48. What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

— ….c’mon

🎭

The morning after Tehani met Romeo, the first thing Tehani was to text the number he had given her. A part of her told her that maybe, she should wait a while and not seem needy, but she couldn’t. After their conversations, she wanted nothing than to get to know him better. The connection she’d felt with him…. she didn’t think she ever got to experience anything even remotely like it with someone else. She may even like—no, she wasn’t gonna go there. It was way too early for that. She kept her text purely and properly platonic, and hit send.

The moment she did, her phone notified her of a response. Confused, Tehani looked. There was no way he could be that quick to respond…. and he hadn’t been. It was from an automatic number, notifying her that the number she was trying to reach was not in use. Confused, she tried again… only to receive the same response.

She then tried to call the number, which didn’t work either.

For a while, Tehani just stared at her phone. She couldn’t believe it. Had he made a mistake and given her the wrong number? Or had he done it on purpose? One thing was sure: she was not going to be able to reach him. And of course she hadn’t given him hers. Figured her knowing his would be enough.

Tehani cursed under her breath. Fuck.

As much as she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter – she’d had her fun with the guy but that’s all it would be, and that was OK – Tehani still went to bed feeling like shit. Wasn’t even sure why she felt so impossibly upset, seeing as how, for all intents and purposes, she’d only known the guy a few hours so it shouldn’t have felt like such a huge loss, but she did. She really had felt a strong connection with him, she guessed. And now, in this big, big world, she feared there wasn’t much of a chance that she’d ever get to meet him again.

***

Tehani looked into the mirror to give herself a critical once-over. It was ridiculous – she knew that. This random dude’s apparent rejection shouldn’t hit her that hard, especially since neither of them had really shown any signs of having felt attraction for each other anyway. Or, well… Tehani now only felt embarrassment as she looked back on their encounter.

Maybe I’ll take you to Sulani one day. I’d rather take a picture of you.

How could she only realize now how creepy she’d sounded? The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had somehow scared him off. Maybe he hadn’t liked her at all. Maybe she’d read too much into it. Maybe, she had grown so used to boys liking her that she had started to automatically assume everyone would. By this time, the thought that Romeo may have just made a mistake giving her his number no longer crossed her mind at all. She was ensured of the fact that he had done it on purpose – that really, he didn’t want anything to do with her.

Reyna wasn’t used to seeing Tehani upset. Usually, the girl was like a rock. Ever since their foster parents’ death she had become such a champion at bottling up her feelings that there were times when Reyna wasn’t sure Tehani even felt them any more.

“Let me guess: boys.”

Tehani rolled her eyes as she nodded. “Boys.”

“Ah, boys.” Reyna made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Who need’s ’em?”

Tehani took a while to respond but when she did, she immediately sounded a lot more cheerful. “Thanks for reminding me how much I don’t.”

“You know what you need?” Reyna suggested. “You need to jump into your pool before you commit to anything. You need to get into the dating game, Tehani.”

“Ugh,” she responded. It was, quite frankly, the absolute last thing she wanted. “No thanks.”

“Oh, come on! How else are you gonna know what you’re missing…. or what to go for? I know some good guys. I really think you should just give it a shot. I think it’ll be good for you.”

With feigned enthusiasm, Tehani finally gave in.

Admittedly, her motivations for doing so were mostly rooted in her desire to get her sister off her back already.

***

And so Tehani gave the whole dating game a shot. Went on a few dates…

“So, like, I just feel like white male suffering really needs, like, more attention. Like sure non-whites and women struggle, but so do we…”

None of which were very successful… at all.

“Like, I’m not arrogant, you know? But at the same time, I have never met anyone who is as great as me.”

“Yeah…”

It didn’t, ultimately, take long before she gave up again and settled instead for the life she had, which, right now, since after Romeo’s words she had put the whole finding her father thing on a bit of a break, consisted mostly of Alejandro. At least he could still make her laugh.

In the meantime, Romeo stepped into Myshuno Meadows as he had done every day for the past two months, hoping against hope that maybe today, he’d finally find her. Of course, he had no such luck. Figures.

He had hated himself from the moment the realization hit that he had accidentally given Tehani the wrong number (he kept messing up two of the digits but he had always been too proud to check it… only an absolute idiot would not know his phone number by heart). And Romeo Pizzuti was an absolute idiot.

***

But then, as if in a dream, he finally saw her. His breath caught in his throat. He had to blink his eyes a few times, rubbed them for good measure…. even pinched the skin on his arm to make sure it wasn’t actually a dream. But it wasn’t. She really was there. Finally.

