Lunick wasn't sure how long he had been awake. He propped his head behind his hands, staring at the ceiling. Waking up alone wasn't terribly unusual for him, at least relatively speaking. When he moved in with Solana right before they turned eighteen they spent many nights snuggled tightly together, the intensity of actually living together taking control of them. Then, as time went on, they settled into a more relaxed routine. Sometimes they cuddled, sometimes they staked out their own part of the bed, all depending on the kind of rest each needed. No words were spoken on the matter, it was just the normal course of things. If the need arose, the other was always close at hand. Many nights they went to bed dead tired, stretching out apart only to find each other during the night. Other nights it worked the other way.

They did keep their record since their wedding night going again all week, falling into a very deep, relaxing sleep afterward but it was obvious Solana must have needed to stretch out a little more. It was just like at home. Neither of them were large by any stretch of the imagination so their king-sized bed was actually overkill but sometimes they would find themselves stretched out on opposite sides, far enough apart they couldn't sense each other. So he stared at the ceiling above him, imagining her there beside him, sleeping on her side, the covers draped on the curve of her hip, one arm under her pillow, the other hand on top of it, close to her face.

It didn't bother him, but he certainly would rather have her in his arms. They may have lived together for a little over two years before the wedding and they had started showing their love for each other in stronger ways for some months before that, but actually being man and wife, taking their vows before God and in front of their families made that bond so much deeper. They may not have waited until their wedding night as they had planned when they were younger, but in the end it did not make that first night any less special. In fact, a slightly naughty bit of his mind told him it made it better, since by then they actually had a pretty good idea what they were doing.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard a slight moan, mainly because it came from across the room in the bathroom. For the first time since opening his eyes he looked at that part of the room. The lights were very dim, but they did not completely turn them off.

"Solana?" he slid his feet out of the bed and went over to her. She was sitting on the floor, lightly gripping the sides of the toilet. He could tell just from the way she was sitting that she had either been sick or was just about to. Then the smell reached him and he realized she already had.

"I'm okay, Baby. Go back to bed." She said weakly.

There was no way that was going to happen now. His heart was pounding in his chest. Solana just plain didn't get sick. Bad colds very occasionally, but never leaning over a toilet sick.

"What is it?"

"I just think tonight's food isn't agreeing with me, that's all." She said, her voice a little hoarse.

"How long have you been up?"

"About thirty minutes. Really, Lunick, now that it's out of me I feel a whole lot better."

He could tell from her voice that wasn't totally true. She was fighting it for all she was worth. The feeling was as unknown to her as it was unpleasant. Moments later he knew he was right when he heard her throwing up again. The sound and watching her body heave like that was simply heartbreaking. This just didn't happen to the invincible Solana Kaneko. In a heartbeat he was at her side, gently touching her back, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Solana, do I need to get the ship's doctor?"

"Nah, just got some bad meat or something." She tore a piece of paper from the dispenser, wiping her mouth. She was a bit too quick on the draw as she leaned forward and heaved once more. This time, fortunately, there was nothing left. Lunick found he was grinding his teeth in frustration, knowing there was really nothing he could do for her other than touch her to let her know he was there.

"Are you sure, Babe? I ate a lot of that stuff too and I'm okay so far."

"Baby, you've got a stomach like a blast furnace. Maybe I just ate something I'm allergic to and don't know it."

"Solana, this isn't like you. The only time I've even heard about you throwing up was when you tried helping Dr. Joy at the hospital."

"God, how'd you hear about that?"

"I'm your soulmate, or have you forgotten?" She sat back, letting the privy close. He caressed her face, looking into her eyes in the faint light. "Okay, actually he told me about that one. Said how proud he was you didn't faint."

"I guess I can do anything but keep my lunch down when I see a human brain."

Lunick grinned softly at her. "You want some water?"

"Please and thank you." She said, watching him get up and retrieve a water bottle from the bedroom's mini fridge. She took the bottle from him and gulped it down.

"You feeling better for real now?"

Solana nodded, clutching the water bottle close to her face. He took it and threw it away in the recycle bin. "Yeah, much."

She stood up, looking a little wobbly. She rinsed her mouth out twice, scrubbing her teeth and tongue, then washed her face. "Maybe it was that wine they served us. Did I ever tell you about that bridal shower Leilani had right before she married Murph?"

"You mean the one where you swore you'd never touch a Bloody Mary again in your life?"

"Oh, so you do remember."

