The Future of Sulani | 11

Upon returning from San Myshuno, Noelani and Nani are faced with the nerve-wracking task of telling their parents they'll be heading back to the city - this time for good - in just a few short weeks. They've barely had time to unpack when Nani's mother, Lilliana, comes knocking, eager to hear every last detail of their trip.

"Oh, it was all so wonderful, Mom," Nani concludes at the end of her summary, to which Lilliana listens in rapt, amazed silence. "But I actually have something else to tell you, too. Noelani and I made a decision while we were there, and, well, this is really hard for me to say but..."

Nani trails off, losing her courage. But Lilliana easily fills in the blank. "You're going to move, aren't you?"

"Yes." Nani clears her throat nervously. "Does that upset you?"

"Upset me? Why on earth would you think that? Of course, it will be difficult having you so far away, but I always expected you would spread your wings one day. Your dreams are too big to be contained by our tiny island. I can hardly deny you the opportunity to go off and pursue them!"

"I should've known you'd understand!" Nani pulls her mother into a warm, thankful embrace. "I'm really excited. Noelani's career is already taking off, and I'm a little anxious about starting over in a brand new place, but I know I can find a job there that really pushes me forward, too."

"I have no doubt you'll exceed even your own expectations," Lilliana tells her.

Meanwhile, the first thing Malia does upon settling back in (other than a quick energy-centering yoga routine, of course) is call Javier up to get reacquainted. Even though they'd only gone on a few dates before she left, she missed him greatly while in San Myshuno.

It doesn't take long for things to get steamy between them. They've yet to take their relationship all the way, but Malia feels ready now. "Are you sure?" Javier asks before they go any further.

"Of course!" she exclaims, surprised by his hesitancy. Then she leans back and takes a long, careful look at him. "You're nervous," she deduces. "That's actually kind of adorable."

"A little bit," Javier admits. "But I want to do this, too. I really do."

"Don't worry." She flashes him a devilish grin. "Just sit back, relax, and let me take the lead."

The next morning, Javier is still there for breakfast, which gives Nani and Noelani a pretty clear idea of what went down the night before. They raise their eyebrows at each other. "Well, that's usually my seat," Noelani mutters, pretending to be more put out than they really are. "But I guess I'll just go sit way over at the other side of the table."

"So, what, does your boyfriend live here now or something?" Nani jokes.

But Malia is serious when she responds. "Well... I hadn't brought it up yet, but I was thinking that maybe we could talk about moving in together sometime soon." She smiles at Javier and squeezes his hand. Then she glances nervously back toward Nani. "I mean, you guys are leaving soon. I can't really afford this place on my own."

"You just can't get us out of here soon enough, can you?" Noelani quips.

Javier can't help joining in. "And is that all you see me as, someone to help you pay the bills?"

Malia shakes her head, flustered. "Guys, please. You know what I mean. God, I can't have a proper adult conversation with any of you!"

Before Nani and Noelani go back to San Myshuno, they're planning one last beach party so that they have a chance to say goodbye to all of their family and friends. Noelani's parents have been talking about wanting to renew their vows forever, which seems like the perfect occasion for everyone to gather around. Each of the housemates is taking on a different responsibility so that Alvin and Gaby don't have to lift a finger. Nani is providing the flower arrangements.

Malia is baking the ultimate tiered wedding cake.

And, of course, Noelani is providing bartending services. As usual, Alvin is sure to make a beeline for the bar before anyone else can get there. "Don't worry, Dad," Noelani calls out to him. "I've already got one coming for you."

Once all the guests have arrived, it's time for the vow renewal ceremony to begin. Just as she did for their first wedding, Alvin's sister, Kaimana, with the help of Lilliana and Lia, has constructed the most beautiful arch of flowers and palm leaves for him and Gaby to exchange vows beneath.

"Thanks for getting this all set up, kiddo," Alvin tells Noelani, giving them a big bear hug, his arms as solid and comforting as they've always been. "You really are the best kid a parent could ask for."

"We couldn't have done it without your help," Gaby adds, casually making her way down the aisle.

The guests can't stop gushing over the beautiful couple, who have been together for so long and are still happy and thankful to wake up beside one another each and every morning.

