Vacation (1)

It was almost noon when Aiden and the others got their bags and left the airport. Derek had arranged for two cars to take them to a restaurant for lunch before going to their accommodations. Lyla insisted on being in the same car with Derek so Aiden was stuck going with his cousins. He sat in the passenger seat rather than in the back with them. He rolled the window down to enjoy the wind and the view as the car carried them around the island.

The place they went for lunch was an ocean-side open air dining room serving Mediterranean inspired dishes. They sat in the outdoor dining area, the view was amazing, and the food was even better. Aiden ended up ordering a fresh prawn salad and something called Hapu'upu'u, which was apparently a dish made with Hawaiian sea bass. He was so focused on the incredible meal and stunning views that he didn't even mind that he was sharing a table with Lyla and the demon spawn.

After they ate, they made their way to the private villa where they'd be staying for the next two weeks. The villa was a bit off the beaten path but it still had beach access and was relatively close to the city. Once they arrived Spencer and Lyla rushed to get the best rooms first, which wouldn't matter in the end since all of the rooms were basically the same. Before going in to choose a room, Aiden turned to Derek.

"Is there anything planned for later?"

"No, not for tonight. There are a few things that have been scheduled in advance but most of the time will be open for whatever you want to do. I figured it would be best to have everyone use today to just settle in and we'll discuss things more in depth in the morning."

"Alright, sounds good." Aiden went inside and found an available room. There was a white canopy bed and glass doors leading out to a porch with a view of the villa's pool. After he unpacked his luggage, he decided to wander around outside and explore a bit. Since he was still wearing the same clothes from the flight, he changed first. He was going out to explore and didn't have any idea what he might encounter so he put on a pair of skinny jeans instead of shorts and ankle boots instead of sandals. Then he put on a sleeveless button-up shirt and tied the ends in a knot turning the shirt into a crop top.

After that, he grabbed a small backpack and gathered a few items. When he was done, the bag contained a small first aid kit, Chapstick, a flashlight, a lighter, a small bottle of water, sunblock, and, as per his usual weirdness, spare underwear. He swung the bag over one shoulder, picked up his phone, and walked out of his room. On his way towards the door, he was stopped by Derek.

"Where are you going?" Aiden jumped. He hadn't noticed that Derek was there at all.

"Geez! Make some noise when you walk or something. Whew." He put his hand over his heart and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm just going out to take a look around."

"Alone?" Derek asked with a disapproving look.

"Well, I wasn't planning on asking the demon spawn or Cruella Deville and you don't exactly seem like the outdoorsy type. So, yeah." Derek shook his head.

"No. Wait there." He turned and started to walk away.

"For what?"

"Just wait there." Aiden sighed as Derek disappeared from sight. He went over to the nearby couch and sat down to wait. A few minutes later, Derek came back wearing different clothes. Aiden's eyes went wide and he stared in shock.

Before, Derek was wearing a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, black suit pants, and shiny black shoes. It was only different from his usual attire because it was missing the tie and suit jacket. However, he had changed into more casual clothes and was now wearing a pair of denim jeans, black lace-up boots, and a white from fitting t-shirt. The shirt stretched over his muscles in the perfect way. Derek noticed the shock on Aiden's face and he raised an eyebrow.

"What?" The question shook Aiden out of his daze.

"Nothing. I just didn't know you owned casual clothing. For some reason, it was easier to imagine you wearing a three piece suit to the beach than thinking you had normal clothes."

"Very funny," Derek said in a monotone voice. "Let's go." With that, Aiden and Derek made their way outside and started looking around the nearby area. Large shrubs that grew over ten feet tall and plants with beautiful bright colored flowers were everywhere along the different paths. Eventually, they arrived on the beach in a cove. The water was crystal clear and there was nobody else around.

"This spot is great! I'm definitely coming back here to swim later." Aiden was all smiles as he went around exploring the rocky areas of the beach. Derek was smiling softly while watching his every move. He felt almost like he'd miss something if he looked away for even a moment. He hadn't even realized that throughout the time they'd been exploring, while Aiden was looking at the surroundings, Derek was looking at Aiden. His happiness and excitement made Derek glad that he had decided to take this trip.

After a while, the two of them headed back to the villa and they arrived just before sunset. In the kitchen was a note left by Lyla saying that she, Spencer, and Becca had a car take them into the city for dinner. This reminded Derek that groceries weren't going to be delivered until the next day.

"What do you want to do for dinner? We can call a car or order delivery."

"Delivery. The universe saw fit to rid us of the horrible presence of my aunt and cousins for a while. I'd rather not tempt fate and risk running into them if we go out for dinner."

"The odds of that are extremely low."

"Yeah, but do you really want to take the chance?"

"...Good point. Any preferences for food?"

"Something local. It'd be a waste to eat something we could get anytime back home."

"Alright. I'll go order." Aiden nodded and went back to his room to change while Derek searched on his phone for delivery. Aiden wanted to be more comfortable so he put on an oversized sweatshirt that reached his thighs, very short pajama shorts, and over the knee socks. It was something Aiden wore a lot in the past so he didn't think much of it when he put it on this time either.

He left his room and went outside onto the front porch. There was an outdoor sitting area with a couch, some chairs, a coffee table, and a small fire pit. Aiden sat down on the couch and pulled his feet up next to him. He took a breath of the fresh air and quietly watched the sun begin to set. He was only sitting there for a few minutes before Derek came outside too. He put a few small logs into the fire pit and lit them before sitting down on the other side of the couch.

"So what did you order?" Aiden asked excitedly.

"Something local." Derek smirked.

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that."

"What? Isn't that what you wanted?" They playfully argued back and forth until someone arrived with food. Derek went and paid the delivery man and then brought the food back, setting it down on the table. One by one he took containers out and opened them up. He then handed a paper to Aiden, which thankfully described the dishes, and then went inside to get plates and utensils.

Meanwhile, Aiden read what was ordered. There was a poke made with tuna, onions, sesame seeds, limu seaweed and soy sauce. Then there was a dish called saimin, which was a noodle soup. There was also something called haupia which was a type of coconut pudding dessert. Other than that there were several different kinds of shrimp and pork dishes.

When Derek came back out with plates, Aiden tried a little bit of everything. He happily sampled all of the food while chatting with Derek and watching the sun set. It was only the first of vacation but Aiden couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed. He was also surprised at how comfortable he was around Derek. He wouldn't exactly call them friends just yet but Aiden had shared more about himself to Derek than he had to anyone else. Although, he supposed that wasn't very difficult since he didn't have any friends and his only family were, well, awful.

The fire eventually died down and they decided to call it a night. Derek poured water over the glowing coals and Aiden helped clean up the dishes. When they were done, they bid each other goodnight and went to their respective rooms. Aiden brushed his teeth before turning out the light and climbing into bed. He pulled the covers around him and, for the first time in a long time, he went to sleep excited for the next day.