Tarin agreed with her that it was nice in Miami, more than agreed saying it was super nice. And suggesting that after they eat they head down to the beach so they could properly watch the sun set. She could even hear the smile in Tarin's voice as he spoke.

That did sound really nice, though, going down to the beach. Lee hadn't actually done that since she was 14. Toronto had had beaches, but they were far too disgusting for Lee to have wanted to go to them. The first time that she was at a beach in over ten years was with her husband, she really should be enjoying it.

"I think just sitting there watching the sun set might be better," Lee said, looking up at Tarin once more with another small smile on her lips. It had been amazing watching the sun rise with Tarin back in Texas, Lee couldn't imagin what it would be like to watch the sun setting here.

When Tarin listed the two things he was thinking of for dinner, Lee was pretty sure she knew which one he would end up going with; with how much he liked the crab rangoons back at their Chinese place back home, Lee didn't think there was really any question about what he would choose.

Apparently the waitress had chosen that time to come back to the table, so while Tarin was making up his mind, Lee turned her eyes back to her menu since she still had to make up her own mind.

And surprise surprise, Tarin did go with the crab. Shaking her head slightly, Lee decided to follow his lead with the seafood. "I think I'll go with the grilled salmon," Lee told the waitress, handing her menu to the other woman as her eyes turned back to Tarin. Maybe if she could manage to forget where their plane was going in the morning, she could really enjoy the night.

But now they were just sitting there in silence at the table. At least it wasn't an angry silence any more. Lee wasn't sure what else to say at this point, though. She wasn't in a happy, chatty mood, but she didn't exactly want to talk about what was on her mind, more about her worries about Columbia.

Finally, Lee had an idea, and she gave Tarin a one sided smile. "Do you think we'd be able to find some ice cream for dessert before heading to the beach?"

“Then sitting on the beach it will be.” Tarin said with a grin when Lee said she thought it would be preferable to splashing around in the waves. She was probably right, they had a good tradition going of watching great sunrises/sunsets. There was no reason to change things now. Besides, there was something to be said about sitting on a beach with one’s wife. Even if they were walking into a potentially volatile situation the very next day.

The waitress came and went and took their orders and Tarin reclaimed Lee’s hand across the top of the table, twining his fingers with her and dealing with a silence that wasn’t quite comfortable, but wasn’t uncomfortable at the same time. It was one of those things where neither of them knew of anything to say that could improve the situation and both of them were smart enough to be quiet in lieu of saying something that would spoil the tenuous peace they’d formed.

Finally, Lee spoke, and her small smile made Tarin grin, “I wonder if there’s any place around here that sells gelato.” He said, mouth already watering at the prospect, “The only time I’ve seen those places was on the coasts or dotted here and there in high end shopping districts.” He paused and looked across the table at Lee, “Have you ever had gelato?” he asked.

The conversation was getting easier, and that boded well for the status of their night. Tarin really didn’t want to fight with Lee about this, and if she did decide at some point before they got on the plane that she wanted to go home, he’d be right there beside her. Lee wasn’t saying anything though, and if he was honest with himself it made a slightly warm fuzzy feeling go through Tarin’s stomach that she was willing to put herself through so much worry and strain to let him do something he felt he needed to do.

Tarin made a note to watch closely for what Lee’s thing was going to be. She hadn’t had chances to do things when she was growing up either, at some point she was going to need something, and Tarin sure as hell was going to be there to give it to her. That’s what that whole marriage thing was about, right? Sacrificing here and there to make sure that both were as happy and as fulfilled as reason would allow.

In the meantime, the waitress brought a small basket of rolls and a little packet of silverware that Tarin opened to find a crab cracker, tiny crab fork, and a big bib with a large crab on the front. It almost made him laugh, this place looked slightly upscale and the fact that they’d give patrons something like this made Tarin like it even more. Picking it up by the ties, he held it out. “Do you think I need the bib or do you think I’m capable of eating all the food I just ordered without wearing half of it?”

