*Lokela

A hug. She needed a hug.

When Ray flew into his arms, Lokela's heart nearly stopped at the same time as she nearly knocked him over. Ray didn't simply hug or smile or dance or say hi, she swept through life like an emotional hurricane, and he was caught up in her winds. Her arms were around him, and her chest pressed to his. There was no way she couldn't feel his heart trying to break free of his ribcage.

There was no choice of not hugging her back. His arms went around her shoulders and his hands were tangled in her long hair. It was silk and sunshine. He couldn't lie to himself anymore about how he felt or what she was doing to him. The only person he was lying to was her.

Fuck. Fuck, he could not breathe.

"Ray, there's something we should ta—"

Hugh's loud voice called out, "Yeah, see you later! Take care of the bum leg and shit. No, not shit. I mean, stuff. Sorry, Zach's mom!"

Lokela stepped free of Ray as Hugh sauntered out of Zach's room.

Last, Casey walked out in the hallway. "Have a safe trip home and take the time it takes to heal."

"Right," Trevor yelled, joining the others. "See you, man." He grinned at Lokela and Ray. "We ready to go, my people?"

"I have my bike," Ray repeated. She walked backwards, waving goodbye. A nurse came out of another room and almost collided with her. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" The nurse shook her head in exasperation and continued on her way. "Bye, everybody!"

She turned to dart down the hall, flitting away. Lokela suddenly realized she was like an ocean wave you tried to catch, but would stream through your fingers. You could ride a wave like that, spend a few precious seconds with it as it moved beneath your feet, carrying you along, but it would never be yours.

His gut clenched as he felt the floor roll under his feet as though he was surfing. She would never be his, especially after he told her who wrote the poem and the letter for Zach.

Trevor clapped his back. "Let's get out of here, yeah?"

"Hey, wait," Zach's voice called. "Lokela."

Lokela motioned for the others to go ahead as Zach hobbled from his room. Behind his friend, his mother fumed, discontent. Lokela could sense her judgement of him and how much he failed in her eyes for putting her darling son in his current situation. He shook off the feeling. Zach's mother was nothing to him. The swung to shut her out of sight.

"What's up?" Lokela asked.

Zach stopped past the door frame, a strained expression on his face. He was pale and his eyebrows pinched in pain. "I think I screwed things up. With Ray, I mean. Shit, man, I love her so much. I want her to be mine, like really mine. I said I loved her in front of my mom and I was calling her my girlfriend. I think I freaked her out. Can you talk to her for me? Or, hey, what about one more letter? To make it up to her."

"Nope. I'm not your secretary. This is your thing, you make it or break it," Lokela said.

And if I find out you scared her into needed a hug, I'll break you.

"It's not like that. But could you just—"

"Zach, you are supposed to be resting in bed until the doctor discharges you," his mother barked.

Zach rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Listen, man. My parents are making me go back to California. I don't know if I'll even have a chance to talk to Ray and say goodbye. I really need a favor. I need her to be my girl when I come back next semester. Please? Will you talk to her?"

The sight of the cast on Zach's leg made Lokela hesitate. This was his friend, the friend who pushed him out of the way of a car. Ray liked Zach from the first time she saw him—and what normal girl didn't?

But the memory of her throwing herself into his arms for a hug slammed into him as hard as her body had. She had been shaken by something. By something Zach did.

"There are a lot of things I would do for you, brother," Lokela said, already walking away. "But you are on your own if you want to keep Ray."

And he would do everything in his power to win her for himself.

"Catch you later," Lokela said. "Let me know how it's going back home. This changes nothing for our trip."

"That's right. We're still on for this summer. All the greatest beaches in the world." Zach gave a half salute and returned to his room to wait.

A doctor passed Lokela in the hall, and turned to go in to see Zach.

So he'd be discharged and go straight home to California. His best friend for the last five years when his family lived in Hawaii, too, and he chose the same university as Lokela.

All that time and Lokela had never wanted to admit the truth about him. He was an ass when it came to girls. He was a use-them and leave-them without a second thought through their high school and university years. It had never touched Lokela before because he wasn't interested in them. They ignored him, so he ignored them.

Which made him an even bigger ass for being Zach's wingman. That kind of attitude wasn't good enough. Not then, not now. Ray had opened his eyes.

He met up with the guys in the parking lot, where he found out they expected him to pay the fee so they could leave. Since he had a job, he was the only one with any money.

