Hi everyone, thank you for the reviews.
So that i can at least be somewhere close to my planned amount of 10 chapters for this story, im going to include the highlights from the rest of their holiday, rather than going through everything day by day. So in chapter 7, it was Sunday, and in this chapter, it is now Tuesday evening.
Hope you guys enjoy it :) x
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?"
Tuesday evening was approaching, and having spent a day exploring the near by beaches on a boat trip, Rachel had announced to Eddie that she planned on surprising him. Her suggestion had sent his mind running wild, he wondered what could possibly make this holiday better than it already was.
"Have you ever heard of a surprise Eddie?"
Rachel's signature giggle emanated from her lips as she slipped her sandals on, and the constant reminder of just how lucky he is was reinforced in Eddie's mind.
"You big tease," he reciprocated Rachel's laugh as he approached her, sealing his happiness by wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
Eddie almost sensed the shiver that descended through Rachel's body in response to his embrace. He loved the way that even after months together, his touch still affected her extensively.
"It's just karma for you keeping me guessing on Saturday," she responded, twisting around to face Eddie in his arms.
His mouth gaped open into an O shape, "that's not even on the same scale! At least you knew that we were going out for dinner, I don't even know what I'm letting myself in for tonight."
Rachel couldn't help but collapse into a second fit of giggles at Eddie's antics. With a comical roll of the eyes in response from him, the pair made their way out of the villa.
With Eddie in the passenger seat and Rachel driving, they were fast approaching Rachel's surprise location. Of course Eddie's questions still continued throughout the journey; Rachel didn't mind at all, she found it rather amusing to keep him guessing.
This particular evening was something that she had been pondering on since Eddie had taken her out for dinner on their first proper evening. She wanted to show him how grateful she was for him being so unbelievable. Rachel truly didn't know what she had done to deserve a man like Eddie.
She hadn't actually chosen the location for tonight's surprise until earlier that day. They had spent their hours on a small boat that they hired, and travelled around part of the island to explore some of the beaches. Every single one of them were astonishing, both Rachel and Eddie were in awe at the beauty of Menorca. So despite falling in love with all the visited beaches, a particular stretch of sand had caught Rachel's eye. And more significantly, Eddie's. The way his eyes seemed to light up upon scanning Cala Mitjana was enough for Rachel to know. To know that it was the perfect place to host her surprise.
It was a rather secluded area, only a handful of people were there during the day, so Rachel guessed that it would be all the more peaceful as the evening approached.
Around to the right of the beach, was a man-made area carved out of the rock, with a sort of wooden roof shielding it from the often intense sun. The rock was completely flat, so Rachel gathered it would be a perfect place to lay out a picnic blanket as well as cushions, and enjoy dinner being so close to their newfound beach.
Rachel had packed the car up prior to setting off, and would have to keep Eddie waiting for his surprise a little longer once they arrived, so that she had time to set up their area for the evening. Rachel chuckled to herself internally, with the way Eddie was currently interrogating her, she anticipated that it would be rather difficult.
"I mean, have I even got the right clothes on?"
"You have already asked that question."
Eddie looked puzzled for a moment, then broke into a smile upon realising that Rachel was, in fact, right.
"Oh, so I have."
As Rachel pulled into a car park, Eddie's curiosity only heightened. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, he made a move to emerge, only to be stopped by Rachel's voice.
"I'll need you to stay here for a moment, won't be long..."
Before Eddie had a chance to reply, Rachel was gone, with a satisfied smirk playing across her face. As he sat, waiting for her return, Eddie was glad he was accompanied with his own surprise. On Sunday, unbeknownst to Rachel, Eddie had bought her the necklace which she had taken a particular liking to. Since then, he had been waiting on the perfect opportunity to present it to her. With possibilities of this evening running through his mind, Eddie anticipated that tonight would make his gift all the more special.
...
Rachel was true to her word, and ten minutes later, she returned. Her mischievous glint still remained, and yet now, her expression was etched with something else also. Rachel's features were full of love and contentment as she walked straight round to the passenger side and opened the door.
