He gave her a ten minute head start before he pulled on his sneakers and strolled down to the reception. By the time he got there, she was nowhere to be seen. After a good chat with the staff, he booked them on a boat trip for just after lunch, it was a two hour trip but that would be plenty, they had dinner booked for that evening.

On their advice however, he did go out to get them both another layer to wear, it was going to be much colder on the water than it was on shore. They could potentially be 20 miles from shore and there would be a good wind this time of year.

X

He waited.

He sat in their room with his feet up on the chair opposite, while some mindless rubbish droned on the television as background noise. He was so focused on the screen of his tablet, checking his emails, that he didn't hear the door open as Audrey came back.

She was right by his feet before he noticed her and startled as she cleared her throat.

"Hi" he said a little sheepishly, as if he'd been caught doing something illicit.

"Checking work emails?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"Nope, personal that's all" he smiled.

"Sure?" she asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely" he smiled. "Laura just had a couple of questions about your 'non- shower' that were time sensitive."

She rolled her eyes at the mention of the upcoming event, still not quite sold on the idea but now it seemed plans were well underway so there was no backing out now.

"Mystery appointment go ok?" he asked, standing and kissing her cheek.

"Yes" she smiled happy that she had piqued his curiosity.

"Gonna enlighten me?" he tried.

"Nope" she laughed turning to sit on the edge of the bed.

He stepped towards her, nudging her knees apart to stand in between them.

"You should tie your hair up before we go for lunch" he said as he gently tucked her loose tresses behind her ears. "Can get quite windy on the boat by all accounts" he smiled.

She smiled up at him and nodded and he couldn't resist kissing her again. She happily kissed him back and allowed her hands to start wandering until they finally settled, one in his hair and one on his behind. She loved it when he kept his hair a little longer for just this reason.

Enjoying the sensation of her hands in his hair, he started to slide his hands up her thighs and brought them to rest on her waist. His hands settled, but his thumbs teased the skin at the hem of her shirt.

Suddenly, her hands were on his shoulders, pushing him back and he looked at her a little confused.

"You ok" he asked

"I'm fine" she replied, a little flustered. "What time is our trip?"

"Two o'clock, plenty of time" he mumbled as he lowered his head again in an attempt to continue his assault on her neck.

She groaned and let her head fall back as he moved along her collarbone and back up to her lips. She was starting to lose all sensible thought and hooked one leg around him, pulling him closer in an attempt to cause some friction between them. But as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt and she felt the heat on her cool skin, she jolted back to reality and pushed him back again.

"Aud, what's wrong?" he asked, trying to slow down his breathing.

"I'm sorry" she replied. "Maybe we should go get lunch" she said pushing him right back so she could stand up and put some distance between them.

"Sure, okay" he replied. "Just give me a minute" he said heading out on to the balcony to recover.

A few minutes later, he came back inside.

"Ready to go?" he asked, seeing that her hair was now in the familiar bun she wore when she was at work.

"Sure" she replied with a smile. "Let me grab my jacket."

"Oh, and this" he said, throwing a hooded sweater towards her. "They said it might get chilly so I went out for these" he smiled.

She held it up and laughed. "U.C Santa Barbara? We're going to look like proper tourists now!"

"Oh, especially when i put this one on" he said, laughing at her reaction top the second sweater. A different colour, but the same logo.

"There are to be no photographs of this, okay?" she said pulling it over her head.

"Can't promise that" he teased as he pulled her hood up and tightened the cords. "Besides, I think you look cute!"

"Say that again Melendez" she dared.

"I said, I think you look..." was as far as he got before he got a pillow to the face.

X

They stopped at a small cafe on the way to the Harbour for a quick lunch and a coffee. The board outside had declared that they made the best grilled cheese in California so they put them to the test.

"Not sure they are the best" Audrey announced as they heard back out onto the sidewalk. "But definitely in my top five" she asked as she took his hand.

"That was good" he agreed, smiling as he looked down at their hands. "Ready to board Madame?" He asked as they approached the Condor Express.

"Absolutely" she replied as they got to the foot of the gangplank.

