A Cruise to Remember

She was hoping to see Bob at her table. They were on the lower decks so they weren't going to be sitting in a place of honour. Probably with a group of people she was probably not going to get to know. She did buy a small bottle of perfume, although she had no idea why. She wasn't looking to impress anyone, and she doubted she would see anyone she would know.

She was intrigued with Bob though. His knowledge of history was very impressive. She always wanted a man with brains rather than brawn. She could take care of that herself.

Bob was trying to get the clip on tie on his shirt and clean his shoes a bit. He rarely wore 'dress' shoes. He was more of a sneaker person and that's about all. He hoped to see Jeanne at dinner. The daydream he had with her was so real, he really thought he knew her. But, he decided to take it slow. To really find out what she was like.

He was attracted to her. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and hoped that she was at least a part of what he had imagined her to be. His heart was truly captivated with her and he hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

He went to the dining room. Quite a few people were there and he hoped that he would be seated at a table for two and that Jeanne would be is dinner companion. He knew that she was traveling alone and he hoped he would get to know her.

He was seated at a small table and there was another place setting across from where he was sitting. He wanted to ask the Matre d' who he was sitting with but he didn't get a chance. He was looking around the room, trying to get a glimpse of Jeanne. He gazed at the door and there she was, dressed in the same Blue dress he imagined her in. He thought that they were connected. He had no idea what kind of clothes she had, and to have this come true, He was sure that they had some kind of bond.

The Matre d' showed her to Bobs table. He stood up when he saw her. She smiled. She hoped to see him and wondered if he arranged for her to sit there. She sat down and the waiter gave them menus.

"Thank you." Jeanne said. She still had a small smile on her face as she looked at the menu. Bob peaked from behind the menu to see her smiling.

"I'm glad you approve of me being your dinner partner. At least I hope that is what the smile is for." Bob said.

"Yes I approve. I was just wondering if you asked for us to be seated together." She said.

"No I didn't, But I wouldn't mind it. That is, if you wouldn't either." He said cautiously.

"No. I wouldn't mind it either." She said and went back to reading the menu. He smiled broader.

The waiter came over to take their order, She ordered a baked lasagna and a salad with a diet coke. He had the roast pork with mashed potatoes and Broccoli. He also ordered a diet coke. Even though he hated the taste. The waiter wrote down what they wanted and left the table.

"Are you a history Professor? You know a lot about wars and military things." She asked.

"No, Not a Professor. I just love to read anything about the military, Battles, tanks, guns, airplanes, ships. All sorts of things. It has been a passion of mine for a very long time." He said.

"Does your wife like all the military things? Or girlfriend?" She asked curiously. He smiled.

"I don't have a wife or girlfriend. I guess I was too much of an anorak to have any woman like me." He said.

"Awww." She said.

"And what about yourself? Your boyfriend must be unhappy you went on a holiday without him" He said.

"No, No Boyfriend. I wasn't lucky enough to have one. Been alone and done things by myself. Went on vacations alone and met a penpal alone. I guess I do some things better alone." She said. and looked sad.

"What's wrong?" He asked

"Well, I just thought it might be nice to experience some things with someone. I went to Disneyworld alone, and, that was one place where I wanted to have someone with me to experience with. I like doing some things alone, But, other times, I wanted to share it with someone. But I never had anyone that wanted to be with me, so I guess I will still experience other things alone." She said.

"I am sorry. I do understand how you feel though. This holiday I thought I would be by myself. But I would like to share it with you, If you'll let me." He said. She was a bit shocked at his proposal.

"I know we barely know each other, I would like to get to know you though. You seem like a nice enough person. I just hope I don't scare you away. I have that effect on men it seems." She said.

"You are a beautiful woman. I would be honoured to be by your side. I hope I can prove that to you." He said. He took her hand and kissed it. She looked at him surprised. "I'm sorry. It was too forward of me. My apologies." He said.

"No, It's all right. It was very gallant of you. Like an English Knight being good to his Lady of the Realm. It was very nice. I liked it very much." She said. He smiled.

