Destination Reached

SOPHIA

Hawaii was growing on me. I hated to say it, but my sister and my grandma might've been right. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the fresh, clean air always carrying a trace of salt. The crystal clear waters, breaking with a delicious crash on the warm sand. The way the sun rose over the misty mountains and rainbows were practically commonplace. Or maybe it was the smell of the plumerias after it rained, the palm trees swaying side to side. Or maybe...maybe it had something to do with— Jake.

I liked him. Okay? Kind of a lot. More than I cared to admit, to be completely honest. He was sweet, and funny, and awkward, and dorky. And he had a nice smile. A really nice smile. The kind of smile that made you want to know more. And I don't know, this past week we'd spent together...

Also, he was cute. So cute. And he called me cute, and sometimes I even believed him. And, god, the way he looked at me sometimes was about enough to stop my heart in its tracks.

Click, click, click.

"Stop taking pictures of me, Sherlock," I cried out in protest, cheeks pink. "Stop!" I laughed out loud, shaking my head at him as the disposable camera continued to click. "Jake!" I rolled my eyes, unable to prevent the smile creeping up my face. "I cannot stand him," I told Maia.

"Yeah sure looks like it," snorted Maia. "That giant dorky smile on your face really screams disgust."

"Maia!" I whacked her across the arm, fixing her with a stern look.

"Just saying," she hummed, poking my cheek.

"Just saying nothing," I hissed, feeling the back of my neck heat up as I staunchly avoided those deep, brown eyes. He'd started carrying a camera everywhere with him. I blamed Maia, who had gotten him a disposable the first week we were here. I'm sure there were about a hundred pictures of me now with my arms thrown up to cover my face, or drooling, fast asleep on the couch. He was the worst.

Maia just laughed.

"What's so funny?" Jake asked, as he shoved the camera back into his pack, laying a towel out on the sand. It was Friday, and the four of us had driven down to the beach right after work, stopping only to pick up sandwiches from the Nakamura's restaurant. They were delicious.

"Denial," Maia replied. Kai hid a smile behind his can of soda. I wanted to punch them both.

"I'm going in the water," Jake declared, wiping sweat from his brow. I stared fixedly at the sand as he pulled his shirt over his head, my heartbeat ratcheting up. "Who's with me?"

"Not me," Maia said. "I have a book and freshly washed hair."

"Kai?"

Kai held up his sandwich in response. "Eating."

"Randall?" Jake's gaze swung on me, all grinning and hopeful.

"I don't have sunscreen on yet."

"C'mon Sophia," he wheedled, "don't hold out on me."

"Maybe later," I told him, doing my best not to smile when he clutched his heart and staggered backward over-dramatically at the rejection. I watched him head down to the ocean, sighing a little. He disappeared under a wave, bobbing under and up on the turquoise swell.

I felt full. Like I might burst as I curled my toes underneath the warm sand and shielded my eyes from the sun, thinking about Jake's hands and the way they fit in mine, and also the way he slung me over his shoulder like I was nothing, and also his back muscles, and his voice in the morning, and also—

"Stop it," I growled at Maya, pushing my sunglasses off my face.

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that," I huffed, rummaging through my backpack for sunscreen. "It's very hurtful."