Author's note: Watch out for the soap and bubbles!
The day broke clear and bright, another crisp autumn morning, early sun bouncing off the still green leaves of the woodland that dotted the shoreline. Laura found him stretched out on the sofa, cup of steaming coffee on the table next to him, book in hand. "I must be getting lazy if you're up before me," she commented from the doorway. He looked up, "Everyone deserves a lie-in, love. Plus we've not anywhere to be." She kissed him lightly as she headed last into the kitchen, desperate for her morning cuppa. "Toast?" she called out to him. "Please," he replied. "Easy on the honey though."
It was unnerving this domestic bliss they'd so easily settled into. He'd worried about it quite a lot. First it had been whether she felt like he did, then it turned to panicky thoughts about the physical side of things. She was so much more experienced than he was and he'd wondered if he'd be enough. But she'd done everything to reassure him and seemed happy. They'd found a sort of rhythm to their new lives together but he couldn't help thinking this time away was another test. Just them, no work to distract them or, he realised, escape to.
"That was a serious sounding sigh," she said, returning with two plates of toast. She pushed his legs aside to make space and squeezed in at the end of the sofa. He could feel her eyes on him. "And that's a serious face too, Robbie. You ok?"
He thought about what to say, it was too early in the day to share these worries of his. Plus he knew they'd work it all out in time. It was all just so new to him, these feelings. He didn't remember worrying so much when he and Val had got together, the arrogance of youth, he supposed. He looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. God, she was perfect, he thought silently, saying instead, "Of course. Just thinking about how long you're going to let me lie here before you drag me out on a walk."
She swatted his leg. "Funny you should say that, I did see an OS map down here last night."
He rolled his eyes. "Ok fine, but remember you've saddled yourself with an almost retired old copper with an increasingly dodgy knee and I need regular stops for beer".
She laughed, "Lucky for you then that the good people of the Ordnance Survey saw fit to mark out on all the public houses." She got up and started to search for the map, and finding it spread it out on the solid oak dining table, and sat down to plot a route. Returning to his book, he sighed again, more contentedly this time.
Their walk took them along the shoreline of the lake before heading up slightly into the dense woodland. It was quiet and they met very few fellow walkers. Every now and then he'd hear a bird and stop to try and spot it, pointing it out to her when he did. He knew she wasn't really interested but she was very good at pretending. After a while they reached a wooden bridge across a small beck that fed into the lake.
"This reminds me of the bridge in the Hundred Acre Wood," he commented. She frowned, "Bit young for you, isn't it, Winnie the Pooh? I'd have thought you'd at least have moved onto Swallows and Amazons by now."
He shoved her gently, "Oi, none of your cheek! Of course I understand if you're too scared to go up against me in a game of Pooh sticks. It'll be a hollow victory without a worthy competitor but I'll take it," he teased.
Knowing full well her competitive streak wouldn't let that rest for a moment, he watched her stand up tall and narrow her eyes. "You're on. Best of three?"
They searched around for their sticks and leaned over the rails, counting and dropping them in the water simultaneously. They moved to the other side to see which would emerge first. Robbie smiled as his narrowly beat hers. He could see her determination as they went for round two. He saw this look in her all the time. It didn't matter whether she was dealing with complex medical papers or a childish game, her desire to succeed ran deep.
"Best of five?" he suggested lightly, as his stick again popped out from under the bridge in front.. "Ow!" he said, rubbing the spot where her elbow had dug him in the ribs.
"Victor buys the drinks,'" she said, sulking a little. "Or," he suggested, pulling her close, "To the victor the spoils," feeling her lips curl into a smile as they touched his.
They reached their lunch stop in good time, finding a table in the little pub garden. Munching doorstep sandwiches, they chatted about what they might do for the rest of the week. Perhaps a drive up to some of the higher viewpoints for a picnic or a boat trip on the lake, he suggested. She nodded in agreement, countering how much he might like to enjoy the paper over a pint whilst she went shopping in Keswick. "Better that than holding the bags," he conceded. As they made a move to get going again, they heard the sound of car doors being slammed and raised voices.
"I thought I told you last night, that's mine. Deny it all you want but stealing is stealing." A man in overalls, flat cap, and wellies, red in the face, waved his hand in the direction of a trailer loaded with logs.
