Hawaiian Romance

A young woman travels to Hawaii and while on a young adults tour vacation finds love.

 

She opened the steam sealed bag of complimentary peanuts that the airline distributed. They had just taken off for the 5 1/2-hour flight to Waikiki. It was early in the morning when she toted her large suitcase and carry on bag to the baggage checks of the Canadian Airlines departures. Her parents had dropped her off. At 25 this was the first international airplane trip that she had taken by herself. She was more than a little bit nervous; petrified was more like it. Her experience going through customs that morning did little to calm her nerves. The customs official did nothing to ease her worries.

"Where are you going?" he asked sternly as he flipped open her passport. He was a heavyset man with red hair and a red mustache.

"Um Hawaii." She stammered.

"Where are you staying while you are there?"

"Um. " she fumbled through her bum pack for her itinerary. "In um Oahu, I am staying at the Ocean Resort, Kona -- Kona Seaside Resort, and Maui the Maui Islander Hotel."

"How much sleep did you get last night? Not Much huh?" He asked as his mustache twitched. "Have a good trip."

What an a*****e she thought to herself as she pulled her suitcase behind her. She had a good 90 minutes to kill before boarding the plane to Hawaii. So she walked around the airport and bought a Starbucks Coffee. She was reading one of the three books she packed with her when her flight was announced that the plane was boarding.

"Passengers sitting in rows 29-30 on flight 902 now boarding at gate G-7. Please have your boarding pass ready."

She picked up her carryon bag and headed towards the gate. She was sitting in 10a and was lucky to have a window seat.

She settled down in her seat looking out the window, a man about 32 sat in the seat next to her. He was a handsome man; his blond hair lay tousled on his head. He smiled faintly at her. He stowed his navy blue backpack under the seat in front of him. He adjusted his seat belt and began reading the soft cover book he brought along with him. The plane began to coast the runway as it began to pick up momentum she looked longingly out the window as the plane lifted off the ground and soon picked up altitude. Shortly thereafter the lights in the cabin dimmed and she felt herself relax. 20 minutes into the flight the attendants brought about the first of the complimentary snacks. At which time the man sitting beside her spoke. His voice was soft and inviting.

"Have you ever been to Hawaii before?" he asked her.

"No this is my first time. What about you?"

"I work there. I was on a 3 week long vacation now I am back to work tomorrow." He smiled at her. "I really love Hawaii. Have you ever surfed a really big wave?"

"Uh I don't surf," she said hesitantly.

"Oh you should try it. There's nothing like it. They offer surfing lessons every day on the beach in Waikiki. Quite reasonable prices too!"

"Maybe I will. I'll keep that in mind." she smiled as she put some of the salted peanuts in her mouth.

"How long are you staying?" he asked her.

"3 weeks.... " she told him.

"Going to more than one Island or staying on Oahu?"

"3 Islands. Oahu, Hawaii, Maui."

"Right on!"

"Do you work on Oahu?"

"Actually I work all over Hawaii mainly through Oahu, Maui and the Big Island." he went back to reading his book and she put the headset on and watched the in flight movie that had just started. It was the movie TURBULANCE with Ray Liotta. She could feel the man's eyes on her as she watched the movie. She looked over at him and he smiled. She smiled back.

After the movie ended there was an hour left to the flight, the passenger in the seat beside her began yet another conversation with her. It was nothing-personal just friendly chatter during a long boring flight. He showed her the islands as they were flying over them. She saw boats and cruise ships everywhere. She couldn't believe that she was there in Hawaii. It was something that she had always wanted to do. The plane landed smoothly with not so much as a bump. The isle was a mess of passengers trying to retrieve their carryon baggage. She thanked the man for all the interesting conversation that he offered her. They bid each other good bye. The moment she stepped off the plane she was accosted by a sudden gust of heat. At this point she knew she was in a completely different region of the world. She walked the length of the Honolulu airport toward baggage carousel 6c where she could pick up her suitcase. It hadn't been unloaded at the time she got there. A few minutes later, the carousel began to rotate. Her bag was one of the first unloaded from the plane. She scooped it up off the rack and headed out to catch a hotel shuttle bus. She must have waited 5 minutes at most for the shuttle bus. She couldn't believe how accurate her guidebook had been. It was approximately a 15-minute drive from the airport to her hotel. She glanced out the window in every direction wanting to see everything. She couldn't believe she was there in Hawaii. She needed someone to prove she wasn't dreaming.

The shuttle bus pulled up to the tall white building; the driveway was on a curving hill. The driver helped her out of the bus and she paid him the $8.00 charge plus she tipped him 2 dollars. She wanted to show the Americans that Canadians are good tippers. She walked into the lobby, which was open and there were birds flying all over. She checked in and was given the key to her room - she trekked up to the second floor to room 203 and slid her key card into the lock. Pulling it out of the door, it didn't open. She knocked on the door and a man answered pulling on a blue T-shirt. Puzzled, he looked questioningly at her.

"Oh, I think I have the wrong room." She looked at the room assigned her, which read 203. The number on the door read 203. What was the problem? She walked off toting her suitcase behind her. She pushed the elevator call button and waited for a car.

The front desk was almost completely empty when she walked up and dropped the key on the counter.

"What seems to be the problem miss?" The concierge asked, politely.

"I was just up at my assigned room and there is a man in it. So I think there was some form of mistake. My key won't fit either." She stated, bluntly.

"I do apologize Ms Hunter," the concierge said, almost groveling.

"That's all right, I would like to go up to my room and change if you don't mind." She sighed as the concierge typed something into the computer.

"Here's the problem... we originally had you in 203 however nobody changed it on the check in book. I do apologize Ms. Hunter." he wrote her new number on the key sleeve and sent her off on her way up to room 309.

The room was small in size and a single cot and a queen size bed filled the room. The bathroom was on the left-hand side of the room when you walk in through the door. There was a beige colored safe in the closet area sitting on the old orange carpet which gave the room that 1970's look. It appeared that the hotel was undergoing some interior renovations. A dark brown refrigerator sat under the sink. It didn't appear to her that her roommate had arrived yet so she decided that she would get changed and head to the beach or even the hotel pool. The beach looked to be 2 blocks from Waikiki beach. She got changed and grabbed her camera and sunglasses and headed out the door. As she opened the door she came face to face with a young woman toting a large beige suitcase.

"Hello... I'm Debbie..." Her roommate introduced herself.

"Hi I'm Niki." she smiled as she let the girl in the room.

The girls unpacked their suitcases and chatted getting to know each other. It turned out that Niki and Debbie were from the same part of Canada. The lower mainland of Vancouver. Debbie lived in Coquitlam, which was just across the bridge from Niki's home in Surrey. Niki wanted to explore Waikiki and Debbie decided she would lounge on the beach. They agreed that they would meet up at dinnertime and explore the Waikiki nightlife together. Niki made a phone call home to her parents just to let them know that she made it safe and sound. Niki needed a towel so she trekked down to the ABC store that she had heard so much about from her mother. She was able to get a good deal on one for 7.99. She was all set now she was ready for a swim in the hotel's pool before she braved the ocean. The water felt good as it cooled her body temperature down a few degrees. The heat of the sun was enough to give anybody sunstroke especially when they are not used to it.

