The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 21

When Huihana came by the fale a day or two after the physician's visit, Keoni told her that he wanted her to cut his hair.

"Really? I kind of like the shaggy look on you," Huihana teased. He just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, just do it, please." With a gentle flick on his good shoulder, Huihana went ahead with her brother's request. His hair had grown out over the past few weeks, slowly creeping nearly to his shoulders. But he preferred it short, he always had, and Huihana understood that. With her careful handiwork, she cut and trimmed his overgrown mane to something much neater.

When she was done, she gave him a mirror, and he grinned with approval.

"Thanks, Huihana, it looks great!"

"I hope so! And I hope Moana likes it, too!" She added cheekily, causing Keoni's cheeks to turn red. With a cackle, Huihana assisted with readjusting the sling and then informed her brother that she was going on a date with Enele.

"Have fun and good luck. Hope you don't scare him off!" Keoni laughed, earning a stuck-out tongue in response.

Three days following Huihana giving Keoni his haircut, Moana came by in the evening to do her usual check-in with her best friend.

The sun painted the sky with brilliant shades of pink, purple, gold, and orange, casting an ethereal glow on the mountains towering above the village. The cacophony of bird songs and various animal calls in the jungle mellowed out to the softer symphony of nighttime insects and their accompanying avians, and activity in the village settled.
It was a lovely evening, with a perfect atmosphere.

Alaula had left the fale to go run a few last-minute errands for the day, leaving Moana with Keoni in the fale by themselves. Not that either of them minded. Moana had also noticed his haircut, and complimented it, adding that it was quite fitting.

Moana got to work on Keoni's back as Alaula had taught her, cleaning the healing wound and applying the special salve to prevent infection. The wound was still in its ugly healing phase, with peeling and slightly cracked skin. That said, the wound itself had finally closed, and Alaula had removed a few pairs of stitches.

Keoni savored the feeling of Moana's fingers on his back. They were firm, but gentle as they did their work. Once she was done with the salve, she replaced the banana leaf that sealed and protected the healing wound.

Over the weeks, the sling had been gradually loosened, no longer binding Keoni's arm to his torso as tightly. Moana moved to sit in front of him, taking his left hand in hers, and massaging the muscles in his forearm. He said nothing as she did this, watching her carefully.

Her hand then made its way up his arm, resting on his bicep. It was not as firm and defined as it had been before, losing some of its mass. But Moana didn't care or mind, she

admired his lean physique regardless.

"How... is your shoulder itself doing?" She asked slowly. Her eyes not quite meeting his.

"I can move it very slightly, I don't hear that popping noise anymore."

"Hmm." After a few minutes passed of her working his muscles, she then went to adjust the sling.

Using his good arm, he assisted with passing one end of the sling around and behind his abdomen. As she brought the other end up in front, she leaned forward to make sure she tied the knot correctly, as there was a method to make a knot that could be easily undone to make readjustment easier but was strong enough to hold even through movement.

She finished the knot, but her hands did not leave his chest, she mindlessly rubbed her fingers on the fabric of the sling, and when she gazed up, his eyes were on hers. For the first time, she could read the emotions and the expression that crossed his features; unspoken words in a language that only she was meant to understand.

She swallowed thickly, and suddenly his good hand rested over hers that were practically frozen in place, pressing it closer to his skin, and she became acutely aware of his heartbeat. It was beating fast and hard. A ball of spit built up in her throat, and a fluttering knot formed in her stomach.

Oh.

Gods.

They became intimately aware of how close the other was, and a deep, primal, instinctual feeling was screaming to close the gap. With a quiet gasp, Moana got to her knees, still keeping eye contact, her own eyes wide.

And closed the gap.

The moment her lips met his, she felt a tsunami of feelings course through her body. Feelings that she had felt before, but never to this degree. But her subconscious knew exactly what she was experiencing. And now, she realized that Keoni had felt the exact same thing.

Their eyes closed in sync, savoring the kiss they finally shared. She leaned forward, pressing against him more, and to her delight, he pushed back. His good hand reached up, cupping her cheek in his palm, his thumb brushing her cheekbone, sending another wave of electricity through her. And now both her hands rested on each side of his neck, pulling him closer to her.

She did not want to pull away from him. And why would she? She was so in love with him. And he was equally infatuated with her. They knew that they were all the other wanted.

Slowly, reluctantly, they pulled apart, their lips still touching. Their eyes opened, longingly watching the other. With a sigh, Keoni pressed his forehead and nose to Moana's, a beaming smile crossing his features.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips, giving her another kiss.

Hearing him say those three words practically sucked the wind out of her lungs, her own heart beating fast.

"I love you, too." She whispered back.

Together, they shared a moment of peaceful silence as she situated herself on Keoni's lap, who happily welcomed the adjustment. Then, she had a question.

"When... did you realize you loved me?" Keoni was quiet for a moment as he thought about his answer. He hadn't truly thought about what made him realize he was in love with Moana, but a few past moments crossed his mind.

"The first time I realized how cute you were was how passionate you were as you talked about your family. How much you love them just... it made me feel happy— dunno how else to explain it. But... I think the moment I realized that I fell in love with you, was hearing you talk about your day as chief. With your dedication and passion for being a leader and being involved with your community, just hearing you share the details of your duties, I could listen to it all day, any day." He buried his head in the crook of her neck, brushing his lips on her skin.

Admittedly, Moana was speechless. She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, maybe something about her appearance, or the way she did something, something flattering. Rather, it was his admiration of her role and her dedication to her people. The respect he had for her was palpable, and somehow, that admission meant more to her than any degree of flattery about her appearance.

She was well aware of her own past admirers; most, if not all, had complimented her beauty, or just her physical attributes. She could not recall any of them complimenting or sharing their admiration for her as a person, as a leader, who genuinely cared for and wanted the best for her community.

Keoni was the first.

And that held more value to her than any compliment of her beauty.

She knew he was the one.