"Good. I hoped I wasn't being too forward. You are beautiful. I Have never seen anyone like you before." He said.

"And that's a good thing. Believe me!" She said and laughed. He looked straight in to her eyes. She looked back in to his eyes and folded her hands under her chin.

"Why did you mention Knights and Ladies? I'm just curious." He said.

"I like the renaissance era. Knight's and Ladies have a romantic tone to it. I always wanted to be a part of that era. I have always wanted a man to love me and treat me with respect. It's a pipe dream. It will never happen to me though." She said.

"I would treat you like you deserve to be treated. With all the love and admiration that you need and deserve. I would love you as much as you want and need." He said.

"Thank you. You hardly know me. Why would you do something like that?" She asked curiously.

"Because you have taken my heart. I have fallen in love at first sight and I don't want it to stop." He said.

"This is definitely a first for me. No one has ever wanted to fall in love with me. Are you sure it isn't indigestion or something?" She asked.

"Yes, I am sure. I have never been so sure in my life." He said. He kissed her hand again. "I would love to get to know you better, And I hope I just haven't ruined my chances." He said. "But it is true. I have never felt this way with anyone else before. You are the only one to set my heart afire and I hope I can make you see that I am true." He said.

She smiled. She never thought any man would want to be with her, She decided to give him a chance.

"All right. I will give you a chance. But if you ruin it, You WILL know about it!" She said, Her New York accent came out.

"Yes Ma'am. I understand." He said, The waiter brought over their food and drinks.

They ate and looked at each other. She was still stunned that she would be treated well by someone she hardly knew. She never thought that any man would love her and now, She found him on a cruise ship. She used to watch 'The Love Boat' but never thought anything like that could happen to her.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I have never felt this way about anyone before. Your beauty has captivated me. There is nothing else I can say. You radiate love and how men missed it is beyond my comprehension." He said.

"No, You didn't offend me. I am still in a state of shock. I thought I was too old to find someone. I'm almost 41 and there wasn't much chance of me getting a boyfriend. And I am definitely not beautiful. I have never been. I have accepted that fact." She said.

"You are beautiful. You radiate a glow that no one else but me saw. Those men were fools not to see. I am honoured to be the first man who has seen the love light that shines within you and I hope I can be a recipient of that love." He said.

"You have a way with words. I hope I can live up to your expectations. I have never been an object of anyone's affections. It will take some getting used to." She said. They kept eating and looking at each other.

She liked the way he was looking at her, no other man ever looked at her that way before. She ate quietly. She wasn't sure of how to proceed, Never having been out on a date before, she wasn't sure of what to do.

"I hope I haven't offended you. You are quiet and I think I may have upset you." He said.

"I have never had a boyfriend or any man want to get to know me. After all those years of not being able to go out, a man finally says he loves me. It's a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure how to go about it. I'm used to being on my own but always dreamed of having a man with me. Now that I do, I have no idea what to do." She explained. He reached over and took her hand.

"I promise I will not do anything to endanger this. I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do. I love you and I promise I will be a gentleman." He said. She smiled.

"Thank you. Most guys just want one thing and I can tell right away what it is, but with you, I see in your eyes, you are sincere about me being beautiful and loving me. I just never thought it was possible." She said. He kissed her hand.

"You are my Lady of the Realm. I will treat you as you need to be treated, with love and respect. I have never felt this way about any other woman and I don't think I ever will. I have found my lady, and she is beautiful." He said.

"Your words are beautiful. No one has ever wanted to talk to me like that, but I have been wanting it for a long time." She said.

"You have put the words in my heart and I need to express them. If I keep them bottled up I will explode." He said.

"I have always wanted a knight in shining armour. But I think a dark suit will suffice." She said with a laugh. He laughed a bit too. She was starting to feel more at ease with him.

"All I ask is you to be yourself. and I will be myself. If you can stand it." He said and laughed.

"Even if I burp and fart in your face?" She asked curiously. He smiled.

"I have been known to like a good belch occasionally. But, no, I don't mind. " He said.