At quarter past four, Niki walked down Papiolani drive to the beach and looked for Debbie, she was lying in the protective shade of a lone palm tree. The girls decided to get Jack in the Box take out and eat dinner on the beach and watch the sunset. The sunset was unlike that Niki had ever seen before. It appeared as though the sea extinguished the sun. After they ate and the sun was completely down the girls walked back to the hotel to get out of their swimsuits and shower and change before they walked to the shops which stayed open until 11pm every night. They walked into the International Marketplace, which was made up with little storefronts selling everything from clothing to candles to jewelry. The sounds of music filled the International market place from the restaurant known as Coconut Willies. They walked through the International Market place looking at all the candle shops, magnet shops and the clothing shops, there was so much to see and so little time to do it. Waikiki was definitely a tourist town. She could feel the excitement all around her. It looked, smelled and sounded exciting. At 10pm, she and Debbie became overwhelmingly tired the time difference had finally caught up with her. 10 o'clock according to their body clocks was 1 am. They dragged themselves tiredly back to their room. On their way to their room they stopped at the Contiki guide desk to read the agenda.

It read: Contiki Tours, We will meet in the lobby at 7:30am Monday, September 29, 1997 Bring a bathing suit, sunglasses, sunscreen, towel etc. We will be going to the beach. Thanks Contiki.

Niki and Debbie were awake and up at 6am which was 9am Vancouver time. She was both nervous and excited. She packed her Contiki backpack with her towel, bathing suit, sunscreen, baseball cap and camera. She put her sunglasses on top of her head so that she wouldn't forget them. In order to save money the girls decided to eat in their room before going down to meet their group. At 7:30am, they walked out of the elevator into the lobby. 23 people stood around the Contiki desk. It wasn't until she got closer to the group that she recognized him as the man from the airplane. He saw her and smiled warmly. It took her a moment to clue in to the fact that he was the tour manager. He walked casually up to her. He was wearing a blue button up shirt and a pair of beige walking shorts. He wore a quirky little smile on his face that told her that he had also recognized her.

"Well, hello again." he said. "I had a feeling that you would be on my tour."

"I had no idea. I mean it didn't register with me, yesterday." Niki stammered. "I didn't think I would see you again."

"I hinted at it quite a few times yesterday. When I told you that I worked between three Islands -- didn't that strike you as odd that they were the same Islands that you were going to?" he laughed heartily. "Graeme Blanchard." he out-stretched his hand to her.

"Niki Hunter." she accepted it nervously. She felt a wave of nervous nausea hit her. She fought it off. She had never felt that way before, even when she was dating someone. She swore to herself that she wasn't going to get involved with a surfer. That type was not what she was looking for. She wanted someone with a future. Still she found herself more than mildly attracted to Graeme. Even if there was an attraction between them - surely it couldn't be acted upon, wouldn't that be seen as a conflict of interest? Niki's subconscious told her.

"Niki, sign up on that table over there and we will be heading out in a half an hour." Graeme said patting her on the shoulder before he walked off to speak to another participant.

"Wow Niki," Debbie grinned. "He is hot."

"I know." Niki sighed. "Too bad, he's the tour manager. He can't socialize intimately with the participants of the tour."

"How do you know that?" Debbie frowned.

"It is only common sense. He is being paid to flirt and be available to us... that's part of his job. That is what he gets paid to do. Make everyone feel welcome."

"Well if you ask me, he seems interested in you -- that is for sure."

"No, I don't think so. We met briefly yesterday on the plane and we got to talking. Really until now I didn't even know Graeme's name until now." Niki told her as the line moved up to the table. The piece of paper on the table asked for the participants birth dates, citizenship, ages, names and passport numbers.

At 8am the tour officially began. The twenty-five young adults piled into the waiting Polynesian Tours mini tour bus. Once on the bus, Graeme said a few words of welcome to the tour.

"May I start by saying ALOHA!" he paused and waited when no one on the tour answered him he said it again a little bit louder from the time before. "ALOHA!"

Somebody from the back of the bus called out. "Aloha"

"Hey now that's what I wanted to hear. Aloha!" He called out again. Finally on the third try the entire bus answered "ALOHA!"

"My name is Graeme and I want to welcome you all from around the world to the Hawaiian Discovery tour. First of all how many of you have been on one of these tours before?" A few hands went up. "A few of you hey that's cool. So you know all about the morning song right? As you know we will be flying between islands and I have chosen the morning song with that theme. I am sure a lot of you will recognize it and if you don't by the end of the tour you will. We will play it a bit later. All right! We will be driving just down the block to Queen Kapiolani Park which is just past the Zoo -- the only snakes and spiders on the island you will find in the zoo. We will stop at Queen Kapiolani park to make brief introductions of ourselves and then it is off for a Waikiki City tour and then to Pearl Harbor for about 2 hours. And then we will get some lunch and then head out to Wiamea Bay and Sunset beach for some swimming and I brought a Frisbee. All right. We'll play the morning song after we go to Queen Kapiolani Park. Alright let's go." Graeme sat down on the seat directly across from her.

"Hey Nik, have you given any thought to taking surfing lessons? I think you would be a natural. I can set some up for you." Graeme winked at her. This made her cheeks warm. She wasn't sure whether she liked the idea of the tour manager flirting with her. It made her feel good, she decided, quickly.

"I think I will. " she agreed.

"Alright, I'll set it up for you. How does tomorrow at 3:00 sound? Is that ok?

"Of course." she agreed. The tour bus pulled into the parking lot of Queen Kapiolani Park.

"Ok we will get off here to make introductions and then we will head to Iolani Palace for the Waikiki walking tour. Come on let's go!" Graeme said as he jumped off the tour bus. Niki followed directly behind him. Soon the 25 of them were gathered in the middle of the lawn, which was a dark green color.

"What we'll do is go around in a circle and tell us your name, where you are from, if this is your first time in Hawaii and what you do back home."

There were 16 people from Australia, two people from LA, two people from Colorado, two people from Germany and 2 from Canada on the tour. When it came time for Niki to introduce herself. She felt Graeme's eyes boring into her and she felt her cheeks warm.

"My name is Niki, I am a English teacher in Vancouver BC in Canada. This is my first time here. I am looking forward to 3 great weeks in Hawaii.

It came time to for Graeme to introduce himself. He stood in the middle of the group and said.

"As you know my name is Graeme and I am the tour manager. I have been with Contiki doing various tours all over the world. I did the Contiki Australia tours for 2 years and absolutely loved it. I have been doing the Hawaii tour for a year. I am from San Diego born and raised. I want to show you all a great time in Hawaii. Let's go do the Waikiki City tour!" He clapped his hands together and ran almost skipped off to the bus.

They drove past the Aloaha Moana Canal towards Iolani Palace to begin the walking tour. Graeme popped a tape into the cassette player and FLY by Sugar Ray began through the speakers. This was to be the group's morning song. It was a song that they would come to cherish. Many of the participants groaned when they heard the song. Graeme responded to this with a chuckle. "You will grow to love it. Trust me."

