Paradise

Starry Sky

'I like Jace.'  Those three words continued to replay in my mind. 

After a moment of silence Seth slowly clapped his hands which broke the trance.

"Now that's a confession. But you're joking right?" Seth studied Stephanie's face who looked dead serious.

"Why would you care?" Holly turned her attention to Seth who didn't reply.

"Of course I am." Stephanie threw her hair behind her. I felt slightly relieved at her response but I wasn't sure if I believed her.

 "Game over." Holly stood up discontented and walked towards another set of palm trees.

"Hollycakes wait."Seth called after her but she ignored him.  

"I said I was kidding." Steph threw her hands up.

"Where are you going?" Seth asked confused.

"Wood...for a fire." Holly called over her shoulder annoyed. "Some of us can't always be so cold." She said as she broke off small branches from the start of the forest.

Stephanie glared in Holly's direction and returned her attention to the broken circle. Jace and I were still silent and Seth glanced between the two us.

 "Jace's was a shocker but you almost won that one Steph." Seth said relieved and then glanced over at me. "My my Cleopatra you sure are quiet."

"I'm fine, really." I replied but I didn't believe the words that came out of my mouth.  

"Holly's got a point, plus it's getting dark." Jace looked up at the star speckled sky and attempted to change the subject. 

I could hear Holly struggle to pick at the branches and Seth noticed too.

"Honey, let a man show you how it's done." Seth said as he jogged over towards Holly.

"Say what?" Holly's small voice emerged from the distance. She stopped and turned to see Seth flex his right arm which revealed a small but toned bicep. He grabbed two long, slightly thick branches and gave it a yank before they ripped out of the tree trunk. She blinked a few times and slowly turned back towards the half broken tree limbs she had worked on. Seth grinned in triumph and tossed the branches onto a pile in the sand. A small smile inched it's way up Holly's face but she hid it with her hair.

'What is he doing?' I asked myself but my thoughts were cut short by Stephanie's next question.

 "So Jace," Steph glanced at me and then back at Jace,"if  it was true, would It be mutual?" She leaned towards him with a smirk. My jaw fell open.

Jace scooted away just an inch and shook his head. Steph noticed his movement and pouted but still kept her eyes locked on his face.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Stephanie persisted.

"Stephanie seriously just stop. Jokes over." I said annoyed. She looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

 "Can't a girl be curious?" Steph objected and slammed her hands down by her sides as if she was five years old. 

"Curiosity killed the cat." I retorted.

"Stephanie, enough." Jace said with a sigh.

"OK." She put her hands up in surrender. " I guess I'll just go make some bedding. Being outdoorsy did have it's benefits." Stephanie eyed Jace before she got up and sauntered towards the forest entrance. 

 I watched her pick off big shrub leaves and place them neatly on the sand in three large piles. 

"Cleo, come with me." Jace stood up, brushed off the sand from his shorts and walked over towards the luggage.

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"We can't have a fire without something to start it with. It's getting dark fast and we won't be able to see anything if we wait so long." Jace rummaged through Seth's bag.

"Fine." Was all I said. I walked over to his side and he handed me the busted, black leather briefcase. This must have belonged to one  of the young businessmen on the plane. I picked through the briefcase and tossed papers lined with scrawled letters, a few pens, and a notepad. My hands then rested on a cold, hard, but fairly small object. When I pulled it out, to my surprise it was a purple lighter that was less than a quarter full. 

"How about this?" I tossed the lighter and Jace caught it with one hand. He squinted at the lighter and tested it. After a few clicks the tiny flame came to life.

"That's my girl." Jace smiled before he ran towards Holly and Seth.

I followed behind him and helped Holly gather the sticks and placed them back where we all sat in the circle by the boulders. Seth placed the empty coconut shells on top to hold them down and Jace lined the pile of sticks with small rocks to keep the fire all in one place. Then we all watched as Jace lit the sticks and after a couple of seconds the pile lit up. 

"We have fire!" Holly exclaimed and sat near the edge with her hands up. She smiled and rubbed her hands together.

"I didn't know it would catch so fast. Normally it takes a minute." Jace responded and studied the flames that licked up into the air.

"Now we need a place to rest." Seth added and searched for Stephanie. 

"Steph is gathering some stuff for us to lay on for tonight." I said and watched Steph place the last few twigs onto a pile. I counted off three small piles- wait three?

 We all walked over to the small leafy piles. Stephanie smiled and waved her hands like one of the TV girls who showed off a item on a game shows. The piles were small enough to outline the whole body, but they didn't look comfortable.

""Uhh... there's only three.." my voice trailed off.

"Yeah well that's all I could find the rest were thorny and rough." Steph shrugged. "But I see you got the fire going. Nice job."

"Looks like we'll have to share." Seth added with a grin. "Alright, which lucky lady wants to spend the night?"

 Stephanie smiled in return but it faded when she glanced at Jace.

"This one." Jace pointed a finger at himself. Holly and I held back a laugh.

"Oh come on." Seth whined.

"Sorry Seth but I'm not sleeping next to you." I said and took two steps back.

"You're too touchy feely." Holly twiddled her thumbs together and looked away.

"What about Stepha-" Seth continued but was cut off.

"Absolutely not." I warned and Steph looked offended.

"Here's how the plan works, Seth and I will be on one, Holly and Cleo on the other and Steph on the last one. Got it. Good. Now Good night." Jace plopped down onto the far left side of the pile and motioned for Seth to join him.

"Yeah that's enough for one night. Let's get some rest." Holly laid down on the middle one. Seth and Jace exchanged a few slaps on each other before Seth laid down on the left side of Jace and faced the forest. Without another word Stephanie gracefully laid down on the last pile that faced the direction of the fire. I could feel the slightest bit of heat from over here and decided to take a spot next to Holly. 

"Good night everyone." Holly said in a sleepy tone and brought her knees to her chest.

"Night." We all replied in unison.

I picked at a small twig that got snagged in my hair. I wasn't comfortable laying on my left side so I rolled over onto my right side, but before I closed my eyes I came face to face with Jace. I flinched but he was calm and stared at me for a moment before he shut his eyes.

"Goodnight Cleo." He whispered. 

"Mhm." was all I could say. Our close proximity made me feel anxious.

He smiled in return.  I had no clue how I would go to sleep knowing that he was close. I studied his face for just a moment to see if he was asleep. He nestled his head on his arm and took slow breaths. His appearance made me relax some so I closed my eyes and listened to the soft sounds of the waves before sleep took over me.