Semper Fi Paradise

•23• Shaved Ice

Alana leans over the table, sharing her take on the matter, "Don't let Lelani fool you, Brodie's not the only sneaky one on this island."

"Share more," Delk nods, prying her for further explanation to the statement.

Lelani's eyes go wide, panic taking over her whole expression as her best friend speaks the words. My heart quickens in my chest because now I'm suddenly aware of the weight of Alana's comment. Murphy and Delk may know about Lelani and surf lessons, but they have no clue about the secret we've been so desperate to keep away from them, and that's the truth about our boss being her Dad. The thing about a secret is that the more people that come to know about it, the less of a secret it becomes. I'm not sure about the details of Lelani's past relationship with that Jason dude, but whatever lies in the history of their relationship has her terrified for her Dad to find out about ours. I'm too consumed in the sense of euphoria that comes up when I spend time with her, and I'm not ready to risk giving that up for the sake of my friend's somehow finding out about the truth, so I quickly invent a response to put an end to their piqued curiosity.

"Should I tell them?" I ask over to the nervous girl beside me. She gulps at the question, but I don't wait for her to respond as I fib, "Lani here knows about some fucking incredible mermaid pools on the island, and has been keeping their locations all to herself."

She lets go of the tension held in her shoulders, a look of reassurance crossing her face. Alana looks just as relieved, mouthing a subtle 'thanks' over to me for covering the tracks of her oblivious remark. I know I have my friends convinced when Murphy whines out, "Come on, now! We ain't going to tell anybody about 'em."

"Yeah," Delk agrees, bobbing his head ardently. "We'll keep it between the five of us. How can we ever experience the true fucking brilliance of the island if we don't know where to find it's hidden treasures?"

Lelani's fingers trail to my leg underneath the table, grazing them against my skin tenderly. Her eyes are bright again, sending a brisk glance my way before she sighs back to my friends, "Fine, I'll show them to you guys on one condition."

"What?"

"You all give Alana and me a tour of those dorms of yours."

"Oh, yes," Alana sings out, "I like the way you think, chicka."

The boys hop up from the picnic table eagerly, tossing their empty plastic bowls into the garbage cans behind them. "What are we waiting for ladies?" Murphy hollers, skipping off towards the car, "Mi casa, tu casa!"

Delk and Alana follow after him, leaving Lelani and me alone at the table. The evening sun reflects off of her dark eyes as she turns to me, making them glow a golden brown. I smirk over to her, interested in her peculiar and specific suggestion. "A tour of our dorms, huh? Lani, are you trying to get me alone in a room with you?"

Her teeth bite against her bottom lip as she tries to stifle her rising smile. "Don't get cocky, Maverick," she blushes, keeping her eyes locked on mine as she slowly sucks off the shaved ice from her spoon. The sight has me shifting in my seat, and she giggles, noticing my fidgeting. "Tell me, Brodie, do you share your room with anyone?"

The question comes out casual, but I know her curiosity has a deeper meaning behind it. "Maybe. Maybe not," I grin. "What would you think if I told you that I didn't?"

"I'd think that it would be a pretty lucky circumstance."

"Yeah? How so?"

She gathers from her seat, chucking her trash into the bin and starting her way towards the parking lot. Her head darts back to me as she hushes out, "Because then I have a higher probability of you kissing me again."