The bus stopped in front of a statue that looked to be robed completely in feathers. It was the statue of King Kamehameha. The tour departed the bus and gathered around the statue. Graeme told the driver to meet them on the other side of the street in about 20 minutes. Apparently that is how long it would take for the walking tour. There were pictures depicting the king's dealings with captain cook and others. They walked through the gates of Iolani palace and under Banyan trees. The tour assembled around the gate on the other side of Iolani Palace where they were shown on emblem on the gate. It was the emblem of Queen Lilikolani who was held in one of the upper wings of Iolani Palace. Graeme walked the tour through the Parliament Buildings, which resembled Hawaii. The representation of a Volcano surrounded completely by water. They climbed onto the air-conditioned bus and were off to Pearl Harbor. On their way to Pearl Harbor, Graeme pointed out the marina where Gilligan and the 7 castaways sailed out at the beginning of their 3-hour tour. At Pearl Harbor, they watched a very emotional film of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The M.C. of the presentation was a World War II veteran who lost comrades on the Arizona as well as some land civilians. He asked them to be respectful and quiet while visiting the Memorial, As the Arizona was now recognized as a burial ground for those who died during the attack. He added that there were many buried there who had requested as part of their last wills and testament that they be buried along side their comrades. He was very gruff when he spoke, his voice filled with emotion. He wore a dark green uniform and cap. His gray hair showed from under the rim of his cap. He wiped away a tear as he thanked everyone and left the stage. The doors to the right of the room opened out onto the dock of a naval boat, which would take them over to the Memorial. On the trip over to the Memorial a recording of interviews with survivors of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was played. It gave the feeling of actually being there. The boat took them past a naval submarine docked in the Harbor. They were instructed to remain seated until those needing assistance could disembark. Walking into the memorial, they were met by soft instrumental music. Flowered Lei's hung from the walls of the memorial. Niki felt a lump form in her throat as she walked into the room where the names of the men and women killed during the attack. It was one thing to see it on the television or in photo albums but actually being there was quite different. She stood silently looking out over the ship's hull, which was the only portion of the ship remaining above water. She tried to swallow back the tears. She closed her eyes as she faced the hull. She could feel the hot tears rimming her eyelids. She felt the caress of two hands on her shoulders. Followed by the sound of Graeme's husky voice whispering in her ear.

"Come on Niki, the boat is here to take us back." he had his arm around her leading her to the boat.

Once back in the boat Niki regained her composure. "I'm sorry." She apologized as she and Graeme sat together on one of the seats that seated 5 people comfortably. She was sitting against the boat looking out onto the water.

"Don't worry Nik," Graeme smiled warmly at her. "We've all been known to lose composure over there. And I've seen it over a dozen times. It is enough to unnerve even the strongest person.

He rubbed her shoulders gently. "Do you like hamburgers?" he asked her. "Because we are going to a place called Ziggy's and they make the best burgers any where."

"I love hamburgers." Niki grinned. Her stomach grumbled at the talk of food. It was almost lunchtime. "I am starving."

"Well once we are on the bus it is only 20 minutes to Ziggy's. " He smiled. "Do you want me to set up the surfing lessons for you?"

"That would be great."

"Alright then," he smiled warmly at her again. They talked about personal things for the rest of the voyage back to the dock. They waited until those needing assistance were disembarked before they did. They met back at the bus once everyone had visited the washroom facilities if they had been required. Graeme and Niki were the first back to the bus and were seated talking and laughing when everyone else got there.

"Well oh well. It took you guys long enough. We've been waiting 20 minutes for you!" Graeme joked. Once the last person was seated the bus started off towards Ziggy's which was on the way to the North side of the Island where Wiamea Bay and Sunset Beach were.

Niki and Debbie sat together eating their lunches. Debbie ordered a chef salad while Niki ate a cheeseburger, a side of fries and gravy and a Coca-Cola. She had thought about having an iced tea or lemonade but she remembered that the Canadian concept of Iced Tea and Lemonade was completely different from the Americans. In the U.S. if you requested an Iced Tea -- that is exactly what you would receive cold Tea. Graeme was off doing his job -- socializing with the other participants. However it wasn't long before he was sitting beside Niki at their table cracking jokes and acting crazy doing just about anything to make her laugh. Niki had to admit he was a fun guy for a surfer. She really found her self-enjoying his company.

At 12:30, after lunch they assembled into the bus and headed off to the North end of the Island and Wiamea Bay and sunset Beach to do some sunbathing and swimming on a white sand beach. It was at Wiamea Bay that she had an experience that she would never forget. The ladies change room was completely open every body changed together -- no modesty. This didn't bother her so much as when she went to use the toilet. The stalls themselves were wide open. Not a door to be seen. The idea of this was something Niki knew she had to write in her Travel diary.

It appeared to her that Graeme was keeping particularly close to her. She kept telling herself that it was all part of his job that even if he were interested he couldn't do anything anyhow. He probably picked a girl from each tour to pay special attention to. He laid his colorful beach towel on the beach beside hers. He chased her into the ocean, which was so crystal clear that she could look down at her feet and see dozens of little fish swimming about. He chased her out a slight bit farther than she would have liked to be. But her fears were soon disregarded as a huge wave swept her back to shore. After swimming and sunbathing for almost 3 hours, it was off to Sunset Beach to see the surfing waves that lead to Pipeline. They were given some sugar cane and fresh coconut to try. They didn't stay a Sunset Beach for longer than a half an hour, as they needed to beat rush hour back to the hotel. Rush hour was nothing like rush hour that Niki knew from Vancouver. It took them 15 minutes to get from the airport back to their hotel. It was shortly after 5 when the tour bus let them off at their hotel. It was there that everybody went back to their rooms for a shower and to get ready for the events of the evening. They had agreed to meet in the hotel lounge for a before dinner drink and some mingling. Niki made friends with a few of the participants they were Tara, Kevin and Mark from Colorado. They were laughing hysterically in the lobby when Graeme and the entire tour met up with them.

"Hey guys." Graeme winked directly at Niki. "You ready to go?"

They followed Graeme down the stairs and down the block to the main street, which ran along the beach. Graeme took the tour for a little tour through Duke's restaurant and Oceanside Beach Bar. They walked through the lobby of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which was an enormous pink structure that was the oldest Hotel on Waikiki beach it was built in the 1920’s, or so Graeme told them. They crossed the street following Graeme into the International MarketPlace where Coconut Willies was situated above the little storefronts. They were welcomed to the quaint, friendly and relaxed atmosphere by the sounds of the singer and his band playing all of the popular music of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. The waitress escorted them to their table, which was situated along the length of 1 wall. Graeme seated himself conveniently beside Niki. She was pleased with this. It however didn't go unnoticed by Debbie who caught Niki's eye and nodded smugly to her. He had ordered a Coconut Willie Burger and offered Niki a bite. After dinner, they went off to go dancing at Moose McGillicudy's which was down the street near the Movie Theater. It was crowded when they arrived. There wasn't a table in sight. Tara ended up finding the group a table right beside the bar. Graeme met a friend of his there. An actor working on a Hawaiian situation comedy. His name was Doug. He had long hair down to the middle of his back. It was pulled back into a Pony tail which made it easier to dance with. Graeme grabbed Niki by the hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor just as "Fly" began. Soon the entire tour was out on the floor dancing away to the sounds of Sugar Ray singing "I just want to fly." Niki was having the time of her life. She enjoyed being with these people who just earlier that day were strangers to her. They danced to Chumba Wumba and a few others before Niki excused herself and went back to the table. She needed a drink. She realized that she hadn't had one since Coconut Willie's. She went to the bar and ordered a Long Island Ice Tea. Moose sized which came in a mini pitcher.

