The Sun in My Eyes

11 A Light Shining Through

 "I got a text!" Hannah hollered. "My first missive from our island overlords!"

Everyone gathered around her. "We're playing 'Two Truths and a Lie'," she said. "Basically, we each have to say two true things and one falsehood and we have to guess which one is the lie!"

Everyone raced to the fire pit. Ibrahim immediately started pacing. "I hate these kinds of games. I can never read people." He looked at Lili with panicked eyes.

She grabbed his arm. "Breathe. It's just a game and you're going to be fine. Stick with me. I'm good at this stuff."

Ibrahim breathed out slowly. "Okay. It's just a game."

"I probably won't do very well either, Rahim. I only just met everyone," Priya said, putting her hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze.

The game turned out to be pretty fun despite the return of humorless Noah, who got Hope's wrong, and then Hope got Noah's wrong too. Then they sniped at each other. But Bobby even had fun with Marisol, who seemed to have relaxed and let herself be a little goofy.

Lili was very good at the game. She guessed lie after lie. When it was Bobby's turn, he put his fist under his chin and pursed his lips. "I have to think. It's hard to keep all my lies straight."

Lottie frowned. "Men who joke about lying always tell lies." Marisol nodded in agreement.

"Kidding! Geez!" he said. "Okay. I've won an award for my buttercream. I used to sing in a punk band. And—"

"What was the band called?" Gary asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Er, Paisley Cuddle," he said. "And I once lasted over three minutes and thirty two seconds on a mechanical bull."

"The buttercream could be true. Bobby does pastry as a hobby," Lottie said.

Bobby frowned. "It's more of an ambition than a hobby, but yes."

Rocco narrowed his eyes. "But he does catering full-time, so..."

"Are you throwing shade, Rocco? You cook in a truck!"

Then they argued over whether food truck work was more important than sit down restaurants.

"Street food is an art unto itself," Rocco said, bristling.

"So is pastry!" Lottie snarled.

Hannah blinked her big blue eyes. "It's all just different kinds of delicious, isn't it?"

Rocco's face softened. "Hannah is as correct as she is cute." He gave her a wink.

Oof. Before Lottie could kick off about Rocco's flirting again, Bobby jumped in. "People, people. The attention's meant to be on me."

"He's lying about the bull," Gary said. "He wishes!"

"I don't know. Paisley Cuddle doesn't sound like a real band name. That has to be the lie." Hope said.

While everyone argued, Lili leaned forward, spilling from her little green bikini in a most pleasant way. "It's the buttercream."

"Are you suggesting that my buttercream isn't prize-worthy?" he said, putting his hand on his chest. "Just tear my heart out, why don't you?"

Her dimples peeked out. "I would never suggest such a thing. But I mean, what would a buttercream award even look like?"

"That's what I'm trying to say," Rocco said. "There's no such thing as a buttercream prize!"

Bobby grinned at Lili. "Though it pains me to say it, Rocco's right. I wish there was a buttercream prize, because I would win, Lili," he said, giving her a faux surly look. "But for now, I remain buttercream prize-less."