Tarin was getting excited about the idea of getting ice cream and watching the sun set on the beach. Or, of trying to find some gelato. And, like most times when he got excited like this, Lee couldn't help but getting wrapped up in the excitement as well, becoming excited about the idea herself.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I've never had gelato. I'm guessing it's good?"

And...then they were back to the silence. At least the silences between them were growing easier and easier. And, the waitress was back shortly with a basket of rolls and a set of additional cutlery for Tarin. That was good, at least this way they could disguise lack of talking with eating, give them an excuse. So while Tarin was fiddling with the cutlery, Lee reached for a roll and started tearing small pieces off, eating slowly.

Did he need the bib? Was Tarin actually asking her that? Wait, this was Tarin, of course he'd be asking silly questions like that. "Well, if you're actually planning on using that," Lee replied, nodding toward the crab cracker sitting on the table. "And don't plan on heading back to the hotel right after dinner to change, then yes, you probably should wear it.

"Why?" Lee asked, her small smile growing slightly. "You're not worried about people giving you strange looks, are you?"

Lee had never had gelato, Tarin almost gaped at Lee in horror. “Oh my god Lee…they’ve got to have a gelato place around here somewhere.” He said, then scrunched his face up in thought for a moment as he tried to figure out exactly how to explain. “It’s like ice cream…but mixed with more air…so it’s way creamier…it’s amazing.”

Lee was warming up to the idea of the ice cream, and Tarin knew that when there was ice cream involved it was almost impossible to be mad when you had ice cream. Lee took a roll and Tarin followed suit, smearing his with butter before eating it like Lee, tearing pieces off, a little at a time and devouring them with relish.

Lee thought the bib was a good idea, then asked Tarin if he was worried about getting strange looks from people. Grinning and shaking his head, Tarin looked first at his arms, then leaned around to look under the table at his legs. “Me worried about strange looks Lee?” he said, incredulously but grinning with good humor as he lifted the bib and tied it around his neck, “And Lee, you wouldn’t walk around on the beach with me if I had crab splattered all over me?”

Then, the food came! Tarin was stoked that he’d gotten the crab, it was cooked in Cajun spices that stained his fingers red when he held it, and just spicy enough that the rolls were a must. So they ate for a while in silence, but as time passed it was a more and more comfortable silence. Tarin wanted to talk more about what Lee was feeling in regards to the trip to Colombia, but he held back. They just managed to get to something similar to comfortable and he didn’t want to ruin it.

“This place was an awesome idea…” Tarin said, when most of the food was gone and his belly was full. “I’m going t need to walk this off or I’m going to be miserable.” He said, leaning back for a second, then sitting up, “Oooo I almost forgot about the gelato.”

Like ice cream, but creamier. That did sound amazing, and it was almost all Lee could think about as she sat there in silence across the table from Tarin eating her roll.

At least it was silent until he asked about him in particular being worried about strange looks. And, Lee had to admit as she watched Tarin glancing at the tattoos on his arms and legs, it was a rather odd concept, but otherwise, what would have been his problem with it? So Lee just shrugged when Tarin asked for the clarification about him being worried about strange looks.

He didn't stop there, though, and Lee couldn't stop the small laugh from erupting from her lips. "No, not really," she admitted, though the laughter was still in her tone and her eyes. "I'd probably insist we head back to the hotel so you could clean up before we went and did anything else."

And, speaking of the food Tarin had mentioned might be all over him when they finished, their dinner arrived at the table at that point, so Lee set the rest of her bun down.

Oh, that grilled salmon smelled good. As Lee ate, she decided that at some point she was going to have to learn how to cook, because her and Tarin never went places that served fish like this. It would take a long time, and she might never actually manage it (it took skill to burn water, and she had manged that a couple of times in the past), but with some help she might be able to manage it.

Tarin finished eating faster than she did. As she finished off the last bit of her salmon, Tarin was mentioning something about the gelato again, and Lee smiled. "You're so full that you need to walk dinner off, and you still want dessert?" She questioned with a shake of her head. "I think I'm going to have to try and learn how to cook at some point, though. Either that, or we have to find somewhere cheap back home that makes salmon that's this good."

