Cerulean Found

Chapter 25 - Fairy Tales

The wrangler pulls into a small graveled parking lot that overlooks the adjacent harbour. Josh turns the car off and we both open our doors and step out into the bright sun. He walks over to me and reaches for my hand. It feels warm in his grasp.

I can't believe how effortlessly we seem to fit together. It honestly feels like we have known each other much longer than we have, which is barely a week.

"So this is Rumba," Josh states. The town is quaint and very clean looking. All of the shops and cafes are painted different candy colored pastel hues which stand out against the white gingerbread that adorn them.

Everywhere that I look, I see tall coconut palms and perfectly manicured tropical vegetation. Locals and tourists blend together in a sea of hustle and bustle. Walking along the sidewalks, eating in the open-air cafes, shopping and selling goods from their carts.

"It's so adorable. I love it," I gush. "I have to warn you, the shopping isn't like what we have on the mainland, and what I'm sure you're used to in Boston. It's a lot less mainstream. Think quirky souvenirs and vacation type clothes... you know like bright floral and Hawaiian prints? You won't find the latest trends here, But we do have a great selection of tropical wear," he states with a laugh.

"Oh I can't wait," I proclaim.

After spending a few hours exploring the town and many of the quirky shops, we stop at a casual waterfront grill with al fresco seating. I sit at a table with my back to the ocean as Josh goes to the window to order our food. I notice something red on his shorts. I lift up my sunglasses and squint to get a better look.

I smile instantly. It's the red bandana. He tucked into his back pocket, so that just a tiny piece of the corner was exposed. I don't know what it is about this silly bandana, but I think it's the most attractive thing.

My gaze lingers up his body and stops on his face, which is turned towards me. My eyes bulge and I quickly place my sunglasses back over my eyes.

Josh was looking at me. I really hope he didn't catch me staring at his butt!

"Don't think I didn't see you," Josh states, as he walks up carrying a large tray of food.

"Huh?" I have no idea what he is talking about, unless he is referring to...

"I caught you. You were checking out my butt," he says playfully as he bites into his fish sandwich. "I was not!" I declare.

"No need to lie Mila, I totally saw you." It is apparent that, unlike me, he finds this all very amusing. I, on the other hand, have never been more embarrassed. I feel my cheeks begin to flush.

"I was not checking out your butt," I state. "I was checking out something else," I add smugly. "Yeah? What?" he asks with a huge smirk. I can tell he is intrigued. "Your bandana," I say matter of factly, as I eat some fries.

A look of sincere confusion draws across his face. "Huh?" he asks.

I can't believe that I am about to explain to Josh why I find the contents of his left back pocket so intriguing. "Mila, you can't leave me hanging in suspense! You have to explain," Josh states.

"The first few times I ever saw you, you had that silly red bandana tied around your head. The way you wore it, folded over and tied kind of like a headband, with your hair spilling over, I'd never seen a guy wear a bandana like that before. But then today you didn't wear it and I have to say, I kind of miss it. It suits you. So when I saw you still had it on, just not on your head, it made me strangely happy for some odd reason," I say.

I try hard not to make eye contact with him, but I need to know what he thinks of what I just said. Does he think I'm completely loony for liking something as ridiculous as a red bandana?