"Whatever, let's just go," he muttered when Casey thanked him. At least he got to ride shot gun. Trevor and Hugh were in the backseat, heads lolling like they needed their afternoon nap.

Lokela was surrounded by toddlers in smelly, six-foot bodies. As Casey drove, he let his thoughts wander. He hated his business classes. He hated working at his parents' store. He hated the oppressive weight of his responsibility to make them happy.

Ray came into view riding her bike, zipping down the street towards the house.

"Let's not kill her as we pass," Lokela said to Casey.

Casey's expression behind his mirror sun-glasses didn't flicker and his hand on the steering wheel didn't budge. "Unlike you, I make a real effort not to kill anyone, ever, every single day."

As they drove past, she lifted a hand in greeting to wave to their bumper. For as long as he could see her, Lokela stared at the side-view mirror. She glowed in the midday sun, bare legs pumping and long hair flying under her helmet.

"It's too bad her new boyfriend has to leave for the next three months to California," Casey said.

Lokela grunted.

Casey smirked and flipped on the radio, which instantly started a three-way argument as Hugh and Trevor told him to change to different stations from the back. Casey finally found some classic rock and told them to shut their mouths, since they'd be home in five minutes, anyway.

The side-view mirror showed only the other cars and buildings along the streets, but Lokela kept glancing into it at every red-light, hoping Ray would appear again. She didn't show up at the house for the rest of the day, though.

When Lokela woke up early the next morning, the house was quiet. He couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though he'd heard running water right before he was fully awake. It must have been Felipe or Miller, the only other two who were early risers. If he wanted to surf before classes that day, he had to get moving.

As he suspected, the hallway was silent and all the doors were shut tight. He made his way to the bathroom, only pausing briefly near Ray's door to listen. Nothing. She must be curled up in her sheets, in the darkness of her room, wearing the thread-bare tee she loved. The one with the rainbow and unicorn on the front that he'd seen through her barely open door once.

He was an eavesdropping, peeping-tom creep.

Shaking his head, he turned and barged resolutely through the bathroom door.

A strangled cry of surprise brought him up short. Ray was half-wrapped in a towel, another one wrapped around her head, leg propped high on the sink and razor in hand. Her entire lower half was on view. Squealing, she dropped her leg. He jumped out of the bathroom as if burned through the eyes, and slammed the door.

Too much. He saw entirely too much. Scratch that. He saw everything.

Shit and fucking hell. He'd spend the rest of the day in his room with a box of tissues and a whole bottle of hand lotion because of this.

Trying to get his brain in working order, he leaned against the wall. "Sorry about that," he said, voice breaking. "I'll come back when you're done."

"I think I forgot to lock the door," she said softly. There was a strange hitch to words, then she made a gasping noise.

Was she crying? What kind of jack-ass was he? He knocked hesitantly. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry."

"No, it's just—"

There was the same little whimper. He clenched his fist so hard, his knuckles were white.

"It was just your—" She broke off, but the door cracked open. Her eye and cheek appeared, clean of make-up, flushed and bright. "It was just the look on your face." She pressed her lips together, face contorting as she tried to smother a laugh. "I'm sorry I scared you so badly."

She was laughing.

Holy fuck, she was laughing about him seeing her exposed Basic Instinct style and it nearly giving him a heart-attack. Yeah. He was definitely going to be jacking off all fucking day long, no doubt about it.

He laughed too, swept up in her addictive, thrilling happiness, even if it was at his expense.

One of the guys yelled groggily for them to be quiet. She clapped a hand on her mouth, and the door fell open further as she bent over in uncontrolled giggles. Tears sprang to his eyes as he tried not to laugh out loud. Admittedly, the look on his face must have been priceless.

That said, he would never forget the sight of Ray with her towel parted, showing off the gorgeous length of leg and all of her sex on display.

He was uncomfortably hard. Thankfully, he'd thought to put on his loose shorts before leaving his room. He half hid at the door frame, trusting that she wouldn't notice. The towel on her head fell off, and her wet hair came down in golden twists. Her shoulders finally slowed in their shaking and she swiped at the tears of laughter on her cheeks.

She met his gaze. They were both suddenly aware that she was basically naked and only inches apart. She widened the door and he stepped forward at the same time, their eyes locked.

There wasn't a single sound between them. When Ray reached for him, Lokela swept her in close, holding her with one arm around the small of her waist. He kicked the door closed behind him.

The towel knotted above her high breasts loosened. He fisted the cloth at her waist and took her lips for a kiss.

*** Oh, dear. Where oh where is this going? ***