Page 15 of Reverence

I could hear my friends in the background, their laughter nearly completely dissipating as I stared into the darkness. During the day the ocean was beautiful but at night?

Eerie.

“What are you thinking about?” Ares’ voice instantly brought me back to reality and I frowned, slowly turning to look at him.

“Something dreamy until you ruined the moment,” I said, looking up at the stars.

I loved the night sky. Always curious about what lay beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.

Ares seemed tipsy. His cheeks were slightly flushed and judging by the tone he used to ask me such a normal question as if we were friends, it could only mean he wasn’t in his usual state of mind.

“Why can’t we ever have a normal conversation?”

“Since the day I met you, our conversations have never been normal. You made a terrible first impression.”

He scoffed, stepping closer to me. “I could say the same thing about you.”

“Everybody else who met me that day would beg to differ.”

“And everybody else who knows me would tell you that I’m a lovely young man. You just happen to bring out the worst in me.”

I kicked some water in his direction and held his hand up to block his face. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise you would’ve been eating sand.”

“Go away. You’re disturbing me.”

“You weren’t doing anything.” He gestured with his hands.

“Exactly.” I shooed him away, walking a little deeper into the water.

“I hope you know how to swim.”

“I hope you leave or I’ll drown you.” He laughed softly, holding his hands up to surrender.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

I glared at him as he retreated and released a sigh. The waves crashed along the shore and against my shins.

Dragging away every worry that ever plagued my mind—along with the sudden thoughts of Ares and how that brief moment made me see him slightly differently.

I looked up at the stars, admiring the beauty thereof.

Until my mind was a blank canvas, serving as a clean slate for a new painting.

Six

Amala

Did Kehlani have a strict itinerary for us to follow?

Yes.

It was Saturday morning, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever activities she had planned for us today.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I flicked through the television channels, trying to settle on something to watch while I ate breakfast.

Not that there was anything particularly extraordinary on the menu.

It consisted of the usual breakfast staples, with a few additional options for those who didn’t necessarily enjoy breakfast but still wanted to take advantage of the hotel’s offerings.