Behind Those Eyes | Aonung (Enemies to Lovers)

19. day two in ta'unui (1)

The girls' laughter filled Katiya's ears as she finished cleaning up the leftover seasonings with them.

A faint smile adorned her lips as she watched the girls dance around, the orange hue on the horizon reflecting off the sea behind them. It made her happy to see Kiri laughing and playing with the reef girls who accepted her as she was.

A group of Ta'unui boys ran past them, laughing and conversing, and Katiya felt someone tug at her elbow from behind.

Turning around, she met Tasun, whose smile reached his eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about not making it to dinner. Enjoy the night picnic with Rotxo and his grandmother," he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice before it quickly disappeared.

Katiya's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he spoke.

"Tomorrow, we have our annual ilu racing competition. You can make it up to me by coming to cheer me on," he suggested, his smile growing wider. "I'll be looking for you, hottie."

"Yo, Tasun! Come on, man!" His friends hollered at him.

He winked at Katiya and ran after his friends, sparing her no time to react or respond to his words.

Absolutely confused, she turned to Tsireya, her sister, and the girls as they looked back at her with knowing smiles. Katiya and Tasun's interaction made them giggle.

"What's he talking about?" Katiya asked Kiri and Tsireya, referring to the dinner plan.

Kiri shrugged cluelessly and Tsireya shook her head. They had no idea.

"Maybe ask Rotxo? He might have planned something for tonight," Kiri suggested.

Later that evening, Katiya found Rotxo carrying a woven basket of fruits with Neteyam. The two walked back from the communal area and headed toward Rotxo's grandmother's Marui.

By now, two moons and a million stars hung in the sky illuminating the small village of Ta'unui. The bioluminescent lights from the surrounding flora and fauna also brightened the scenery.

Katiya approached the two boys and stopped them midway.

"Hey, I heard we're doing a night picnic tonight?" She asked.

Rotxo's face lit up and he smiled in excitement. "Oh, hey, Kati! It was very last minute, but Aonung suggested we eat dinner with my Gran. So I thought a night picnic by the shore would be perfect."

At the mention of a certain Metkayina boy, Katiya's eyebrows twitched in irritation. She should've known Aonung had something to do with it.

Seeing her displeasure, Neteyam assumed Tasun must have canceled the dinner with his family. Katiya sighed in frustration. She didn't know why Aonung had to involve himself in this.

"Uh, we're actually prepping for it right now. Why don't you go get the girls and we'll meet you by the shore?" Neteyam suggested, hoping his sister wouldn't explode in anger.

"Yeah, sure," Katiya said, returning to the girls' Marui.

She was annoyed with Aonung, and she intended to confront him about it.

To her convenience, he stood outside the girls' Marui folding a thinly woven blanket Tsireya had brought from home. His back was turned to Katiya.

Her anger was immediately fueled by the sight of him. She marched up to him and grabbed his arm to spin him around. He looked down at her, surprised by her sudden appearance.

Then he smirked when he saw the flames in her eyes, her lips pressed together as she glared at him.

"What's that face for?" Aonung asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, provoking her.