Tehani wasn’t even sure why she’d come. After all, she’d been avoiding this park like the plague ever since that night. But she realized it was no use avoiding or fearing something that she should have no reason to fear. So she’d been rejected once. So what? It happens.

It was time for her to suck it up, face its truth and move on. And she figured facing said truth also meant facing the park she had been avoiding.

Suddenly, she heard someone call her name. At first, she didn’t turn around. It’s only when the voice called a second time – and it sounded significantly more desperate – that she did. When she saw Romeo running towards her, she couldn’t help herself – for a moment there, her stomach filled with butterflies and she felt her heart jumped. But then she forcefully composed herself. So Romeo apparently still liked her enough to all but run up to meet her. That didn’t have to mean anything.

As soon as he stood before her, Romeo spread his arms, and, his face more than exuberant, went in for a hug…

“Yeah, I didn’t think so… asshole.”

“Okay, I deserved that. But you have to believe me, Tehani, I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m a dumbass…”

Tehani snorted.

“Who… well, you know, here’s what happened,” he started – and then he proceeded to tell the most overtly dramatic story Tehani had ever heard.

“So the vice president of Simusa had to make the most important phone call of his life…”

“…And if I didn’t give up that number I’ve always had immediately, the governor of Brindleton Bay would call in the bombs….”

“So,” he finally concluded after what Tehani was sure had been at least ten minutes. “That’s how I was forced to give up my number right after you left. Crazy, isn’t it?”

By the time he had finished, Tehani could no longer suppress her smile.

“You forgot your own number, didn’t you?”

“Big time.”

He folded his hands together to beg. “So… will you please, please forgive this dimwitted, pea-brained dumbass who absolutely in no way deserves your forgiveness..? Dumbass needs it.” There was a short pause before he added that last part.

Tehani’s smile grew. “Fine, then. Dumbass is forgiven. But only because I feel sorry for you.”

“Cause it’s hard to live with such a detrimentally high level of stupidity?”

Tehani nodded. “That, and… well, apparently, you need it.”

Romeo’s smile broadened. “I do.”

“So…” Romeo started again. “You wanna see the sunset, this time, and judge if it’s any better than the sunrise was?”

Se did.

Again, Romeo was looking at her expectantly all the while.

“It’s pretty,” she finally admitted. “Better than that sunrise was, that’s for sure. But still not quite as pretty as Sulani.”

“Well… in that case you’re just gonna have to hold to that promise of yours, and show me.”

Tehani shot him a teasing grin. “Maybe some day.”

“Why not now?”

Tehani furrowed her brows. Shot him a look. Was he for real?

Romeo went on. “You know, it’s actually kind of a good thing these months had to pass before we’d meet again.” Tehani shot him a look. “I mean, it wasn’t, really, but… one thing I’ve got now that I didn’t a few months ago… is a high school diploma. I finished high school, you know. A year early, actually. See? I’m not THAT pea-brained after all.”

“Wow. Congrats.” Tehani’s voice sounded less than sincere.

“And another thing I’ve got now that may not have been there a few months ago…. is impulse. I really missed you, Tehani. You know how much I hated myself for just letting you go like that? For messing up? I went to this park every single day since I saw you here, hoping desperately that I might run into you again. And for all those days at the park where I didn’t see you, I had, well, quite some time to think. And you know what I realized? I realized I want to go to Sulani with you.”

“Now, it might sound crazy… I mean, you barely know me and all. But I… I’m down for it. I’m ready for it. I think it may just be something we both need. I get to escape that shitty dad of mine down the hall – and avoid going to college, which I wasn’t planning on doing anyway – and you… I think you need a change of scene, too. The way you were talking about Sulani… it sounded like you wanted nothing more than to go back to it, and I’d love to judge if it actually lives up to that bar you set for it. So, what do you say? I mean, I know it’s crazy and feel free to say no, but missing you these past few months… it made me realize I really don’t want to miss you again. This is not a love confession, mind you. I really just felt a connection… like a friendly connection between two people in, well, somewhat similar walks of life, I think.”

She should have told him that yes, his proposal was crazy. Should have told him how there was no way she was going to run away to Sulani with some dude she barely even knew. Should have asked him that who did he think he was, to propose something like that and think she would actually go through with it?

She asked something entirely else instead. “We don’t even have the money to buy a house, let alone actually live there.”

