Simon like a man ........slept very well and snored like he was competing for his country!
But it was not his snoring that was keeping Heather awake ....although it wasn't helping ....she stared at him laid there and grinned to herself....
"Kinda comforting to see he hasn't changed much ..he always did snore"
Heather tried a few more times to find sleep....but after tossing and turning for another hour she decided to get up and see how her volcano looked in the moonlight.
The balcony brought her solitude and silence ....the moon was full and would
be that way for the next two days..... it also brought her memories of Nick......
memories that made the love inside her swell in her heart and consume her
*Elsewhere*
Nick laid in his bed......well not his bed..just another bed in another hotel room.
Light was streaming in through the delicate curtains...a still warming Parisian sun.
Nick stretched and ran his hand across the pillow beside him the way he had done every morning since their first night together.......
On most of those mornings his fingers had been swiftly entangled in Heather's hair and his concious mind let in the warmth of her sleeping body.... his own body reacting to the sweet knowledge that yet again he was not simply dreaming about her.
This morning he awoke alone ...true.... he had done that yesterday too.....but he had convinced himself that it would get easier as the mornings past.....after all he had two weeks without her to endure ......so it had to get easier real fast....it wasn't easier of course.... he still ached to hold her.
Nick rolled over and curled up with the nearest pillow and groaned from deep within.
A knock at his door dragged him out of his self pity ...it was Kevin ....
Nick knew by the *knock*!
Kevin had his own *knock*......
Kevin did three slow 'raps'.....
Howie did gentle 'taps'.....
AJ would knock twice....... then would tried the door and holler thru it.....
Brian would tap out a tune or do some dumb thing where his knuckles rapped
all over the surface of the door ...but this was a *Kevin knock*....
Nick felt rebellious."Go Away"
"Nick come on we're gonna be late...stop dreaming about her....."
"I'm not!"
"Yes you are ..now get your hands outta your pants....get dressed and meet us in the lobby"
Nick was indignant and muttered to himself.... 'who does he think he is...and I didn't have my hand down my pants'
He though for a moment and held up his hand.... 'although...now he mentions it ..that's a damn good idea '
he grinned and wandered into the shower.
*Back in the moonlight*
Heather leaned on the wooden rail surrounding the balcony and gazed up at the moon ....
it looked close enough to touch ..... so big and bright.....She closed her eyes and her thoughts travelled.... re-tracing every moment of falling in love.
Heather woke instantly to the sound of someone swearing ......she looked around her disorientated.....
she was on the balcony, but her head had been on a pillow and she was covered
by a blanket.'god I must have fallen asleep out here'
Simon appeared at the doorway "Morning gorgeous....sleep well?"
"Did you bring these out here..?"
"Uhm... yeah I got up to pee in the night.... and you were gone... found you asleep out here"
Simon grinned.. "Thought about carrying you to bed.... but guess I thought if you woke
up as I was doing that..you would have gotten the wrong idea and I'd have been dead before I could explain!"
Heather smiled up at him. "Thanks Simon ..y'see.... you are a gentleman really..."
Simon grinned again and stuck out his hand to pull her up. "Come on ...I got coffee brewing ..."
"Is that what the swearing was about?".....
"Yeah I kinda burnt my hand.."
"Show me!"
"Nah .....it's ok"
Heather gave him one of her looks and Simon quickly showed her his hand out..
A small red burn mark was visible across his fingers....
Heather reached for her first aid kit and promptly dealt with Simons injury
Simon watched her intently as she treated his wound like some personal angel of mercy.
He made a mental note to injure himself more frequently ...he could get used to this attention.
Heather put away the kit and turned her attention to the radio. "Is it working?"
"Don't know..... haven't tried"
Heather sighed..... "Well ...call the controller and find out what time the helicopter is
coming to take us on the fly over"
"What flyover?"
"For heavens sake Simon have you even read the schedule?........we have
a fly over today ....the only day we can have the helicopter until we leave..didn't you
know?"
Simon dug his hands deep into his pockets and shrugged "Well.... I never paid much attention....do we have to go back up in it?"