Lee didn’t comment on Tarin’s apparently lack of worry as far as standing out in a crowd was concerned. That made sense, of course, when had he ever worried about standing out in a crowd? Apparently Lee had a problem with parading a crab soaked husband around the beach, though; it was good to know that she drew the line somewhere.

“Well,” he said, untying the bib and setting it in the bucket his crab had come in, “Good thing I wore the bib. I’d hate to waste this gorgeous, warm, twilight on a change of shirt.” And it really was beautiful out. As the sun sunk lower on the horizon a slightly oceanic chill crept into the air and carried the smell of the sea to the patio of the little bistro Tarin and Lee were sitting at. Tarin took a deep breath and leaned back, “I’m glad we live on a coast. I don’t know what I’d do without the water close by…even if it is crappy Atlantic Ocean water.”

Lee was still quiet while she ate, but Tarin didn’t have a big problem with that, especially when she finished and brought up the gelato. All Tarin could do was nod. “Yup, I definitely still want gelato. I could be dying because my stomach was so full and I’d still want gelato. It’s one of those things that I simply can’t get enough of, no matter the consequences.” He said with a grin and look at Lee that suggested that frozen milk wasn’t the only thing he was talking about.

Lee pointed out that they were going to either have to learn how to make fish, or find somewhere by the apartment that could make salmon like they’d just had. Tarin screwed up his face in thought then shrugged, “ I can’t think of anywhere that has it…at least not anywhere cheap. So I guess that means we’re going to have to hit the cookbooks and the stovetop when we get home.”

The waitress returned, they declined dessert and found out that there was indeed a gelato shop just a quarter mile down the esplanade. Tarin paid the bill then stood, offering his arm to Lee, “Deliciousness awaits, darling. Might I escort you this fine evening?” he poured on with the smarmiest grin he could manage. “You’re not going to believe all the flavors.”

As Tarin spoke, talking about how great the night was and what a shame it would be to miss the evening just because he had to go change his shirt, Lee sighed happily. Then blinked as Tarin pointed out how glad he was they lived on the coast.

Then Lee tilted her head as she looked across the table at her husband, trying to figure out exactly what to say. "We've never gone to the beach or anything," she finally said slowly. "The closest we've ever done is sit by the pond in the park. So why is it suddenly so important that we live near the coast?"

To be honest, Lee wasn't sure what the beaches near them would be like. Though, they had to be better than those she'd seen in Toronto; the Atlantic Ocean, despite how crappy Tarin said it was, had to be better than Lake Ontario.

Tarin couldn't think of anywhere near their apartment that sold salmon either, at least not fairly cheaply. He didn't seem surprised or horrified about the idea of her learning to cook, though, which did somewhat surprise Lee. "I really hope you'll be patient," Lee said with a shake of her head. "If I'm actually going to learn, there's probably going to be a lot of burnt food over the next few months..."

It didn't take long for Tarin to pay the bill, and then he was standing, offering her his arm and asking if he could escort her. Despite everything that had been worrying her over the past week, Lee couldn't stop the small blush spreading across her cheeks as she heard Tarin call her 'darling'.

"I'd really like that," Lee said, taking Tarin's arm as they made their way out of the bistro. And then Lee walked in silence, just holding onto Tarin's arm, for a few minutes before she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I got so upset about the hair," she said softly. "So what flavour would you recommend?"

Lee seemed to think it was odd that Tarin was so attached to the ocean even though they’d never gone to the beach in New York . He laughed, he had to, it was true. Tarin shrugged, “Sometimes when the wind blows right you can smell the salt water over all the smog and grossness in the city though…and if I’m somewhere high, I can see the water.”

They sat for a few more moments and Tarin grinned, “We’ll have to see if we can find some beaches this summer. I’m not sure if they’re really beaches up there though, probably more like rock pools. Those can be fun too though, little animals and stuff get stuck in them.”

Lee said that she hoped Tarin was patient and he actually laughed out loud, giving her a meaningful look, “I think you know the answer to that question…and Lee, while we’re experimenting with the cooking, the phone will always be an arm’s reach away. Nobody gets good at making things overnight.”

