The dress Cassie wore today was a light floral print, fitting snugly at to top to accent her breasts and flaring into a short flouncy skirt that ended just above the middle of her thigh. She braided a loose ponytail into her hair, leaving her smooth brown shoulders bare. It all gave her the look of a delicate, graceful lady - an amusing contrast to how she'd appeared at the restaurant the night before.
"You're gorgeous," he told her as they exited the room together. "You make me just want to stay here all day."
She smiled and rose on her tiptoes to give him a soft kiss on his cheek.
They both found sunglasses necessary today, especially walking beside the street where the glints of sunlight bounced off chrome like laser beams.
The Marketplace was only a few blocks up from the hotel. They walked the whole area over, looking in every shop. Doug bought several things for his sister and her family and some of his friends at work. Everything was beautiful and new and interesting to look at but he kept finding himself distracted by the girl who walked beside him and trustingly held his hand.
Sitting at a small open-air café, he reached across the table and took both her hands in his. For a few moments, he just stared into her deep blue eyes, knowing he was already hopelessly lost there, but not regretting it for an instant.
"Do you know I love you?" he asked her, squeezing her hands.
She smiled at him, genuine and bright as the sun overhead. "I know."
He didn't expect her to say it back, but she did add, "You know how I feel."
And Doug knew. She gave him all of herself that she was able to give and it was enough to make him happy.
After their break to rest and rehydrate, he asked, "What do you want me to buy you?"
"You don't have to buy me anything," she said, "I'm happy just being her with you."
"But I want you to have something to remember this time by," he told her.
Tapping a finger to her temple, she said, "I will always remember."
"So you don't want anything?"
She shook her head. "I've got it all. And what I have, no one could ever take away."
He couldn't argue with that logic so he simply smiled and let it go. For now.
"Actually there is something I want," she exclaimed.
"Yes?"
"A potty," she grimaced. "After that drink… you know… "
"I saw some back that way," he pointed in a direction they'd already explored.
"Okay," she sighed, relieved. "Will you be right here when I get back?"
"Sure," he said. "Be careful." As she hurried away, he knew it would take good fifteen minutes to walk there and back and to deal with the long lines in front of the restroom. He was glad because a plan had just formed in his mind. He'd have to hurry before she returned.
By the time she reached the head of the line, Cassie was just before dancing. She felt her eyes begin to tear. When she finished, she cut through the crowd quickly to return to the spot where Doug was supposed to be waiting for her.
With a puzzled furrow to her brow, she wondered if she'd remembered her way back incorrectly. He wasn't where she thought she'd left him. Shading her eyes, she rotated in a circle, scanning the crowd for him. Then with a smile, she noticed him moving quickly towards her from the opposite direction.
Doug put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You haven't been waiting long, have you? I figured with the long line, you'd take awhile. I'm sorry."
"It's … it's okay," she said, but he could tell that had made her a little bit nervous. He felt that she held his hand a little tighter now.
They spent the whole day at the Marketplace, not even thinking about the time until the sun started to fade. Doug knew he was sunburned, but figured he needed some visible sign to take to Vegas to show all his friends. Cassie only seemed to get browner.
On an impulse, they stopped in for dinner at a little restaurant called Chuck's Steak House. It just smelled too good to pass by and they weren't disappointed with the food. The service was a little slow though, sitting in the very dimly lit place, but Cassie made the time pass nicely by slipping off her sandals and stroking his calves and thighs lightly with her small foot. She moved her chair a little closer to him and one foot went up into his lap, pleasantly teasing him until he was straining behind his fly.
"You realize tomorrow that I'm going to start suffering Cassie withdrawals," he teased.
An almost stricken look rose to her eyes. "Don't," she said in an almost pleading tone.
Concerned, he asked, "Don't what?"
"Don't talk about that now," she implored, staring sadly into his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he told her. "I won't bring it up again."
She nodded, but some of her enthusiasm had dimmed.
"Want to walk on the beach for a little while?" she asked when they were back at the Hale Koa.
"Sure," he readily agreed. The night was warm and wonderful. Waikiki was less crowded on the last day of the weekend. "Let's go up and drop this stuff off."
He took his own potty break and when he came out, she was placing the receiver of the phone back into its cradle. Her expression was sheepish but he didn't ask her about it.
However, this time she volunteered. "He just wanted me to check in so he'd know I was okay."
Doug nodded with understanding, but it was just one more sign of the inevitable.