Elizabeta picks you up early in the morning. It's the first day of spring break, and you can't wait to start your vacation. Elizabeta helps you carry your bags to her small car. They easily fit in the trunk with her bags too. You climb into the passenger side of the car.
"Ready to go?" Elizabeta asks.
"Ready," you answer with a nod. You do your best not to shiver too much. It's still chilly in March, and you only have on a light jacket. You won't need anything heavier in Hawaii.
"Man, it seemed like spring break would never get here," Elizabeta says, her eyes on the road. "I've been so excited I could hardly sleep."
"I know," you say in agreement. "It's been so busy, but the weeks seemed to drag on."
The two of you chat in the car for the whole ride to the airport. You want to ask her what's going on with Gilbert, but decide its better not to bring that up now. She's been avoiding the subject whenever you two talk. The conversation turns to what kinds of swimsuits you brought when the airport comes into view. A few minutes later, Elizabeta is parking her car in the parking structure, and the two of you carry your bags to the airport.
Check in goes smoothly, and you don't have to wait too long to board the plane. The flight will last for several hours, so you brought along a book to read and your iPod in its Russian flag case. Nothing out of the ordinary happens on the flight. The plane hits some turbulence once, but everything works out all right. You and Elizabeta become excited when you see the cluster of islands in the clear cerulean water out the small airplane window.
The plane touches down on the runway with a few bumps. You blink in surprise as you exit the plane. The heat and humidity slams into you like a wall of jello. The air is noticeably thicker from the moisture, but it has a salty sea tang to it as well.
"Man it's hot," Elizabeta says. "The humidity's gonna do a number on my hair."
You laugh and pull her through the airport to the baggage claim. You can't wait to get your swimsuit on and cool off in the ocean. The hotel the two of you stay in is right off the beach. Unfortunately, the balcony in your room faces the other way, but the sea breeze still floats in through the open doors. You and Elizabeta change into your swimsuits and hit the beach.
You have on simple black swimsuit shorts and a colorful tankini top. Elizabeta has on a green bikini that accents her hair and eyes. You float in the cool ocean while avoiding getting splashed in the face by waves. The two of you also do quite a bit of sunbathing. It would be nice to have a tan for graduation. For dinner, you go to a restaurant in the hotel. It's nothing fancy, but it tastes great after a day running around in the sun.
When you get back to your room, you call Ivan. He took the news pretty well when you told him you were leaving for break. You promised to stay safe and have fun. You can't call him as often as you'd like because you don't want to pay for a boatload of roaming charges, but you figure you should tell him you landed safely.
He picks up after the first ring. "Hello подсолнечник (sunflower)."
"Hi Ivan. I miss you already," you tell him.
He chuckles. "As I do you. How is the weather?"
"Sunny and warm," you say excitedly. "I wish you were here to see it. It's so beautiful here!"
"I'm sure it is sunflower, but I'd rather see you."
You giggle. "Oh Ivan, I'll be back in a few weeks," you say reassuringly.
"And I will count down the days."
"I'll call you again later in the week, okay?"
"Da, sunflower. Be safe," he says lovingly.
"I will. Love you."
"я тебя люблю слишком (I love you too), (y/n)," he tells you.
"Bye Ivan," you say a little sadly.
"Goodbye подсолнечник (sunflower)." And the line goes dead.
You sigh as you lower your phone. It's not easy to be away from Ivan.
"Sounds like you two are doing just fine," Elizabeta comments as she watches tv.
"Yeah." You smile when you think of Ivan. "How are you and Gil?" you ask tentatively.
"Eh," is the only answer Elizabeta gives.
This worries you more than before. Things cannot be going well at all. You need to figure out what's going on, but decide not to push the subject now.
The next few days are a blast. You and Elizabeta do all sorts of fun things like horseback riding on the beach, snorkeling through the coral reefs, hiking up volcanic mountains, and biking around the island. You enjoy yourself immensely, and it's all the more fun because Elizabeta is there.
It's been a week since the two of you arrived for your vacation. The weather has been beautiful so far, and you take advantage of every minute of it. A trip to the beach is a daily occurrence, but this time it's different.
"Wanna go to a club tonight?"
"What?" You look over at Elizabeta in surprise. She's tanning on her towel beside you.
"Yeah. I'm in the mood to dance, meet some guys, get wasted. Sounds fun, right?"
You look at her with wide eyes. This doesn't sound like Elizabeta at all. "What's the matter Lizzie?"
"Nothing's the matter!" she snaps at you.
"But-"
"Fine! Forget I said anything!" You just stare at her in confusion. Something is really wrong. You're about to say something else when two guys approach you.
"Hey ladies!" one of them says. "How would you like to get some drinks with us?"
"Um, no thanks," you tell them. "We're not interested, sorry."
"C'mon," the other guy says. "I'm sure we can convince you two hotties to join us." He places a hand on Elizabeta's bare shoulder.