Lee seemed at least slightly more relaxed as Tarin held out his arm and she took it. Then they were moving down the boardwalk and Lee leaned her head on his shoulder, Tarin slipped his arm around her waist and they walked slowly. Lee spoke and Tarin smiled.

“It’s fine Lee, really…and I promise, it won’t happen again.” Tarin said, and gave Lee a gentle squeeze around the waist. They had to be approaching somewhere near a quarter of a mile by this point, and Tarin started to look more thoroughly for the gelato shop. Lee asked what flavor he recommended and Tarin shrugged his shoulders.

“It really depends on what they’ve got. I’ve always seen really diverse flavor combinations in these places. Praeline flavor, Mango, bubblegum, strawberry…ah, here we go!” Tarin said, steering Lee into the shop and sighing happily as the multi-hued frozen milk treat came into view.

Tarin didn’t even know what to get for a full two or three minutes. Then he decided, “Two scoops please…chocolate and banana. I guess I wasn’t as full as I thought.”


OOC – Reference Link…OMG <3 Gelato.

Even though they had never actually gone to the beach back in New York, even though there were beaches available to visit, Tarin still had his reasons for liking the fact that they lived on the coast and was able to list them out for her. Though, Lee wasn't sure she had actually smelled the salt twang on the air herself, it was true that in some places you could see the water.

As she leaned her head on Tarin's shoulder, Lee felt his arm moving to wrap around her waist. This was what it was supposed to be like when they were walking together, not the angry, barely paying attention to each other from earlier. She was still stressed, of course she was stressed about the idea of heading to a war zone, but as Tarin had pointed out, they had a great opportunity for a wonderful night here in Miami if they, if she, would just relax.

But at least he said that it wouldn't happen again. That was good. That was very good. While Lee did like the vibrant colour he had dyed it, she really was not too pleased with how short it was.

Tarin was explaining which flavours they generally had of gelato when they reached what had to be the store. Walking inside as Tarin held the door open for her, Lee looked around. It looked just like a normal ice cream shop, except that the way the gelato was laid out in the tubs was different than how most ice cream was.

So, Lee just started wandering, looking at all the different varieties, and there were lots. It really was a hard decision to make, and even though Tarin had taken his time, he had still decided a fair bit sooner than Lee had made up her mind. There were about five different flavours that sounded especially good.

Finally, Lee made up her mind and stepped up to the counter. "I'll have a scoop of bacio, and a scoop of raspberry," she said, then glanced over her shoulder at Tarin. "Well, if you do end up being too full to eat all of that on your own, I'll finish it for you," Lee offered.

It took Lee a long time to decide what flavors of gelato she wanted and that made Tarin smile. It meant that her mind really was off the semi-argument they’d been having since they’d left New York . The semi-argument Tarin hadn’t even known the topic of until they’d sat down at the bistro and Lee had actually started talking to him again. Truth be told, Tarin was glad that the issue wasn’t as much his hair as it was everything else that had been going on.

Lee was still deciding when the shop girl handed his gelato over and Tarin sighed happily as he dug into the cold, creamy, goodness. The chocolate and banana blended together in the most delightful way as he took a bit of first one scoop, then the other. Lee decided what she wanted, also ordering two scoops and told Tarin that if he couldn’t finish his she’d be willing to help.

Tarin chuckled, pulling his dish close to his chest and cradling it protectively, “Oh no, I don’t think I’m gonna have any problem polishing this off. Crab is rich, but unfortunately it’s not all that filling for very long. You can try a bite or two if you want, though.”

Lee received her gelato, Tarin paid, and out the door of the shop they went, this time heading off the boardwalk and onto the sand. Tarin realized too late he should have taken off his shoes and made his way back to the wooden planks, muttering and cursing softly before kicking the shoes off and attempting to juggle them while he ate his gelato. That meant he had to sacrifice Lee’s hand, at least for the time being.

