Sidelined

“Why do you say that?” He shifted in his seat. The rock was burning a hole in his pocket.

“I don’t know. The sunset dinner like Coronado, the wine, the flowers, it’s all so surreal.”

Bolt realized then that this wasn’t as original as he thought. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t special enough. Someone like Skye deserved all the ‘sweep her off her feet’ moments he could muster. He curbed the speech he had prepared.

“I wanted to do something for you, that’s all. We’re on vacation. I say we enjoy every second of it.” He held his glass toward her.

“I can toast to that.” Skye’s wine glass clinked against his. “Now let’s see what this private chef has prepared for us.”

Bolt tucked the picnic basket in the backseat, securing it with one of the seatbelts. It would be disastrous if their entire lunch, including the bottle of champagne spilled while they took the sharp curves of the Hawaiian island.

Today they were taking the road to Hana. Bolt asked the concierge about what activities she recommended for two people who had never been to Maui. Other than a luau, the first thing she uttered was, “You have to take the road to Hana.”

She promised scenic waterfalls, beautiful landscapes, and an adventure that they would never forget. The hotel even provided picnic baskets for the trip. They made planning romance that much easier.

Skye laughed as she tossed a beach bag on the floor. “I have sunscreen, a blanket, and towels. Do you think that’s enough?”

“I think that’s plenty.” He tapped his shorts pocket for the tenth time that morning. He had managed to conceal the ring last night when they got back from dinner, but there was no way he could continue living in the same room with Skye keeping that kind of secret. Today was the day.

“You ready?” He was excited enough to jump over the side of the convertible and into the driver’s seat, but instead he opened the door and slid behind the wheel.

“You bet. I can’t wait to do this.” Skye pulled out a map from her purse. “I grabbed this from the front desk. It shows where all the waterfalls are along the way.”

He eyed her tan legs as she slipped into the seat next to him. In the few days they had been in Maui, her olive skin had been sun kissed to a deep bronze. She looked more gorgeous than he ever remembered seeing her.

“Waterfalls it is.” He threw the car in drive and peeled out of the resort drive. The top was down, Hawaiian music was on the radio, and the woman he loved was next to him. It was going to be the best day of his life.

The first stop they made was an hour into the trip. Skye squealed at the first waterfall marker.

“I know there are a hundred of these on the way, but can we stop at this one?”

Bolt pulled over on the mulch shoulder and they walked through thick brush. On the other side of the path was a trickling stream and waterfall.

“Ok, take my picture. It’s the first one.” She handed him her phone.

He laughed. He had never seen her this excited. “Ok. Got it. Let’s keep driving towards the big ones.” He wrapped his hand around her waist and led her back up the path.

Two hours later Bolt pulled off the main road and rolled along a gravel path.

“Where are we going? This isn’t on my map.” Skye pulled her sunglasses down to study the blue triangles on the foldout in her lap.

“Secret.” He grinned.

They passed fields of sugar cane and a few cottages tucked under tropical foliage. The farther they went off the path, the more worried Bolt became that he had his directions all wrong. He wanted privacy, but he didn’t want to drive off a cliff.

They emerged in a clearing and he parked near a banyan tree. This was the place. It was the perfect spot. With the engine quiet, they could hear the roar and splash of a nearby waterfall. This wasn’t a little trickle of water. This was a powerful surge of water tumbling into clear blue-green pools.

“Ben, this is amazing.” Skye pulled the beach bag over her shoulder while he unclipped the picnic basket from its safe seat.

“Yeah, it’s even better than I imagined.” He walked toward a grassy spot where they could see the ocean on one side and still be close enough to the waterfall to watch its majestic cascade into the pool below.

Skye spread the blanket over the grass and tugged at the corners. “After we eat I want to take a hundred pictures of this place. I can’t believe we’re on the only ones here.”

Bolt realized their alone time might be limited. They were off the beaten path, but they were a part of the most popular day trips in Maui. Some other helpful concierge likely doled out the same advice.

He tapped his pocket before sitting on the blanket.

“Skye, I can’t. I can’t do this.” He stood from his seat.