Above All

-Seventy-One-

Amusing summer

Fragrant scents still in my arms

Lament of friendship

Layton:

After another fun-filled beach day that we spent together at Nailey Beach—a beautiful bright-blue sea front with the purest of white sand and large enough that people wouldn't bump into each other often if you were on the right side of the shoreline. We spent most of that time, jet-skiing or paddle boarding for fun or stuffing our faces with freshly grilled seafood; you could honestly never get enough of the stuff especially when it was fresh from the sea.

When the afternoon came, we toured the main downtown area and enjoyed walking through interactive museums that Amani vastly took pleasure in diving into the history of famous Idizian painters and sculptures; there was even a fun children's center where Yame could play around and touch things to his liking. We then took a bit of a de-tour in the smaller town of Zaros where we rode scooters through the densely packed neighborhoods and soon after growing hungry, sat by an outside bistro that served traditional Idizian coastal foods; to finish it off, we all stuffed ourselves with the famously Zaros inspired Dragon fruit, cherry and Kiwi frozen treat whose texture resembled that of Italian Gelato.

"If it wasn't for all the walking we were doing, I'm convinced I would have gained an extra ten pounds before returning to Clico!" Rose exclaimed as she slowly sauntered down the stairs of the villa in her dinner heels. "And look at us now heading out once more for some food! I'm in paradise." She smiled as she finished the last of her steps before spinning around effortlessly in her chosen dress for the evening.

She was in a silk-like spaghetti strap dress that flowed down to her knees and was tied into a cute little bow at the top-half of the chest area. The pineapple-colored dress blended will with her bronzed honey skin and favored her well with her hair she had opted to tie up in a high bun to accentuate the diamonds she was sporting on her ears and neck.

I'm sure Jaala took the pleasure of making sure she was always well adorned.

I chuckled, "Who doesn't enjoy food... especially when it's so well-made here." I said to her. She scoffed at my comment and walked over to Jaala where she wrapped one arm around his waist, he placed a light kiss on her cheek. "I think we should get a private chef who is native to Fhauri just so they could make our dishes from now on, I'm obsessed." She said to him.

Jaala sighed, "So it this you finally committing to moving in with me?" He asked her.

Rose pursed her lips. "Hmm... I said I'd only agree if we search for a new and bigger place together. I need lots of space for my design things and your man-cave needs to be re-designed, you are deathly obsessed with the color blew." She replied to him.

Jaala made a face, "I am not!" He responded.

"What kind of guy decides to paint his ceiling blue? Are you mad?" She said to him.

Johnny, who had been standing beside me waiting for the remainder of the girls to join us downstairs so we could head out to the restaurant, chuckled beside me. He stifled his laugh with his hand as he attempted to look away as Jaala and Rose bickered about his placement of a blue ceiling in his apartment.

I looked over at him, "What about you?" I asked.

Johnny looked over at me with a curious look, "What? Picking a blue ceilings?" He inquired. I shook my head, "No... you and Éliane, are you both taking the step of moving in with one another?" I asked him.