“We do, though. I mean, I’m sure there’s jobs out in Sulani… and as for the house… I have my college funds. I asked my mom and, well, she wasn’t initially all that happy about it… but she gave me permission to use the money for this. I told her I wasn’t gonna go to college anyway. She understood that. Never did go to college herself, she didn’t, so she knew she didn’t have much to object on that matter. I told her I was wanting a challenge just like she had wanted, but where hers had been in San Myshuno as a fashion icon, mine is in Sulani as… well, who the hell knows? And she said OK, then. We could get a place. It may not sound like it, but I promise I’ve got an entirely feasible plan, here. You know, I didn’t graduate high school a year early for nothing.”

***

Despite all those things that Tehani should have said, she still found herself in Sulani with Romeo, little over a week after he had first made his proposition. And she would be absolutely lying her ass off if she said she didn’t think it was the best choice she’d made in all her life.

“For someone who managed to think up such a smart, feasible grand scheme you sure didn’t come well-prepared,” Tehani commented, looking over his clothes.

“I just thought it’d be poetic to wear the same things I wore on that day I first told you the scheme.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t. I’m smart in some ways…. but dumb in many, many others.”

Romeo then turned back around to look over the landscape before him with a quasi-uninterested look. “You know… I expected better.”

Tehani had to laugh. “Oh, shut up. I know you love it.”

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted.

There was a moment of silence between them. Tehani looked at him… and decided to just blurt out what she’d been thinking in the same way that he always did.

“Honestly, Romeo, this island suits you. I mean, you look horribly out of place here right now in those clothes…” she snickered. “…but I can already see how Sulani… it’s agreeing with you. You look good here.”

“Wow… thanks.”

Although he tried to shrug off the compliment in the same way he usually did, there was at least one brief moment where he let his gratitude shine through – the fact that she thought this place she loved so much was ‘agreeing with him’ (whatever that meant), it meant more to Romeo than he cared to admit.

Tehani proceeded to pull out her phone to break the moment before it could potentially grow awkward. “Picture time!” she called.

Trying to sneak a spontaneous photo in there, she pretended to have stopped taking pictures. Discreetly held the camera in a picture-taking position, and then called at him. “Hey, Romeo.”

She was hoping for some goofy picture… but ended up taking what she would consider for the rest of her life to be her absolute favorite photo of him, ever.

***

Some odd years later, that same picture still stood on the same place it had always been. Nothing about that had changed. But for Tehani, everything had changed… and she would come to hate herself for the rest of her life for not having found the courage to grab at least those photos when she left Sulani. The new owners of the house shot the pictures a look, shrugged, and threw them in some leftover box to go into the storage room. Whomever those pics were from, they looked too intimate for them to throw away just yet. They were surprised they had been left in the first place.

***

After Tehani went to bed, Romeo spent another few hours outside – gazing at the landscape before him. He couldn’t believe this turn his life had taken. Couldn’t believe his luck. In all those years he had been alive (or, well… they weren’t actually so much by comparison, he guessed), Romeo had never been this happy. Had never even dared think he would ever be this happy. In this moment, Romeo was certain of the fact that so long as he was here… with her… he would never feel any emotion that wasn’t exuberance again.

Finally, he took out his phone and texted his mom.

“Just arrived in Sulani…. & everything’s gorgeous. You don’t have to worry about me, Mom. I’m better than I’ve ever been. I love everything here. Thanks for letting me go. Romeo.”

When he opened his phone that next morning, he saw that his mother had texted him back.

“Go get her, son.”

***

The first morning at their house, Romeo decided to “be a real gentleman,” as he liked to call it, and cook them some breakfast. It all went great…

…Until it didn’t.

Horrible thoughts had already taken over Tehani’s mind as she ran to safety – of course they should manage to burn their entire house to the ground the day after they moved into it. That would’ve sure been something for her to get into, she had to admit. Nightmare scenarios of a flight back to Willow Creek, their tails between their legs as they admitted that the whole adult life just wasn’t feasible for two 17-year-olds, ran through Tehani’s mind at an accelerated pace. But luckily, it ended on one helluva sizzler – literally. Romeo had managed to put the fire out without any damage done to their house.

Of course, the fact that they had been saved did nothing to quench Tehani’s shock, which soon turned to annoyance. “You,” she said, pointing at Romeo. “Are never allowed to use the stove ever again…. in you life.”

And so he was forced to make a boring fruit salad instead – and where he had hoped to awaken Tehani with the scent of breakfast, she now had to wait cantankerously while he tried to get something even remotely edible on their plates. Great.

He was still proud of what he had made, though – thought it looked decently good. Dished up for the two of them and encouraged Tehani to take a bite, fully expecting for her to be pleasantly surprised by his cooking skill after all.

