North Star

42 | first class

2019

"What would you say if I asked if you'd want to go on a trip?"

He could have picked a better time to ask that question. It sounded harmless enough, but I hadn't been expecting it, so when I kicked back up to the surface and that was the first thing I heard, I almost swallowed a gargantuan amount of salt water.

"Did you say a... trip?"

"Yeah." Nikau pushed his drenched strands of hair back out of his face. "Book a flight. Walk onto a plane. Head somewhere—"

"I know what it means I'm just making sure I heard you right."

"I think you could use some time away. How long has it been since you went on a trip?"

"Never?"

"Then you're way overdue."

It was tempting to paddle away from him, maybe using catching a wave as a distraction, but Nikau was a strong swimmer and would have been able to catch up to me, and it wasn't like I had anywhere to go since we were swimming right outside my house. The fact that there weren't any decent waves on this part of the beach didn't help either.

I spent a lot of time in the water these past two weeks. I needed something to clear my head that didn't involve hiding away in Nikau's apartment, as gracious as he was for letting me use it as an oasis. The brief intermission in our hangouts turned out to be equally as beneficial to him since he was able to get most of the rest of his album done. He would never admit it but I could be somewhat of a distraction sometimes, either because he felt like he needed to try to entertain me or because I asked him too many questions about what he was doing. As much as I loved getting to see his entire process, being the first one to hear the final product was just as rewarding, and Nikau never disappointed with any of the MP3s he sent over.

"You deserve to see more of the world," Nikau said.

"Traveling is a privilege," I pointed out. "Not a right." Too many times had I wanted to scream that at people on the internet but stopped myself from doing so because I didn't want to start an online war with someone.

"I didn't say that it was either." Nikau smiled as he kicked closer to me. He placed one hand on my board, indirectly securing himself to me in case I tried to escape his line of questioning. "I'm trying to convince you to come with me."

"Where to?" I didn't mean for it to sound as hopeful as it did, but Nikau's eyes immediately lit up. "I'm just asking. I didn't say yes."

"I'm going to Chicago next week to work with Maverick, remember?"

A wave might as well have washed over me then because I was taken aback. My brain had gone fuzzy lately, processing everything that had happened recently as well as all that was forthcoming. The countdown of Nikau finishing his album and leaving Hawai'i loomed so closely that it was practically right there on the horizon. In only a few months, it'd be one year since he arrived on our islands. One year was the timeline he had given himself, and as much as Nikau liked to joke around about staying longer, if he had a complete album, he would have no reason to stay.

Not that I assumed he would think so, but I was not a good enough reason. He had so many plans ahead, so many dreams he was waiting to come true. If it came down to it, I wasn't going to get in the way of that.

"I wouldn't want to get in the way," I told him as I swam back to the shore with my boogie board towing behind me. "You're gonna be busy recording. I'll just get in the way."

"No, you won't," Nikau argued. He followed me as I began walking back to the house, grabbing the board strap from my hand so he could carry it for me. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you being there. And even if you didn't go to the recording, you could explore the city on your own. And we'll have a day or two to do some sightseeing if we want."