"Wow easy girl, I can tell it is going to be a long night." Graeme whispered jokingly in her ear. His breath was warm against her skin. "You don't want to drink too much if you are hiking up Diamond Head."

He winked as she looked uncertainly at him.

"Hiking Diamond Head? Are you serious?"

"You bet... hey it'll be fun, you will love it. Trust me."

"Well, I don't know..." Niki sputtered.

"Hey don't worry. I'll be there to hold you up." He said seductively in her ear. This made her blush. She looked embarrassed as she smiled back at his comment. She couldn't help her feelings but she knew it was impossible to even think that there was more behind his comments than he was doing his job. A job to make sure that everyone's trip is just that much more special and gratifying.

The club was exceptionally busy for a Monday night she thought. Then she remembered that she was on Vacation in Hawaii and most of the people there were tourists. The tour danced to Rocket Man. They were having a really good time. Doug was up dancing with Debbie and Graeme kept close tabs on where Niki was. She couldn't place where she had seen Doug before. Graeme had mentioned that Doug had been on several television shows. It gnawed at her, how familiar he looked. Why couldn't she place where she knew him? She knew that hadn't seen him on television. It took her a few minutes then it dawned on her. She was certain that she had gone to the same school as he did. She would have to ask Graeme where Doug grew up. She almost yelled in Graeme's ear. She had to over the music. She wasn't surprised when he told her that he grew up in Vancouver. She had a smug smile on her face as she nodded to the beat of the music.

"What's so funny?" Graeme asked, bending over her ear.

"I went to school with Doug. Well he was 2 years a head of me but we do know each other."

"No way really?" Graeme laughed at that. "How old are you?"

"25... yes really."

"Hey Doug!" Graeme slapped his friend's arm.

"What?" Doug snapped. He didn't like it when somebody slaps him without reason and Graeme knew that. "What do you want?"

"What school did you do to?" Niki asked with a grin.

"It's in Canada... you probably wouldn't know it."

"It wasn't Frank Hurt High school was it? By any chance?" Niki asked him once they were seated back at the table.

"Yes, how did you know?" It was at that moment that Doug recognized Niki.

"Nicole Hunter? My God, I must be dreaming." He laughed. "God it is good to see you. It is a small world. How have you been? What are you doing?"

While Niki and Doug caught up, Graeme mingled with the tour. Doug said good night to everybody at about midnight and headed off home. It was shortly after, that Graeme, Niki and the others headed back to their hotel. They were going to make an early start the next morning to hike Diamond Head. It was best to hike the volcanic crater early before it became too hot. They got to the elevator and Graeme bid everyone good night Niki felt a little awkward standing there with the group. Maybe he wasn't interested. But earlier in the day he had appeared to be. She should have realized that he was only doing his job. Before they got into the elevator he called to her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Nervously she walked over to where he was sitting on one of the blue and white couches. She sat down beside him. The minute turned into 2 hours. Neither of them realized where the time went. They talked about their families, her job, and their hopes and dreams everything under the sun they talked about. When Graeme looked at his watch it was quarter past two in the morning and they had to be up for 7:30 when they were meeting in the Lobby to catch cabs to Diamond Head Crater. Graeme and Niki headed up to their rooms. They said good night once the elevator hit the 3rd floor. Niki got off and Graeme took it up to his room on the 6th floor. She was asleep even before her head hit the pillow. Before she knew it, her alarm was buzzing loudly in her ear. Debbie was getting dressed.

"Hey sleepy head! What time did you get in last night?" Debbie smirked.

"Around two." She yawned. It didn't take her long to get dressed once she was up. She put on a pair of bright pink shorts and a flowered sleeveless shirt. Tying up her last running shoe, she picked up her fanny pack and fastened it around her waist. She took her bottled water out of the fridge and put it in her backpack. She then hung her camera around her neck and put her sunglasses on. When they both were ready to go, the girls headed down to the hotel restaurant for which they had vouchers for breakfast. They met Graeme in the elevator. He smiled sleepily at Niki.

"Morning." he said with a yawn. "Ready to hike Diamond Head?"

"Ready as I will ever be I guess." Debbie said unconvincingly.

"What about you Nik?" Graeme asked looking at her. She was leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"MMMMMM let me wake up first." she sighed.

"Heh, heh, heh come on baby." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently out of the elevator. "You have something to eat and you will be ready for anything, especially Diamond Head."

They walked into the restaurant and were greeted by the waitress. She smiled at Graeme and said. "Hey Grae, how are you?"

"Great Marla, how bout your self?"

"Can not complain." she smiled, as she led them to their table. "How many on this tour?"

"25 including me." He winked.

"You must have a really good time, hey?" she said, as she poured each of them a glass of water.

"Yes, they are a lot of fun. It is really busy though. Always on the go - you know."

"When do you go on to the other islands?"

"Friday morning. We fly to Hawaii for 3 days." he smiled.

"When does it end?"

"Wednesday October 15."

"It's 3 weeks hey?"

"Just about." he began.

"I'll be back in a flash to take your orders." In a split second she was gone off to another table.

Slowly almost sporadically, the other members of the tour came into the restaurant. They took tables around theirs. After breakfast, Graeme went to the reception desk and asked the Concierge to call 3 cabs to take the tour to Diamond Head. Once everyone was comfortably settled in the cabs. They were off. Graeme arranged to meet them back in the lobby at 12:30 at which time he would arrange for those who wanted to take surfing lessons. Niki questioned him with her eyes. He wasn't going hiking with them? It was he who convinced her that she should go on the hike.

"I have some work to do." He whispered in her ear. "Did you want to go to Hanauma Bay tomorrow with me?"

"Yes," she agreed. Wednesday they had a free day where the tour could do whatever they wanted. Most days on this tour were pretty much unscheduled except for dinners.

"Okay, I'll see you back here at 12:30." He rubbed her back in a reassuring manner before putting her in the cab.

Diamond Head Crater was crowded when they arrived. There were four tour buses and taxicabs everywhere you turned. Niki and the group started up the pathway, which was completely rugged terrain. She and Debbie had their photograph taken beside the Diamond Head Crater sign. They started up the rugged pathway in single file. Niki and Debbie took photos of each other as they began their trek up the steep stair way to the top. Niki felt her legs wobble beneath her as she pulled herself up the stairs. "Why am I doing this?" she asked herself. "Just to say you did it. And be proud of it." Her subconscious told her. "Besides Graeme will be waiting for you when you get back." Niki trudged to the top, carrying her large bottle of Hawaii H2O water. The pathway to the top of Diamond Head was made up of rugged terrain that led up to a set of 99 stairs hiking up those Niki felt her knees weaken as she trekked up the steep stairs towards what looked like a tunnel. The tunnel was pitch black and Niki kept her hands away from the sides of the tunnel out of fear of the creepy crawlers may be lurking there. Up a head of her, she saw the light of day. It was a few feet in front of her but it felt 200 miles away. Unfortunately there was a ways to go before they reached the summit of Diamond Head. With a sigh Niki continued trudging to the top. It seemed like a waste of energy to have walked all this way and not finish it. She walked into another, which had a spiral staircase as her eyes adjusted to the blackness she felt her way to the top. It was warm in the cavern not cool, as she would have expected it to be. She assumed that was because of all the bodies inside the cavern hiking up and down the crater. She almost had to crawl out of the cavern exit, which was about 5 feet in height. She felt the warmth of the sun on her skin as she sighed and continued to walk the last few feet to the Diamond Head viewpoint. The view from the Diamond Head Summit was spectacular on one side was the view of the ocean and Hanauma Bay, and the other was Waikiki beach. It was a glorious sight.

