I've lost of how often, for state dinners, receptions and whatnot I've got ready knowing that the reason I was taking time on my make-up – all of the fifteen minutes that was afforded me in the White House first floor ladies room – was because I was going to be seeing Josh that night. I've never until tonight got dressed up with the unquestionable certainty that he'd be the undressing me and it's never been a night were it would be just us. Even since we arrived here five days ago we've had causal dinners, chatting about everything from 8th grade algebra to Washington Zoo. Josh came to me this afternoon and asked me to dinner, I bit back the 'who else would I be having dinner with' and my stomach flipped like it hasn't since Freddie Briggs asked me to prom. It's weird and not so weird getting ready with Josh in the room, he's pulling on his pants and buttoning his shirt while I finish putting on some make-up in the bathroom. We're chatting through the open door.

"It became the 50th state in August 1959? …and we're 2300 miles from the continental US?"

"Did you read a briefing book in the three hours notice I gave you?"

"No, this is just general stuff Josh. ‚Ua mau ke ea o ka āina i ka pono' is the state motto and it means ‚the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness' The state animal is the hump back whale"

"You know if we take a trip through the electoral map we'd see that Hawaii and it's four electoral votes have gone Democrat in every presidential election the state has been involved in. Barlet carried the state by 11 in 02, 5 in 98. Santos by 6… Two Congressmen, two senators all democrats….."

"Is this politico hot talk?"

"Is it working?"

"Has it ever not worked?"

I step out of the bathroom and see him sitting on the bed. He looks smarter than he has this week. I'd got used to causal Josh but he's wearing smart pants and an open necked dress shirt. My stomach does the flip thing again.

"Donna"

"Your voice has just done that high-pitched squeaky thing?"

"You weren't wearing that earlier!"

"Pity the girl who tries to get anything past you Josh"

"You weren't wearing that earlier"

"No"

"You weren't"

"No, I've been wearing a bath robe for the last forty-five minutes"

"You're not wearing a bath robe now"

"When you said dress for dinner you meant dress in my bathrobe?"

"No..no…no…"

"Josh? Are you O.K? or are …."

"Yeah"

"Sure?"

"Yes"

"Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"Josh?"

"What?"

"Josh, Why are you staring?"

"What?"

"Josh!"

"It's a red dress"

"Yes, you said dress for dinner, you said we were going…"

"It's a red dress"

"Josh, what is wrong with you?"

"The dress is red on you"

"Josh the dress would be red on anyone"

"But it's on you"

"The dress is what's finally left you speechless?"

"Uh-huh"

"I've worn a bikini this week, I've worn sarong dresses, I've worn nothing and this, this provokes this reaction"

"You look incredible"

"Thank you"

"How the hell have I kept my hands off you all these years?"

"You were very restrained"

"I've taken a lot of cold showers"

"Really?"

"I'm not sure the thermostat on my shower turns above freezing"

"Just think of the money you've saved on hot water"

"There were more…um…pleasant remedies"

"That were open to you at the time?"

"Unfortunately not"

"Unfortunately"

"Do you wish…"

"Wish?"

"That we'd… you know"

"Josh sometimes you have to make the best out of life, and do whatever you can until it brings you were you're meant to be, back then did I wish that it was me you followed home after fourth of July fireworks – hell yeah I did. Did I wish that I was on your arm at the First Lady's birthday party – hell yeah to that too"

"That worked both ways, I hated every republican gomer who got within ten feet of you"

"I know and I also know you have made me incredibly happy this week, happier than I've been with anyone… ever and happier than I've been in a long long time and if you're asking me would I swap here and now now for then and there then. I have to say hell no"

"Donna…"

"Josh, are you getting emotional?"

"Donna"

"Josh, don't get emotional, can we maintain some sort of…"

"Donna that was really…"

"You're going to say sweet aren't you?"

"No"

"Yes, you were…"

"Maybe I was…"

"I knew it, Should we be going?"

"Nearly ready"

"How the hell has it taken you longer to get ready than me?"

"I was watching you"

"Watching me?"

"Yeah"

"Do you have some sort of voyeur fetish I should know about?"

"Only where you're concerned"

"'Kay"

"I'm ready"

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise"

"O.K."

"I'm bringing the 'woo'"

"You're bringing the what now?"

"I'm bringing the 'woo'"

"The what?"

"The romance Donna"

"We've been here five days you couldn't have started sooner?"

"I've been romantic all week!"

"Have you?"

"I bought you a black coral necklace, which by the way is the state gem of Hawaii"

"I did in fact know that"

"I've walked you by the hand along moonlit beaches, I've had flowers delivered to your sun lounger, I've… I've made love to you on every flat surface and a few unflat ones in this room!"

"That was very romantic"

"I am a romance man"

"Is this the same as an outdoorsman?"

"You make to very hard to bring the woo Donnatella"

"I'm sorry, you have, you have been amazing this week"

"I have in fact been amazing"

"I sorry I made it so hard in the beginning"

"You never have to apologise for making anything hard"

"Josh!"

"Well… listen after years of misdirection and pressure to hide whatever, I just think we needed time with no misdirection and no pressure"

"That is most definitely what we've had"

"As far as I'm concerned the only thing we need to figure out is do we want to be together and everything else we'll figure out as we go along together, with the purpose of staying together"

"There were a lot of 'together's in that sentence"

"It's called emphasis"

"Got it"

"Good"

"O.K."

"O.K.?"

"Yes O.K., I've only really wanted one man for quite sometime"

"That better have been me"

"It might have been but I should warn you that I have no sense about these things. I have no vibe and terrible taste in men, and my desire to be coupled up will always and forever

drown out any small sense of self or self-worth that I may have..."

"Now you're going to tell me I said that"

"Yes"

"There was a unspoken proviso on that"

"Which was?"

"It only applies to you being coupled up with people who aren't me"

"Really?"

"Yes really"

"You might have told me that at the time"

"It was remiss of me"

"So I have taste in men and I can desire to be coupled up without losing any small sense of self or self-worth that I may have…?"

"Your boyfriend is consistently placed as one of the top five most eligible bachelors in D.C. and loves you because of your sense of self and self worth. Therefore as his girlfriend you must have pretty good taste in men…"

"That's what we are?"

"Donna! What more can I say to make you…"

"O.K. I'm just surprised"

"Surprised?"

"Yeah, I thought you fell sideways into people, crossed your fingers and hoped for the best"

"I did do that"

"I know"

"I guess I was just waiting for someone worth walking beside rather than falling into…"