Aloha Lila || Milo Manheim

Chapter 2 - Adding to the Hyperfocus Party

"I'm totally serious about this, Aimee. You saw Melissa's posts all over her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter."

My phone was against my ear as I sat on a long chair out on the beach, and I had just gotten back from playing in the waves with Melissa who was still out there with Mom and Dad. I was right in my prediction regarding her swimming suit. The moment our parents saw it, even with what was worn over it, Mom demanded that Melissa change into the tankini that she brought with, the most modest of the swimsuits with her. Mom's argument was that when Melissa was eighteen, she could wear what she wanted, but not before then. Conservative me wore that purple one-piece that had little white flowers all over it as well as a sinch in the front but showed an inch of cleavage. It couldn't be avoided with my chest size unless I wore one of those swimming shirts.

"It's just mind-blowing that you got to meet a Disney Channel star who happens to be Milo Manheim!" my best friend all through college exclaimed, one that I met on my very first day, and we roomed together. "You kidding me? You know that I'm obsessed with all things Disney, meaning that I've seen every single movie ever made by the company since Walt himself."

Did I ever know that. Her side of the room was covered with Disney posters and Disney stars. I had to stare at the cartoon Disney characters as well as the live ones like the Jonas Brother, Zac Efron, Selena Gomes, Miley Cyrus, the Sprouse twins and others on her wall for the four years we were roommates. "You know more about him than I do, then."

"You bet I do. He was this kid who grew up behind a camera, basically, because of his actress mom, and he was able to snag the main role in the Zombies series after being scouted at a school play. It's how some of the Disney stars got their big break. He was this spindly teen then, and now look at him." She squealed. "I'm so, so, SO jealous you got to meet him. He's even more good-looking in person, isn't he?"

"He's..." I recalled his height, form, features and eyes. "Yeah, he was. I watched some clips from those zombie movies again, and even as a zombie, he's good-looking. I think he may have some middle eastern blood in him. I could see it in his eyes and nose."

"He may have. He's devout Jewish because of his mom. I'm not sure what she has in her, nor his dad. Milo's a sperm doner child, you know."

My eyes widened as I was looking off into the waves as my family and a bunch of other people were enjoying them and the hot weather. It most definitely smelled like a beach—fishy—but the scent of flowers and plants were in the air from the tropical fauna behind me, and I was partially shaded by one of those giant leaves, as well as a tall palm tree.

"Wow, really?" I asked, a bit taken aback. "So... I take it his mom isn't married."

"I don't think so. I've read somewhere that his mom asked her gay friend to help her have a baby before she turned forty, and Milo was born a couple days before her fortieth birthday. I'm not sure if she's gay herself."

I put a hand over my heart, on my bathing suit covering my chest. "Oh my gosh, that is so precious. Do you know facts like this about other stars?" I laughed. "Yeah, of course you do. I shouldn't be surprised if they're related to Disney somehow."

"Hey, you were in love with Austin Butler at one point. He was a Disney Channel actor. But I guess you only fangirled over him because he played Elvis in that biopic."

I nodded, guiltily so. "Yeah, you're right. So... Milo... tell me more about him."

She laughed into the phone. "Girl, you're so besotted with this guy, which is huge since you love anything that has to do with Elvis. He has nothing to do with him, other than he's tall, dark and handsome. You were ga-ga over Milo after seeing one picture of him, not having a clue he existed before then, and then you meet him the very next day. And he happens to be staying in the same hotel you guys are. Tell me that's not a coincidence."