"Here Niki, I'll take a picture of you." Debbie said, grabbing for her camera which was fastened around her neck. After several pictures were taken on top of Diamond Head, they headed to the bottom. It was much easier going down than hike up. She walked down with a man named Shawn from Ireland. They spoke of their careers and family life. At the bottom she received a shirt for a $20 donation which said, "I successfully climbed Diamond Head Summit. She and Shawn and Paul the man who she had met the day she checked in split a cab fare home to the hotel. The cabby was a really nice man who was a great tour guide. He told them the names of the vegetation all over the Island. Once back at the hotel, Niki realized that she was with out real cash and had to cash a traveler's check. So Shawn said that he would cover the cost of the cab and tip if she would buy him a beer one night. Happily Niki agreed. She was hot and sweaty and desperately needed a swim to cool off her body temperature. The pools were empty when she walked out on deck so she set up her towel and dove into the pool. She loved the water and swam like a fish. A short while later she got out and wave of exhaustion swept over her. She laid down on the patio lounge chair and fell asleep she must have dosed off for a good half hour to an hour because the next thing she knew there was a crowd of kids splashing about the pool. She sat up and one of the guys in the group called over to her. "I thing you had better check your hair. Total bed look." They all laughed as Niki ignored them packing up her backpack and towel she walked up the stairs towards her room. A short time later she went down to the lobby. She was supposed to meet Graeme in the lobby for lunch. Then he was going to arrange a surfing lesson for her. As she stepped off the elevator and walked towards the lobby. Graeme was sitting on the sofa smiling at her.

"How did you like the hike?"

"Exhausting." Niki feigned exhaustion.

"A little out of breath were you?" Graeme laughed. "Yeah baby. Come on lets go get some lunch. Unfortunately they were all booked up today for surfing lessons but not to worry Doug said we could borrow his board and I will teach you myself."

He took Niki to a little coffee shop, which made the best burgers in all of Waikiki according to Graeme. Niki had to admit that they were. The cheese was melted just so that it flowed over the meat patty. They spent a good hour and a half laughing and talking. They hardly noticed the time until Graeme looked at his watch and almost gasped. It was 2:30pm. The second day was almost over. "Come on, let's get you surfing." He took her to a private strip of beach about a mile from their hotel.

"Alright Niki, relax -- I won't let you go. I will hold on tight to the board." It was just as he said. Niki waited and watched as the wave swept in a pushed Graeme and Niki toward the shore. The sudden jolt of the wave moving the board took Niki by surprise. She lost her balance. Graeme caught her in his arms just as she hit the warm salty water with a splash. Graeme held Niki between himself and the board for what seemed like and eternity. Neither let go of the other. Graeme smiled warmly at her and she smiled back.

It seemed to her that he was going to kiss her but he didn't. Instead he said. "Do you want to try again?"

Later that night, Graeme and Niki met the others in the hotel for cocktails before dinner. Niki and Graeme were sitting at a table with Doug and Debbie when everyone else arrived. Doug was in the middle of telling a story of something that happened during their time in high school.

"Did you ever have Mrs. Ritchie for English?" Doug asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"8 to 12." Niki said. "Those were the best years of my school career."

"Did she ever read passages of different pieces and use those comedic voices?"

"Oh you mean the squeaky cross between Miss Piggy and Elmer Fudd."

"Right and she would stick her nose up in the air and we would all howl."

Debbie and Graeme laughed along with them. Once the tour was gathered in the lounge for drinks they decided where they would have dinner -- at Dukes Canoe club Waikiki. The restaurant was crowded when the tour arrived. It soon emptied and they were seated along the patio over looking the beach. Graeme sat beside Niki and faintly rubbed her arm. The gesture went unnoticed by the tour members.

Niki yearned to spend some quality time with Graeme and she sensed he felt the same. The tour headed off to Moose McGillicudy's for more dancing. Niki felt almost emotionally drained. She almost fell asleep at the table and she would have had Graeme not whispered in her ear.

"Come on Baby -- Dance with me." He took her by the hand and lead her almost dragged her to the dance floor. It seemed that once on the dance floor, Niki danced the night away with Graeme and the rest of the tour.

The next morning Debbie and Niki met Graeme and Doug in the Lobby and took Doug's car to Hanauma Bay. Hanauma Bay was crowded when they arrived. The two couples spent the day basking in the warm sunshine and the refreshing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Niki and Graeme stretched their beach towels out on the white sands of the beach and lay down to get some more sun before cooling off in the ocean. Debbie and Douglas went off for a walk down the beach leaving Graeme and Niki alone.

Graeme leaned up on his arms and stared at her through his dark glasses. It was almost a minute before either said anything.

"Hey, you’re getting a little red. Let me put some lotion on your back." Graeme said, getting up on to his knees and knelt beside her. Obligingly, Niki smiled and rolled over on to her stomach. The lotion was warm as it fell on her back. Graeme’s hand ran smoothly over her back and she knew she was just where she wanted to be. All thoughts of reality and life back home drifted away as Graeme massaged the lotion into her back and shoulders. She had her shoulder length hair pulled tightly back in to a ponytail. She tilted her head to one side so that one ear rested on her folded arms so that she could look a Graeme through one eye. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking by the look on his face. He seemed so intent on what he was doing. The rhythmic movements of his hands as they glided over her back made her relax completely and want to drift off to sleep. What seemed like a matter of mere seconds she felt Graeme’s breath on her ear and heard his husky voice whisper. "Come on sleepy head time to go into the water."

Niki lifted her head slowly and looked around. Hanauma Bay was packed. Graeme patted her shoulder before he stood up. "Come on lazy bones."

She was feeling so relaxed, more than she had in a longtime. Graeme took her by the hand and ran her through the crowd towards the water. He stopped in the water once it reached her waist. He turned to face her. The smile on his face suddenly turned serious. Neither said anything as he leaned in towards Niki and cupped her face in his hands. The moment his lips met hers Niki’s mind exploded. It was a feeling of which she had never experienced before. She had kissed or been kissed before but never with such intensity and passion. Graeme’s kiss was soft and very intensive. It felt right. The two pulled away slowly, panting slightly trying to retrieve a breath. Graeme smiled at her again and dove in to the water. As Niki stood in the water watching after Graeme, she pinched herself softly to convince her self that it had occurred.

Graeme and Niki spoke to no one of what occurred at Hanauma Bay. The kiss could have major repercussions on his job. They both knew that neither was necessarily ready for where the kiss could lead. Niki wasn’t certain if she wanted it to go any further than the kiss. Her body like always betrayed a feeling which was more than platonic. She was certain that nothing good would come out of a relationship with him especially when it concerned his employment as tour escort. She could tell by his attitude towards her that he too was struggling with a power that was beyond their control. It was true that you couldn’t control whom you fell in love with. Niki knew that Graeme made her feel like no one has before. With the tour he treated her like a just another member of the tour but when they were together alone he was more loving. Every so often she would catch Graeme cast her meaningful glances which lasted only long enough for their eyes to meet but not long enough for anyone to really notice.

