Page 42 of The Wrong Sister

Mina stiffens in my lap.“Tonight?”

“Yeah, I almost ran into him.”

“Shit,” she whispers. “That’s Troy. I thought the plan worked and he took the hint but maybe he’s merely being less visible. That creeps me out.”

It sort of kills the mood, thinking about Troy following her. Mina says it’s time for her to turn in and I hope it’s because of our early morning and not him. Raff and I leave at the same time, him squeezing Mina in a brotherly hug and me holding her for a not-at-all-brotherly kiss. We walk down together, our matched heights and strides making a funny twinning effect.

“You make it up to her?” I have a vision of how exactly I did that and I choke, my steps stumbling. “Gross! Don’t tell me how. Never mind. As long as you guys are good.”

“Yeah, we’re good. I’m lucky Mina is forgiving.”

“Pssh, yeah you are! She can hold a grudge like a champ but once she forgives you, she doesn’t hold on to it. She’s good like that.”

We bump fists and go our separate ways, Raff to his car and me across the street to my apartment building.

* * *

The next morning I’m up early, excited for our date. This is night and day from my feelings while going out with Catherine. I was always nervous and focused on what was wrong or what I could make better. I don’t intend to spend all of my time comparing the two of them, but it is for sure telling that with Mina all I feel is happy anticipation. I’m looking forward to being with her. That’s it. I pack water and a couple of packages of mixed nuts and cheese, tossing them into my hiking backpack. When I open my door to head down to meet Mina, she’s there waiting for me.

“Morning!” I brush my lips across hers, letting the door fall shut behind me. “You’re early.”

“I’m excited!” She hands me a travel mug of coffee, holding a second in her other hand.

“Me too. Thanks for the coffee!” I grab her hand and walk us to my car. We stop briefly to get a couple of breakfast burritos, but we eat on the drive, eager to get started. The warm, fluffy eggs and spicy green chili sauce hit the spot this morning.

“Where are we headed?” she asks between bites.

“Manana Trail. Have you been?”

“Not in a long, long time. Do you take all your dates hiking?” She gives me a wry smile.

“I’ve actually never completed a hike on a date.”

She laughs at that. “I guess wiping out in mud on the first incline doesn’t count.”

“Ouch.” I wink across at her. It’s embarrassing but accurate. “This is under 7 miles total; out and back. I’m hoping because we’re starting early, the waterfall won’t be too crowded.”

At 6:30, the morning air isn’t too warm and the sun gives everything a golden glow. The trail itself varies, from laid wooden walkways to trodden down grasses and craggy red dirt inclines. The views from the tops of the ridges are unreal. At one point we can see down to the ships docked at Pearl Harbor and the vast stretch of blue ocean beyond. Mina stops to take pictures of interesting flowers and plants along the way and I take pictures of her. Still, we keep a good pace. Hiking with her is enjoyable. We talk but she doesn’t feel the need to fill the silence. We reach the end of the trail in less than two hours, then double back to the fork to walk down to Waimano Falls. There are a few people here, but it’s not crowded yet. Mina watches a young guy run and jump out on a long rope swing, dropping over the middle of the pool at the bottom of the falls. She’s grinning and I can feel the energy crackling around her.

“You game, Griff?”

My internal battle is stupid and embarrassing. What are the risks? Could I get hurt? How foolish could I possibly look? Mina is smiling expectantly, but it’s too much.

“I’ll watch you.”

She shrugs and shimmies out of her clothes, tossing them onto her discarded backpack, unbothered by appearances and unaware of my staring. I can’t be the only one either. I give myself a mental pat on the back for planning something that ends in swimsuits. Mina deftly climbs the rocks while I wade into the pool, feeling like an idiot for choosing this over being up there with her. When she reaches the top, Mina doesn’t hesitate, she doesn’t survey her surroundings or map things out, she simply runs to the edge, leaping off with the rope. Screaming joyfully, she swings out and lets go at the apex. She cannonballs into the pool, creating a splash much bigger than she is, and comes up with a wide smile beaming from her face. She swims towards me and kisses me energetically.

“That was so fun! I wanna do it again!”

“I’ll watch you from here. Get to it, Brookner!” She climbs out of the pool, rivulets of water tracing paths down her curves and I’m thankful for the cold water covering me, counteracting the heat she creates. I can’t help but smile watching her race back up to the rope, attacking it with enthusiasm. This time when she surfaces her expression isn’t quite what I was expecting. “Everything ok?”

She nods, still seeming a little pensive. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw…you know what? Never mind. I’m sure I was mistaken.” She kisses me forcefully. “I’m gonna go one more time.”

She walks a little more slowly this time, then seems to physically shake off whatever was bothering her, water droplets flinging. She lets out a loud “cheehoo” as she swings and the answering “cheehoos” from all the braddahs on the rocks crack me up. One large splash and sputtering grin later, she swims back to me, joy radiating off of her, and wraps her legs around my waist, letting me hold her.

“That makes me feel like a little kid! What a rush!” She kisses me, our cold lips warming up with the contact. “Is this real, Griffin? The two of us?” She’s eyeing me closely, a serious expression replacing her previous rapture, and it takes me a moment to get what she’s asking me.

“I hope you know me well enough, Mina, to know I’m not really a casual guy.”

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