“Are you sure?” Sam asked, and I nodded.

Right as the drinks arrived, Diya appeared at the bar. I told Bane, “Be right back.”

“On the house,” Diya said with a wink as she handed me a drink.

“I appreciate it.”

“Just so you know…I won’t be back to the villa until late evening. Or…not come back at all?”

Heat flushed my face. “Um. That’s okay. It’s really not…it’s fine.”

She raised her brows and lowered her chin as if saying, “Yeah, right. I got you anyway.”

I took the tall to-go cup of light purple drink topped with whipped cream and a cherry with a pineapple wedge on the lip. I returned to the group, but I hadn’t even made it to my seat when Bane’s look of wide-eyed surprise, perhaps awe, stunned the others in our group into silence.

Standing over Bane, who had been eyeing April’s tray of sampler mai tais like she wanted to try them, I asked, “What are you doing?”

Bane stuttered, fixated on the drink in my hand.

“Babe, I already got the good stuff.”

She squealed! “You brought the ube?”

Bane jumped to her feet like a kid on the last day of class and took the drink, slurping up sweet, purple goodness.

“What’s ube?” one person after another asked.

“If you gotta ask…” Bane said around muffled slurps, waving them off. “You don’t even know. You’re not ready.”

I grinned triumphantly.

“Oh!” Bane offered me the drink, looking up at me with those big brown eyes, so willing to share. “Did you want to try it? You have to try it!”

“It’s for you.”

“You already tried it!” She held up the drink, noting the lowered quantity.

“How could I give you something that I already drank? That’s all you.”

“Not like we haven’t exchanged spit.”

I gave a sheepish smile. “Fine. Let me try and see what all the damn fuss is about.”

I lowered my mouth to the straw, keeping our gazes locked, and sucked.

“Don’t drink all of it!” She poked my side. “And?”

“And…” I gestured with a hand as if a gesture explained it all, but very little could explain the smooth, creamy, subtly sweet, robust flavor of an ube smoothie. There were notes of pineapple and banana and maybe strawberry?

“If you tell me you’re not in love with this, then you have no taste buds…much less a soul.”

“It’s amazing,” I said, deadpan.

Bane gently slapped my chest. “Amazing? That’s all. I knew you had no soul.”

I took another sip and handed the drink back to her. “You already know I love ube ice cream. I am an instant ube fan.”

She took another sip as I swung my backpack over my shoulder and handed Bane her purse before draping an arm around her shoulders and leading her away with a wave to the group.

“Where are you going!” Sam called after us.

“Ube!” I called back, but we were already out the door and spilling into the gardens.

When we were surrounded by flowering shrubs far enough from the restaurant, Bane said, “Saving me from having to spend more time with people I don’t know and feeding me ube? I’m not mad. Was this what you and my sister were plotting?”

“Yes.”

“Scary how well you’re getting to know me.”

“Is it?” I reluctantly retracted my arm.

We didn’t slow down until we’d passed the pools, making our way to the cove and beaches.

She offered me the drink every once in a while, and as tempted as I was to partake—damn, I really should’ve asked for two—I let her enjoy it. “Thanks for the drink.”

“I didn’t know you had so much nice in you, Bane.”

“What? Are you still calling me that!” She shoved me.

“I meant babe!” I chortled.

We meandered in the direction toward the villa. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a shower and a nap. A nap. Wow. Haven’t had one of those in years.”

“Yeah.” She slurped. “You stink.”

“No. Because I actually got into the water, smart-ass.”

“Because you stink.”

“Because I was doing my part to save sea turtles.”

She inhaled the last of the drink surprisingly fast. “I appreciate that. Look at this straw. It’s already deteriorating. It’ll be mush before it hits the trashcan and never stand a chance of hurting honu.”

“You care a lot about an animal that comes from a place you hate getting into.”

She nodded.

“Maybe we should change that?”