"Yes, and I also remember that was one of the few nights you spent in the other bedroom of the house. Babe, you've got to face it, you don't hold your alcohol very well."

"No kidding. I didn't sleep with you that night because I spent most of it, as Leilani so delicately put it, 'calling Inoba on the porcelain phone.' Just didn't realize I had so much of that stuff last night."

"Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention, the party was just too much fun." He smiled at her again, holding her hand as she sat down on the bed.

"Yeah, I saw you and your fun. Just remember, you can look but not touch."

"Ah, naw, that's not why I was looking. Besides, I don't think they look that good, I think all that was just for show. Besides, you're the one I wanted to take back to my room." He caressed her cheek, knowing it was a really bad time for a kiss.

After what may have been a few minutes or close to an hour of sitting quietly snuggled together, Solana got up and turned up the lights, throwing the slightly soiled nightgown in a pile with the rest of their clothing. Lunick went with her in the bathroom and sat back against the counter watching her, something he often did at home, marveling at how beautiful she was. She was almost fanatical about both of them keeping in shape. In fact, as she had matured into her 'woman's body' she was in even better shape now than she had been when the two of them were still students. Her neck and arm muscles were thicker and even though she had grown only an inch or two since then she looked much taller. Maybe it was her proportions. Her waist was still extremely slender and her figure was what could best be described as petite, making her look tall unless she was standing beside him. She had come a long way since her battle with anorexia three years ago. Though she still struggled with body insecurities and perfectionism, even she admitted she was in much healthier place than she was back at that time.

She turned to face him, noticing his stare as the water ran over her body. She fluffed her hair out as she finished, shaking her mane out over her head to let it dry as much as possible before brushing it back again with her fingers. She smiled at him, a little streak of vanity pleased that he enjoyed looking at her so much.

"Feeling better?" He asked as he slipped out of his bed clothes as well.

"One hundred fifty percent." She answered as she stepped out of the shower. "It's a bit early yet, but I'm too awake to go back to bed."

"Yup." He said as the water started again. He grinned as Solana sat down to take her turn watching him.

As much as Solana thought she had stayed just like she had been for the last six or seven years, Lunick really had changed a lot. When they started dating they were just about the same height. Then, almost magically by the end of summer he was slightly taller than her. By the time they turned seventeen, he was a full six inches taller than her. He was now just a couple inches shy of six feet tall, still not a really tall man by most people's standards, but taller than she ever thought he would be. It was like puberty wouldn't let him go until he was almost eighteen. He also wasn't quite as skinny as he had been back then either. By the time he turned seventeen his chest had filled out and his arms, while still fairly thin, were filled with corded muscles. That actually caused a little bit of a problem. Where once Solana had Lunick all to herself because of his one-time utter lack of social status, she suddenly found him catching the eye of more than the handful of girls she had to contend with before. It took her a while to come to terms with the depths of her jealousy when it came to her man.

But it was what they were finally seeing in him, the same thing she had been awakened to when he finally confessed his feelings for her. He wasn't just a silly goofball, he was an earnest, sweet, loving, passionate guy. What had been inside him was finally showing on the outside and of course they would notice. Both to them and to her eyes Lunick had become a very beautiful man. Now he was even more beautiful to her, even though at the moment he really, really needed a haircut and a shave. He was, perhaps for the first time in his life, pretty shaggy looking. His beard was filling in much more quickly than she would have imagined but then again he had always shaved pretty closely, except for an aborted attempt to grow a mustache when he was eighteen. He looked so different with the beard, though the moment she put her hands on a proper razor it was coming off. It tickled too much when they kissed! That didn't matter right now, though. It made him look rugged…manly. Then again, she would love him just as much if he was still the short, thin boy she had known since they were both ten.

"So, what's next on the agenda corn dog boy." Solana asked as Lunick stepped out of the shower, drying himself off.

He smiled as he toweled his hair before tying to towel around his waist. "Well, I got to pick the last activity with the casino. I'd say it's your turn to pick something."

"Okay. You know what I really want? A massage. A couple's massage."

"Solana, I can just give you a massage."

"Yes, but I'm talking about the two of us getting one together. When's the last time we did that?"

"A long time. I don't think we've had one together since we were eighteen."

"Exactly. We're well overdue for another, don't you think? The relaxing ambiance, the soft kneading slowly ebbing away our sore muscles and kinks, the unavoidable feeling of complete relaxation."

"If that's what you wanna do, Baby, sure. We can get a massage together."

"Booyah."