“Oh god,” Tehani managed to express through clenched teeth. “This is the most horrible food I’ve ever tasted.”

Yeah, so he hadn’t done a great job at impressing her yet. Romeo tried not to be too bummed out. That meant he just had to come up with an alternative method….

“Hey Tehani,” Romeo started when he found her roaming outside. “Sorry about the food…. but, you know… maybe I can make it up to you and treat you to a very good drink… explore the island a bit too, we can. What do you say?”

She immediately softened. “That drink… you won’t be the one to make it, right?”

Romeo smiled. “Nope.”

“In that case, definitely.”

***

To Romeo’s surprise, the host at the local restaurant and cafe did not seem too happy to see him. Kept muttering about ‘those damn tourists’ as he found them a spot. It made Romeo feel a little self-conscious; he hoped he wasn’t intruding in on this spot… but he genuinely wanted to live here and enjoy all the island had to offer to its fullest extent without being a bother.

The tension from the fire that could’ve almost ruined their whole dream just now initially still lingered in the air a little…

But with the Sulani sun shining down on them and the beauty of the landscape before them, it ultimately didn’t take too long for it to be lifted.

When Romeo found Tehani dozed off in a boat a little while later, he realized to his joy the opportunities this brought with.

Naturally, he had to take a photo.

They didn’t waste any time going to the beach.

“Are you ever going to take off your actual clothes?”

“I’m working up to it,” Romeo responded. “It’s easy for you, you know, with, well…” he gestured at her body. “…a body like that. Me, on the other hand…. let’s just say my actual confidence doesn’t actually hold off against the amazing confidence I tend to radiate.”

“Oh come on. There’s nothing wrong with you…. you wuss,” she teased.

He held a hand to his heart with feigned shock. “How dare you?” he spoke in a very quasi-hurt voice.

Finally, he took off his clothes.

“Oh,” Tehani said jokingly. “Now I know why were so self-conscious, Lanky.”

He teased her right back. “Oh, shut up, like you’re so perfect.”

Tehani looked herself over. “Well, actually…”

Romeo rolled his eyes. “Nobody likes a bragger, Ti.”

Tehani proceeded to step into the water with absolute confidence… while Romeo watched on the sidelines, too much of a wuss to face the coldness of the ocean.

“Come on!” she called at him; she was already completely submerged. Romeo had no idea how she did it.

“I’m working up to it, alright!” he excused himself. “It’s colder than I expected is all!”

“Oh you wuss,” Tehani laughed.

“Hey, you have any idea what creatures there’s in these waters? I bet you don’t even know half the nasties that dwell here, right under your feet…. no one does, actually. You see, there’s some things–“

“If I have to hear one more grandiose story from you…. please just shoot me.”

And off she went.

After Tehani had gone, it didn’t take too long for him to muster the courage to follow her – notifying her of his presence by splashing some water at her.

After Tehani went off to work – she had responded to his surprise that she would still hold her normal job by shrugging: “Burger Sims has a joint on every street corner…. you honestly didn’t think they would’ve infiltrated Sulani too by now?” – Romeo went and looked for some seashells, trying to prove to himself that he didn’t need her to enjoy himself on here.

He finally found a nice-looking shell… only for it to crawl away from him when he tried to touch it. He would probably have nightmares about that one for days to come.

Tehani came back from work 3 hours later. She found Romeo…. and grinned. Payback’s a bitch, she thought to herself as she protruded her phone from her pocket.

Deciding not to trust either of their cooking skill anymore, they ordered dinner at the food stall near them.

“…And the mildest thing on the menu for him,” she finished.

“Excuse me, I grew up in San Myshuno. I’ll have the spiciest thing, please.”

“The mildest,” Tehani told the woman, winking.

God, how Tehani had missed the smell of Sulani’s foods.

When they finally got home that night, Tehani didn’t immediately go to sleep. Instead, she spent some time outside.

Still couldn’t believe she was back here. That in one swift motion, her whole life had changed. Looking back on her ‘old life’ now, she finally saw why Romeo had thought she was lonely; she had been. Looking back on that life, she realized how empty it had been. How purposeless… how dull. She still didn’t have much of a purpose today. If anything, her purpose was to live life by the day, as Sulani’s motto was. And yet so much had changed. She finally realized what happiness felt like, cheesy as it sounded. She finally felt fulfilled.

***

Tehani was enjoying her breakfast out in the sun, beaming all the while. Finally, she was home.