Heather decided to take pity on him.... "Okay ..I'll go on my own if you are really too squeamish about going up again"
Simon was at once defensive ....at all costs he had to try keep on her good side or his plan would fall apart. "No it's okay I'll go ..I'll go"
*Elsewhere*
"For crying out loud Nick what the hell is the matter?.... you haven't stayed 'in sync' with us once.....and you are off key"
Kevin threw his towel at Nick to indicate his displeasure
Brian picked it up as it fell to the floor.....
"Ignore him Nick he hasn't got over the flight..he 'll be ok......how you doin?"
Nick sighed "I'm ok but I'll be better in two weeks if you know what I'm sayin'.."
"Yeah I know...come on try to focus......get it right...ok?'
*High above a volcano*
The ground seemed an awful long way down to Simon.... and his belly had made several journeys into his mouth.
Heather leaned out of the open door of the helicopter and focused her camera..
Just as she was about to shoot a hand grabbed at her violently....
She swore badly.... "Simon...what the fuck are you doing?"
"I thought you were falling out...!!"
Heather tapped the pilot on the shoulder and shouted above the noise of the rotor blades..
for him to take them 'round again'.. "Dammit Simon I had a good shot composed there..."
"I'm sorry I thought you were falling..."
"You see this?"..... ...she waved her harness strap in his face... "I'm strapped in ...I cannot fall out..now pull yourself together or I'm throwing you in the volcano".
Simon laughed weakly ...and fumbled for his own camera....although how the hell he was supposed to take photographs when he couldn't look out of the windows he had no idea.
*Back in the Hotel*
Nick tapped Heather's cell phone number into his mobile for the seventh time.
The response was the same ..'number unreachable' "Dammit!!"
He threw the phone across the bed and kicked his training shoes at the wall.
"Temper Temper"
Nick spun around to find AJ grinning at him..... "C'mon Nick..my room has Cable and Satellite TV... we can watch basketball all night long if you wanna?"
"I need to talk to her AJ ....It's been hours now"
"Look ..she called you to say she was safe..now I'm sure if she can she will call you again..
it's not like she is on vacation Nick..she's working...remember?"
Nick shrugged and stared at his phone once more before AJ dragged him off to watch TV.
*Back at the Mud Hut*
Simon stared into the dusk at the awesome spectacle they had flown over that afternoon.
Very pleased to be back on the ground his equilibrium had just about returned.
Heather was busying herself loading film...setting up and planning the next day...when a blinding flash of lightening followed by violent crack of thunder shook the wicker shutters of the hut.
Heather jumped out of her skin and glanced at Simon..hoping he hadn't seen her fear.
He wasn't looking at her...but he had seen her jump!
She carried on making her plans for the next day ...Simon carried on reading his magazine.
The next crack of thunder seemed nearer although the last one appeared to be overhead.
Rapidly the storm became too much of a distraction to concentrate.
Simon stripped off and snuggled into his sleeping bag.
Heather ran her fingers through her hair....then reached for her phone.
The ominous beeping telling her the battery was still flat ....and no matter how many times she tried it ..it would still be flat!!
She peeled off her camouflage jeans and slid under the covers of her less than comfortable camp bed.
For several minutes she stared at the ceiling listening to the rain beating down on the roof.
Amazed at how it was not leaking and that the whole room wasn't just a maze of buckets and pitchers collecting rain water.
Her deep sigh prompted Simon to make one of his usual sarcastic comments.
He didn't turn to face her... his voice just boomed out of the depths of the sleeping bag.
"For christs sake Heather if you are gonna dream about 'Nicky'....." His voice dripped with irritation as he said Nicks name.. "Then please please ..keep the sound of your impending orgasm to a minimum OK!!"
Heather didn't even bother to retaliate..the thought of dreaming about Nick interested her much more......another blast of lightening illuminated the whole hut.
If Heather had been laid facing the other way......she would have seen Simons eyes watching her from across the few feet of rafia matting that separated their bunks.