When the Ocean Calls

Chapter Two | Beach Waves

I woke to a stream of light blinding my eyes. I rolled over, my face buried in my satin pillowcase.

Five more minutes.

The events from yesterday trickled into my head: flying on the plane, arriving at Lani's apartment, viewing the beach...

The groggy blockage in my brain faded.

I'm...in the Bahamas!

With sudden clarity, I pushed myself upright. My gaze fell on the distant Caribbean, shimmering in the pastel pink and orange sunlight. Air hitched in my lungs. The waves were so calm, rising and folding over each other in a steady waltz. I longed to step into the cool water, to feel the waves dance around my ankles.

Is this real? Am I finally here?

Waking to such a view and the promise of a beach day was surreal.

Excitement pumped through my veins. I leapt out of bed to see my luggage by the dresser. I felt oddly emotional at the sight, like I might burst with joy.

Aw, Lani!

She truly was the best sister in the world. This was the best day in the world.

I dashed down the iron stairs, cold on my bare feet. The scent of butter and cinnamon greeted me halfway, and I hurried my pace to the kitchen. Lani stood behind the counter, an apron around her neck and spatula in hand.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said.

"Morning?" My eyebrows scrunched together as I slid onto a bar stool. I gazed down at the slowly cooking batter on the stove, bubbles just bursting the surface. A pang of hunger shot through my stomach.

"Yeah, you slept all afternoon and night. It's eight a.m." She nodded to an analog clock on the wall behind her. It was indeed eight in the morning.

"Wow, I wasn't even that tired."

Lani raised an eyebrow. "Traveling has a way of sucking energy from people, even if they don't realize it."

I chuckled. "I guess so."

Lani lifted the pan from the stove and with a flick of her wrist, flipped the pancake in the air.

"Whoa, that's so good!" I exclaimed. "You must have been practicing a lot."

"Thanks, it's lots and lots of YouTube tutorials." She stood up on her toes to glance over the counter at the empty kitchen table. "Hey, these will be done pretty soon. Wanna grab some toppings?"

"Sure."

I opened her fridge to find a giant container of bright red strawberries.

"Oh my gosh, you didn't have to do this," I gushed.

"What?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, are you talking about the strawberries? Of course I did! They're your favorite."

I grinned, washed and sliced the strawberries, and grabbed bananas, chocolate chips, and walnuts from the pantry. I placed them on the table just as Lani set down two plates stacked with three pancakes.

"I see you still remember my favorite toppings," she said.

"Of course," I said, sliding into a wooden chair.

I topped my breakfast with strawberries and chocolate chips and dug in. My fork sliced through the pillowy dough, and when I took a bite, it was more airy than clouds. It was the perfect canvas for the toppings, which provided sweetness with a hint of tart. The chocolate chips melted, forming a sweet syrup that trickled down the sides.