The man at the receiving end of his anger sat in the driver seat of the truck, smirked. "You've no evidence that it's yours, as I told you last night as well. I have woods too, you know."
"You are honestly gonna tell me that you and your fat arse have spent the last week chopping wood? Don't make me laugh! You took it from my land and you know it. You were seen, mate."
If the truck driver was guilty, he didn't show it. He laughed and started the engine. "Report me then, go on. I dare you." And giving the other chap a nasty glare, drove off.
The man in the wellies ripped the hat from his head and threw it down to the ground in frustration. Taking a deep breath he picked it up again, pulled it down firmly on his head and headed back to his own vehicle. A cloud of dust from the gravel car park kicked up behind the wheels as he sped off.
"So much for the quiet life of the country," Laura remarked. Robbie said nothing. Something about the man in the truck and trailer was familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Rarely had Robbie been so glad to get into the bath. He was more a 'quick shower and a wash' sort of a chap, bubble baths holding little appeal. But their walk had taken more out of him than he cared to admit. He frequently joked with Laura about her being stuck with a pensioner but deep down he was beginning to see that it wasn't a laughing matter. It was fast becoming another worry to add to his list. It wasn't just that she was younger, what was 10 or so years after all, but she was in much better shape. He relaxed into the warm water, feeling his muscles unwind as he closed his eyes. His knee had actually held up much better than he'd feared but he knew she'd planned a route that avoided the worst of the slopes. He heard her footsteps on the bare wood floor of the bedroom and the sound of the bathroom door opening. He rolled his head in the direction of the noise and opened his eyes, surprised to see a very naked Dr Hobson standing in front of him.
"Room for a small one?" she enquired, and not waiting for a reply stepped into the bath and lowered herself down. He shifted his legs to one side to make room and watched as she settled down under the bubbles. "Just big enough, I'd say," she said, sighing and closing her eyes in contentment. He could feel himself responding to the closeness of her, her legs lying up against his, her hand rubbing his foot lazily whilst the other rested lightly on her tummy. He marvelled at her confidence to just go wherever the mood took her. If it had even occurred to him to suggest a bath together he'd have talked himself out of the whole idea long before it happened.
He ran his hand up her leg, feeling how the smoothness of it was heightened by the sensation of the water. He tickled her gently behind her knee watching for her reaction. "Robbie!" she admonished, grinning slightly, eyes still closed. "What are you doing?"
He leaned forward, running his hand over her thigh towards her hips, giving her a light squeeze. Wondering if they even had space for what he had in mind, he used his other arm to lift her leg, moving it so he was now in between her, her legs over his. Reaching forward he took her by the waist and pulled her gently towards him.
She'd been curious to see what he was going to do when she'd climbed in with him. This was all new territory. She knew he worried about the intimate side of their relationship. A lot went unspoken between them particularly when it came to that sort of thing, his gentlemanly approach extending to the bedroom. Occasionally she found herself giving him a little nudge in the right direction but he'd never disappointed her, quite the opposite. She'd been prepared for something to develop between them that was satisfying but bordered on the cosy and familiar. She hadn't at all expected the passion he had for her and certainly not for how determined he was to show it when they were alone. Nor had she anticipated how she responded when he touched her, just how alive she felt whenever he reached for her.
Her eyes now open and settled on him, she reached her arms up around his neck and played with the wet hair at the back of his head. She moaned softly as their bodies touched and he kissed her, tenderly at first and then with increasing intensity. He broke away and reached for the soap that was balanced on the wide rim of the bath, the lines around his eyes creased as he smiled suggestively at her. He lathered his hands and began soaping her shoulders, then her chest, running his hands slowly around her breasts leaving a trail of bubbles. He reached behind her and ran his hands up her back, stopping to massage her shoulders gently. She moaned again, the sound of contentment mixed with arousal at his touch and he thought how he'd never tire of hearing it.
They took their time, enjoying the feel of one another, before the water cooled forcing them to move. Wrapped in fluffy towelling robes, they lay together on the bed, looking out at the view across the lake, her head resting on his shoulder, arm around his waist.
"Happy?" he asked, kissing the top of her head, her hair still damp.
"So happy," she replied, her voice soft and low as she slipped a hand under his robe onto his chest, and then tilted her head back and waited eagerly for the thrill she knew was coming as he bent over her and their lips met.