𝓗𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮

Seventeen

Lilo woke up to the bright sunlight shining through the window of Akoni's bedroom. It was the day of the dance, and he was excited. It was his first time attending the dance, as he hadn't had a date in the past few years.

Turning over, he saw the other male lying on his back, his mouth slightly ajar as he let out soft snores. Reaching over, he ran his finger down the other man's cheekbone and did his exposed chest. He was about to go further when Akoni's phone rang loudly through the room.

Groaning, he pulled his hand away at this lover's mother's now very familiar ringtone; she called him at least eight times a day, and if it weren't picked up right away, she would put on her best woe-is-me act. Lilo hadn't spoken to or even met her yet, but he'd heard enough of her conversations with her two sons to know she was a control freak and a manipulator.

Akoni groaned as he opened his eyes and grabbed the phone from the table beside him. Lilo rolled over to face the window again. "Hello?" Akoni's deep sleep voice came, and Lilo's body reacted instantly.

"Are you still in bed, young man?" Mrs. Hale's voice rang from the phone, "Look at you; you should be up and out of bed. It's morning," She said, and Lilo peeked over his shoulder to see that it was a video call.

"Mama, it's seven in the morning, and I don't have a class today," Akoni said, tired of the conversation. "Did you need something?" He asked, sitting up, and there was a gasp from the phone.

"Do you have someone in your bed? And what is with all those ridiculous tattoos they have? So atrocious," The woman said, and Akoni groaned.

"Mama, be nice," he said, looking over at Lilo. "Those tattoos mean a lot to him," he said, and his mother huffed.

"Tattoos don't have meaning; they are just a form of rebellion and disrespectful to parents," she huffed. Lilo rolled over and got close to the phone, peering down at the woman lounging on a beach chair in her backyard.

"Mrs. Hale, I was not aware that God had taken the form of a shallow middle-aged woman," He said, and the woman's eyes widened as she frowned at him.

"What are you talking about? I am not God," The woman on the phone exclaimed.

"Right, sorry. I thought only God could judge, but here you were trying to do his work," He said before climbing out of the bed, revealing that he was only wearing a tight pair of boxers.

"Akoni, will you let that hooligan speak to me that way?" She exclaimed, her face turning red as she spoke.

"I told you to be nice," Akoni said, his eyes wandering from the phone to Lilo moving around the room. "I'll talk to you later," He said before hanging up and placing the phone down.

He stood, walked over to Lilo, and crowded him against the wall. "That was pretty bold of you," He said, kissing Lilo's cheek. "No one ever speaks to my mother like that," He laughed, licking Lilo's neck.

"Well, clearly someone should," he said, patting Akoni's chest before pushing him away. "Come on, I'll make breakfast," he said, grabbing a pair of basketball shorts and pulling them on before exiting the bedroom.

"Morning," Ned said, standing by the counter and drinking coffee. "Are you excited for the dance?" he asked, and Lilo grinned at him.

"Sure are; we got our outfits and everything ready; they are doing it by the beach this year." He said, pouring out two mugs of coffee and adding the right amount of creamer and sugar before handing one to Akoni and making his own. "They already set up the dance floor, and they chair and everything down by the boardwalk; they want to give it a more romantic theme this year," He said, smiling softly at Akoni, who winked at him.

The three men spent the rest of the day hanging out and chilling until it was time to get dressed. They dressed, and Lilo left a bit earlier than them because he wanted to keep up the romantic theme and see each other for the first time at the dance.

When he arrived, he was amazed by the decorations. Fairy lights hung above the boardwalk. There was a raised platform with tables and chairs, another with a DJ booth, and another for dancing. The pier was empty, so he made his way onto it.

Akoni pulled into the parking lot of the boardwalk a few minutes later. "Do you see him?" He asked as he exited the car and went around to help Ned with his wheelchair. "You sure you'll be alright?" He asked; his brother had spent most of the day on his feet and was now exhausted.

"I'll be fine," he said, sitting in his beach chair. "I just have to build up my strength, and then I won't need this chair anymore," he mumbled, looking around.

"Okay, I'm going to look for Lilo," Akoni said before walking off. He made his way through the crowd, looking for his date. He wandered around for a few minutes before spotting Lilo on the porch. He made his way over to the other male and cleared his throat. Lilo turned around, and Akoni's breath hitched.

"Wow, you look amazing," He said, looking over Lilo's outfit. He wore a dark green shirt with slacks and neat black sneakers, and his hair was in a half bun and half hanging over his shoulder. "That color looks good on you," He smirked.

"You look good, too," Lilo said, reaching up and 'fixing' Akoni's collar. He wore an outfit similar to Lilo's; his shirt was dark blue. "The blue brings out your eyes," He said, leaning up and kissing Akoni on the cheek.

"Do you want to go grab some food and find a seat?" he asked, and Akoing nodded. They made their way to the buffet-style table, packed a small amount of food on their plates, and went to sit at one of the tables.

"So, what do we do after this?" Akoni asked, pulling his chair closer to Lilo, picking up a piece of pineapple, and feeding it to him.

"See that statue over there?" Lilo asked, pointing to a statue a few feet away, "Well, when I left earlier, I bought us some red lehua flowers; they symbolize Laka, the goddess of love, fertility, and beauty. The dance honors Lono, her husband, and the God of fertility. In doing this, we honor both the God and the Goddess and ask for their blessing on our relationship in return." Lilo explained, and Akoni looked thoughtfully at the statue.

"Want to dance?" Akoni asked, and Lilo nodded; they stood and went to the dance floor. They dance for a few songs before leaving the dance floor and going to Lilo's jeep, getting the flowers, and making their offering before leaving the dance in Lilo's jeep.

🌘~🌗~🌖~🌑~🌔~🌓~🌒

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Word count: 1180

Published: October 10, 2024, 12 pm

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