After a little walking, Tarin steered Lee towards the water. They’d found a secluded little area of beach and it had a nice view of the water, and therefore, the sunset because they happened to be facing west. (Because I said so) There were only a few other couples and small groups of people, and nobody was rowdy. It seemed to suit their purposes perfectly.

“I think this is just right.” Tarin said, and stopped, dropping his shoes and gingerly sitting in the sand to make sure none got into his gelato. “Care to join me?” he said, grinning up at Lee, “The sand is still warm from the sun earlier.”

Tarin didn't like the idea of her finishing off his gelato if he wasn't able to eat it himself. He even went so far as to cradle the dish against his chest as he tried to keep it from her. "Well, make sure you eat the whole thing, then," Lee told him as she took her dish that was being handed across the counter to her.

Bacio and raspberry. Just looking at it, it looked good. And Tarin had said that gelato tasted amazing, too. So as they walked out the door and onto the street outside, Lee took a small bite of first the bacio flavour, and then the raspberry. Tarin was right, they were good, but that was nothing compared to how they tasted when she tried a bit of both on her spoon at the same time.

Then off of the boardwalk they went and onto the actual beach itself. Before too many steps, Lee heard Tarin swear. Turning, she saw him heading back to the boardwalk, where he took his shoes off. Heh, that didn't seem like that bad of an idea, in all actuality. So Lee followed Tarin. Sitting down, Lee set her dish of gelato beside her carefully, so as not to get any sand in it, then proceeded to take her shoes off as well.

After tying the laces in a knot, Lee slung her shoes over her shoulder, grabbed her dessert, and stood up again.

"It's been so long since I've been to the beach, I forgot how much easier it is to walk in bare feet through the sand," Lee observed to Tarin as they walked a couple minutes later.

Only to have Tarin stop and sit down in the sand a few steps later. Looking around, Lee realized he was probably right; for it being a beach in Miami, especially on such a gorgeous evening, it was rather empty and relaxed where they were. The perfect place if she was going to have any hope of getting some sleep before their flight.

"I'd love to," Lee said softly, carefully sitting down beside Tarin and setting her shoes out of the way off to the side. Once she was settled, Lee noticed that the sun was already rather low on the horizon. Not much time left now before it fully set. "But only if I get a bite of your gelato."

Lee’s plan for dealing with her shoes seemed to be much more effective than his and Tarin wished he’d thought to tie his laces together when he’d slipped his shoes off. No matter though, it was something he’d have to remember for the next time they were walking on the beach. It was kind of sad that Tarin didn’t know when that was going to be. They’d definitely have to see what the beaches up north were like. Tarin was pretty sure his earlier assertation had been correct though, and the beaches were more like tide pools.

“I’d kind of forgotten what sand was like all together…” Tarin said as he sat and felt the sand sifting into his shorts. “It has a tendency to get into places you never even knew you had.” Tarin grimaced and took another double flavor bite of gelato. God that stuff was good. So good. Lee hadn’t sat down yet and Tarin was just about to comment on that fact when Lee said she’d sit down if he gave her a bite of his gelato. Tarin thought about this for a moment, then decided that there wasn’t much point in watching a beautiful sunset with your wife’s legs. Tairn nodded, “Okay, but only if you’ll give me a kiss. I’ve been sorely deprived all day.”

Lee acquiesced, at least to the sitting part and when she was next to him, Tarin looked out over the water at the sun sinking lower and lower, casting sparkles on the water and brilliant hues of red and orange into the sky and he sighed, remembering something from his childhood, “Red Sky at night…sailors delight…” he said softly, then chuckled. A few more moments and Tarin was really starting to wonder if there was anything that could be better. Yeah, they’d bickered through the first part of the day, but things had turned out pretty well. Well, Tarin could think of one way that the night could get better…but the whole point of all the secluded part of the beach and the not so busy restaurant was so that Lee could get some sleep. Tarin’s idea involved very little to no sleep. He sighed, then leaned his head on Lee’s shoulder and smiled.

“Want your bite of gelato now?" he asked hefting the spoon with a mix of chocolate and banana on it, "Cause I know I want my kiss.”

