Waves - Book #2 [completed]

23 ~ Komorebi

Komorebi
(Japanese)
noun
Sunlight filtering through trees

My phone blares its insufferable alarm sound at four in the morning. On a Sunday. Kill me now! And by the time I manage to scramble for it, I want to throw it against the wall.

Whose idea was it to get on a seven-thirty flight? That's just cruel.

I peel out of my bed with sleep still gluing my lids together, a dry mouth and the darkest under-eye circles one could have. Washing my face and brushing my teeth helps to wake up enough so that I can head to the kitchen to make a gallon of coffee and where I meet an equally tired looking Danny with his face in his palms, groaning loudly.

We don't talk. We don't even acknowledge each other's presence until I slide a cup of coffee over to him and give him a nudge against his elbow.

"Thanks," he croaks.

"We are fucking old, man," I complain between sips.

"We are," he agrees and clinks his cup against mine.

A knock on the door has both our heads jerk towards it before we blink at each other like dumb cartoon people. Nobody moves and it's absolutely possible that we both momentarily forgot what to do about it.

I know who it must be. I long to see the one person and dread to see the other; Riley and April – the two others who will join our little carpool ride up to the airport where we'll meet the rest of our travel group. And as much as I want to see Riley, I'm not physically able to move yet. My brain just does not work properly at this hour.

Lucky for us, Rathi isn't as fuzzy-headed and sails out of the bedroom, still tying her robe, and unlocks the front door to reveal a very awake and pretty and sweet and beautiful Riley with a messy ponytail atop her head, jean shorts that show off long, tanned and toned legs, and a washed-out and oversized hoodie that hides all her pretty tattoos. Shit, am I sappy in the morning or what?

She says something to Rathi which doesn't reach my ears before hugging her. Rathi laughs and steps aside so Riley can drop her weekender bag in the hallway. It looks light and almost empty even. I think I packed more than she did.

"Good morning boys," Riley chimes, smiling softly when she reaches the kitchen. She presses a lout smack on Danny's cheek before rounding the kitchen island. Am I getting a kiss too? No. What I get is a hip check that makes me teeter and almost fall to my ass.

"How's she so bubbly at four o'clock?" I ask Danny on a huff when I sit down.

"No idea."

Riley heaps sugar into a cup before filling it up with steaming hot coffee, just laughing at us.

"Where's April?" Rathi asks, sidling up next to Danny.

"She fell asleep in my truck." Riley shrugs, taking a long drink from her coffee. It doesn't take her long to finish it and when she does, she says, "Y'all should probably get ready so we can leave soon."