surfs up!

"you have got to be kidding me." my mouth dropped as we pulled up to the final destination of our date night. sunset beach.
i am in my converse & a light blue sundress & he expects me to get on a surf board with him?
aaron jumped out of his door and slammed it shut before i could refuse this last piece. whipping out his board from under the tarp in the trucks bed, he then walked to my side and began to tap lightly on the window of my door. i can't look at him. this is ridiculous.
i am the lead cellist in the university of hawaii's orchestra. i should be practicing. i should be writing. i should be composing. yet here i sit, in a light blue pick up with a gorgeous army rat tapping on my window to get on a surf board with him. i should have stayed home.
what am i doing.
he finally opens my door and outstretches is free arm toward me.
"please jane. from the moment i met you, this is the piece of hawaii i've wanted to give you. please." his big green eyes were filling with adventure and hope. there was no way i could steal that shade of joy from him.
i lean forward and begin to untie my sneakers. as i take off my shoes and put my socks in them, a smile so huge stretches across his face, i feel as though he may burst into wondrous laughter. i jump out, close the door behind me, and take his hand.

we walk a ways into the water and he lifts me up onto his bright yellow board. my dress floats on the surface of the water around me. thankfully i am self conscious enough that i would never wear anything like this without shorts and a cami underneath. without warning, aaron throws himself on the board, pulls me right up against him, and then begins maneuver us out to sea. 

the breeze is glorious. it is nothing compared to the thick lake air back home in minnesota. it's rich and with every breath i take, i feel more alive. the colors of the day ending dance across the horizon and beautiful melodies enter my mind. my hair is dancing in the breeze, and with every breath aaron takes, i can almost feel the bow of my instrument running across four carefully tuned strings to describe the millions of emotions running through my veins.
i have never done anything as adventurous as this.

he finally is content with how far away we are from the sand and he stops paddling. the salty waves surround us and overtake the horizon. i look around and we are not alone out here. surrounding us at a comfortable distance are other surfers, relaxing and taking in the sunset.
"this is beautiful." i whisper. the song pochahontas sings to john smith on their first encounter (the colors of the wind) is the only way i can describe this moment. but even that isn't enough. orange, blue, yellow, pink, and even a shade of purple fill the light clouds and the perfect sun. i can hear thousands of melodies pounding with my heart in my chest at the beauty surrounding me.

 "you are beautiful. and everything you are and can create is beautiful." he shakes his head and then stares back at me. "it's more than beautiful. gah jane, it's spectacular what beauty you can create with strings. but you're always stuck in that studio apartment and you never see what hawaii has waiting for you... deep within the people here and the colors in the waves... and the sweetness of the fruits..." he takes my fragile hand with his rough hand and with the other, points to the horizon.
"and if you don't take these moments to capture the music, they will fade. and we will never hear what you have to give." i turned around and a light shade of blue had replaced the phenomenon that just occured. all of that breathtaking beauty had faded.

he was right. and for once, i had no smart reply toward him. no witty comeback, no smart-ass remark. nothing. i just looked up at him, eyes welling with tears, and kissed his full lips.

"thank you." i breathed as i pulled away, gazing into his deep green eyes. 
and with that, he gave me a smile that made me light headed & we started back to shore. this time, there was no way i was going to even try to predict what could be next. and that was becoming the best part about my stay here in the aloha state.