"Come on then Lawson, your surprise awaits."
Eddie chuckled, and as Rachel took his hand, he reinforced the realisation that when with her, he was at his happiest.
She led him down a path which was initially narrow, and then began to widen. As Eddie drank in his surroundings, he recognised the location almost instantly.
"Is this..."
"Our favourite beach from today?" Rachel finished Eddie's sentence as she walked over to him. He nodded slightly, which she took as a cue to answer.
"Yes," she grinned at Eddie's reaction and rose a hand to adjust his shirt collar.
He looked like he wanted to speak, perhaps thank Rachel for her thoughtfulness. But her plan wasn't over yet, and she took Eddie's hand once more.
"Where to now?"
The path had narrowed again, yet their fingers remained interlocked with Eddie slightly behind. As he posed this question, the back of Rachel's neck tingled at the sensation of Eddie's breath brushing across her skin.
She turned to face him for a brief moment.
"Now, we didn't actually come up here today. What with having the boat and everything. But I spotted it when we were having a swim and well..."
She didn't need to expand any further, the path had come to an end and the pair were presented with the most perfect location, along with a breathtaking view of the sea. The specialty of this environment was only heightened by Rachel's earlier intervention.
A checkered blanket lay in the centre of the floor, and it was adorned with several cushions to make the ground slightly more comfortable. Scattered around the outside of the blanket, were a few candles which Rachel had found around the villa. It seemed likely that they would remain here once the sun had completely disappeared, and the glow did add to the whole atmosphere in general.
Rachel watched on as Eddie scanned the area, gauging his reaction. Only when his eyes landed on her once more did Rachel conclude that her surprise had been 100 percent worth it.
As Eddie took a step closer to her; eyes glistening and beam vibrant; Rachel allowed herself to fall in love with him that little bit more.
"You," he muttered against her lips as he kissed them, "are amazing."
As soon as the words were spoken, a faint blush crept up Rachel's neck and cheeks. Secretly, she loved the way his compliments could still make her feel that way.
Parting the kiss to take a seat, Rachel and Eddie remained securely wrapped in one another's embrace as they simply enjoyed the view for several moments. Lifting her head from Eddie's shoulder, Rachel reached for the cool bag.
"Let's eat," she shared a grin with Eddie as he nodded in agreement.
The couple shared seemingly endless conversation in between mouthfuls of food, and the minutes appeared to fly by. All the while, Eddie's rucksack sat to his left, with Rachel's pearl necklace from Sunday's trip enclosed in it. She was currently saying something, but Eddie was unsure exactly what. He had become lost in the way her hair swayed every so often in the gentle breeze, and the candlelight spread across her face which seemed to accentuate all of her features.
"Thank you... for all of this Rach," Eddie commented once she had finished speaking, "it's been the most perfect night."
"You're welcome. You're always telling me I deserve it, but so do you."
Eddie took a moment to tuck a strand of Rachel's hair behind her ear before turning his attention to the rucksack.
No doubt Rachel would be wondering what he was doing, but Eddie had seen this precise moment as the perfect opportunity. With the box now in his hands, Eddie glanced up at Rachel to find realisation etched within her features.
"Oh Eddie," she whispered as he passed her the box, "is this the necklace from Sunday?"
He nodded as she prised open the lid, "I snook back to get it when you popped to the loo. I could tell straightaway that you had fallen in love with it. And I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful it is going to look on you."
By now tears of pure joy had began to congregate in Rachel's eyes. Shifting slightly closer to her, Eddie swiftly swiped away the salty residue, before leaning forwards to whisper a slight joke in her ear.
"Happy tears I hope?"
"Absolutely," Rachel responded as she turned to lock gazes with Eddie. Right in front of her eyes was everything that Rachel could have ever wanted, Eddie truly was phenomenal.
And as Eddie removed the jewellery from the box to place it around her neck, these thoughts certainly didn't subside in Rachel's mind.