“Hey, you never told me why you didn’t end up coming over after work earlier,” Kulani says just as I was about to fall asleep.
“I planned on it, but something unexpected came up.” I grin at the memory before I feel Kulani pull me flat on my back so he can look in my eyes.
“Care to elaborate?” he asks before burying his head in my neck.
“Well, Layla and I went home to look for something, but ended up walking in on Camille and Kendrick kissing, so we aborted the mission and left.”
Kulani pulls back to give me a raised eyebrow.
“Kendrick?”
“Yeah. You know him?”
“Yeah, I’ve met him a time or two over the years. How does Layla feel about all of this?” He rolls onto his back and brings me with him so my head is lying on his chest.
“I think she’s okay with it. From what she’s told me, Kendrick is already like a father to her. She just wants her mom to be happy.” My eyes once again start to drift closed when Kulani begins to run his fingers through my hair.
“How do you know Kendrick?” he asks after a long pause. My eyes snap open at his question. My heart begins to beat so loud that I can hear it in my ears.
It’s time to come clean. It’s why I came here tonight in the first place. I was feeling much braver earlier tonight. My palms are sweaty and my breathing is shaky. As much as I want to run, I know I have to do this. All I can do is hope he’ll understand and won’t hate me after I tell him.
I sit up and look at him. When he sees the hesitation, and I’m sure worry, on my face, his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “That’s actually the reason I wanted to talk to you. I—”
I’m cut off when Kulani’s phone starts ringing from his dresser. “Shit. One second, babe. It’s probably Pika. He was going to stop by the Surf School and check on it for me.”
I deflate and let out a rough breath when he stands up and pulls on his shorts.
I was so close to telling him the truth. As frustrated as I am, I’m a little relieved. Still, more than anything, I wanted to tell him the truth.
“What the fuck? How bad is it?” Kulani says, his voice angrily firing into the phone. All hopes of us still having this conversation tonight are dashed after that. Forgetting my own frustration, I sit up and see Kulani pinching the bridge of his nose.
I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when I hear Kulani tell whoever he’s talking to to call the cops. After he ends the call, he slams his phone down on his dresser before opening his drawers with force and pulling out a shirt and socks.
“What’s going on?” I ask timidly when he sits on the edge of the bed to pull on his socks and tennis shoes.
“That was Pika. Someone broke into the school and trashed it,” he says without turning to look at me. Without a second thought, I’m jumping from the bed and gathering my clothes.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I’m going with you.”
I look at him and he releases a heavy sigh. “You don’t need to do that, babe. I’m probably going to be there for a while looking over the damage and talking to the police. You already have to get up early to help set up for Camille’s party. Stay here and go to bed.”
“I’m not going to be able to sleep, Kulani, not without knowing what’s going on,” I insist while pulling on my panties. I’m so focused on getting dressed that I don’t notice Kulani crossing the room until he grabs my shoulders and forces me to look at him.
He quickly kisses my lips. “I’ll call you when I get there and let you know. Nothing has been done that can’t be fixed. You have a long day tomorrow. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I’m not convinced and he sees that. He grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder in the fireman’s carry. He flings me down gently on my back when he reaches the bed and comes down on top of me.
“Sleep, baby,” he demands. I swallow my desire to fight when his lips capture mine. “Sleep.”
One more peck and he’s gone.
Hours later, when he still isn’t home, a restless sleep finally claims me.
Chapter Seventeen
Are You Ready To Party?
“If you yawn again, I’m liable to poke you in the eye,” Layla scolds for the second time.
“I can’t help it. I’m so tired.”
“Done,” Layla says. She sits the eyeliner down and steps back to admire her work. “What time did you end up going to sleep?”
“Late. I wasn’t awake when Kulani finally came home. When I woke up this morning, he was already gone. He left a note saying he was going to the school and will see me when he comes to pick me up for the party.” I sigh.
“So, you still have no clue who did it,” Layla asks as she sits down across from me.
“I think we both know who did it.” There is only one person who would have the motive to do it. Seth.
“You think Seth did this?” Layla says, echoing my thoughts.
“Who else would have? I don’t find it to be a coincidence that they get into a fight and, the next night, all the hard work Kulani has done at his school has been trashed.” I can see in Layla’s eyes that she agrees with me. “And it’s all because of me,” I choke out.
“Hey! Where is that coming from? None of this is your fault,” she insists, now moving to sit next to me on my bed.
“Really? Then why do I feel like it is? That fight started because of me. I’m lying to Kulani. Sometimes I just feel like he would be better off if I didn’t come back after the trial.”
“Shut up.” Layla’s reply surprises me and I give her a look. I crack a smile when I see her face scrunched in anger. “I know you’re nervous about telling Kulani everything, but trust me, he will understand. He loves you, Aria.” My chest tightens when she says that last sentence, and now I’m smiling for a whole different reason.
“Besides,” Layla continues “You have to come back. You’re my best friend. A girl is lost without her best friend.” Tears sting the back of my eyes and I can’t help but hug her.
