Honey | Gini

Three

Gina's POV

The peculiar thing about the subconscious is it makes people do beautiful things without knowing. It makes you hum a song in your head, sway to a tune, or smile at someone you like. It gives away signs of what you're keeping hidden behind a fence, like tree branches spilling over into the neighbour's yard. It's an unfiltered, raw representation of you, and it captivates those around, because it's rare to witness the honesty that the subconscious gives, so missing it once might mean missing it entirely. It's little actions that are simple yet so vibrant to me. 

She brushes her hair behind her ear, letting her fingers fall through the strands as they come back down to her lap. Her other hand plays with the sleeve of her hoodie, acting as an involuntary aid for her focus. Even the way her feet are pointed, facing her friend, says something. And the way I fall into thought over her like mist on a rainforest, being pulled by the current she creates, that's something I can't quite comprehend. 

"Gina?" Ashlyn says, interrupting my daydream. 

I bring my attention back on her. "Yeah?"

"Why were you looking at Nini?" Another trick of the subconscious. I didn't realize it had been longer than a second. 

"No reason," I reply.

Currently, everyone is sitting outside, some on the wooden benches, and others on the grass, while we eat the pizza that was delivered from the town just north of here. Seb has his playlist of songs from various musicals playing over a tiny speaker on the edge of the porch, setting the atmosphere for all of us to talk and hang out. I'm with Ashlyn on a bench, currently trying to avoid getting pizza grease on my jean skirt. 

"Hey, um, can I ask you a question?" I say after a second. "Why did you pair me with Nini?"

"Oh, well, I just thought you two would get along well," Ashlyn explains. "I know you don't talk to her that much, but you should. She's really nice."

"Yeah, I know."

I glance over at her again. Now Kourtney, who was previously sitting with Nini, has left to do something, leaving Nini alone on the bench. 

"Hey, I'm gonna use the washroom," Ashlyn says. "I'll be right back."

She places her plate down where she was sitting and gets up. While she's gone, I look back at Nini, wondering how long Kourtney will be gone for. After another moment, I put down my own plate and start walking over. Nini's eyebrows rise in surprise as I sit down, but she still smiles. 

"Hey, Gina. What's up?"

To be honest, I don't really know. I just didn't like seeing her sitting alone, even though she's not really alone, because there are a bunch of other people around chatting together, but none are talking to her, so it felt like she was alone to me. 

"Wanted to know if we have a game plan for tomorrow," I say, since that's the only valid reason I can think of. "Are you good at scavenger hunts?"

"Normally, no," she responds with a slight laugh, "because I'm awful at riddles, but I don't see how a photo scavenger hunt could have riddles, so hopefully I'll be better at this."

"Your Instagram has some really good photos, so I think you'll definitely give us an advantage for the photography part."

She smiles, saying, "Thanks."

"I'm not good at taking aesthetic photos like you are, so I apologize in advanced, since you'll probably have to be doing most of that work."

"Well, you'll make a very good model for me to take photos of," she replies.