Her motion returned him to the Pacific. She was walking toward him. His eyes focused on her as she stepped along the edge of the deck, steadying herself with the rope rail. She padded along the teak surface in bare feet and he absorbed the grace of her. One foot landed squarely in front the other as her cat-like stride brought her nearer. He ran his memory up her legs, feeling their curves with his mind. Her bikini bottom peeking out from beneath the sheer pullover enticed him. He imagined the pale flesh beneath. She had looked forward to sunbathing naked and since they were totally isolated it was the perfect opportunity, yet she often wore her suit just to create the tan lines that she knew drove him crazy. Through the white fabric of her top he could see the spot just below her navel where he wasn't allowed to kiss. No matter how softly or firmly he tried, it always tickled and made her giggle. He smiled at all the details, her little idiosyncrasies that only endeared him to her more.
        He wanted to be able to wait for her to reach him. He always wanted to, but he never could. That uncontrollable desire to be close to her, to feel the softness of her skin, the grasp of her hands, the caress of her windblown hair on his face. He stood and moved to meet her. They came together shy of the bow, two steps from where he had been sitting. They pressed their bodies against one another and intertwined their fingers, their arms still at their sides. She rested her face against his chest and he turned his head to rest his cheek against her hair. They faced the same stretch of ocean, looking off the port side of the boat at the endless, empty sea. They stood silent, swaying slightly to balance against each wave that passed beneath them. Their bodies creating the slightest friction with each movement. The subtlety of it turned slow circles in her, winding up a tension, coiling a spring, heating her from within. She closed her eyes and submitted to the lullaby of the water, the languorous oscillation of the world around them, the gentle brush of her body against his. It felt like a slow dance.
        The darkness behind her eyes filled with the sounds from two worlds. The lap of waves against the hull, whirl of the wind and popping of the sails collided in her mind with the steady, warm beat of his heart and the constant rhythm of his breath. On one side the infinite space of the outside world gathered to a precise point and targeted her with endless sensation. On the other side the infinite space of his heart enveloped her with warmth and wrapped her up in a blanket of safe, secure, assurance. She pictured herself falling into him, melting into him, every part of her becoming a part of him. She imagined each cell of her body pulsing through him, carried along with the blood in his veins, thrust throughout by the heart whose toll was lulling her into a trance at that very moment. She swirled in him, spiraled until she began to lose her equilibrium.
        She gripped his hands tighter to steady herself, opening her eyes to regain her sense of reality. She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. He dropped his eyes to hers and before he could focus she pounced, driving her lips to his in a deep, forceful kiss. She released one of his hands and grasped a fistful of hair on the back of his head, holding on to him as though he were the only thing keeping her from slipping off of the Earth.
        After an eternity she released him, slipping back down to his chest and looking up at him with a drunken smile.
        "Morning, baby.", she said with a slight lilt.
        He smiled to her and could feel his face blush, burning with his happiness and the excitement her passion brought. Before he could respond she stepped back and dropped to one knee on the cushions that lay upon the top of the hold. She tugged him along and he fell past her, ending flat on his back. She then collapsed half onto him, nestling in the crook of his arm with her face on his chest. He cradled her in his arms, pulling her firmly against him. She loved to be held. He loved to hold.
        It was how she fell asleep with him every night and in the beginning she had commented how odd it was. Before finding him she couldn't sleep without being given space and curling up on her side. During their first nights together he had pulled her to him after they made love, wanting her close, needing to feel her beside him as he surrendered to darkness. She acquiesced out of courtesy, fearful she might appear cold and demanding if she pushed away from him in those tender moments. Soon after, she realized a listlessness on nights when they were apart, wrestling restlessly in search of peace. She would wrap herself around pillows, thinking that it was the physical sensation of holding him that set her at ease but it quickly became clear that it was intangible. She was lacking the sense of security she felt at his side. She thought it ludicrous that she should be unable to find comfort in her own bed, but proved it to herself at four A.M. on one of those restless nights. She went to him, woke him, curled up in his embrace and dropped off the plane of consciousness within seconds. That was four months ago, she hadn't slept away from him on a single night since.
        She closed her eyes again, running a hand lazily over his stomach and chest as he looked heavenward. He watched the ripples that drifted down the length of mainsail with seemingly perfect regularity. He watched the free end of rope on the boom vang flutter as each ripple reached it. The wind became almost visible as he witnessed it pushing and pulling every malleable surface surrounding him. He could see it moving and reshaping the wispy cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere, smearing them about the sky.
        As his eyes drifted about he noticed how the deep blue of the sky paled as it reached the horizon. He thought of the stars that lay beyond, occluded by the daylight's azure veil. He was reminded of their first night on the boat eleven days ago.