Our flight to Bora Bora took less than an hour, and it was the same paradise I remembered from our trip on The Phoenix. Crystal clear blue water, calm, blue skies with just a hint of clouds in the distance. It was humid, but the beach house we booked had air conditioning and a beautiful covered patio with comfy chairs that we could sit on and enjoy the view. We had our own small infinity pool that was perched above the bay so we could hear the lapping of the water underneath us.
It was perfect.
We spent the first few days just relaxing and getting caught up with sex, and Alexa seemed as deprived as I had been. But after a few days of nothing but swimming in our pool, making love, and eating like there was no tomorrow, we felt a need to do some exploring. The bay was calm, and the resort offered a number of excursions, including trips to scuba dive on the coral reefs, fishing, and shopping at the local touristy traps.
"Let's go out on a boat and catch a fish for our supper," Alexa suggested after checking out a brochure left on the dining room table when we arrived. "The restaurant said they would fix any fish caught for our meal if we wanted."
"Sounds like a plan."
I called up the main office to arrange a boat to take us out to fish. Luckily, there was one boat available on short notice that would take us out beyond the reef and help us catch something tasty for our supper. The boat captain was from England, and looked like he belonged in Jaws instead of Bora Bora, with his grizzled greying beard, sharp blue eyes and Red Sox Baseball cap.
"I can take you out beyond the reef to a spot I know has a lot of fish to catch," he said and both Alexa and I were excited to get out on the open ocean. "It can get pretty bumpy."
"We sailed around the world on a catamaran this year, so I think we'll be okay."
"Oh, so you're seasoned sailors," the man said. "Graham Windsor, at your service." He extended a hand and we shook.
We took his boat out beyond the reef, a thirty-six-foot fishing boat common to the area. It looked sturdy enough and Captain Windsor seemed to be a man in charge, so we set off with a couple of other tourists for an afternoon on the ocean.
In the end, we had a great time. Our five hours spent with Captain Windsor were enjoyable, and he entertained us with stories of his time in the Royal Navy before he left the UK to live in Bora Bora and skipper a fishing boat. Since we already knew a great deal about the local Polynesian culture, having spent time anchored off Papeete on our trip on The Phoenix, he didn't do his usual spiel about local culture. Instead, he and I talked sports, and in particular, soccer.
On top of it, we, caught a skipjack tuna, which we were happy to take back to the hotel and provide to the restaurant chef for our dinner. After Captain Windsor dropped us off back at the hotel, I brought the tuna into the restaurant and back to the prep area. The chef was only too happy to take it from us, agreeing to prepare some nice tuna steaks for our dinner.
At dinner, which was served to us on our own private patio overlooking the lagoon, we toasted each other. I had a glass of beer and Alexa had a virgin Margarita.
"To us," I said, holding my beer up after the server had placed our dishes on the table.
"To us," Alexa replied, smiling brightly, her cheeks rosy from our day spent at sea.
The tuna was delicious, and we ended the night with some decaf coffees while we watched the stars peek out one by one.
We went to bed that night with the breeze flowing in from the screened in bedroom, the sound of water lapping at the dock soothing, lulling us both to sleep.
For the rest of the week before Christmas Day, we toured the local islands and shopped in the small shops, picking up a few touristy souvenirs. Alexa looked fantastic, with her hair wet and drying in the sun, wearing her tiny colorful bikini top and sarong around her waist, her belly still small enough that no one would know she was pregnant, but to me, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Hey," I said and pulled her into my arms as we walked along the boardwalk that bordered the beach where all the shops were located. "I love you so much. Did you know that?"
"I love you, too, but you already told me that twice today," she said with a smile. "But just in case I forget, you could tell me again. As many times as you like."
I laughed. "So that's how it is. You could actually forget that I love you so much?"
"I might if you don't keep telling me," she said with a pout. "Pregnant mom brain, you know..."
I pulled her closer to me, squeezing her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "I won't let you forget."
By Christmas Eve, we were both exceptionally relaxed, having spent the day on the deck, lying in the shade, or taking a quick dip in the pool while we watched the clouds in the distance.
"This is paradise," Alexa said, sighing happily. "If it wasn't so far from civilization and family, I could live here. Why can't everyone else just move here and live with us?"
"I know, but it's kinda hard to run a space technology company from Bora Bora. We can always come here for every holiday on the books, i
f you want. We have pretty flexible schedules and could pick up at short notice and fly here, stay for a week or ten days, and then go back to civilization. As long as I can access Skype and my team's schedules, I can work anywhere I want. I don't need to show my face in the office very often. In fact, I bet I could get away with only going in once every two weeks for a staff meeting. The rest of the time, if I need to meet with anyone, I can do it over the net."
Alexa nodded. "I have to do research, but luckily, I have access to the university library online so I could do all the research I need from home. I can also meet online with my profs."
"We could do it," I said. "Come here once every two months for two weeks..."
"That would be heaven. Of course, it would be best to come here on The Phoenix."