“Okay, enough of this sappy shit. The guys should be here soon. We need to get our dresses on.”
She tosses me my dress bag. I walk into the bathroom and open the door a crack so I can still talk to her.
“What time is Camille going to be at the dinner?”
“She and Kendrick had something to do beforehand.”
I step out of the bathroom after I finish putting my dress on. As soon as Layla sees me, she whistles. “You look gorgeous!” she says, and my face heats.
“I look gorgeous? Look at you! You’re beautiful, Layla.” It’s the truth. She’s dressed in a deep red, silk dress that stops below her knees.
“Thank you. Thank you.” I laugh when she takes a bow. The doorbell rings and Layla goes to answer it while I steal one more glance at my reflection. My dress is, by far, the most expensive and stunning one I’ve ever worn.
I was unsure about it when Layla showed it to me in the store, but when I put it on, I wanted it. The dress makes me feel as special now as it made me feel when I first tried it on. The gold dress is strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice is form-fitting and covered in gold sparkles. From the waist down, there’s gold tulle that stops a few inches above my knee.
Layla curled my hair and put it in an up do. My eyes are done in a smoky color and my lips are painted nude. I’ve always been tan. It comes from my Italian heritage, but looking in the mirror now, I notice my skin looks golden brown.
I’m happy, but all day, I’ve had an awful feeling, like something bad is coming, something that’s going to send my world crashing down around me. I’ve already decided that I’m not going to tell him tonight for the sake of not ruining Camille’s party, but I have to soon. This secret is slowly killing me.
“Aria, they’re here,” Layla calls, pulling me out of my thoughts. When I walk out into the living room and spot Kulani, all the air is sucked out of my lungs. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans and a white button up sh
irt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The contrast of his tan skin against the white color of the shirt is so beautiful. He’s delicious.
“Damn, baby. You look beautiful,” Kulani says, drawing my attention away from his body.
“Thanks,” I mumble. I feel unsure of myself. With Kulani not coming back until late last night and then only leaving a note this morning, we haven’t really spoken until now. Last night he was angry, but the way he’s smiling at me now, it’s almost like last night didn’t happen.
I relax even further when he walks over to me and gives me a deep kiss. We don’t pull apart until Pika jokingly clears his throat.
“You ready to party?” Kulani asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
If I only I could shake this feeling.
***
“Girls,” Camille says as she comes to stand between Layla and me. We’ve been at the party for around two hours. So far, the party’s been a success. Layla rented one of the ballrooms at the Resort, and there are around 250 people here.
It’s been fun listening to music and meeting new people, but I haven’t been able to shake this dreadful feeling. I snap back to reality when I feel Camille wrap her arms around my shoulders. I look over to see her other arm draped over Layla’s.
“Thank you so much for throwing me this wonderful party.”
“You’re welcome,” I say as she pulls me in for a hug.
“I’m so happy you came to Hawaii, Kaikamahine.” Since I’ve been in Hawaii for a while now, I’ve picked up on some of the basic words. Camille just called me her daughter. My eyes grow moist with tears, but I blink them back.
After giving Layla a hug, Kendrick pulls Camille away and leads her out onto the dance floor. “It looks like they’ve worked through whatever was keeping them apart,” I say while watching them dance.
“Yeah,” Layla replies. I can hear the smile in her voice. “Kendrick pulled me aside earlier and asked how I felt about them.”
My eyes widen. I turn to her.
“What did you say?”
“Same thing I’ve been saying all along. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my mom happy. He’s the guy to do that.”
“That’s awesome.”
“What’s awesome?” Pika asks, coming to stand next to Layla. I smile when I feel Kulani wrap his arms around me from behind.
“What’s awesome is you dancing with me.” Layla grabs his hand and pulls a reluctant Pika to the dance floor. I watch them dance for a while before Kulani steps in my line of view.
He gives me a peculiar look, almost like he wants to ask me something. I give him the best smile I can muster when he grabs my hands and start pulling me to the dance floor.
“Let’s dance, baby.”
We reach the floor just as Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” begins to play. I rest my head on his shoulder when he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close.
“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asks after a couple minutes of dancing.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Of course, that’s just another lie.
“I’m not believing that, Aria.” He sighs. “Is this about last night? Are you mad I didn’t let you come?”
“No, that’s not it,” I mumble.
“But it’s something,” he insists. I squeeze my eyes closed out of frustration when I realize he’s not about to let this go. “Come on, baby girl. I know something is bothering you. It’s been written on your face all night.”
I really didn’t want to do this here. I didn’t want to bring any trouble to Camille’s party, but I can’t hold this secret in anymore. It’s choking me.
“Listen, Kulani, can we go somewhere? I really need...” My words trail off when Kulani’s attention goes above my head, toward the door.
His body gets rigid. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
I turn around to see who he’s talking about and my stomach drops. Seth.
Chapter Eighteen
So Many Sorrys
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Kulani repeats, this time much louder, so loud that someone cuts the music off and all the guests’ eyes are drawn to us. I look at Seth, expecting him to at least be a little nervous, but instead he has an evil smirk on his face.