They found a spot on the top deck where they figured they would have a good view. The captain began a narrative over the speaker system and explained where they were going and why. During the course of the trip, he educated them on the habits of the creatures they saw and how they found them without using radar.

Around thirty minutes in, they saw a grey whale break the surface not far from the bow, with its calf swimming alongside. The jet powered vessel allowed them to follow them up the coast and watch as they regularly surfaced. The views of the coastline from the water were phenomenal and despite Audrey's embargo, Neil took plenty of pictures.

A short while later, they headed further out to sea and were shortly joined by a large number of dolphins. The captain brought them to a stop and they watched as the pod played about the boat and dived for food.

Neil stood behind Audrey after he saw her shiver a little. His arms were either side of her, effectively trapping her against the railing but she didn't mind at all.

"This is amazing" Audrey said, sounding a little in awe. "I think living in a city has spoilt us" she smiled.

"Are you still hinting at staying here forever" he teased.

"I'd love too" she said, leaving back into him and kissing his cheek.

"We'll do this again, that's for sure. Just with one extra person" he smiled as he moved one hand to rest on her belly.

X

They were back on land an hour later and Audrey suggested going for a coffee instead of going straight back to the Inn.

"Don't you want to put your feet up for a bit before dinner?" Neil asked.

"No, it's ok. Let's make the most of it" she said. That sat in a patio, under a heater sipping at hot chocolates, marvelling at the photographs of their little trip and enjoying their time together.

"Ready to head back" Neil asked as they finished their drinks. "Dinner is at seven and I need a shower. I'm sure I smell like the sea" he grimaced.

"I want to pick something up" she said checking her watch. "Let's go check out a store or two" she said leading the way.

He looked at her, a little confused at her reluctance to go back, but followed her nonetheless.

She eventually found what she wanted in a small store along State Street. She picked up a little bodysuit with the same U.C.S.B logo as their sweaters and held it up to show him.

"Now we can all match" she smiled as she walked past him to the checkout. Checking her watch again, she seemed to nod and announced "Okay, let's go get ready."

Shaking his head at her slightly peculiar behaviour, he followed her out of the store and they headed back to the Inn and on arrival at their room, the odd behaviour continued.

"You shower first" she said shoving him towards the bathroom door.

"Come with me?" he suggested, trying to grab her hand.

"We don't have time" she said, shoving him again and closing the door, signalling the end of that conversation.

Ten minutes later, he emerged with a towel wrapped dangerously low around his hips. She quite obviously looked him up and down which with hindsight, was not the best idea. Denying herself physical contact was getting more tricky so she picked up her things and stalked off to the bathroom. He was surprised to hear her turn the lock to be sure he stayed out.

He sighed and shook his head, she was being weird and he had no idea why. He busied himself getting dressed and by the time she emerged fully dressed, he was also ready.

He looked handsome in his navy trousers which fitted him ever so well. His shirt was also navy, with a pattern of random white flowers which accentuated his strong, toned arms and his shoes were his comfortable brown brogues which he wore whenever he could.

He gave a low whistle when he saw her. She had gone for a lighter shade of blue which suited her complexion perfectly. She was actually wearing a dress which was a rarity so he took his time taking in this look so much more. The dress was a complimentary cut which hugged her in all the right places while flattering her swollen stomach. He appreciated the cut of the neckline as it showed off her cleavage just the right amount and as she turned to pick up her bag, his heart skipped a beat as he saw the cut out where he was just itching to put his hands.

He guided her towards the door with his hand firmly planted in said cut out and whispered in her ear.

"If we don't go now, we're not going at all."

X

They were sat next to each other at a table for two at Due Lune, a quiet Italian restaurant which had been recommended. The tables were all dressed with crisp white tablecloths and linens and it all looked very romantic.

Once they had placed their order for food and drinks with their server, Audrey asked a question that had been nagging at her all day.

"When did you get those photographs from Jo?"

"I called her" her laughed. "I had the idea and wanted to know if she had any shots of us all from the olden days, I figured maybe I could crop some. She surprised me with the others too" he admitted.

