, as it always did.
"Are you sure you don't mind sleeping…I mean sharing with me?"
Lucy detected a slight tremble in Lee's voice. He seemed to be breathing unevenly still.
"I don't mind. Having you there might make me feel a bit better about sleeping on water anyway"
"Good, as long as you're really fine with it", Lee added, wanting to make sure.
Lucy nodded and smiled in response. She was fine with it, though was beginning to think Lee might not be.
Lee was happy to be sharing, of course, but the thought of it made him nervous for some reason. He supposed it was because he had thought about sharing a bed with Lucy so many times, but that in this case she would be so near, yet so far. He would have to remain composed and control any 'inappropriate' feelings or thoughts. After all, whenever Lee got close to Lucy his body reacted in all manner of disconcerting ways. His heartbeat, his breathing, his temperature and even his vision seemed to be affected by proximity to Lucy. She was intoxicating; there was no other way of describing it.
Both reassured, Lee and Lucy continued the task of putting their belongings away.
Lee was the first to finish unpacking, and decided to throw himself on to the bed, lying down to try it out for comfort.
"Lee, stop doing that!", Lucy pleaded as he wriggled, his movements making the boat rock from side to side.
"Just think of it as a bouncy castle", Lee giggled, grinning at Lucy who was standing on the bed to try and reach a cupboard. Lucy couldn't help but smile at his playfulness. She loved it when Lee's eyes lit up. Maybe this was fun after all.
Suddenly Lucy lost her balance, and squealed as she fell and landed face down on top of Lee. He groaned, and without thinking placed his hand on her arm to steady her as she tried to sit up. He held onto his breath.
Their giggling had stopped now, and Lucy paused in her current position long enough for her eyes to meet Lee's again. His eyes were wide, and he looked slightly startled, nervous even. She was so tempted to lean down and kiss him, and she searched his eyes for a sign. She thought she detected desire in them, but lost her courage. Clearing her throat, she quickly un-straddled him.
"L...Lucy….I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…are you okay?", Lee choked out an apology.
"No harm done", Lucy reassured, as she composed herself. She sat on the edge of the bed and straightened out her clothes. She hardly dared look at Lee again.
Lucy sensed something was changing between them, she can't have imagined it. Earlier when she had bumped into Lee and just now, there had definitely been a 'moment' between them. A spark of electricity, sexual tension, call it what you like. She had felt the familiar dancing butterflies in her stomach and tingling under her skin. She knew he had felt it too - she had seen it in his eyes, felt his heart beating hard and fast beneath his chest. Her and Lee had shared such moments before but these had felt different somehow, more intense.
Maybe this weekend was the time. The time to take that leap of faith and finally tell Lee how she felt. She had wanted and loved him for so long, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep her feelings hidden. If only he would make the first move. She didn't know exactly why she had been waiting – the fear of rejection, of her family's reaction, her own misgivings. Above all, she needed to know that if something did happen that they were on the same page. It wasn't enough to know that Lee fancied her. She wanted it all, to spend the rest of her life with him.
Thinking about all of this, about what she hoped would happen, made Lucy's heart race, in a combination of nerves and excitement. She decided that all of this would wait until this evening, and that she should act normally for now, as though something hadn't almost happened between them. She took several deep breaths.
"So…erm – how are we going to pass the time on this trip? Lee?"
Okay, thought Lee, so we're not going to talk about what just happened. Or, maybe nothing happened. Maybe it was just me wishful thinking. Though part of him wanted to just blurt out his feelings, Lee was also relieved that he didn't have to face them right now. The frustration of not being with Lucy in the way he wanted was becoming increasingly painful, but if he told her how he felt and she didn't love him back he might lose her completely. If she rejected him it would break his heart and he didn't know if he could take that risk. He attempted to push these thoughts out of his mind, remembering Lucy had just asked him a question.
"Well, we could try fishing. Or you can just relax on deck if you like, the weather's looking good. The sea's really calm and it might help you with your fear of water. I'll stay with you if it'll make you feel safer. Apparently it's possible to see dolphins sometimes on this part of the coast".
"Okay. Not sure I'm ready for fishing but I'll try the relaxing on deck thing. I might be okay if you're sitting next to me. I'm expecting you to dive in and rescue me if I fall in though".
"Anytime. But just so you know…you're not going to fall in. Not unless you lean too far over the edge to look at a dolphin and…"
Lucy rolled her eyes, she hoped for Lee's sake that he was joking.
"I'm joking Lucy…you're not going to fall in. I won't let you, I promise".
She smiled at Lee now. He had actually managed to reassure her. To her surprise she didn't feel panicky about the idea of just being on the deck of a boat anymore. For once it seemed Lee that might be right about something, perhaps this boat trip was a good idea after all.