Grinning like a lovesick school girl Sara sat in the back of Gil's lecture on Wednesday, taking page after page of detailed notes while he talked about his work for the Peruvian government. This was his second presentation of the day and she was definitely feeling the need to repeat their Monday experiment. Watching him take the audience through a tour of his exploits in mass graves Sara felt desire wash through her body. He was wearing a blue shirt that drew out the darker blue tones in his eyes and made him look incredibly sexy in Sara's view. He knew this, and had smirked pointedly at her while dressing that morning. Feeling her back become uncomfortably cramped she shifted in her seat and then closed her notebook. Needing to walk off the muscle spasms she slipped out of her seat and through the door into the hallway as quietly as possible. Grimacing in pain she made her way down the hall to the elevator, then walked up and down the hallway outside her room until her muscles eased and she was able to go inside and lie down on the bed. Stripping down to her underwear she slipped beneath the sheets, waiting for her Bugman and grinning at the thought of duplicating their experiment. Shivering slightly she pulled the blankets closer around her and waited.
...
Gil saw her slip out quietly, one hand pressed to her back and an expression of pain on her face. Knowing she would walk off the cramp and then wait for him upstairs he continued with his lecture, impatient for it to be over while thinking he had truly changed over the last few years. Where once he longed for conferences and their academic environments and teaching opportunities, now here he was standing on a stage before his peers delivering a seminar many would give their eye teeth to be a part of and his attention was firmly locked on his beautiful wife. Loving the changes that brought him warmth, joy, happiness and love he enthusiastically continued on, wrapping up for the morning. After talking with Hans and a handful of others, answering questions and commenting on ideas, Gil finally made his way out of the conference hall and over to the elevators; he waited impatiently until he arrived at his door, thinking about the dreamy expression on Sara's face as she scribbled furiously in the back of the room as he lectured. Slipping quietly inside he dropped his file, USB and jacket on the table then turned to the bed. Sara was curled under the covers, snoring softly. An amused grin spread over his face as he moved over to her. He noted her discarded outer clothing and realized she must have waited for him in bed before falling asleep. Smiling softly he pulled the covers more securely around her, knowing she got cold more easily now. He pressed a gently kiss to her forehead and brushed his hand over her stomach before retreating to the table where he set up the laptop and began to edit a section of his final presentation the following day.
...
Sara yawned and stretched slowly, blissfully unaware and happily ensconced in the in between world of post sleep/near consciousness. Opening her eyes she spied her earlier discarded clothing. Sitting up abruptly she cursed herself for falling victim to slumber while waiting to seduce her husband. Glancing at the clock she threw back the covers and lurched out of bed.
"Ahh," she cried as the world spun and she stumbled forward. Gil bolted out of the bathroom where he had been making tea with the coffee pot. Seeing her arms flail as her legs gave out from under her he lunged forward and caught her under the arms before she hit the floor, letting her slide gently down his legs. Turning to the side he hooked one arm under her legs and gently lifted her back onto the bed. Running back into the bathroom he wet a washcloth under the cold tap then grabbed the trashcan just in case on his way back to the bed. Gently he wiped her face and neck, waiting for her to come around. Her eyes inched opened as she groaned; he recognized the look on her face and rolled her onto her side, brushing her hair aside as he did so, and lifting the trashcan at the same time. He smiled when she scowled as the contents of her stomach came up; if she was irritated that meant she was ok, it was when she was quiet that he had to worry.
"I thought we had established that you have to sit up slowly and give your equilibrium time to settle after a nap?" he teased softly, stroking her cheek. Sara glared at him.
"I'm sorry," she groaned. "I ruined the experiment." Her hands ran lovingly over her belly. "Baby girl, I love you very much, but do I really need so much sleep?" asked Sara as she took slow, deep, calming breaths. Gil started laughing and bent to kiss his wife's temple.
"I was going to wake you up soon," he said as he carefully manoeuvred her so she was sitting up against the pillows. Returning to the bathroom again he returned with two cups of sweetened tea and an orange. Settling beside her he handed over a mug and then began to peel an orange.
"Thanks," sighed Sara gratefully. "Whatever would I do without you?"
"I have no idea," teased Gil. He handed her a piece of the orange. "How's your back feeling?"
"Much better. I can't believe I fell asleep," she grumbled, sipping her tea. Gil laughed as he finished dismantling the orange and dividing it up.
"Never mind. I still have one lecture left to do. Clyde wants to go out for dinner; he says there's a really good Indian restaurant a few blocks away and would we like to go?"
"Is it a real Indian restaurant?" asked Sara, her eyes lighting up.
"Owned by a family who emigrated from India ten years ago. So, how about it dear?"
"Definitely," she grinned. "I love Indian food."
"I know!" They sat quietly for a while, talking softly and musing over the conference so far until Sara decided that she wanted to go swimming before dinner. They changed and headed downstairs.
"We have to go back to the beach while we're still here," she said as they walked into the pool house.
"Mmm," he agreed, as they hung up their robes and towels.
"You should go surfing if you want to," she told him, "don't let me stop you." He took her hand and helped her down the steps into the water.
"I would rather wait until we can go together," he said, truthfully. "But I wouldn't mind watching the sun set with you." Sara's answer was a soft press of her lips to his.
...
As the blistering heat had cooled into an acceptable, balmy evening, the group opted to walk to the restaurant. Talk was vibrant and chaotic as Clyde and Hans debated about teaching methods relating to the study of ants, and Nikko tried to impress a young grad student named Heidi he had found in a corner of the lecture hall the previous day. Gil and Sara walked hand in hand, laughing at Clyde as he suddenly veered into a heated monologue about the Six Nations Championship.
