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YOUR POV
Your fourth housemate showed up three days later, rousing you from sleep that was filled with dreams of a boy who had a bright smile and huge dimples. It was just past eleven at night when you heard a car door slam outside your window, shortly followed by a few smooth knocks on the front door. You shot straight up in bed, assuming the arrival of whom you hoped would be a good addition to the house.
You didn't even consider the fact you looked half asleep and had bedhead as you scrambled into the living room and then into the hallway, tip-toeing slightly to look into the peephole on the front door. Sure, enough the person waiting outside was a girl surrounded by all her luggage. You quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, face to face with her. She was short and redheaded, freckles spotting across her nose and cheeks.
"Oh, hi!" she chirped, seeming a bit surprised by your sudden presence. "I'm Mia; I'm moving in here today for the Hawaiian culture exchange program," she explained a bit uneasily. She seemed shy.
"I'm Y/N. Nice to meet you," you greeted her and smiled, "Do you need help getting your stuff inside?"
"Oh, that'd be great. Thank you so much," she handed a duffle bag to you before grabbing the handles on her two suitcases. You pushed the door completely open, turning to lead her inside.
"How was your flight?" you inquired, trying to break the somewhat awkward silence that always seemed to be attached you while meeting someone new.
"Long," she chuckled, "And loud. I don't understand why so many people bring their babies to Hawaii. It's not like they're going to remember the trip when they're older, anyway."
"Tell me about it! It makes the plane rides so miserable," you agreed, turning into the hallway and then the last empty room. "Okay, so this is your place. I'm in the room to the left, and the other two are taken by Paige and Emma. They're sisters, and they're probably asleep which is a good thing for you."
Mia raised an eyebrow as she set her stuff down.
"I mean, I'm not talking bad about them, but...They tend to be kind of...Well, kind of...unpleasant?" you weren't sure how to accurately describe the two feuding sisters. All you knew was that Mia at least deserved a warning of their attitudes before she had to face them head-on.
"Got it," Mia smiled, "Thanks for the heads-up. You can just throw that bag on the floor, I'll unpack it later. I think I probably need to sleep for the next 15 or so hours," she laughed.
"Right. I'm sure you must be exhausted. Good night, then," you set her bag down and started to leave.
"Y/N, again, it's nice to meet you! I hope we can be good friends," Mia seemed sincere, and that made you happy.
"Me too!"
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You didn't find yourself particularly needing inspiration until early the next morning, Saturday. Mia was still asleep, exhausted from the flight. You had planned to write your first essay in the peace and quiet of a Hawaiian morning, but now Paige and Emma were watching Big Brother in the living room, yelling at the TV and eating pancakes.
You sat and stared at the blank word document that needed to be filled with at least 2,000 words about culture shock and first experiences in Hawaii. But you couldn't figure out how to get started and the noise in the adjoining room was distracting.
Stressed, you shut your laptop and sighed, knowing the hours in which you had time left to complete the assignment were dwindling away. You figured you weren't going to be productive while that annoyed anyway, so you got dressed and headed outside to take a walk around Poipu. Maybe all you needed was a little fresh island air to get you excited.
The sidewalks were peaceful, the only other people outside that early in the morning being joggers that never seemed to stop exercising in the neighborhood. You found yourself walking past Brennecke's, continuing down the sidewalk that was littered with plumeria flowers. You were grateful you'd been placed in Poipu; it was the cutest little town.
But, upon not really paying attention to where you were walking, you realized you had arrived on the very street in which Hoseok told you he lived. Curiosity rather than rational thinking guided your footsteps as you looked upon the few houses, wondering which one belonged to him. You stood still on the sidewalk, your eyes scanning down each house and its physical appearance, thinking of things that might give away Hoseok's residence. Surfboards were your first thought, but every house had a few in their open garages, so that didn't do you much good.
After at least five minutes of standing there and trying to figure out where he lived, you realized how weird and creepy you probably looked to the morning joggers. As you shrugged and turned to leave, the wondering of the houses still nagging at you, you ran into a familiar face.
"Oh! You're the girl that Hoseok hit with a surfboard!" It was Lea, the lifeguard from your first day at the beach, and Hoseok's "surrogate sister".
"That's right," you chuckled awkwardly. Apparently "the girl that Hoseok hit with a surfboard" was how everyone was going to recognize you around here.
"How's your head?"
"It's fine now."
"Great! Sorry again that you had to deal with that. Hoseok's bad at paying attention," Lea started, another boy who you were unfamiliar with walking up behind her, lugging two surfboards along with him.
"Are the snacks in your backpack?" the guy asked as he approached Lea, nodding toward the black backpack she was wearing. He was incredibly tall, easily towering over the both of you with black hair that swooshed down almost in front his eyes.
"I got 'em," she nodded, before both of their attention was back on you.
"Are you coming with us today?" the guy asked in a friendly way.
"Oh, um, I don't-" you stuttered in response, unsure of how to explain why you were standing on the sidewalk in front of what must've been Hoseok's house.