Niki woke up at 5:30am on the morning that the tour was to depart Honolulu to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Debbie was sawing logs when Niki got up and had a shower. She quickly showered, pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail and dressed in a pink short set and left Debbie a short note

"Gone for a walk, woke early. See you at breakfast.

Nik."

There wasn’t a sole around that early in the morning when she called the elevator. She heard it clang as it opened and shut on another floor. It rumbled quietly as it came to a stop at her floor. The doors opened and she was astonished to find Graeme leaning against the sidewall of the Elevator.

"Well good morning baby." He smiled as she walked into the elevator. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn’t sleep so I’d thought I would take a walk." Niki said with a yawn.

"I know the feeling. Do you want company?" he asked with a wink.

"Sure," She agreed. It was an awkward silence as they walked out of the hotel and down the road towards the beach. Casually Niki felt Graeme slid his hand into hers. Her heart began to race. It was nice being with Graeme. He made her feel like she was floating. They walked for a few minutes in silence before either spoke.

"I am sorry if I took you off guard yesterday—after we you know." Graeme stammered. He was nervous, she could tell by the way his voice wavered. She knew what he was trying to say and that he was having as difficult a time with his emotions as she was with hers.

"You mean when we kissed?" She asked softly, in almost a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Look Graeme, I understand. We were both caught up in the moment."

"No… Niki that is not what I want to say…" He turned to face her for a moment. " I meant to kiss you. I have wanted to kiss you since the day we met on the plane. Only it is very complicated. When you become a tour escort there are some set rules that you have to live by. The main one – they stress is not to get involved with your clients. I am afraid that is what is happening between us. I wish things were different. I really really do."

They walked hand in hand down the main street of Waikiki talking. During this time, Graeme opened up to Niki about his feelings for her. He expressed the deepness of their intent. Niki felt her heard pound about a mile a minute as he poured his heart out to her. They walked together for a good hour, just talking about this and that and everything. They were supposed to meet the tour for breakfast before they left for the Big Island. It was 7am when they got back to the hotel. They were halfway back to the hotel when Graeme could no longer fend off his emotions. He turned to her and took her in his arms and hugged her to him. He began by kissing her cheek, neck and forehead. When his lips met hers their passion ignited. He parted her lips with his tongue and earnestly searched for hers to respond. It did with little or no pressure. They played professional tonsil hockey for approximately 5 minutes with out a breath but neither was counting. Graeme cupped Niki’s face with his hands and held her close to him as they kissed with insurmountable passion. Neither wanted the kiss to end. When it came to an end Graeme hugged Niki to him and kissed her forehead. They sat together on the street bench not saying anything. Just sitting there quietly alone with their thoughts. Neither wanted to move but they both new they had to. They were leaving the island in less than 5 hours so they had to get back to the hotel before the other members of the tour woke up.

The Big Island*****

Breakfast began at 7:30am that morning -- the morning the tour was to depart for Kailua –Kona. Graeme and Niki had successfully managed to sneak back into the hotel and up to their rooms with out anyone from the tour seeing them. Debbie was in the shower when she let herself in the room. Graeme had sworn her to secrecy about what has been going on with them. She unpacked the dresser drawer into her suitcase, she paused for a moment at the memory of Graeme’s kiss. It was going to be very difficult being on the same tour with him and not be able to touch him. He warned her about the repercussions to his career, if anybody found out. There were rules of conduct that had to be followed. She knew it was going to be hard but Graeme was right. Niki was zipping up her suitcase when Debbie came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped in a turban on her head.

"Hey Nik, how was your walk?" Debbie questioned with her eyes.

"Good, and refreshing." Niki’s eyes sparkled. She found it difficult not to tell Debbie what was going on.

"Was Graeme with you?" Debbie blurted out.

"Why would Graeme be with me?" Niki blushed.

"I knew it!" Debbie squealed. "I knew there was something between you and Grae, I just knew it."

"Debbie, please there isn’t anything going on. We are merely great friends." Niki avoided her roommates glance. "Anyway it would prove a great decrement to his career."

"Bull s**t!" Debbie stated matter of factly. "You are making up excuses because you are afraid of being hurt again. The two of you! I am going to tell the entire tour about you and Grae!"

"No Deb., you can’t!"

"Nik- I was just kidding but there you see you answered me truthfully."

"(Sigh) What do you want Deb.? Do you want me to tell you that I am so hung up on Graeme that I can’t see straight? That my thoughts of the future consist of him? That I know we can never be together because his Career with the Tour Company does not allow for a committed relationship? That I spent the early morning hours walking Waikiki with Graeme? What? - What do you want me to tell you?"

"I’m sorry Niki, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just teasing you."

"Deb. You have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone about Graeme and me. I am serious it could cause problems for him, problems greater that anyone understands."

"Alright Nik, I promise."

* * * *

They met the tour in the Hotel Restaurant at 7:30am. Graeme was already eating breakfast when Niki and Debbie walked in.

"Well ladies, I thought you weren’t going to make it." He teased with a wink at Niki.

"Well you know how us ladies are, have to always pretty our selves up for you guys." Debbie said smugly. Niki felt her cheeks reddening. She caught a glimpse of Graeme through her lashes. He held his composure really well, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she was certain that he would mention it later.

Graeme finished his breakfast and excused himself to do a little bit of work- to get the bus to take them to the airport. As he walked past her, she felt his hand lightly brush her back.

"The tour assembled in the lobby and Niki ran off to use the payphone to reconfirm her flight home. It occurred to her that it would be best to do it now while she still thought about it. It took her 5 minutes to finally get through to the correct people. Graeme noticed Niki on the phone and came over to see if she was all right. She nodded to him as she spoke to the airline representative. Hanging up the phone – Niki picked up her luggage and followed Graeme to the waiting tour bus. Debbie saved her a seat towards the back of the bus. Graeme explained to the group what was going to happen during the day.

"First we are going to catch a flight to Hilo and a bus is going to meet us at the airport. It will then take us to Volcanoes National Park where we will spend most of our day before we head off to our hotel in Kailua-Kona. Alright we are off!"

Once they were successfully checked in at the airport, Graeme led the group to the departure gate. Doug was waiting for them at the gate. He was off to the Island of Kauai to do some surfing and start back to work.

The gate attendant announced that the flight to Hilo would be boarding in less than 5 minutes so the tour eagerly anticipated the departure. The flight itself was short, it seemed as though they had just taken off then they began their decent

Though the flight was an hour and a half.

The tour retrieved their luggage from the carousel and boarded the tour bus. Their driver was a native Hawaiian who called himself Cousin Jack. Niki and Debbie seated themselves on the front seat of the 25passenger bus. Graeme put his bag on the seat beside her and went off to give his address.

Graeme pulled out a map of the Island of Hawaii and gave the tour a brief background of the island. He routed out the direction they would be going and where they would stop and be able to stretch their legs. Their first stop was the Kiluea Crater steam vents. The smell of sulfur filled the air. They gathered around Graeme as he pointed out features of the park. Their next stop was the Kiluea Observatory where they took some group photos. There were some very interesting facts that she hadn’t realized about the crater. They were at the observatory for about 20minutes and then it was off to the lava tubes. Niki was amazed as they walked through the lava tube. It was approximately 7 feet high and dark. Graeme teased Niki by saying "watch that no creepy crawlers fall on you."

