4th of July // JOJI

Hot

By the time you sleepily stagger into the kitchen, breakfast making is well under way. Your friends and a couple people whose names you can’t remember are all busy chopping and baking and stirring. You feel bad that you hadn’t woken up earlier.

“What can I do?” You ask as you slide onto one of the tall chairs at the island next to someone passed out.

“Hey, there she is.” Adam hands you a mug, “Coffee?”

“Yes please.” You eagerly accept. It burns your tongue but you don’t care, you’re just trying to fight the tired haze surrounding you after your late night. “So, what do you need help with?”

Adam looks around, “I think we’ve got it covered. You can just chill and keep an eye on Joji. Make sure he doesn’t cut himself like earlier.” Joji elbows him hard and Adam throw his hands up.

“If you insist.” You grin, taking another sip. The kitchen is huge, just like the rest of the house. There’s three large windows letting the mid morning sunlight in, warming the room. It’s filled with the scent of bacon and eggs. Music is playing quietly and you lean back in your chair, taking in the scene before you.

Joji becomes the picture of focus. He bites on his bottom lip as he chops an apple. Every so often he throws the finished pieces in a large glass bowl with strawberries and grapes and it’s only then that he takes the chance to look up at you. “See something you like?”

“Yes… the food.” You tease him, “Whatcha making?” You ask as he sets a frying pan on the stove top.

“French toast.”

Time moves slowly as you watch everyone shuffle around the kitchen. Adam eventually joins you at the island and Joji turns up the music. He focuses on the butter melting in the pan as he adds a piece of soggy bread to the hot surface. You and Adam watch as he goofily swivels his hips to the beat.

The food is eaten quickly, everyone hungover and starving. Even the guy who was slumped over next to you wakes up and demolishes a heaping pile of the eggs. You eat until you’re stuffed and then spend the next hour chatting about plans for the day.

---

You all decide on taking the boat out. You’d always thought it was the pinnacle of wealth, being able to fit three sunbeds on the top deck and a cabin with a double bed below. It was white with white leather décor- incredibly beautiful. But in comparison to the rest of the boats and yachts sailing the water right now, it was merely a baby of the ocean.

“Are you coming in or not?!” One of the girls call from the side of the boat, startling you from your lazy euphoria.

“In a second” You mumble, keeping your eyes closed as you roll onto your front, giving your back the same attention as your front to the unforgiving rays. You spent most of your year inside classrooms and the cafe where you worked, so you weren’t going to waste the opportunity to be lazy and lay out.

As the sun is hitting its peak and small droplets of sweat trickle down your brow, you flip over and lift the sunglasses from the bridge of your nose. You peer through squinted eyelids, the bright rays making it almost impossible to see after having had them shut for so long. You sweep them across the horizon, scanning the beautiful view that's spread out in front of you. The water is vast, soft waves rolling across its surface from the motion of the boats sailing past. Apart from the soft drone of chatter from the people upon their decks and in the water, the scene is almost completely silent. Serene.

You shut your eyes again and feel a cool breeze roll across your skin for the first time in hours. Your heated skin welcomes its soothing touch until you feel the cool splash of water droplets on your thigh.

“What the f**k!” You yelp, abruptly being pulled from your daze and springing upwards.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump.” It’s Joji and he’s laughing hard. Despite your frustration, you can’t help but absorb every part of his exposed skin that stands before you. Drops of water trickle from his hair to his shoulders, meandering slowly downwards. “I was sent to get you in the water.”

You sigh, laying back down. “Tell them I’m not coming.”

“Why not? It’s so hot up here.”

“I’m tanning.” You grab a magazine from beneath your seat.

“Don’t be such a d**k” he laughs, pulling the magazine from your hands and tossing it onto the other sunbed.

“Hey!” You protest, reaching for the magazine again and sticking out your tongue, “You can’t make me.”

“Wanna bet?” You can hear the amusement in his voice as he challenges, but you keep your head down and begin mindlessly flicking through the pages. Within an instant he’s gone and the sun is shining warming against your face once again.

“You might want to take off your sunglasses,” he taunts from behind you as his hands snake around your waist, locking around your middle, his biceps tensing as he bends at the knees.

“What! Joji!” You shriek.

“Sorry, I’m under orders.” You soon find your legs flailing in the air as he hauls you from the comforts of the bed.

“You better not-”

You rise from the water with a sharp gasp for air, your hair drenched against your face and eyes squeezed shut. Before you have the chance to open them, another wave engulfs your floating body, crashing over your head and water fills your nose once again. A figure comes up with the splash right in front of you, grinning beneath a wet mass of dark hair.

“George!” You cough, pushing your hands outward and splashing him with all your might. “I hate you.”

“Sure you do.” He smirks, running his fingers through his hair as he pushes it from his face. “That’s why you’ve been checking me out all day.”

“Was not.” You feel my cheeks flush a deep shade of pink.

“So that’s why you’re blushing?”

“I’m not blushing. I’m… hot.” You sort of feel like dying.

He grins again. “Someone’s modest…”

“No. I mean, the sun… it’s h-”

“I know,” he smiles, quickly sinking beneath the water and surprising you from behind. “You know I’m just messing with you. Relax.” He smirks against your ear, his chest rising up and down softly against your back. His hot breath slithers down your neck, making each tiny hair stand on end. You take a deep breath before tilting your chin over your shoulder and looking directly at him.

“Come on” You smile, “Everyone’s waiting for us on the other side.” You sweep your arms just beneath the surface of the water, creating space between the two of you.

“Race you there?” He raises an eyebrow cockily and you splash hard before taking off to meet the rest of your friends.