Romeo was thoroughly enjoying himself too, on the pizza slice he had bought himself. It was the only piece of “furniture” she allowed him to get for their place. Apparently, his taste was “horrible.” He didn’t get that. If anything, it was impeccable – just like his taste in food. Who didn’t want to spend their days relaxing right on top of their favorite dish ever?

He sensed Tehani’s coming long before she actually got to him.

Oh, yes…they were both having the absolute time of their lives.

Romeo, in turn, was so relaxed he didn’t even notice how his skin was startling to sizzle…

…Until it was way, way too late.

Dear lord, he thought to himself. I look horrible. He was more than embarrassed to face Tehani like this, but since she was on their terrace and he had no other way to get to the house, he would have to. He stood facing her, lips rigid, expression stuck in a grimace, bracing himself for her response.

As anticipated, she burst out into laughter.

She would end up laughing nonstop for the next five minutes, while Romeo’s face of annoyance grew bit by bit.

At least the island was agreeing with Ti.

Romeo was having slightly less luck.

He was going to see the sunset while Tehani was at work, but by the time he got home it was already mostly down. It didn’t matter much to Romeo at any rate; he was more than excited to experience that Sulani sunset Ti had been gushing so much about…. but he honestly wasn’t really interested in experiencing it without her.

Again, he found himself waiting anxiously for her to return. If only he could actually get himself to enjoy this beautiful island to its fullest extent – he thought that he would. But today, he just wasn’t really feeling it. He felt as though the island had defeated him. Frankly, it felt as though it was obstructing him.

IHow the hell am I going to get Ti to fall for me when I look like a British man on holiday at Tenerife…

He immediately tried to suppress that thought the moment he thought it. No. There would be no falling for anyone. That was not what this was about. This whole thing…. it was about two same-minded individuals getting their much-needed escape from the lives they were living to enjoy themselves in this paradise world. That was it. There was nothing more to it.

Still, Romeo struggled to subdue the feeling of… it could honestly only be longing, he guessed, that he kept feeling. When she was gone, he could barely enjoy himself. All he could think about, was wanting to be back with her. Ugh.

When Ti finally got back, she sat down next to him.

“Wow… you look like you haven’t had the best day.”

“Don’t even start,” Romeo whined. “This damn island is defeating me right where I stand.”

“Yeah… you look like you could use a bit of a break. You know, I…”

Another burst of laughter suddenly hit Tehani.

“I’m sorry,” she struggled to say. “It’s just… you look so… I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, rub it in, will you,” Romeo muttered under his breath.

***

“So… what are we doing at a beach at 1 am?” Romeo asked some 20 minutes later.

“I figured you need a reminder of the awesomeness that is Sulani… and just why we came here. And I know just the thing. You see, these things… during the day, they’re packed. There’s no chance to ever get on one, and if you somehow manage it’ll cost you a fortune. But who in their right mind would think about visiting a beach after midnight?” She was wearing a mischievous smile, as she eyed the two aqua zips in the water.

Slowly but surely, Romeo’s smile grew.

“Tehani, you fucking queen,” he breathed.

So Tehani managed within no-time to re-shift Romeo’s feelings on Sulani right back to full-on awesomeness.

Unbeknownst to either, though, they weren’t the only ones who liked to take advantage of the night.

When they finally got off their aqua zips at 3 am, Tehani smiled down on Romeo. “You know, this whole vibe… you’re actually rocking it.”

Romeo smiled. “Hell yes I am.”

He reluctantly re-entered the water to come back ashore.

Once he did, he immediately pulled Tehani in for a hug.

“Thank you,” he started. Even he hadn’t ever heard his own voice so genuine and sincere. “That really did me good… thank you.”

“Of course.”

“And hey,” Romeo put on a more lighthearted tone to ease the mood. “I was fucking good, wasn’t I?”

Tehani laughed. “You were a champ.”

“Damn right I was… If I weren’t freezing my balls off right now, I would’ve rode that thing all night long.”

He hesitated for just a short moment…. but ultimately, he couldn’t resist the urge to pull her in for another hug. “Really… thank you, Ti.”

Were it the coldness outside or just the heat of the moment… whatever it was, Romeo found herself pulling her closer and closer – fueled by a very, very strong urge never to let go.

Their hug slowly grew into an embrace, and as it did, Tehani held him just as tightly.

But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

---

A/N: Disclaimer: please do not attempt to re-enact any of this and actually go to a random tropical island with what is basically a total stranger at 17 years old. Please don’t.

On another note: sorry for the length of this one, but it just didn’t feel right to cut it until that very specific last part…