Mark looked across the crowded room. She was stunning. She was surrounded by woman, he was glad it wasn't him. Instead, he stood by Doug, who was quietly getting drunk, having safely delivered his best-man's speech.
"So, where are you going?" Doug tried to get the location of the honeymoon… again.
"You give me a second glass of champagne and all of a sudden I'm supposed to talk like a bad alibi."
"Oh, come on. We won't call you, we won't hunt you down. We're just curious."
"I don't care if you know but Susan can't so I'm doing the smart thing and not risking that you'll talk like a bad alibi, as you've been known to do."
Doug went to defend himself but soon gave up.
"So, have you managed to get a destination out of him?" Carol passed Susan another glass of fruit punch.
"Nope. He's never been so tight-lipped in his life. But I'm not worried, I'm sure it'll be great."
"Yeah, you're in love, you wouldn't notice if you were sharing a sleeping bag in a leaky tent by a fast-rising lake." Carol suggested.
Susan laughed, "Maybe I would be worried, but Mark's not exactly a back-to-nature kinda guy."
"This is true. It'll be a five star hotel in some exotic city probably."
"No, it better not be. We really can't afford that."
"It's once in a lifetime hun. Splash out."
Susan didn't really want anything flashy but she didn't want to sound that hopelessly romantic so she let it slide.
The party soon bored – not because it was a bad party but more because Mark was on the other side of the room and there were far too many other people around and between them. As the girls got entertained by each other's worst-wedding-stories she slipped away and found him.
"Hey," he noticed her and gave her a quick kiss – which was entertaining because he hadn't quite managed to swipe the ridiculous grin off his face first.
She smiled contentedly and wrapped an arm around his waist.
Damn she was stunning. Daisies woven through her hair, gathered satin the colour of old lace wrapped around her body with no hint as to how it stayed there.
"You wanna get out of here?" he whispered into her hair.
She nodded wordlessly and reached up to kiss him.
"I know I've said it before but you…" he spoke between kisses, "look… stunning. Absolutely… breathtaking."
She grinned and toyed with his tie, "You're not so bad yourself." Understatement of the year – damn he was fine in a suit. "So where are we going?" the curiosity was killing her.
"Ah ah." He shook his head.
"Worth a try." She took his hand and turned away. "Do you think we can sneak away?"
"Worth a try. Come on, this way." They headed for the bathrooms but took the fire exit instead. They were laughing running down the tiny dark stairwell hand-in-hand like they were eloping. They taxied to their apartment, got their luggage and got another taxi… to the airport. That meant planes… oh she'd be okay. She'd done it to New York and back but her mind had been otherwise occupied.
The tickets gave away their destination: Hawaii. Of course.
The car rental place at the airport gave them a Ute. "Nice choice" Susan laughed, putting their luggage behind their seats in the cab. The back of the ute was covered with a black tarpaulin. They got in their seats and sat still for a moment.
"I'm exhausted." Susan smiled at him.
"I slept on the plane but go for it and sleep while I drive."
"How far are we going?"
"Not far. You'll see."
"Okay," she yawned as if on cue.
Susan woke when Mark cut the engine.
"Hey sleepy." He smiled at her in the light of the cab.
"Hey. Are we there?"
He nodded. "Are you warm enough?"
"We just came from Chicago in the middle of winter. Of course I'm warm. It's above zero."
"Good." He got out of the cab.
Damn, she was curious. She got out into the dark and followed him around to a beachside cabin. There wasn't a lock on the door. He took her hand, "You've got to see the dawn from here." He turned her around and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
She nodded, "I'm awake now, so how far away is that?"
"Only an hour away."
"Well that's plenty of time." She turned in his arms, running her hands up his chest suggestively.
He laughed and picked her up, carrying her inside.
"So, where are you going?" Doug tried to get the location of the honeymoon… again.
"You give me a second glass of champagne and all of a sudden I'm supposed to talk like a bad alibi."
"Oh, come on. We won't call you, we won't hunt you down. We're just curious."
"I don't care if you know but Susan can't so I'm doing the smart thing and not risking that you'll talk like a bad alibi, as you've been known to do."
Doug went to defend himself but soon gave up.
"So, have you managed to get a destination out of him?" Carol passed Susan another glass of fruit punch.
"Nope. He's never been so tight-lipped in his life. But I'm not worried, I'm sure it'll be great."
"Yeah, you're in love, you wouldn't notice if you were sharing a sleeping bag in a leaky tent by a fast-rising lake." Carol suggested.
Susan laughed, "Maybe I would be worried, but Mark's not exactly a back-to-nature kinda guy."
"This is true. It'll be a five star hotel in some exotic city probably."
"No, it better not be. We really can't afford that."
"It's once in a lifetime hun. Splash out."
Susan didn't really want anything flashy but she didn't want to sound that hopelessly romantic so she let it slide.
The party soon bored – not because it was a bad party but more because Mark was on the other side of the room and there were far too many other people around and between them. As the girls got entertained by each other's worst-wedding-stories she slipped away and found him.
"Hey," he noticed her and gave her a quick kiss – which was entertaining because he hadn't quite managed to swipe the ridiculous grin off his face first.
She smiled contentedly and wrapped an arm around his waist.
Damn she was stunning. Daisies woven through her hair, gathered satin the colour of old lace wrapped around her body with no hint as to how it stayed there.
"You wanna get out of here?" he whispered into her hair.
She nodded wordlessly and reached up to kiss him.
"I know I've said it before but you…" he spoke between kisses, "look… stunning. Absolutely… breathtaking."
She grinned and toyed with his tie, "You're not so bad yourself." Understatement of the year – damn he was fine in a suit. "So where are we going?" the curiosity was killing her.
"Ah ah." He shook his head.
"Worth a try." She took his hand and turned away. "Do you think we can sneak away?"
"Worth a try. Come on, this way." They headed for the bathrooms but took the fire exit instead. They were laughing running down the tiny dark stairwell hand-in-hand like they were eloping. They taxied to their apartment, got their luggage and got another taxi… to the airport. That meant planes… oh she'd be okay. She'd done it to New York and back but her mind had been otherwise occupied.
The tickets gave away their destination: Hawaii. Of course.
The car rental place at the airport gave them a Ute. "Nice choice" Susan laughed, putting their luggage behind their seats in the cab. The back of the ute was covered with a black tarpaulin. They got in their seats and sat still for a moment.
"I'm exhausted." Susan smiled at him.
"I slept on the plane but go for it and sleep while I drive."
"How far are we going?"
"Not far. You'll see."
"Okay," she yawned as if on cue.
Susan woke when Mark cut the engine.
"Hey sleepy." He smiled at her in the light of the cab.
"Hey. Are we there?"
He nodded. "Are you warm enough?"
"We just came from Chicago in the middle of winter. Of course I'm warm. It's above zero."
"Good." He got out of the cab.
Damn, she was curious. She got out into the dark and followed him around to a beachside cabin. There wasn't a lock on the door. He took her hand, "You've got to see the dawn from here." He turned her around and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
She nodded, "I'm awake now, so how far away is that?"
"Only an hour away."
"Well that's plenty of time." She turned in his arms, running her hands up his chest suggestively.
He laughed and picked her up, carrying her inside.