The room was warm and well-ventilated, painted in neutral earth tones, the walls adorned with pastel subdued watercolor canvases and Feng Shui paintings. The comforting sounds of a pan flute, piano, and Tibetan bells combined to make Reiki music played softly through the speakers, creating perfect zen meditation for deep relaxation, healing and restoring. The calming aroma of lavender filled their nostrils, while the soft clanging of the wind chimes relaxed them further. The high-density foam padding of the massage tables were both comfortable and supportive. The music, fragrance, and setup provided a most soothing ambiance for the couple.

Solana could hear Lunick moan beside her, his therapist kneading hot stones into his back. She smiled contently as her therapist massaged her back with lavender essential oil. She could feel the tight muscles fibers loosening up and the hardened tissues separating. She hadn't realized how much stress she carried in her back and neck until she started having chronic pain and her doctor told her that it was all stress-related. The demands of her job as well as her mental and emotional health was taking its toll on her and she had to get massages regularly just to manage the discomfort enough so it wouldn't escalate to something more painful. Of course, Lunick was happy to oblige. He enjoyed giving the massage as much as Solana enjoyed receiving it from him. Sometimes it would be nothing more than kneading her neck, shoulders, and back. Most times, though, that intimate contact would be too stimulating to resist and it would lead to other, heavier petting and eventually lovemaking.

Neither of them minded. Solana was actually surprised at first at just how much she craved and needed his touch. At first, she thought she was just some nymphomaniac, always pleading with Lunick to touch her. It had started out as a coping mechanism to help her deal with the stress and trauma she suffered from her stepfather, using sex with Lunick as a way to mask and escape the pain he brought her whenever she remembered him. But after years of therapy, she realized though it may have started that way, she actually did need the reassurance, security and safety that Lunick's touch brought her. Whenever she was with him, she felt like no harm could ever come to her. He was her guardian angel whose loving embrace and caresses allowed her to face her fears because he would always be there with her. She felt so immensely blessed to have Lunick in her life both as her best friend and forever partner. Her soulmate. So long as they were together, they could overcome anything. She firmly believed that.

"All right, you're all done," her therapist said as she covered Solana's back with the sheet. Her colleague also covered Lunick back up with his sheet as well, nodding.

"We hope you enjoyed your massage."

"It was lovely, thank you," said Solana.

Bowing, the masseuse and masseur exited the room to allow Solana and Lunick to get dressed.

Sitting up, Solana let the sheet fall as she stared at her husband. He hadn't moved from his position, his face still nestled in the headrest as he lay on his stomach.

She got up from the massage table and wrapped her plush fluffy robe around herself before walking over to Lunick. She traced her hand along his back before grasping his shoulders and kissing him gently on the back of his neck.

"Time to get up, honey," she whispered.

Lunick stirred slightly. Her rolled his shoulders back and stretched, before lifting his head and laying back down on his right cheek, staring drowsily at her, a lazy smile plastered on his face.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked her.

"I did, thank you. Of course, it didn't feel nearly as good as when you give it to me."

"Is that a double entendre?"

"Maybe it is."

Lunick chuckled lightly, revealing those dimples on either side of his cheeks that Solana absolutely loved.

"You are insatiable, girl."

"I want what I want. I can't help it. Plus, you make it so hard not to want it all the time, with your sexy self."

He tapped his lips with his index finger and Solana happily leaned down further and kissed him, long and amorously. They followed with several sensual kisses, sucking on each other's lips earnestly before their tongues swirled. Lunick sat up, bringing Solana onto his lap. She straddled him, letting her robe slide loosely off her shoulders as their kissing became more intense.

"We shouldn't do this here," Lunick breathed between kisses.

"They're gonna clean them anyway," she breathed back as Lunick started kissing her neck. "They have to change them between clients."

"That doesn't mean we can just mess them up," he whispered as he lowered her bathrobe further, kissing her chest.

"I think it means just that," she replied as she grinded herself against him.

Lunick exhaled as his eyes rolled temporarily. "You're making it so hard to do the right thing."

"Then let's not. Be a naughty boy for once," she sighed, kissing him back intensely.

There was no point resisting. Solana was hungry for him and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't turned on by this as well. He lowered his hands to her behind and squeezed firmly, before lifting the hem of her robe and squeezing even stronger. He then stood up and flipped her over on the table, his turn to rub and grind himself against her. Solana moaned in pleasure through the intense kissing before she felt Lunick enter inside her.

It was another forty minutes before they left room.