The flight to Fiji makes a short stopover in Hawaii and Niles and Daphne spend that time doing a bit of sightseeing around Honolulu. Both the views and the climate are like a precursor of what awaits them in Fiji, as both insular states are located in similar latitudes but in different hemispheres. All in all, they enjoy the short excursion a lot. Neither of them had ever visited a tropical country with spectacular palm-lined, golden sand beaches and crystal clear waters, and Niles can already envision the possibilities when they land on Viti Levu, the largest Fijian island, where the hotel is located. He and Daphne sunbathing and swimming naked, making love in the water, on the beach, in their cabin at the hotel... And of course, the varied activities the island offers. He's brought a supply of motion sickness pills, because he gets seasick when he travels by boat and he doesn't want to deprive Daphne of the experience. The island where they're going to stay in Fiji organizes hired trips around the coastline to enjoy the views of the idyllic sceneries and even of the seabed through a glass panel on the boat floor.
They return to the plane after the stop in Honolulu and the flight is resumed without issue. Niles isn't fond of flying either; he can't help the tension that overtakes him, though he does the best he can to control it. Daphne, on the other hand, is as relaxed and content as in any other trip where she accompanied the Cranes in the past. There aren't many things she's scared of, and that's one of the many qualities Niles admires in her.
She especially loves the long intervals during the flight when there's only a vast ocean below and all traces of earth are absent. In those moments, the sky and the ocean become one and an endless expanse of blue surrounds the plane, sometimes with cotton-like white clouds dotting the space. Even Niles has to concede that it's a magical sight, though also a bit disturbing; he isn't comfortable with the absolute absence of solid earth under his feet.
When they at last land on Nadi International Airport after more than fourteen hours on the plane (without including the stopover in Hawaii), they're exhausted. They've managed to sleep on the plane at times, especially Daphne, but their bodies are tired from the long trip as well as the jet lag, screaming for rest. At the time they arrive at the hotel, it's already late for dinner, but they've eaten on the plane anyway, so as soon as they check in at the reception and they're given the all-clear to take up their assigned cabin, and without the hindrance of carrying their luggage by themselves (a bellhop takes care of that task), Niles and Daphne head for their current lodgings for the next seven days. As it's already dark outside, they can't discern much of their surroundings, but they can hear the distinct sound of the gentle waves licking the sandy shore lazily just about two or three hundred meters far. The cabin shows the typical beach-style decoration and the king-sized bed is protected by a mosquito curtain. Needless to say, Niles has brought mosquito repellent. Tropical regions invite all kinds of insects and bugs and Niles isn't precisely fond of them.
He and Daphne are so worn out that after a quick visit to the bathroom to relieve themselves and freshen up, they just have enough energy left to undress, not bothering to change into night clothes, and drop on the bed. They're out like a light in an instant.
Niles wakes up disoriented, and his brain needs a few seconds to come back to full consciousness before remembering where he is. The absolute peace of the night in the middle of nature is significantly different from the calmness of the Montana. For starters, here the air smells strongly like the sea and the jungle around the cabin, and the secluded location guarantees the total absence of human sounds, at least in these early hours in which no one is on the beach or anywhere nearby, save for the other cabins. In a city, there's always at least the background hum of traffic, even if it's faint, and with luck, the neighbors have the decency to respect the hours of rest. Niles shudders, remembering his four-month long stay at the Shangri-La. He'd been lucky the nights he'd just heard briefly the banging of a nearby bed against a wall in the heat of a couple's passion (in those cases, Niles crossed his fingers, urging the unseen lovers to be quick about it), or some random screaming match. More often than not, the Shangri-La was almost as noisy at night as it was at daytime. All that is like a distant nightmare now.
He stretches in contentment, perfectly happy in the coccoon he's sharing with Daphne. They're both naked and they've slept on the cotton linen, not bothering to cover themselves. He feels like drunk just from the sight of her curves. The flare of the hips, the roundness of the buttocks, the long toned legs, the valley of her waist, the delicate expanse of skin on her willowy back, the shoulder-length hair hiding her neck. Lately she's using a hair dye with a fairer hue, so her mane looks blonder, and it makes her appearance as lovely as ever.
With her height and build, she might have been a top model. They both are of the same height approximately, almost six feet tall, and they discovered long ago the advantages that having the same height entails in bed.
Niles is so mesmerized with the beauty next to him that he isn't interested in the slightest in exploring beyond yet, but his morning hard-on is calling urgently for a visit to the toilet, so he has no choice but to climb down from the bed carefully and tiptoe to the bathroom, to prevent the wooden floor from creaking. He uses the facilities and almost screams in fright when a lizard scurries along the floor, almost colliding with his bare feet. God, he hates bugs. He hopes that there aren't hordes of mosquitoes waiting for devouring him alive. So far, he hasn't heard their annoying buzz around his ears or felt their bites, but he doesn't dare count his chickens so soon.
He returns to bed and Daphne's changed her position, now facing him. Her chest raises and lowers with her deep breath, and her breasts sway gently. The rosy nipples are relaxed and he's eager to see them harden, wrinkle and protrude with his attentions. The flat belly also lures him. An unbidden image flashes in his mind: that same belly swelling with child, his child, their child. The baby they'll create together sometime during a moment of passion, among countless moments of passion.
Niles shivers in wonder. It's too soon in their relationship to be entertaining the notion of becoming parents, though they aren't so young anymore. Daphne turns thirty-eight today, and he's forty-two. Most couples already have kids at their age, and many even have grown children or teenager sons and daughters. He and Daphne haven't discussed the topic of children yet, but he wonders if now it would be a proper moment, here in the middle of paradise and free of worries or of any other mundane considerations.
She's admitted sometime to liking kids a lot and he's been witness throughout the years to that truth. She gets along very well with Frederick (it's patent that the little traitor has inherited Niles's same taste for women, as his nephew has a childhood crush on Daphne and has always rubbed it in that he had access to her touch and open affection, whereas Niles had to swallow down his jealousy and envy), she melts at the sight of Alice and every time they cross paths with acquaintances and friends who have children, she spends some time bonding with the little ones.
He on his part is sure that he wants to become a father if Daphne is willing to turn him into one. But he isn't ever going to pressure her on that matter. He'll accept her decision, whichever it is. It's true that he would feel even more complete than he already does with a family of his own, but to him, Daphne is enough to be perfectly happy and to feel fulfilled. Children would be a welcome addition, but it's up to her.
In everything that encompasses the love of his life, the best approach is going with the flow naturally. He'd never done that with any other woman before, because he always felt lacking, invariably felt that he wasn't enough and that he had to exert himself to become worthy of their attention. It was so emotionally exhausting.
With Daphne, everything flows simply and naturally. He's more himself with her than he's ever been with anyone.
She stirs and he smiles. Perhaps he'll get lucky before breakfast time.