"Such an amazing idea" she smiled. "I've looked through it over and over today. And I was thinking about the tickets" she started. "If I can't make it, you should ask Adam."

"Well it's his fault we had to go together, he pulled a sickie" Neil laughed.

"He broke his leg Neil! I don't think he planned it!"

They carried on with the good natured teasing until their server brought dinner. She placed the steaming plates in front of them and excused herself.

Neil had gone with the servers recommendation and ordered Paccheri Siciliana. The large pasta tubes were mixed with a generous serving of swordfish and tuna and coated in the freshest pomodoro sauce he had ever eaten. He offered some up to Audrey who politely refused.

"I don't want to waste the space. This is amazing" she said with a smile as she tucked into her Spaghetti Con Polpette. The house-made meatballs were rather substantial but had been beautifully braised the sauce which kept them wonderfully tender.

They both cleared their plates and sat back feeling pleasantly full. When asked if they wanted dessert, they hesitated, both wanting the other to answer first.

"Yes please" they eventually answered in unison with a smile.

Audrey ordered the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake she had ever eaten and Neil a bowl of gelato, drowned in espresso topped with whipped cream.

By the time they had finished those, they were more than ready to go for a walk to help dinner settle. They settled the bill, leaving a generous tip and headed out towards Stearns Wharf.

They walked at a gentle pace right to the end where they sat a while enjoying the peace and the fresh air. The view back towards shore was beautiful, the lights of Santa Barbara twinkled and the mountains provided a dramatic backdrop and it seemed a fitting way to end what had been a most wonderful trip.

"Ready to head back?" he asked as he noticed her leaning against him more heavily.

"I am" she said smiling up at him. She stood and held out her hand.

X

Back at the Inn, they waited patiently for the elevator, Audrey didn't feel like taking the stairs. The doors opened and a couple stepped out, no doubt heading out for a more rowdy evening than they'd had.

With her bank against the wall, Audrey closed her eyes and put her head on Neil's shoulder. He kissed her forehead and smiled.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Just tired" she admitted. "Maybe I should have had a coffee after dinner!"

"No way!" Neil replied. "You haven't had caffeine for months, you wouldn't sleep for a week if you had it now" he laughed.

"Very true" she chuckled.

They strolled along the corridors to their room so slowly, neither of them were rushing this. Once they woke from their nights sleep tomorrow, this wonderful trip would be over and there would never be another one like it.

Neil fumbled a little with the lock, but eventually they were back in their room. He hung up their jackets and watched as Audrey disappeared into the bathroom.

He took off his clothes, put his pyjama pants on and leaned back into the pillows, getting himself comfortable.

"Don't laugh" is all he heard as Audrey shouted through a crack in the bathroom door.

"Erm, okay" he said, sounding uncertain.

"Close your eyes" she demanded, and he immediately did as he was told.

He heard the door open further and Audrey coming out into the room. She moved a few things here and there and eventually came to a standstill.

"Okay, open your eyes" she said, sounding nervous.

"Wow" was his immediate response which made her blush. "You look... wow."

She stood in her underwear at the side of the bed, nothing particularly fancy, but that wasn't what elicited the response. It was her stomach.

The most intricately detailed, half moon, henna pattern adorned her. The were flowers and patterns weaving across her pronounced belly and it looked truly wonderful.

"Can I touch?" he asked, itching to put his hands on her.

"You can" she smiled. "It's dry now."

He smiled and took a step towards her.

"So this is why you have been stalling all day? I thought the 'don't touch me, it's your fault I'm like this' phase had started" he laughed, earning himself a smack.

"Not at all, quite the opposite in fact, you're too pretty for that phase, don't worry" she smiled. "It took 30 minutes to dry this morning, but then, the longer you leave it on, the longer the design stays. This should last about 6 weeks" she said, smiling widely at his reaction.

"Wow" he said again, seemingly stuck for any sensible words.

"So good news is, now you can touch me all you like."

He didn't need to be told twice and she groaned as his lips and hands began to worship her. How she had held out all day, she didn't know, but he definitely made it worth the wait.