They took more pictures at a place where they could actually walk on the lava flow. It was the 1995 lava flow. Niki picked up the lava rock and was amazed to discover that the lava rock was light to the touch. Graeme told them that they could walk to the actual lava flow but it would take a good 4 hours as the bus was not permitted past a certain point.

The bus came to a halt in the parking lot of the Black Sand Beach. The weather was a complete opposite to what it had been on Oahu. It was clouded over with what appeared to Niki was thunderclouds. Hawaii (the island of) they were told received more rain than any other of the islands, however it was still warm. Graeme noticed some movement in the ocean and pointed to what appeared to be a rock – until the head poked out of the water and they realized that it was a giant sea turtle. They took pictures there and Graeme gave the group a little history of the black sand beach.

A short time later they boarded the bus and drove through the scenic landscapes of the island. They pulled off to the side of the Road to taste the raw Kona Coffee bean. Graeme remained in close proximity to Niki. She could almost feel the warmth of his body next to hers. She yearned to feel his arms around her again. How she wished they could be open about their feelings for each other. Every so often she would catch him watching her. He would wink at her quickly and then look away. They arrived at their hotel. The Kona Seaside Hotel at about 5:30pm and they arranged to meet at Stan’s Restaurant, which was the Hotel’s restaurant, for dinner at 7:00pm. Once they were checked in they had time to unpack and freshen up for dinner.

Niki and Debbie took the elevator from the lobby to their room on the second floor. As they waited for the elevator to arrive Graeme stopped to talk to them be for heading up the stairs to the second floor. The elevator looked as though it had lived a long worn-out life. It ground to a halt on the 2^nd floor and the door scraped open. Their room was the first door on the left-hand side of the hallway right by the elevator. According to Graeme the walls were paper-thin so they had to quiet down by 10pm. They unpacked and Niki showered. She wore a nice pair of pink walking shorts and a white and pink floral sleeveless top. They met downstairs at Stan’s for dinner. She sat at the opposite end of the table talking with a few of the other members of the group. She had a view of the other side of the table and caught Graeme’s eye a few times in the course of the evening. After dinner they went out for drinks and a walking tour of Kailua-Kona. They walked to the King Kamehameha Hotel and through a little strip mall. The tour remained at the pub until closed. Graeme was tired and decided to call it a night leaving the tour at their table at 10pm. As Graeme left the pub he softly brushed his hand against Niki’s shoulder. Niki felt the shiver of butterflies in her stomach at his touch. She felt the need to follow Graeme but fought the desire; they had to keep any feelings between them a secret. Niki’s eyes followed Graeme as he made his descent down the stairs.

"Nik," Debbie said softly to her. " Are you ok?"

"Great! Why?"

"No reason you just seem lost in thought."

"I am just relaxed and letting my mind wander."

The tour sat around the large table engrossed in intimate conversations until the management of the bar announced the last call for drinks at 1:30am. They were the last ones to leave the bar. They couldn’t help giggling all the way back to the hotel. They were meeting Graeme at the wharf by the King Kamehameha Hotel for a 1/2day adventure by way of a zodiac.

After a hefty breakfast at Stan’s Restaurant the tour met on the large wharf for the Zodiac tour. Their Zodiac Guides Kenjii and Greg met them. The tour was divided between two Zodiacs, Graeme and Niki were on the same Zodiac. Soon they were off on a high-speed adventure toward the Captain Cook Monument, the site where Captain Cook was eventually killed. It is now home of a beautiful Coral Reef. A few miles from Kailua Kona, Greg maneuvered the Zodiac into a little cove off the Island, the water, though very deep was so clear you could see the oceans floor. They stopped the boat and the tour was invited to dive in to the refreshing crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean.

"Come on Nik, I’ll throw you in if you don’t go in on your own," Graeme teased as Niki dove in to the water. Graeme followed shortly behind her. As they treaded about the water she and Graeme talked. They talked about anything and everything, they joked with the other tour members. They were a group of strangers who had built a friendship bond that they would remember forever.

As the tour climbed back into the Zodiac Greg washed the salt water off of their faces, to put as he said, the salt back to where it came from, the ocean. Riding a Zodiac was different from anything the Niki had ever experienced before in her life.

A zodiac is like a rubber raft, except it has a solid bottom, there is a thick rope which runs the length of the boat along the bottom of the boat. Passengers sit on the edge of the boat and secure themselves by holding on to the rope that runs around the outside of the boat and securing one foot under the rope on the bottom of the boat. Niki and Graeme were sitting together on one side of the boat and he pretended to push Niki in to the water. They laughed and smiled deeply at each other. When they arrived at the Captain Cooks Monument they were shown how to apply their masks and snorkels and instructed not to step on top of the coral, as it was very fragile and sharp. They didn’t want to have to take anyone to the hospital for lacerations or to have pieces of coral removed from feet. Niki floated off on a kick board to help her self stay a float, even though she was a good swimmer she wanted to be able to relax and float about the coral. A short while later the tour was back in the zodiac and speeding away from the Monument. The guided took them around the island and slowed the zodiac down beside the black volcanic rock cliffs. Kenjii climbed off of the boat, which was rocking with the waves. He was scraping numerous shells off of the rock. The animals in the shells were a delicacy like oysters except you eat them raw. They were crunchy as Niki bit down on the animal.

When they arrived back to the wharf, the tour went off for a free day of leisure before they met in one of the girls’ rooms for a party. Niki needed to do some laundry so she left everyone and put a load of laundry in the three washers which was located in the laundry room beside the stairs that led to Stan’s restaurant. Niki sat on the patio over looking the ocean and she was reading her book when she heard someone whisper her name. She turned slowly to see Graeme leaning against the railing, he was smiling at her. She couldn’t believe how handsome he was in his gray walking shorts and dress shirt. His blond hair lay tousled on his head and he was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"What’cha doing Bright Eyes?" Graeme tilted his head slightly as he spoke to her.

"Reading… You?"

"Watching you." He grinned. He edged his way over to the table where Niki was sitting. "I must say you looked great today."

"Thank you Grae," Niki felt her cheeks warm.

"I know this is hard for you… It is hard for me too." He smiled. "But you know it will get better. It will all work out in the end."

They sat talking on the patio for what seemed like forever. Niki realized that it was time to put her clothes in the dryers. Graeme followed Niki into the laundry room. Once inside he took Niki into his arms and kissed her passionately. The feelings he had for Niki were unlike any that he had ever felt for anyone in his life. He felt an empty feeling whenever Niki wasn’t around. They stood leaning against the washer gazing into each other’s eyes. They talked and talked until her laundry was completed and it was time to head up to their rooms and get changed for the party at 4:00pm for before dinner drinks. They were then going to head to the Sizzler for dinner and then go Cosmic Bowling up the street.

