Time to explore

My question was met with a polite "No Thanks" but I decided to push the issue a little further. "What about later on?" I questioned. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to make the coffee.

Both of these reponses were expected and formed part of a pattern that had emerged over time. I felt deflated that my efforts were being brushed aside and met with the daily routine. The idea of getting away was to break that routine. It felt like I was making all the effort, but it was still early days and I wasn't going to give up easily.

The rest of the day was spent exploring, looking round the grounds of the hotel and neighbouring village. It was a quaint place, with a high street of traditional shops, a bank, post office and a couple of pubs. We decided we would eat at a little Italian restaurant, tucked away just off the village green. The food was great, very tasty infact, the atmosphere friendly and our conversation was relaxed.

We had already decided we would walk back to the hotel. It was a warm summer night and it would give us the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of wine with our meal, without having to worry about who was driving. As we made our way up the country lanes, back to the hotel, I took Nancy's hand in mine. She squeezed it lightly as we walked and I suddenly became aware that the conversation had stopped. We walked the rest of the way in silence.

It wasn't until we got back into our room that we spoke. Nancy decided she would have a bath. The water was slow to fill the huge ceramic bathtub, but the flow of hot water never seemed to cool. Nancy loved her baths to be hot, so this was ideal. As the water reached a sufficient depth, she started to undress.