There have been a few rough patches, certainly. Like any relationship, theirs hasn't been perfect. But they've always stuck by each other's side and enthusiastically encouraged each other's dreams and desires. They've achieved so many milestones together, and neither can imagine their lives feeling nearly as full if their paths had never crossed. Noelani can only hope that their relationship with Nani stands the test of time as well as their parents' has.

With the formality of the ceremony out of the way, it's time to spend the rest of the night socializing and eating good food together. But, first, Noelani and their parents gather for an updated family photo.

However, one quick photo soon turns into an entire session, as Noelani and Nani realize they'll need as many pictures as possible to remind them of home once they're in San Myshuno. Who knows when they'll all have the opportunity to gather together like this again?

Speaking of, they may have proposed this entire party as a result of them moving, but it somehow slipped Noelani's mind to actually share that news with their parents. They kept putting it off, convinced the perfect opportunity would arise. Instead, they only succeeded in stalling until they couldn't stall a second more.

"Hey, what's this I hear about you going back to San Myshuno?" Alvin asks Noelani. "I had to find out from Lilliana five minutes ago, but apparently she's known for days!"

"Oh, shit," Noelani mutters under their breath. "You told your mom already? I thought we were planning to do that together."

Nani presents a forced smile. "I'm sorry. It just slipped out! You know I'm no good at keeping secrets."

"You're leaving?!?" Gaby exclaims in disbelief.

They retire to a more private area of the resort to continue their conversation. Malia offers to come along for moral support. Nani can't stop apologizing. "No, it's my fault," Noelani says. "I guess I thought that saying it would make it real, and the fact of it being real kind of scares me. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited! But I also feel like I'm diving blindly into the unknown. I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me for leaving, and then I was afraid that Nani would change her mind, and then I was afraid of doing it all on my own, and then it just spiraled and spiraled from there."

"I know your mom and I could be a little overbearing when you were younger," Alvin begins. "But we learned a long time ago that the best thing we could do was step aside and let you follow your own path. We couldn't be prouder of how far it's taken you. You could never disappoint us - as long as you promise to come back home whenever you can. Don't let your head get so big you forget about all us little people!"

As Noelani's family continues their conversation, Malia catches sight of a familiar figure approaching along the beach. "Oh my gosh," she exclaims and rushes to get up. "He came!"

She'd invited Javier at the last minute, half-afraid he wouldn't come because she'd frightened him off with her talk of potentially taking the next big step in their relationship: cohabitation. For how slowly things started off between them, she's worried she's rushing him now. Is she being too hasty just because she feels like she has to catch up to Nani and Noelani? But now Javier is here. Maybe she hasn't been too rash and impulsive after all.

But she's not the only one making spontaneous decisions. Nani takes advantage of the night's romantic atmosphere to propose to Noelani. They're already moving a world away together. Engagement seems like a walk in the park in comparison. The commitment has practically already been made; the only thing missing was the ring.

The ring makes it official: they're entering the next chapter of their lives together, and they can't wait to see what surprises their new home has in store for them.

Somehow, time flies even more quickly when you're trying to savor every last second of it. Soon enough, it's their final morning waking up in Sulani. In just a few hours, they'll be getting on a plane with as many of their belongings as they can cram into a few suitcases and landing in San Myshuno. They decide it's only fitting to take one last dip in the ocean before they go.

"God, I'm really going to miss this place," Noelani realizes, suddenly experiencing the warm, gentle lapping of the tide against their thighs like they're only truly feeling it for the first time.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Malia asks.

"Of course not! My future self would never forgive me if I turned this opportunity down. But I know that no matter how much I grow to appreciate the city, I'll never love any place as much as I love Sulani. I feel like I'm leaving half of my heart and soul behind."

Nani smiles, the thought of Sulani making her wistful before she's even gone. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Don't worry," Malia replies. "I'll take good care of them for you while you're gone."

As a soft rain begins to fall, Sulani seems to want to say goodbye to them, too. All of a sudden, a solitary dolphin nudges up from the ocean's depths looking for someone to play with. They take turns rubbing its nose and splashing it with water. They'll certainly never find a sight like this in San Myshuno.

In another life, I could have been a mermaid, Noelani abruptly realizes. But instead I'm going to be a rock star. Well, not a rock star exactly, but my version of one - on nobody's terms but my own. How different their life might be right now if they'd taken another direction. Different, but not necessarily better. Noelani likes their current life too much to dwell on all the what ifs. They've only got eyes for the future now, not the past.