Romantic Friday Writers - Challenge No 43 - The Romantic Picnic.

The RomanticFridayWriters bi-monthly challenge this week is 'The Romantic Picnic.  I'm writing a sequel to my previous Challenge, I Need a Change, with the setting in a romantic paradise, based on a real island in Fiji. If you didn't catch my story you can read it here. The challenges are open to all writers of prose or poetry.

Here are the guidelines for this challenge:

The "Romantic Picnic."  

- Who initiates the picnic; is this a first date or dedication to the continuing relationship? 

- Is there an agenda to the picnic: marriage proposal, pregnancy announcement, promotion or new job assignment? 

 - is the picnic all about the continuing romantic relationship: one lover affirming their devotion to the other, or a mutually shared, opportune moment of togetherness?  

***Any genre, any POV; just remember to include a romantic element and a picnic, in 400 words or less.***

Back to the Island

Inya spread the mat on the lush grass, watching how the palm tree shadows painted pictures with the midday light. Squinting into the sun, he remembered a day just like this, six months ago. Their last picnic.

Joy spiked his heart just thinking of her. From the night she’d tripped over his fishing line, to the day she’d left on the boat, they’d been inseparable. What a week that’d been! She’d promised to come back, but he’d been afraid to hope.  

She was here! He’d seen her boat come in. Afraid to meet it, he’d decided to wait for her to find him. That’d mean she really wanted him. She was good at tracking him down. 

Wherever he was, she’d find him.

He opened the hotel picnic basket. The hotel staff loved Sally. Said she was perfect for him. They’d given him all these goodies and a bottle of chilled champagne.

He lifted the plates out of their plastic bindings and set them out side by side. Then he reached for the cutlery and napkins. Pretty fancy!

Before getting out the delicious-looking sandwiches and papaya salad, he picked some gorgeous red ginger flowers from a nearby bush. He filled a plastic tumbler with fresh water and set them in the middle of the mat. 

He checked the sun. She should be here any minute. Just thinking about her made him hot. He threw off his tee shirt and dived into the water. Ah, cool! He was so nervous he was as stiff as a board. He started to swim out to the islands in long, lazy strokes, luxuriating in the glorious feeling of soft water flowing around him. He rolled onto his back and looked at the cloudless blue sky.

‘Inya!’

Sally’s here!

Splashing madly like a kid learning to swim, he looked towards the shore. There she was, running into the water, throwing off her clothes as she ran. 

In a few strokes they were all arms and legs and gulping water, gabbling nonsense. He pulled her close and kissed her, and kissed her...

‘I love you Inya.’

‘I love you Sally. I’m never letting you off this island without me again.’

‘I’m never leaving without you.’

‘Hungry?’

‘Starving. Do I detect a picnic under a tree?’

‘You do.’

‘How romantic. Do you have kava?’

‘Nah. The hotel sent champagne.’

‘I’m more of a kava girl.’

‘I know. Just wait till tonight.’

WORD COUNT: 404

FCA

UPCOMING RFW CHALLENGES:

Challenge #44 -  Sept 7 -  I Should Have Kissed You  FW/RunnerUp

Challenge #45 -  Sept 21 -Oh How I Hate My Beautiful Friend
Challenge #46 -  Oct 5   -  Birthday Madness 
Challenge #47 -  Oct 19 -  Halloween – House of Horrors.  FW/RunnerUp

Like to read more RFW posts on The Romantic Picnic. Go to RomanticFridayWriters for the list...

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