"We're not interested!" She shouts at them. She stands up and faces them. "Get lost before I pound your faces in!"
The two guys stumble over each other as they run away. If it were any other circumstance, you would have laughed, but things are definitely off with Elizabeta. You look up at her and see that there are silent tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Oh Lizzie!" you say with concern. "Please tell me what's wrong." She shakes her head. "Let's go back to the room," you suggest softly.
You hurry Elizabeta back to your room. She walks into the bathroom without a word. Her shower lasts for almost an hour. When she walks out, she sits on her bed wordlessly.
"Elizabeta," you say gently. "Tell me what's going on with Gilbert."
Elizabeta clenches her fist, then releases it. "We...had a fight."
"Oh no," you breathe. "I'm so sorry."
She smiles sadly. "It was so stupid. I was so stupid." She hangs her head. "He...asked me to marry him."
"What?" This is not what you had expected at all. "He did?"
Elizabeta nods her head. "But...but I told him...I told him I don't know."
"But you love him, don't you?" you ask her in shock.
"Yes of course!" she insists as she looks up at you. "I do! But..." She hesitates. "My best friend, Roderich, doesn't like Gilbert. Every time I talk to him, all he does is complain about me and Gil. I love Gilbert, but I don't want to lose Roderich either." She looks at you with conflict in her eyes. "What do I do? I told Gil I don't know, and he got upset. I don't know what to do." She begins to cry again.
You sit on the bed next to her and hug her tightly. "It seems to me that if Roderich really is your friend, and if he cares, he'll let you do whatever is best for you."
Elizabeta wipes away some tears. "You think so?"
You nod. "He may not always act like it, but Gilbert is a great guy. I'm sure deep down Roderich thinks so too."
"So you think I should marry Gil?" she asks. She's stopped crying now.
"Yes I do," you tell her with a smile. "You obviously love him, and he loves you very much. I can tell."
Elizabeta begins to smile, but quickly frowns again. "What do I tell him?"
You think about that for a bit. "The truth," you say eventually. "I'm sure Gilbert will understand. He may be thick, but he's not a complete idiot."
This makes her laugh. "Alright. I'll give it a shot."
"Good. Now lets enjoy the rest of our vacation!" you say enthusiastically. "I, for one, would love to learn how to make some leis."
You do, in fact, learn how to make leis later on your trip. You also rent some surfboards to practice your surfing skills, but you've both gotten a little rusty since last summer at Ivan's beach house. You and Elizabeta reminisce about that as you paddle into the surf on your boards. The two of you also go cliff diving and windsurfing. Once, when you're swimming in a secluded cove, a pod of dolphins appears. Elizabeta fearlessly approaches them, but you're more cautious. It turns out that you had nothing to fear because they're very friendly.
Soon it's time to leave. School begins in a little over a week, and both of you have papers and projects to work on. The return flight is just as
uneventful as the flight there. The first thing that hits you as you get off the plane is the temperature. It's not as warm or humid here as it is in Hawaii. You and Elizabeta grab your bags and head for the exit. That's when the second thing hits you.
Gilbert and Ivan are waiting for the two of you at the front of the airport. You smile and wave at both of them, but Elizabeta freezes. She looks at you terrified. You reach out and squeeze her hand.
"It's alright. Just tell him the truth."
She nods and walks to him with her head bowed. When she reaches him, she freezes again. Gilbert looks at her unsure. You had called him from Hawaii one day when Elizabeta was in the shower. You told him to meet you two at the airport when you get back, and that it was important he was there. At first he didn't want to, but you told him he didn't have a choice because Ivan would be picking him up. You insisted it would be very important until he agreed to go willingly.
"I'm sorry," you hear Elizabeta tell him softly. "I was so stupid." Gilbert looks at her surprised. She must not admit that she's wrong that often. "Gilbert Beilschmidt," she says in a stronger voice. "I accept your proposal. I will be your wife, if you still want me."
Gilbert picks her up in a huge hug and spins her around and around. The two of them are laughing, and Elizabeta's even crying. When they stop spinning, Gilbert leans in and kisses her deeply. She happily accepts, and the two of them kiss for a few minutes. In the meantime, you walk to Ivan and stand next to him with your luggage.
"I love you Lizzie," Gilbert says softly. Then in a louder voice, "Did you hear that everyone? The awesome me is getting married! Kesesese!" Elizabeta blushes but doesn't stop him from shouting.
"What just happened подсолнечник (sunflower)?" Ivan asks confused. You haven't completely filled him in on what's going on.
"Love," you tell him simply.
Ivan accepts the answer and nods. "I missed you."
"I missed you too Ivan," you say and lean up to kiss him. "Let's go home, and give those two some time alone."
The two of you walk away hand in hand. You glance back one last time to see the happy couple kissing once again. There's absolutely nothing that can go wrong now, you think to yourself.