That dreadful feeling comes back tenfold. Somehow, I know this night isn’t going to be ending well. I grab Kulani’s arm when he starts walking toward Seth, but he shrugs me off. “I asked you a fucking question! What are you doing here?”
I cover my mouth when Kulani gets in Seth’s face.
“What’s going on here?” Roger asks, coming to stand between the two. Seth remains quiet, his smirk still in place. I can see Kulani’s jaw clenching.
My heart sinks when he looks at me and Layla because I know what he’s about to do. “I’m sorry,” he says before turning back to Roger and Seth. “What’s going on is the fact that your son tried to force himself on Layla and Aria and I told him to stay the fuck away from them.”
Camille gasps. “Oh my God, is that true?” she asks Layla. I look at Kendrick and see him looking at Seth, just barely holding back his anger.
The tears I was fighting so hard to keep back now fall when I see the eyes of every guest on us. I remain quiet, but nod at Camille. “Yes, Mom,” Layla whispers. It only takes Camille seconds to cross the room and take Layla out of Pika’s arms and wrap her in hers.
“Son?” I turn my attention back to Seth, Kulani, and Roger when I hear Roger’s voice.
“They’re lying, Dad,” Seth says coolly. I can’t believe how he’s acting. He’s being accused of forcing himself on two women in front of a room full of people, and it’s not bothering him a bit.
I take a step toward Kulani when I see him go for Seth again. Somehow, he manages to bypass Roger and yank the front of Seth’s shirt. “She’s not the liar,” he growls.
“Oh really? Then what’s this?”
For the first time since he walked in, I notice he has something in his hand. My legs go numb and I feel as if I may pass out when I notice it’s the manila envelope that I’ve been looking for.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kulani asks.
“I’m talking about the fact that your girl has been lying to you from the first second she met you.” Seth’s eyes leave Kulani and come to me. The evil in them sends chills through my body. “Isn’t that right, Gianna?”
My eyes squeeze close when I hear that name. My real name. Moments from my childhood attack my mind. Pictures from that night flash, but it’s when I open my eyes and see Kulani looking at me with confusion that I feel the walls closing in on me.
“What’s he talking about, babe?” he asks me slowly.
My mouth opens and closes numerous times but no words come out because truthfully I don’t even know how to begin to answer that. My eyes leave Kulani to look over all the people I’ve come to love in the short time since that night.
Layla is looking at me, her face full of sympathy and sadness. Camille looks the same. Poor Pika just looks completely confused. Kendrick still looks like he wants to throttle Seth, but he’s also giving me a look of unhappiness.
When I look back at Kulani, the only sentence I can choke out is, “I’m sorry.” When I don’t explain myself sooner, he rips the envelope from Seth’s hands. I want to run away, but I stand there while he reads every page, pages that reveal my lie. They tell the basic details of my old identity and false details of my new one.
When he looks back at me, his face is no longer contorted in confusion. Now it’s a mask of anger, sadness, and betrayal. “You lied to me.”
“I’m sorry, Kulani.”
“You fucking lied to me this entire time? What the fuck, Aria?” he yells.
“Told you she was a lying bitch,” Seth sneers. I yelp when Kulani drops the envelope, rears back his fist, and slams it in Seth’s face. Seth goes down without a fight, and Kulani walks out without a word.
I waste no t
ime following him out of the ballroom and into a vacant hallway. “Kulani, please just listen to me.”
It doesn’t look like he’s stopping, so I pick up my pace—which is hard in these heels—until I almost reach him. I stumble back when he turns to me abruptly. I have the urge to throw up when I see him looking at me with cold eyes. “Why? Why did you lie to me, Aria? Or Gianna? Christ, I don’t even know who you are!” he yells.
“That’s not true. You do know me. You and Layla are the only ones who know me!” Hot tears fall down my cheeks. “I’m sorry—”
“God, please don’t tell me you’re fucking sorry again!” After a few calming breaths, he asks with a broken expression, “Were you ever going to tell me, baby?”
“Yes. I tried so many times.” I sob. “I never meant to hurt you.”
I don’t get a response from him. Instead, he just watches me fall apart. Half of him looks like he wants to come to me, and the other looks like he wants to run away. “I want to believe you…” My heart plummets at his words because I know, I just know, he’s about to break my heart.
“But I can’t help but think that every time we kissed, every time I held you, every time I was inside you, was a lie. Every moment we shared from the first time I met you was a lie, and it makes me sick.”
I don’t want to give up. I want to stand and fight. I want to make him understand why I did what I did, but all I can hear is his last sentence ringing through my head. I’m trying to get my brain to function so my mouth can work, but I’m too late. Kulani starts backing away. “Just…don’t follow me,” he says before turning and walking away.
Why does it feel like my life just walked away? What I felt was going to happen all along happened. He found out the truth and now he hates me. I make him sick.
I move until my back hits the hallway wall and I slide down until my butt reaches the floor. With nothing left to think, do, or say, I cry. The sobs don’t stop until I feel Layla wrap her arms around me and lead me to the nearest bathroom.
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