"I have three brothers and three sisters so there was a lot of belching going on in our house." She said. He laughed.

"I understand." He said. He couldn't believe what he had dreamed about her was coming true. Almost bit by bit. They finished eating. and talked some more. She told him about herself and he told her about himself. He felt it was deja vu, but he didn't mind, he was happy that what he was saying and that she was saying had already happened and was true.

He couldn't help looking in to her eyes. He thought that they were pools of love and he wanted to dive in to them and drown in her love. Her expression had changed during the time they were talking, from apprehension to relaxation.

She felt relaxed talking to him and she loved looking in to his eyes as well. Blue was her favourite colour and she had always wanted a man to look at HER and not at her breasts. She loved that he had a brain. She always wanted a man with intelligence. She thought brains were much better than brawn any day. She also loved his British accent. Like a true Knight in shining armour.

"Shall we take a walk on the deck to exercise all of this wonderful food off. I think I may gain weight on this trip and I certainly don't need to." She said. They got up and went outside to the railing.

"Your body is beautiful. You would've been Ruben's favourite model. Most women need some meat on them. They are too skinny. I like women with meat on their bones." He said, She smiled. "Thank you. I doubt I would've been a model. I don't think I look good naked." She said. "I hate my body." She said.

"I think it's beautiful. Ruben would kill to have you as his model. I am sure of it." He said.

"Thank you, I guess I just figured that I would have to lose a lot of weight to have a man be attracted to me. No man ever wanted to look beyond my breasts and not in to my face." She said.

"Well, they are wonderful breasts, but, I do like looking in your eyes. They are the way to your soul and they are so full of love. I want to drown in them." He said. He got embarrassed. "Did I just say that out loud?" He asked.

"Ummm Yes, you did." She said.

"I'm sorry. I should engage my brain before putting my mouth in gear." He said. She laughed.

"Don't worry about it. It's all right. No man has ever wanted to talk to me the way you do. It's wonderful. I don't mind it at all." She said. He sighed.

"Good. I thought I blew it big time." He said.

"No you didn't. Believe me I will tell you if you did something wrong, But, so far, it has been wonderful." She said.

"Good. I love you too much to let anything go wrong." He said, and she looked at him in astonishment. "Yes, I said I love you. I am not trying to hide it any longer. You have taken my heart and I can't stop telling you I love you. I don't want to stop." He said.

"No man has ever felt this way about me before. I think I need to sit down for a bit. It's still a bit overwhelming. To go from nothing to having a man who wants to love me is a bit overwhelming." She said.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you. But I can't hold it in. I DO love you. No one else has ever made me feel so alive." He said. She caressed his face. He closed his eyes and moaned a little bit.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked. "No. The opposite. It sent shivers down my spine, and throughout my whole body. I knew you would do that, Your touch makes me feel so wonderful." He said.

"My touch has never had any kind of effect on anyone. I am experiencing a lot of firsts today." She said.

"I had a feeling that you would make me feel good. From the first moment I saw you, I fell in love, and, I am so happy I did." He said.

"I hope you can give me some time. I DO like you, but I'm still not sure what to do with a man, I have never been out on a date so I have no clue." She said.

"I have never been out on a date either, Most women I know are married and not really anyone I would want to get together with. Like I said, No one has set my heart afire like you have. It is a wonderful feeling." He said. She looked in to his eyes and saw that what he was saying was true, and he was sincere.

"I have never known any man who would want to feel that way about me. It is wonderful and a bit scary." She said.

"Why Scary?" He asked curiously.

"After all of this time, being without a man, to suddenly have someone tell me they love me, I have no idea what to do." She said.

"I'll tell you a secret. I don't know what to do either. But I hope we can learn about each other and hopefully love each other. I'm halfway there." He said. She smiled.

"Like I said, I need a bit more time. This is all so overwhelming. I never thought anything like this could ever happen to me." She said.

"I understand. I will try to curb my enthusiasm, but, it will be hard. You are so beautiful and I need to tell you how much I love you. I just hope I won't turn you away from me telling you all the time. But I feel I have to get it out or I will explode." He said.