"Yeah, you should come with us!" Lea exclaimed, "I mean if you don't already have other plans, it'd be fun if you want to come along. Isn't that why you're here, anyway?"
"Well, not exact-"
But then you heard a door close behind you, Hoseok, Kaylen, and Kai emerging from the house.
"Oh! Y/N!" He called out immediately, his dimples appearing as he smiled largely. He quickly met the three of you out on the sidewalk, Kaylen and Kai going into the garage to begin loading up the truck.
"What are you doing here?" he barely even tried to contain his obvious excitement that you were standing before him. You prayed that you weren't blushing.
"To be honest, I was just going for a walk when I bumped into Lea," you smiled sheepishly, feeling awkward all over again.
"Do you have plans today?" he asked.
"Not really...I came out walking to try and get some inspiration for my paper."
"We're heading up to Hanalei to go surfing. You should come with us!"
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude or anything-"
"You aren't intruding at all," Lea said, "We like showing new people around the island."
"Well, I don't really surf..." For some reason, you felt uncomfortable about the situation and immediately accepting the invitation because they still didn't really know you, and you didn't know them.
"Lea doesn't surf either, so no worries," the guy whose name you still hadn't managed to catch chimed in.
"Really, Y/N. We totally don't mind bringing you along...Remember the offer I made before...I meant that," Hoseok reassured you, smiling once more, "No better way to get inspiration than to go and see something new."
"Okay," you found yourself giving in to that, "I'll come. But I don't have any of my stuff with me."
"We'll swing by your house on the way," Hoseok cheered, "Let's go!"
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Hoseok's POV
Hoseok and you ended up having to sit in the bed of the truck for the entirety of the hour and a half ride together. Surfboards and backpacks crowded up a lot of the space, and all of the interior seats were full between Kai, Kaylen, Lea, and her boyfriend Felix.
"Is it not illegal to do this on major highways?" you asked as he reached for your hand, helping to pull you up into the back of the truck. He was surprised at how easily you took his hand without questioning his intentions.
"It probably is, but they won't really get you for it here," Hoseok shrugged, sitting down opposite of you, and leaning up against the side. He was excited that you were sitting across from him, that you had agreed to come along at all. He couldn't believe he didn't think to invite you a few nights ago. Truth was, he was curious about you but didn't want to come on too strong; maybe it was best he didn't invite you and that you showed up by your own accord.
It was difficult to talk to each other while sitting in the back of the truck because of the wind noise. Despite Kauai's notoriously slow speed limits, it was still loud. So, Hoseok spent most of that time watching you enjoy your surroundings. He found it cute how in awe you were at the scenery that continually flew by. Every now and then you would look at him and smile after pointing to something you found particularly pretty.
"What's this place called?" you marveled as the truck slowed down, your eyes full of wonder as you absorbed the sudden change of scenery.
"This is called 'Tunnel of Trees'," Hoseok grinned, "It's pretty cool, right?"
"I've never seen anything like it."
"If you think this is cool, just wait to see what else I can show you."
He was content during those simple moments, strangely happy to be alongside a girl he barely knew. It wasn't that he was in a lull of life before, or that he wasn't appreciative of the great people that already surrounded him. But he couldn't deny the refreshing factor that came with being around someone new. You were different from other people he'd met that were living in Hawaii during an interim. You seemed truly open to explore and step outside of your comfort zone. He had a lot of respect for that.
With only another twenty minutes left to reach Hanalei, Kai had to pull over to fill up the truck.
"Do you guys come this way often?" you asked as you stood, stretching.
"Couple times a year, maybe? We like it on this side, but to me, nothing beats Poipu beach," he replied, "Hanalei is a cool town, though. You up for some island shopping today?"
"Hey, I'm the tag-a-long so I'll do whatever you want to do. I'm up for anything," you grinned, pausing for a second before adding, "Except surfing."
"Aww c'mon, what do you have against surfing?" he pouted, "It's my favorite thing to do."
"I'd be more than happy to watch you surf, but I won't be joining in. I haven't exactly had the best luck with surfboards so far," you smirked, clearly referring to the first-day incident.
"Okay, but that was an isolated incident."
"What about sharks?" you sat back down. "Sharks don't concern you?"
"I just try not to think about them."
"That doesn't seem like the best attitude to have about animals that can kill you," you countered.
"I could get killed driving to work tomorrow; I try not to let fear stop me from doing the things I love..." he trailed off for a moment, "But, yeah, to be honest, the thought does worry me once in a while. If I complain about it, though, Kai usually punches me and tells me to stop being wimpy."
"He seems intense." Kai pulled the truck back out on the highway, quickly picking speed.
"He's been through a lot...I have a theory that he wasn't always this way," Hoseok said, but the sudden wind carried his words away; you already distracted again by the palm trees and clear skies.
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A/N: Here's a picture of Kauai's tunnel of trees! This is one my favorite places to pass through on the island :D Pictures don't really do it justice, but I wanted you all to be able to get an idea of it's like! ^^