Finally inspired by my surroundings! . I hope you enjoy and I can only apologise for my weakness and extreme foolishness in proposing that I wouldn't be writing for a month when I clearly can't manage longer than about three days!

"Leave, Ruth?"

"Yes, I know it's not something I usually ask for?"

Harry looked puzzled and a little disappointed.

"It's just that after the last few months I need a break, I need to get away."

He nodded.

"It's only a week," she said making excuses for asking for time off when she was owed so much.

"Where are you going, anywhere nice?"

"Greece."

He nodded and began to sign the form.

"You will come back, won't you Ruth?" he said it light heartedly and yet she felt his insecurity all over it.

"Yes, Harry, I'll come back and if not you can send out the search party."

"I'll do that," he said and he meant it.

He handed the form back to her. A week was a long time he thought.

"So, what do you plan to do with yourself for a whole week free from terrorists and death threats?"

"Oh, lie on a beach and read, eat olives, drink wine, visit a few ruins."

Harry had stopped listening at 'lie on a beach', he wasn't a lying on a beach type of man but the thought of Ruth lying on a beach had had a strange effect on him.

"That's sounds good..nice, you know. Relaxing," he muttered trying to get his head back together.

"You could do with a break, too, Harry. It's not been easy for you."

"No," she was right he'd had enough this year already.

"When was the last time you had a holiday?"

"1991" he said without hesitation, "it was a disaster."

Ruth was wondering who he might have gone with, she looked at him waiting for further explanation.

"Terrrorists bombed the hotel."

Ruth laughed, "sorry, it's just a bit ironic."

Harry smiled a lopsided smile.

"I'm not safe to be let out," he said.

"Well, if you want to risk it, you know where I…"

She stopped.

He looked at her.

She faltered.

"I'm staying, you know, my contact details are on there if you need me for anything, anything urgent, though I'd rather you didn't, but if there was something then that's my number, but probably not and see you in a week. Bye Harry" and she hightailed it out of his office on a wave of embarrassment.

Ruth lay on the beach. It was her second day here and she felt herself relaxing. She felt the sun on her skin and the warmth in her bones. She was trying to keep all thoughts of home, the grid and Harry as far away as possible and concentrate on just being. In some of these aims she succeeded and in others she failed. Namely not thinking about Harry.

She lay topless under a palm umberella working on her strap free tan, the last time she had had one was when she had been a student and she remembered how much tanned nipples had done for her self confidence.

Just don't think about Harry.

She reached for her book which was on a sunbed alongside hers.

There was a refreshing breeze and the world was good. In half an hour she would have a swim and soon after that some lunch.

Olives, feta, bread and tomatoes, glass of chilled white. And definitely not thinking about Harry.

Back to the beach and her book. It was a novel, sad, beautiful and fascinating and for once she really was managing to truly not think about Harry.

She looked up as the sun went in.

It wasn't, the sun, but rather someone standing in her light. She screwed her eyes up against the intense brightness of the halo that surrounded them but she could merely focus upon a silhouette.

"Is this bed free?" they asked.

He asked.

Harry asked.

Ruth's lower jaw disengaged and she thanked every god known to man that her bikini top was now in place.

Harry stepped out of the light, a towel over his shoulder and a book in his hand.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi" said Ruth, feeling in a distinctly uncomfortable and unfamiliar world whilst having a conversation with Harry in his shorts, wearing only her bikini. There was too much flesh on show for this to be anywhere near normal.

He perched on the sunbed beside her.

Harry was wondering if he'd just made the worst mistake of his life turning up here and yet he was looking at Ruth in a bikini, everything had an upside.

"Harry…" said Ruth eventually.

"Listen, Ruth, I know I probably shouldn't be here but I thought about what you said and realised that you were right that I really did need a holiday and well I'm here and if you want to be alone then that's fine, it's a big beach and I can eat in the village and you need not see me at all but, but if you want more, I mean, you know, some company, dinner, on the beach, whatever, then I'll be around, if that's what you want."

Finally he breathed after possibly the longest sentence of his life.

"Oh," said Ruth, wondering if her blue bikini was more becoming.

"That's it really," added Harry.

"Right," said Ruth "I'll move that out the way," and she reached across to take her bag from his sunbed, her hand brushing his knees as he reached to help her and they both fumbled over the bag.

Finally it was on the floor alongside her.

Harry thought it all the invitation he was going to get and swung his legs round onto the bed, opening his book.

"There's some suncream, in my bag," said Ruth helpfully.

"Already got some on," he said and looked out to sea.

Ruth took the opportunity whilst he wasn't paying her any attention to look at him and soak him in. He was barefoot, wearing blue shorts and a loose pink shirt which was only held fastened by a couple of buttons. He had sunglasses on, which was a shame as she wished she could see his eyes. It was a good job she couldn't see his eyes because they weren't looking out to sea at all they were magnetised round to her.

"What's your book?" said Ruth, trying to drag her mind back to some kind of sanity.

"Jane Eyre."

"Jane Eyre?" she repeated, a little surprised.

"What were you expecting me to say Tom Clancy, or Ian Fleming, heaven forbid?"

"No," she laughed, "I just didn't expect that."

"I like to reread it every so often."

He smiled and turned back to it.

Ruth thought about Harry as Mr Rochester. It was an image that would keep coming back to her.

They sat and spent the rest of the afternoon both pretending to read their books though neither turned a page for at least an hour or two.

More to come if you fancy!