It took Tarin a moment before he agreed to give her a bite of gelato in exchange for her sitting to watch the sunset with him. He had his own counter offer, though: that she give him a kiss in exchange for that gelato.

That seemed fair, Lee reasoned as she sat down beside her husband in the sand. There had been a decided lack of kissing that day, something that was quite uncommon for them.

But Tarin was looking out over the water, and the sight was rather nice, so Lee just sat there as well, slowly savouring her gelato as the sun sank. And the silence here, at least to Lee, almost felt more comfortable than it had between them for a couple days. Maybe because she was actually relaxing a bit and not fully consciously worrying about what they were going to do.

Regardless of the reason, there was a small smile on Lee's face when Tarin opened his mouth and made a comment about the weather. Lee smiled a little wider. Leave it to Tarin to bring up random comments like that.

"Hopefully it'll stay nice the whole flight down, then," Lee said softly. Lee didn't have any trouble flying, though if the turbulence got really bad she did start to have problems. She did, however, remember how Tarin had been on their flight down to Texas over Christmas, and while he had appeared to handle the flight today better...maybe that had just been because he'd been preoccupied with her being angry at him.

Tarin really did seem to be back to himself again, Lee realized as she felt him leaning against her shoulder, asking if she wanted his gelato because he wanted a kiss. "You're ready for your kiss, are you?" She asked, a slightly teasing, mischievous look in her eyes a moment before she leaned in and gave Tarin a quick, chaste, kiss. Then she turned her head and took the bite of gelato that was still sitting on Tarin's spoon.

"Oh, that is good," Lee said after eating the gelato. The problem was, now she wanted more of the chocolate banana.

Lee was actually relaxing now, well at least it seemed that way to Tarin, and as she looked out over the ocean she smiled. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest, and an even bigger one lifted at her next comment. Tarin wasn’t going to bring it up, but Lee had just said ‘the flight down’. That meant Columbia, that meant that all the things Tarin had been daydreaming about for the last couple of weeks were going to happen. He was almost emotional about it, having not realized until that moment exactly what it meant to him. It did also mean a long flight, though and Tarin shuddered visibly at the notion.

“Yeah, hopefully it’s as good as the flight was here.” He said offhandedly, still decidedly not bringing up the fact that Lee had just said they were going. “It was smooth. If I can get through take off and landing and the flight is smooth…I’ll be fine.” Tarin shook his head again and looked out over the ocean. Why couldn’t Slate have found someone who could just like..teleport them there so they hadn’t had to fly?

Tarin wasn’t quite as worried about that after a few more moments though, because Lee decided that his price for the bite of gelato was fair. The kiss, however, was a little bit lacking and he humped slightly as Lee took her bite. “That was an awful big bite of gelato and an awful little kiss.” He said, then sighed, “I suppose it was fair though, the whole point of this is to set it up so you can get some sleep tonight, and with this whole romantic scene I’ve managed to set up, kissing too much could lead to a sleepless night.”

Tarin paused for a second, then grinned at Lee’s reaction to the gelato, “I told you it was, want some more? I’m pretty much full.” Tarin actually wasn’t full, but those were just the types of things a doting husband did for his wife. Even if it did mean less of his awesome gelato ending up in his stomach.

Tarin's tone as he was talking about the flight was offhand, or at least he was trying to make it sound offhand. Lee could still hear the slight strain behind his words. Even if the flight was smooth, he was still going to be stressed out, almost freaking, the whole way.

But then Tarin was complaining about how she had taken a big bite of gelato in exchange for such a small kiss. Lee was about to point out that her actually getting some sleep that night had been his idea in the first place, and that larger, longer kisses were not exactly conducive to sleeping when Tarin seemed to realize that on his own.

"Yeah, too much kissing probably would lead to a sleepless night for me," Lee agreed with Tarin. "Especially since we have to be up so early. I'd just rather spread out the kissing and still be able to sleep."

Before she knew it, Tarin was offering her more gelato, and she looked at him somewhat sceptically for a moment. "You know," she said after a couple moments. "If I eat all of that, I won't be able to finish my own, so maybe we should just share because I would like some more of that banana."