"What is he talking about?" asked Sara, watching their friend wave his arms around him irritation and rant on about the bloody French.
"I think its rugby," speculated Gil, dodging a flying arm.
"A ridiculous loss, I can't even begin to imagine what he was thinking! Those French players, they really think they have the right of," and he continued again, his language getting more foul by the second.
"Clyde," yelled Sara, stopping in front of him. The Welshman halted, shocked.
"What?"
"First, we don't know what you're talking about, second, calm down. If you keep gesticulating with such wild abandon, you're going to hurt someone, and third, stop swearing. I don't want my daughter exposed to that kind of language." Clyde gaped at her for a moment, the fight knocked out of him. But, sadly, only for a moment.
"I was talking about rugby, which by definition demands a great amount of excitement and is the sport of kings. I played for Wales, the two best years of my life before some bloody French bastard tackled me and destroyed my knee. That however, is beside the point. I was talking about the abysmal loss of the Six Nations Tournament to the French in February this year. A disgusting lack of appropriate refereeing and a revolting disregard of the rules by the aforementioned continental team. And your baby can't hear us; she's tucked safely in the womb, protected by tissue and fluid." They started walking again as Hans slipped into the discussion.
"I disagree, Clyde" he remarked as the approached the street they were heading for. "The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published a study suggesting that the unborn foetus can,"
As they argued back and forth, Gil slipped an arm around Sara's waist.
"Annoying, aren't they," he whispered in her ear.
"I definitely see why you can only stand to see them every so often. They weren't this bad last time we saw them."
"That was in winter. The hotter it gets, the crankier and more volatile Clyde gets." They lagged behind slightly until they reached the restaurant, not a moment too soon as far as Sara was concerned; as a food connoisseur, rations meant Clyde would be kept occupied for a while. They entered the building, which was brightly decorated and cool. A woman in a traditional sari approached them, her greying hair pinned up in a bun and a wide, genuine smile on her face.
"स्वागत"
she said, "I am Kajri."
"नमस्ते आपसे मिलकर बहुत ख़ूशी हुई। धन्यवाद"
answered Sara, automatically.
"Table for six?" asked Kajri, before leading them to a booth for six. After taking their drinks order she handed out menus and left; Sara eagerly scanned the options.
"I think it's very sexy when you speak a foreign language," Gil whispered in her ear. Sara laughed and started murmuring words of love in French for him. Under the table his hand caressed her thigh.
"What did you say to that lady?" asked Nikko from his seat opposite Sara.
"She welcomed us, so I said thank you, it's nice to meet you."
"Was that Hindi?" asked Heidi.
"Yes," agreed Sara, "I love the way the language sounds." Their drinks arrived, and they placed their food order. Clyde and Hans appeared to be emerging from their debate about the perceptions and abilities of unborn babies.
"So Sara," said Clyde, leaning his elbows on the table and looking across at her. "Where did you learn Hindi?"
"I spent three summers in India during college working with a conservation project. I picked up Hindi and a little Bengali. I can read a bit of Hindi, road signs and things like that, but I can't write it at all."
"I wanted to spend my year abroad in India," sighed Clyde, "but my mother wouldn't let me. I had to go to France instead."
"I spent six months in Mexico," grinned Hans, "Maria Lopez, ahhh... she was my first love."
"My father is a German diplomat," said Heidi, sipping her drink. "We moved around a lot. Mostly Europe; Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and then the US."
"I wasn't allowed to do an exchange year," admitted Nikko, "my mother was afraid I would get into too much trouble." The group burst into laughter as Nikko turned the colour of a radish and knocked his silverware off the table, causing their merriment to double.
"Gil, did you spend a year abroad?" asked Hans.
"Not in high school," replied Grissom, wrapping an arm around Sara's shoulders. "But I spent eighteen months researching in Peru for my PhD."
"So you've been there before?" asked Clyde, interested.
"Yes, I loved it. I always wanted to go back."
"And it was very nice to visit him there," added Sara, smiling. "We went to Machu Pichu, which has always been at the top of my list of places to see."
"Did you go on an exchange year?" asked Heidi, curious.
"I lived with a family in high school that sent me to France for a semester because they didn't like me, and I studied in Istanbul for a year in college. That was incredible."
"So, you're very well travelled then," remarked Clyde.
"Well, until college France was the only place I had ever been, and when I was in India I was working, but I really enjoyed it. I fell completely in love with the food and the culture. I saved as much as I could, and after graduation I backpacked around Europe until I started grad school. I had every intention of going back afterwards." Sara smiled, remembering how awed she had been, wandering the streets of Europe and exploring. She had felt such a sense of history surrounding her.
"Did you go back?" asked Heidi, who struck Sara as the very romantic type.
"No," replied Sara, a smirk spreading over her face. "I went to a seminar about forensics that changed the direction of my life." Under the table she reached for Gil's hand and slipped hers into his, lacing their fingers together.
...
After the meal Sara and Gil lagged behind as the group, in part because Sara was too tired to keep up their brisk pace, and also because Clyde's incessant need for dialogue had kept the conversation flowing rapidly throughout the entire meal, without pause to gather thoughts or relax. Gil slid his arm around Sara's waist, his fingers spreading across her belly as she let her head rest lightly on his shoulder.
They bid goodnight to their friends in the lobby and made their way upstairs.
"Do you want to go to bed?" he asked, gently rubbing his fingers over the spot where he could feel a tiny foot pummelling under his touch.
"Not yet," smiled Sara, walking over to the balcony sliding doors. Outside there were two lounge chairs and a view of the ocean. They curled up together to watch the sun set and solve the crossword out of the morning paper.
...
...
Just a quick note; I do not speak Hindi, so any mistakes are entirely mine, for which I appologise.