Castaways {Jariana}

What happened to Hawaii?

"Wow...that was awkward", Jai muttered as he nervously ran his hand through his hair.

The aircrew had left soon after that embarrassing encounter / praise of Ariana's dancing.

"I'm really sorry about what happened or what almost happened... Sorry, I'm babbling. Let's just forget about it", Jai suggested while walking back to his seat and leaving Ariana standing alone in the middle of the airplane. He didn't even glance back to see the forlorn look on her face.

"Sure, it never happened", she told him, though that was the last thing she wanted to say.

Jai bent over and picked up her NY Hoodie and held it out for her.

She hesitated and looked up at him with wide, brown eyes. "Um, would you mind if I wore yours instead? ... I mean if you're not going to wear it, of course."

"Oh, sure. I'm pretty warm." He handed her his hoodie and she quickly put it on.

"Thanks", she said with a smile. "It's the sizing."

"It's the wrong size?", Jai asked in confusion.

"No, not size ... sizing. It's this stuff they put in new clothes that makes them stiff. It makes the shirt itchy." She'd never admit the real reason she wanted his hoodie - because it smelled so deliciously Jai-like. And since she couldn't hug the real thing she'd settle for his clothes. She covertly lifted the sleeve of the jacket to her noise and inhaled deeply while she nuzzled the soft, worn fleece.

"You were really great with the dancing, by the way. How did you learn to do that?"

"Well, when I was little, my mom made me and Zac take every kind of dance class there is. I can also do tap, ballet, jazz, Irish folk dancing, ballroom, salsa... You name it; I can do it. In fact Zac is actually better at belly dancing than me, but it's just disturbing to watch."

Jai shuttered visibly as an unsettling image flashed in his mind: Zac dressed as a harem girl and performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. He shuttered again.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine ... just had a scary thought..."

"Zac and the seven veils thing?"

"How'd you know?"

"Remember? We're more alike than you thought. But it might be a memory though, not a nightmare. He actually dressed up like that for Halloween when we were six. I was a Power Ranger that year - Pink Ranger, of course."

"Of course." He smiled warmly at her. "I was Batman that year ... I think."

"Oooo, The Dark Knight..." Her voice dropped an octave and became almost smoky.

Jai's eyes widened and twinkled at the same time. "I think everyone has a dark side."

Her eyes caught his and then, his comment about forgetting about them almost kissing slammed into her like Zac when he flubbed up a dance routine in one of their classes and literally slammed into her.

She quickly looked away and started rummaging through her shoulder bag.

Jai felt like an idiot. Obviously, she wasn't interested in flirting with him and he certainly shouldn't be interested in flirting with her. Miley, remember?, he chided himself. He opened up his Buffy comic and tried to concentrate on the plot. It wasn't easy since Buffy seemed to be morphing into a familiar brunette with brown eyes, instead of green. Yeah, Ariana would make a great Buffy.

A long hour of silence later, Ariana looked over at Jai cautiously. This was ridiculous. Just because he wasn't interested in her in that way, didn't mean they couldn't be friends ... or at least be friendly.