Graeme carried some of Niki’s clothing for her up to her room. He followed her into her room and laid the clothing neatly on one of the Queen sized beds in the large hotel room. "Well darling I should go and have a shower and I will meet you at Karen’s is a while." Graeme kissed Nikki softly on the lips before he left the room. His touch lingered on Niki’s shoulder. Once Graeme left, she picked out a short skirt and sleeveless top. She carried the clothing into the bathroom and closed the door. She turned on the shower faucet and stepped in under the warm water as she let the water wash over her, her thoughts drifted to Graeme. She couldn’t believe how deeply she felt for this man. She had only been in love with one man in her lifetime and she definitely knew that she was falling in love with Graeme. She loved the feelings that she had when she was with Graeme, and when she was away from him she thought of him constantly, even though she hadn’t known Graeme that long she knew what she was feeling wasn’t merely infatuation. She was falling in love with Graeme. She could still feel the warmth of his arms around her and his strong hands pulling her to him. Niki heard Debbie in the outer room rummaging through one of her drawers, she was trying figure out what she was going to wear. Niki wrapped a white hotel bath towel on around her and wrapped her hair up like a turban and walked out into the outer room.

"Hey Nik, where’s Grae?" Debbie teased.

"Don’t start Deb. " Niki grinned; as she spread some of her keep tan lotion on her legs. What she really needed was a back rub. Maybe Graeme would give her one. Niki knew that he would but she also knew that there would be some undesired talk about the two of them. Niki blew her auburn hair dry with the hairdryer she brought from home. She was dressed before Debbie was finished in the bathroom. She had pulled her shoulder length auburn hair back into a ponytail and tied it back with a teal scrunchie, the scrunchie matched the top and skirt that she was wearing. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and applied her make up. She applied alittle bit of lip-gloss to her lips and a little eye-make-up to her eyes. She blinked slightly to get her contact to stay in place. She was ready to party. She sprayed a little bit of spray gel to her hair. Niki sat on the edge of her bed waiting for Debbie to finish; she turned on the Hawaii Visitors Information Channel to see what was exciting to do in Kailuea Kona.

Debbie was ready to go to the room party and the two girls headed across the hall to Karen’s room. Only a few members of the tour were there, slowly one by one everyone started to arrive. They sat on the beds, desks, out on the lanai, talking laughing, joking, just having a good time. Niki was talking to Angela a young woman from Queensland, Australia; she was a schoolteacher. They talked about her job and compared the school systems in both countries. They compared the school curriculums as they both taught the same grade in school. Graeme made his rounds about the room and never strayed to far from Niki. Though she could sense a little bit of distance between them. She knew this was hard on Graeme. The pressures of his job made it difficult to form any attachments of any kind. She could tell by the way that he was looking at her that he wanted, needed to talk to her. He had a lot to say to her but they were things that couldn’t be said in front of the group. At about 6:30pm the tour headed up to the Sizzler for dinner. Niki was feeling alittle light headed. She hadn’t had that much to eat and the Australian Rum that she drank was going to her head, she couldn’t decide if it was the alcohol or if it was the sun she had. She sat at a table with Angela and Karen as well as a few other people. Graeme sat at the table directly beside them with Debbie and a few other people. The 25 members of the tour sat divided between two long tables. After dinner the group headed to the Cosmic Bowling Centre. This was the first time that Niki had ever been to a bowling alley in which they charged a cover charge and you were permitted to drink alcohol. She had alittle bit too much to drink that night and she almost blurted out her feelings for Graeme. When the tour got back to the hotel, Debbie told Niki to go to bed. Niki didn’t like being told what to do. Apparently there had been some complaints about being too loud. Niki wasn’t sure if it was herself that was being too loud or the entire tour. This upset her a little and she decided that she wasn’t going to drink as much as she did for the rest of the tour. She was standing out side her room door, waiting for Graeme to go to his room; she really wanted to talk to him. He walked out of Karen’s room and smiled at her. He could tell that she was upset. He also knew that it was more the alcohol that was making her act the way she was. He could tell by the look on her face that she needed to talk to him.

"Nik, come on let us take a walk." He put his hand on her elbow and guided her down the stairs towards the lobby. They sat down on the orange sofa in the corner of the lobby. "I know this is hard for you Niki, It is hard for me too. Maybe it was a bad idea – for me to kiss you – though I really wanted to. I really like you Niki. This is hard… now I don’t want you to say anything until you hear me out."

Niki started to protest but Graeme stopped her by putting his hand gently on her mouth. "Please Nik, just hear me out…. If things were different and you weren’t a client and I wasn’t the tour guide… God honey… I mean my job could be at stake if my boss ever found out. I really like being with you. Your are a great woman…."

Niki knew where this was going. She had sensed it earlier this evening. She knew deep down that Graeme was right. As long as he was doing this type of work he would never be free for her. Graeme continued in earnest. He told her how deeply he cared for her. He also told her that when they got to Maui – his boss Denise and Laura would be there. He didn’t know how long they would be there but he had to be on his best behavior. The fact of the matter was he wanted to be with her more than anything. It was his job he had to think about. This could prove detrimental to his career. He also told her that he had a lot of thinking to do. She sat on the sofa thinking for a moment about what he had said before she responded. She told him that she didn’t care if they could never be together but that she valued his friendship and would accept what ever their relationship would be. With that he took her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. He then stood up and helped her out of the sunken couch. And they walked off together towards their rooms.

Debbie was asleep when Niki got back to the room.

Maui*******

Niki sat on the brown wood bench beside the blue water of the Pacific Ocean in Lahaina, thinking about Graeme. They had spent some of the best and most exciting days of her life together. She had never met any one like him before. He was somebody special. Sadly, they had 4 more days left together. Then the tour would end and they would go their separate ways. She would always cherish the time they spent together. She felt as though he was a kindred spirit to her. They really connected. Ever since she met him on the plane to Oahu she knew there was something special about Graeme Blanchard. In four days, she would be leaving him to go back to her life in Vancouver. Graeme told her that they would keep in constant contact with each other and that he cared about her however some how she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Graeme had his exciting career as tour manager, how could her life as an elementary school teacher measure up to that? Surely he would go on to find someone more exciting then her. Front Street was crowded with tourists anxious to see the sights of the old fishing village which reminded her a lot of Steveston- a fishing village of sorts in Richmond British Columbia -- a twenty five minute car ride from her home in Surrey. She didn't see Graeme walking towards her. She was deep in thought when he sat down on the bench beside her and brushed his hand across her bare knee.

"Hey Nik." he smiled warmly at her. "What have you been doing? I missed you at lunch."

"Well, I went exploring Lahaina." She said, avoiding eye contact. "I've been here thinking about you."

"Why?" he asked, "What have you been thinking about?"

"There is only 4 days left to spend with you and these two weeks have gone so quickly. I know I will never see you again. I will go home and back to work and you will continue with your career as tour manager and I will never see you again."

"That is not going to happen and I don't want you thinking that way again. Let's go for a walk." Graeme said taking her by the hand. "I want to tell you something. This is my last season as tour manager. I am taking a job back on the Mainland at the end of the season. I have had enough fun. It is time for me to settle down. I have to get some assets behind me. I can't live like this forever. I am 33 years old. It is time for me to settle down. I have sewn my wild oats as they say." They were walking down Front Street passed Reverend Baldwin House. Niki listened as he told her of his dreams. He said he had his bachelor’s degree and his teaching certificate. He said he had job offers in San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. He was now considering Seattle since it would be close to her. Seattle was a 2-hour drive from her front door.

Author's Note

this is a work in progress. If there are ways to tighten up the story - I would be open to hearing the suggestions.