“Oh, hell no. No kids. And engagement is the furthest thing from my mind. I’m just not interested. I’m good where I’m at.”

“Same.”

“Solidarity, my sister, against the parents’ wishes for us to be moving forward before we’re too old.”

Diya sat up, running her fingers through my hair, the braids having been undone before I crashed. “Speaking of family, is it cool if Kimo’s comes over for dinner?”

“I would never say no!”

“That’s because his mom cooked for you.”

I laughed. “Among other things. I adore them, you know? I’m glad his family is as wonderful as he is. They must really like you if they can put up with you.”

“Right!”

“What did his mom make?” I asked, suddenly alert and hungry.

“She made mochiko tofu with greens and butter mochi for dessert. Knowing her, and you, she probably added ube.”

My mouth was already salivating.

“Luau stew, I think Kimo said. And that taro leaf and spinach dip that you liked last time, with the coconut milk.”

My heart pattered with all the feels. “Wow. I love her. She didn’t have to go through all this trouble. My goodness! Why are they coming here with so much food? Why don’t we just go to their place? Make it easier.”

“Because they want the view,” Diya explained with a giggle. “They stay at the hotel all the time with my discount for staycations, but usually the other building because it’s cheaper.”

“Definitely should share this view.”

“Kimo’s brother is picking up beers from the brewery.”

“So it’s just going to be a party?”

“Not loud or crowded. Just like how it was when we went to their house a few days ago. Will you be okay?”

“Of course. They’re family. It’s different,” I reminded her as if she weren’t aware that my social anxiety didn’t scream during small gatherings with close friends and family. “I was making a joke. Ya know? Food and drinks with an ocean view…gonna get lit.”

“Oh my god.” Diya pushed off the bed. “You have to work on your execution if you ever want to make it as a comedian.”

She untucked her blouse, and honestly, I was surprised she hadn’t changed already. She usually kicked off her shoes and had her clothes off by the time she reached her room. “Where’s Sunny?”

Oh, right. That was probably why she hadn’t stripped down by now. “With his friends.”

“Will he be back soon?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Call him. Invite him. He can’t say no to food. What else is he doing?”

“He’s here for his friend’s wedding.”

“That’s right! You’re a wedding date!” Diya giddily screamed. “Bitch, you need a dress.”

She promptly went through the few clothes I’d managed to hang in the closet and mockingly looked back at me. “You didn’t bring a dress?”

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “It was a last-minute surprise.”

“Don’t worry. The hotel has fancy boutiques, but there are some nearby shops, too.”

“Don’t get carried away.”

“You need shoes. But we’re the same size, and I can bring you sandals. Unless you brought some?”

“Do hiking sandals count?”

She dropped her chin and deadpanned. “You’re hopeless.”

“I’m low-maintenance, but yes, a dress and your sandals sound fine.”

She squealed with a clap of her hands. “Tell him to come back for some amazing dinner.”

“No. I really want him to enjoy his time with his friends. The entire wedding party is here, and the guys grouped together to do…whatever it is guys do before a wedding.”

“Ah. That sucks. He doesn’t know what he’s missing! Eh. We’ll save some food for him. Will he eat any of it? Is he vegetarian or vegan or keto or diabetic?”

“I don’t know.”

“How do you not know?”

I shrugged. “I’ll ask.”

I texted Sunny, mentioning the food and Kimo’s family and leftovers if he couldn’t make it. He never responded.

Fourteen Sunny

Okay. Okay. So I know I’d said we couldn’t possibly keep drinking and staying out late like we were in college where weekends started on Thursday, but here we were. I’d somehow made it back to the villa, stumbling the entire way. It had to be at least two in the morning, and I should’ve just asked if I could crash on the floor of Sam or Aamar’s rooms, but their SOs probably wouldn’t want to be stumbling over me. Knowing April, the girls had probably gotten a bit wild, too.

The villa was dark when I arrived, except for the corner of the living room, near the TV, where a lamp had been left on a dim setting. I went straight for the couch, looking forward to passing out and putting up a fight next time the guys wanted to drink their weight in alcohol.

Upon closer inspection, there appeared to be another body asleep on the couch. It wasn’t Bane or her sister, but a man. He had his face against the back of the couch, no shirt on, and a blanket to his waist.

Hmm. What was I supposed to do now?

Maybe sleep outside on a lounge chair?

I turned toward a noise behind me. In the dark kitchen, Bane had opened the fridge and stared into its depth like she was either trying to cool off or was maybe sleepwalking.

The next thing I knew, I was standing behind Bane, my body going slack as icy air hit me. I groaned. What relief.