Lisa and Wade took the rare experience of having three days off in a row to relax and take things easy. They planned to meet up with Justin on Friday, but that left a couple of days where it was just the two of them and they made the most of being able to get used to being together as a couple. While they'd often met up as friends in their downtime, the experience of being together was something new, and there were subtle changes in their interactions which Lisa found both amusing and comforting.

Lisa had always known Wade was a gentleman: she'd assumed as much on first meeting him, and he had proved her correct for the most part. He found the stereotype of an English gentleman most amusing, but the things that came naturally to him, such as holding the door, taking her coat, were not things she would have been used to, and they charmed her greatly. She felt like the centre of his world, and that was a scary feeling, but kind of nice at the same time.

Wade found himself having to hold back a little: his impulse was to try to protect her from the world, to keep her safe, and to put her on a pedestal and treat her like a princess. In reality, he knew this wasn't what she wanted and knew it would no doubt scare her away. She was independent, that was one of the things that had attracted him to her, and he didn't want to kill or smother that spirit inside her. The more he saw her smile, the more he hoped he was doing things right. She was the first girl that he could ever really envisage growing old with, and when that thought came into his head, he realised he wasn't that surprised or scared of that feeling.

When Friday arrived, Lisa was jumping with excitement while Wade was less enthused, even though all he had to do was drive. They drove round to Justin's place early, and were unsurprised to find him already up and ready.

Lisa found herself pulled into a massive hug the moment she stepped into Justin's apartment.

"Hey girl I missed you, I can't believe he's kept you to himself these last few days."

"Like you don't see enough of me through the rest of the week anyway," she laughed. "Are you ready for this?"

"Hell yes, the two biggest questions are for you though. First, are you ready, and second, did you persuade that grumpy bugger to join us?"

"It's all she's bloody talked about all morning, and no, this 'grumpy bugger' has not changed his mind." Wade rolled his eyes and smiled. "I shall be quite happy to wait for you two on the ground." The smile never quite reached his eyes but it was only Lisa who noticed. She knew he was worried about her safety but equally knew that worry was unfounded, she and Justin were diving with professionals, in fact Justin was as experienced as any professional, and things would be fine.

Once they arrived at the airfield Wade made himself comfortable in the small cafe on the edge of the grounds, knowing he wouldn't see much of Lisa for the next few hours. Lisa sat on his knee and gave a cheeky smile, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I'll be fine so stop worrying."

He gave a wry smile, he might have known she'd pick up on his concern, "I know you will, I can't help but worry a little bit though. Have an amazing time up there, ok?"

"I will." They kissed, briefly, before Justin interrupted.

"Put her down Barrett, we've got a plane to catch."

Lisa, without breaking the kiss, aimed a one finger salute at her friend before slowly pulling away. "See you later, take loads of photos."

"I will. Take care." Wade waved them off and sat down with his kindle, watching idly as Lisa went through the pre-requisite training. Happiness radiated from her, and it warmed his heart to see.

Lisa and Justin couldn't help but grin at each other the whole way. As they sat in the back of the plane waiting for their time to jump, Justin took the opportunity to ask the question that had been on the tip of his tongue for the last few hours.

"So you and Wade, it's good then?"

She immediately nodded, "I'm happy J, I'm not ok but I'm happy."

"You'll talk to him, to me, if anything worries you, right? I know you're an amazing, smart, independent woman but everyone needs friends. I don't ever want to see you upset like that again." Justin didn't think that she realised quite how worried he'd been about her when he'd seen her fall apart, nor how angry he'd been at what Drew had done.

"I promise."

"I love ya babe," Justin grinned and took her hand. "You ready to do this?"

They both whooped in delight as they jumped.

When he saw the plane take off Wade grabbed his phone, ready to take as many pictures as he could. He would freely admit his heart was in his mouth when he saw Lisa and Justin throw themselves out of the plane, but as the parachutes opened and they properly came into view, near land, Wade could see the absolute joy on Lisa's face and any amount of worry in his heart was worth seeing her so free and content.

Still, his heart only stopped racing when he saw both Lisa and Justin safely land.

Once they'd got changed and sorted their equipment, Lisa and Justin made their way back to Wade, both still on a massive adrenaline high. Lisa was jumping about in excitement, hugging Justin then Wade, then Justin again.

"Oh my god that was incredible," she enthused, "I feel so alive, so amazing, god I could do that ten times over."

Justin was almost vibrating, bouncing on his heels, and it was clear the pair of them needed to get rid of some of that pent up adrenal energy.

"How about the beach?" Wade suggested, knowing he had some towels in his car from a previously aborted trip.

"That sounds awesome," Lisa immediately started making her way to the car, Justin following her. Wade just shook his head, they were like a pair of hyperactive children but he wouldn't have them any other way.

As he drove he listened to his friends chattering ten to the dozen about their dive, their enthusiasm almost, but not quite, making him want to do a jump himself. He would do anything to ensure Lisa would always be this happy. The smile on her face had finally reached her eyes, and when he caught her gaze in the rear view mirror he felt incredibly grateful to whatever force had given her that feeling.

Once on the beach, Lisa stripped down to her underwear before stealing Wade's t shirt and diving into the sea. Clearly, not having a swimsuit with her didn't bother her. Justin and Wade both had shorts on so Justin rid himself of his t shirt and both jumped right in. It was exactly what they all needed.

Lisa eventually found herself lying on a sun lounger drying off, as Wade and Justin continued their horseplay. She felt like it had been the perfect day, spent with the man she loved and her best friend. As her mind allowed those words to form she shook her head in surprise. Loved? Where had that feeling crept up from?