Page 25 of Pallas & Kawehi
“I don’t just come here to see your pretty face, Cuz. I want dirt.”
Kawehi lifted her hands in the air. “No dirt. Oh well.”
“No, seriously,” Maile managed to speak around a bite of saimin noodles, “throw me a bone and tell me something about him. Is he hot? Stupid hot?”
Kawehi shook her head. “Stupid hot? What’s that?”
“So hot that it makes you stupid, Stupid.”
“Ha ha. Thanks. Name calling. Really mature.”
“You’re the one who won’t tell me about this guy you met.” She picked up another bite with her chopsticks. “What’s his name again?”
“Dom!”
“No,” Maile grumbled around her next bite. “Not the kinky nickname. I’m talking about his real name.” She picked up her napkin and wiped at the corner of mouth. “What’s his real name?”
“Domenico.”
Maile coughed and almost choked on the noodles she had in her mouth and managed to look up. “Oh my god. Is that him?”
Kawehi wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
“Hey, Dom.”
“Hey, Dom!” Maile held out her hand as if she expected him to kiss her knuckles. “I’m Maile, Kawehi’s awesomely fun cousin.”
He shook her hand and didn’t react to her slightly pouty expression before turning back to her.
“Sorry to stop in.”
She shrugged. “Not a problem.” She looked at his clothes and her skin prickled hot up and down her arms. “It’s good to see you.”
He must have seen her look and his smile deepened. “I just finished up my work at KBAY and thought I'd stop in and see you."
She gestured at the chair he’d occupied about a week before. “You want to sit down and have something to eat? I can get you whatever you want, I-”
“Sorry, I can’t stay. I have to get back to my quarters and get some sleep, but I just wanted to see you and remind you that you and I have a date to go to the beach.”
“Date?”
Kawehi tried to ignore her cousin, but it was nearly impossible as she was staring at Domenico like a goldfish out of her bowl. “If you want to change your mind, just know that I’ll be okay without the beach. Remember, I’m not a big swimmer.”
“I know you say that,” he smiled, “but I think you’d have a good time relaxing if I could just get you there. And I did win at mini golf, so it’s my choice.”
“I know,” she smiled at him. “Everything's okay at the base, right?”
Smiling, he stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Yeah. Everything's great, I just wanted to see you. I had a great time the other night.”
“Dom-”
He reached out and touched his hand to the side of her face.
She leaned into his touch and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. It was a strange reaction, she knew, but the last time she'd felt this close to a man he...
"Hey," he brushed his thumb across her cheek, "it's not a big deal. We'll go, sit on the sand, maybe get in the water, talk. Nothing stressful, I promise."
"Okay... but we'll have to play some kind of game again so I can win and pick the next-"