"I don't mind it all the time. I have wanted a man to tell me he loves me for a very long time and I never thought it was possible." She said.

"I hope I can give you all that your heart desires, It is my main mission now, to make you happy." He said. She was still astonished at the words he was saying.

"When I think you can't say anything to top the last wonderful thing you said, you top it even more. I think I'll keep you around for a while." She said with a smile. He smiled broader.

"Thank you My Lady, I will do my utmost to make you happy." He said and bowed. She curtsied.

"You are welcome My Knight." She said with a smile.

They looked out over the railing and saw the sunset and the small waves from the ship. He put his arm around her waist. She put her arm around his and her head on his shoulder.

"This is how I always wanted to be." She said.

"I will try my best to give you what you want. Within reason, money wise." He said. She looked at him sternly.

"I am not one of those women who demand jewels or gold or anything. I am a woman of basic needs, and, right now, I need love. I have been wanting it for so long, it is the only thing I require." She said. and looked at him.

"I have an endless supply for you. You are the one who fills me with your love. It is only right I try to return it in whatever way I can." He said.

"Amazing. Simply amazing," She said.

"Yes, you are." He said.

He looked at her lovingly. He drew closer to her. He remembered from his daydream not to forcefully kiss her and to give her a chance to kiss him back. He gently kissed her and she responded. He loved her kiss. He never wanted to end but he knew that it would. They stopped and he looked at her.

"I hope you liked it. I followed an urge. I hope you don't mind." He said.

"No, I didn't mind. and Yes, I did like it." She said. "Like I said, I am experiencing a lot of firsts today." She said with a laugh. "I hope we can experience a lot of other things as well." He said.

"We will see." She said with a smile.

"Good." He said with a smile as well. "I love your laugh. I love a woman with a sense of humour." He said.

"You think that was my real laugh? You have NO idea how I laugh. That was just a small chuckle. My laugh is loud and long when I think something is funny. It usually scares away people." She said.

"I'm sure I will love it. I love everything about you. Everything." He said.

"I hope so. Or else you'll have to invest in a pair of earplugs." She said.

"I doubt that. But I will keep it in mind." He said. "It's still early, what does My Lady want to do now?" He asked curiously.

"Go back to our cabins and talk. I still want to know all I can about you and I need to tell you some things as well. I have a few medical problems that might cause a problem between us." She said.

"Nothing could ever cause any problems. I have a few medical situations myself. I will tell all and I don't want you to leave out anything either." He said.

"All right, I can accept that." She said. They left hand in hand to their cabins.

They approached their cabins and they had a quandary, which cabin to go in and talk.

"Do you want to go in yours or mine? I think they may be the same. But it is your choice." He said.

"Mine I think. Maybe tomorrow we will try yours. Okay?" She asked.

"Anything you desire, My Lady." He said, She opened the door to her room and they both went in. She closed the door behind her.

"Sorry it's so small. I didn't think I would be entertaining anyone here." She said. "Don't worry about it. I feel the same way. My room is the same size and I wasn't going to entertain anyone in there either. Just use it to read or sleep." He said.

"Okay. I sort of figured they were the same. My parents have been on so many cruises. They gave me this one just to see what it was like. I never expected anything to come of it." She said.

"I felt the same. I wasn't looking for anyone, But, you have set my heart afire and made me want to live. I haven't felt this good in a very long time." He said. She caressed him.

"I never thought I could have that kind of effect on anyone. Never in my wildest dreams." She said.

"You have a very good effect on me. Something that I don't want to change or let go of." He said.

"Let me get out of this dress and shoes. I really hate having to get dressed up. These shoes are so uncomfortable. I'll be right back." She said.

"All right. I'll take off my shoes, I agree with you there." He said, She laughed and went in to the bathroom. She changed out of the dress and shoes and, put on a long nightshirt. He sat on the bed and took off his shoes and wiggled his toes. They felt good to be let out of a tight spot. She came out of the bathroom with the nightshirt on and no bra. He look at her and marveled at her beauty.