me relax a bit. It wasn’t like we were boyfriend and girlfriend; I didn’t even know him. And I did have the totally unreasonable fear my father would pop out of a store and catch me with a strange boy on the street at night. That would be bad enough. At least I wasn’t holding his hand.
But I wouldn’t have minded.
My arm brushed up against his. He smelled like coconut oil.
“Are you allowed to go out at night by yourself?” I asked.
“Oh no. We have a strict curfew and have to check in with our chaperone when we’re back in our room for the night.”
“So you snuck out too?”
He sighed. “Until we’re eighteen we’re at the mercy of adults. Adults who might have no better sense of what’s best for us than we do ourselves.”
“When do you turn eighteen?”
“Two months. Just in time to retain my sanity. And you?”
“One year and…three and a half months.”
“A junior then? I thought I detected an air of innocence about you.”
“Innocence? Give me a break.” I laughed without any passion.
I was.
***
We started walking in a direction that eventually took us to the main tourist street in Waikiki, which is called Kalakaua. My mom and I had done a lot of shopping there, but late that night it seemed different. Magical. Or maybe it was being there with Arash that made it seem that way.
“What instrument do you play in your school band?”
A cluster of Japanese tourists passed us, walking in the opposite direction. In their midst, Arash and I were separated by a swirl of excited chatter, brilliantly colored sundresses, and silky, black hair. At the other end, we came back together like two magnets reunited.
“I’m a percussionist,” he answered.
“Drums?”
“Anything you strike one thing against the other. Drums, yes. But also xylophone, marimba, triangle.”
“I’ve never heard a marimba, but just the word sounds so pretty.”
“It’s the most beautiful of them all,” he said. “You’ve undoubtedly heard it but just didn’t realize that’s what it was.” He came to a stop. “I think we need a change of clothes suitable for a real adventure.”
We were standing in front of one of the many ABC Stores that seem to exist on every corner of Waikiki. Tourists loved them. I loved them. You could buy anything from clothes to toothpaste to papayas at an ABC Store. They were always packed with people, no matter what time.
“Change of clothes?” My eyebrows went up. “You look fine the way you are.”
“How could I continue without an aloha shirt?” He thumbed studiously through the broad, flowery men’s cotton shirts hanging on a rack just outside the store. He stopped at one with red-and-yellow parrots, wings spread as if in flight. “This is it! This is the one.” He pulled it from the rack and stripped off the t-shirt he was wearing.
I hadn’t expected him to have a body as nice as his eyes. He seemed too smart for a hot bod, as crazy as that sounds. But he did. The muscles of his back and shoulders were smooth and firm. His skin was creamy, darker than mine.
“Could I convince you to join me?” He held up a matching dress, sleeveless with a tight elastic bodice.
“No, thanks. I’ll pass.” I laughed.
“You said you were committed to the adventure.”
“I am but…what’s the adventure?”
“The adventure is us, and we are the adventure. Without us it’s nothing, and without it, we’re—”
“Nothing?”
“I didn’t want to say it, but since you did…” He looked impossibly cute in the shirt. His hair was mussed from taking off the t-shirt, which just added to his cuteness. His glasses sat a little crooked on his nose. He reached up to straighten them.
“Well, since you put it that way, I guess I have no choice.”
“Let’s see…twelve dollars for my shirt. Eighteen dollars for your matching gown. I’ve got it.” He passed me the dress. “I’ll pay while you find the changing room.”
***
I came out feeling
But I wouldn’t have minded.
My arm brushed up against his. He smelled like coconut oil.
“Are you allowed to go out at night by yourself?” I asked.
“Oh no. We have a strict curfew and have to check in with our chaperone when we’re back in our room for the night.”
“So you snuck out too?”
He sighed. “Until we’re eighteen we’re at the mercy of adults. Adults who might have no better sense of what’s best for us than we do ourselves.”
“When do you turn eighteen?”
“Two months. Just in time to retain my sanity. And you?”
“One year and…three and a half months.”
“A junior then? I thought I detected an air of innocence about you.”
“Innocence? Give me a break.” I laughed without any passion.
I was.
***
We started walking in a direction that eventually took us to the main tourist street in Waikiki, which is called Kalakaua. My mom and I had done a lot of shopping there, but late that night it seemed different. Magical. Or maybe it was being there with Arash that made it seem that way.
“What instrument do you play in your school band?”
A cluster of Japanese tourists passed us, walking in the opposite direction. In their midst, Arash and I were separated by a swirl of excited chatter, brilliantly colored sundresses, and silky, black hair. At the other end, we came back together like two magnets reunited.
“I’m a percussionist,” he answered.
“Drums?”
“Anything you strike one thing against the other. Drums, yes. But also xylophone, marimba, triangle.”
“I’ve never heard a marimba, but just the word sounds so pretty.”
“It’s the most beautiful of them all,” he said. “You’ve undoubtedly heard it but just didn’t realize that’s what it was.” He came to a stop. “I think we need a change of clothes suitable for a real adventure.”
We were standing in front of one of the many ABC Stores that seem to exist on every corner of Waikiki. Tourists loved them. I loved them. You could buy anything from clothes to toothpaste to papayas at an ABC Store. They were always packed with people, no matter what time.
“Change of clothes?” My eyebrows went up. “You look fine the way you are.”
“How could I continue without an aloha shirt?” He thumbed studiously through the broad, flowery men’s cotton shirts hanging on a rack just outside the store. He stopped at one with red-and-yellow parrots, wings spread as if in flight. “This is it! This is the one.” He pulled it from the rack and stripped off the t-shirt he was wearing.
I hadn’t expected him to have a body as nice as his eyes. He seemed too smart for a hot bod, as crazy as that sounds. But he did. The muscles of his back and shoulders were smooth and firm. His skin was creamy, darker than mine.
“Could I convince you to join me?” He held up a matching dress, sleeveless with a tight elastic bodice.
“No, thanks. I’ll pass.” I laughed.
“You said you were committed to the adventure.”
“I am but…what’s the adventure?”
“The adventure is us, and we are the adventure. Without us it’s nothing, and without it, we’re—”
“Nothing?”
“I didn’t want to say it, but since you did…” He looked impossibly cute in the shirt. His hair was mussed from taking off the t-shirt, which just added to his cuteness. His glasses sat a little crooked on his nose. He reached up to straighten them.
“Well, since you put it that way, I guess I have no choice.”
“Let’s see…twelve dollars for my shirt. Eighteen dollars for your matching gown. I’ve got it.” He passed me the dress. “I’ll pay while you find the changing room.”
***
I came out feeling
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