Around a quarter to midnight, Brian walked me back up to the room. We were both laughing about some story, and I was hanging on his arm and his every word.

We reached my door and calmed down a little before I said, "Well, I had such a good time. What are we doing tomorrow before we leave?"

Brian shrugged. "I don't know. Let's just meet down in the lobby at ten and go. Your car or mine?"

"Mine."

"You got any ideas?"

"Yeah. Why don't we go back to Diamond Head and try to get to the top this time?" The minute that was out of my mouth, I realized that maybe that wasn't the best idea. "If your heart's up to it."

He made a "pffft" sound. "You kidding? I'll be fine. I laugh in the face of danger."

"Mm-hmm, I bet you do," I teased.

"Really. I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned in and kissed me softly. "Night."

"Night," I echoed, watching him walk away. Before he turned the corner and headed for the elevators, he looked back over his shoulder and smiled at me. I smiled back and then unlocked the door and entered the room.

"Omigod, tomorrow's gonna be fun!" Michelle squealed the second I walked into the room and sat down on my bed.

"Why's that?" I wondered aloud, slipping out of my shoes and drawing my feet up underneath me.

"Nick and I are going to the Banzai Pipeline! Oh, it's gonna be awesome!" She paused for a moment. "How was your date with Brian? I want details!" She practically bounced across the room and sat down on the edge of her bed, across from me. I was a little taken aback by how hyper she was, but I was still so happy I could barely see straight.

"It wasn't anything too big. We just went out to dinner and a movie…"

"Where? What movie?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "The restaurant at Hilton Hawaiian Village, and then we went to see Shakespeare In Love."

"That's still out?"

"Out here it is. Anyway, that was about it. I had a nice evening." Another obscene understatement.

Michelle snickered. "'Nice'?"

"Nice." I kicked off my shoes and flopped backwards, staring at the ceiling, grinning. "Tomorrow we're gonna take the car and go back to Diamond Head and…wherever else we end up going." I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at my stepsister. "You don't mind, do you?"

Michelle shook her head. "Uh-uh. Nick's renting us a Jeep or a RAV4 or something like that. Something we can cart the boards and stuff around in. I love those. If I could get any car in the world, I'd get one of those."

I rolled my eyes at her as I got up, got out the shorts and T-shirt I sleep in, and headed for the bathroom. "Yeah, and last week it was a BMW, and the week before that it was a cherry-red 1969 Plymouth, and the…"

"OK, OK, I get it." She walked over to the lanai (AUTHOR'S NOTE: that's what Hawaiian hotels call their balconies), opened the sliding door, and strolled outside. I could hear the sounds of cars passing below and waves crashing on the beach, and the faint strains of an old Blackstreet song. She leaned out and added to the noise with a long "Whooooooooo!"

"Come on, Nat, you come do it," she called to me. "It's fun."

I laughed as I came out of the bathroom and hung up my dress in the closet. "You're such a nut job."

"Yeah, sis, and that's why everyone loves me."

"Damn straight." A thought struck me, and I added mischievously, "Why do you suppose everyone loves me?"

"'Cause you're lovable, that's why. What else do you need to know?" She turned back and waggled her eyebrows at me. "On the other hand, if you want to know more, I could just as well ask Brian why he loves you."

"You can just as well shut up," I said dryly. With that, I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow and went to sleep.

I woke with a start. As if I'd been falling in a dream and had been just about to hit the ground. I looked around. I was sitting in the same airplane in which I'd been sitting on Monday morning. Had I somehow slept through the rest of this trip?

No, I realized. It had all been a dream.

Michelle waved a perfectly manicured hand in front of my eyes. "Nat? Hello? Earth to Natalie. Major Patterson, this is Mission Control. I'm Michelle Fox, and you're touching…"

"OK, I'm awake," I said impatiently, pissed off that this had been nothing more than a dream.

"I'm glad," she replied. "Now why don't you put your seat up. The plane's landing in, like, ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" I repeated.

"Yep." She grinned sunnily. "Ten minutes to sunny skies, palm trees, tranquil seas, beautiful Hawaiian guys…"

"I know, I know," I cut in, grinning myself. The fact remained: I was about to be in Hawaii.

"So, any interesting dreams?" Michelle asked me as she stuffed her magazine into her carry-on bag.

"I had one pretty good one." To put it mildly.

"Ooh! Do tell."

So I told her all about my freaky dream - or the sound-bite version, anyway. It had been a long, crazy dream. Part of me was almost glad it was over. I mean, I did want to be awake to catch my first glimpse of everybody's favorite archipelago. But I wished it was reality.

We stepped off the plane. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, smiling. God, even the airport smelled tropical.

"What, no leis?" Michelle stuck her lower lip out. "I was looking so forward to getting leid."

"You've got the whole trip for that. Wasn't it you who was getting so stoked about all the beautiful Hawaiian guys?" I cracked. "What say we find us a florist and buy our own? I'll spot."

"Fair enough."

As we strode through the airport, a flock of screaming girls suddenly ran toward us. We ducked out of the way and watched them stampede past. We looked at each other in sudden shock.

"You don't think…" Michelle began.

I shook my head. "No. I don't. Let's go get our luggage, and get leid." I grinned.

But as we set off for baggage claim again, I couldn't help but think, What if?