Once Emmie and I fuel up with food, we hit the ground running with Pablo acting as our tour guide. Even though Emmie spent two years living in Seattle, she never indulged in typical tourist interest points, so we both feel like we're on a mini-adventure together.

While we're walking through the famous marketplace, Pablo lays his hand against my back and moves me out of the way as someone in slime-covered overalls catches a fish thrown at them.

"I would have whacked so many people in the face if I worked there," I say as we maneuver past the crowd gathering to watch the flying fish. The ground is sticky and the briny smell of seafood clings to the air.

Pablo laughs under his breath. "My ass is too uncoordinated to even look at them."

"This place is so cute," Emmie remarks in awe. "I don't know why people complain about it so much."

"It gets old after a while," I reply, weaving my fingers between hers so we don't get lost in the busy crowds. "It's like us avoiding Waikiki at all costs."

She shrugs. "Valid. But I want to come back here again before we leave."

After all the work she put in getting us here, I'm not about to deny her request. The smile on her face as she watches people going past, probably conjuring up stories in her head about their lives, is enough of a reason to come back.

"I'm surprised you didn't come once when you lived here," I tell her as we round a few corners, ending up in a stretch of indoor shops. It's not as crowded so there's less of a need to raise my voice or cling to her. "Doing touristy things is an obligation."

Emmie's eyes flick down for a brief moment. "To be honest, I wasn't in the right headspace. It was a lot of trying to get settled in and back into the flow of things."

My reaction is to clench up, which she notices.

"Not because of that," she insists, placing a hand on my arm. "I was mad for a long time. But I was just....upset with the whole world. And I thought running away would solve my problems."

I chuckle because everyone in our misfit group of friends is so much more alike than we realize most of the time. "I think at some point we have to accept that's our brand."

"Maybe what you guys do isn't running away," Pablo interjects. "Maybe it's taking a step back to reevaluate a situation. It's hard to come to terms with what's happening when you're stuck inside it."

Emmie perks up at this revelation as if it's the most simple yet profound thing she's ever heard. "That's a good way of looking at it." She walks backward, trusting that we'll help guide her. "You know what—people romanticize the idea of fighting too much. I think it takes courage to accept that some things need time, and stepping back can offer the clarity we need to make a healthy decision. I mean, how often do we jump back into something because we led too far with our heart instead of our mind?"

Pablo lifts his cup of coffee to his lips with a smile on his face.

"I think it's a little too early for us to dig in this deep," I laugh.

Emmie sashays around. "Fine. We have a whole week to confess our sins. But don't think you're getting off that easily."

While Emmie picks up a high from getting coffee in her system, she skips ahead after confirming Pablo and I are walking together. She eventually disappears into a shop of comics, books, and a bunch of games, but the place is busy so Pablo and I hang back outside on a bench.

"I was kind of surprised to see her message yesterday," he remarks. "But I figured it must be important for you two to come here." Pablo observes me. I can feel his gaze on my face but I'm watching people passing us, all of them rushing to enjoy their own lives full of ups and downs. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The realization of what we're doing hits me now that Emmie isn't by my side. As much as I love being with my friend, being together is the result of something I have difficulty facing.

"Not yet," I reply. "I think I owe it to all of us to enjoy myself as much as I can while I'm here. As Emmie said, we have a week."

He nods in understanding. Pablo does his best to give someone the space they need while making sure they know he'll be there when they're ready.

"I know these past couple of days have been a lot for you, but you should be proud of yourself. What she said is right. It takes a lot to pull yourself out of a situation so you can figure things out. It's much easier than people think to fall back into the same bad habits."

"It is too easy," I sigh, thinking back to how good it all felt. How, in those moments, I felt like none of the bad stuff happened. We were all back to being our normal selves again. Before it all came crashing down again once I reconnected the wires from my head to my heart.

Off in the distance, Emmie taps against the glass window, pointing at the Totoro doll in her other hand with a bright smile on her face. It's bigger than the size of her head.

I laugh and slide my finger across my neck in a warning. We don't have enough room in our bags. I'll barely have enough space to grab a few things my brother and dad will want from Trader Joe's.

"Should we stop her?" he asks, sliding an amused glance at me.

"Stop Emmie from getting something she wants?" I scoff. "Never."

After Emmie finishes up at the comic book store, we walk through the rest of Pikes Place Market, mostly for the people-watching. We even stop to watch a few street performers before happening upon a guy sitting by himself, singing and playing his guitar.

The crowd dissipates when he finishes his set and Emmie decides to speak to him. As her best friend, I'm dragged along with her.

He's hunched over putting his guitar in its case when the two of us walk up sans Pablo. He's on the phone confirming plans to meet up with his boyfriend Darren later for dinner, so he doesn't seem bothered by being left behind.

"Is it too awkward to give you something now?" Emmie asks, her hand on her wallet.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I appreciate it though."

He reaches up to tug on the bun sitting at the top of his head. The ends of his hair are bleached blonde with jet black roots. All around the sides are shaved nearly clean to his scalp.

As his arms shift back down, his shirt rides up with the movement and a swirling tribal tattoo comes into view. When paired with his Kiwi accent, I suspect something.

"Māori?"

"You Poly?" he asks.

"Hawaiian," I answer. "Aotearoa's always been number one on my bucket list."

The man clicks the guitar case shut and stands up, leaning against the wall and holding his case next to him.

"I could say the same," he laughs. "I might go there soon. Kinda need some time away from all of the mess back home, ya know?"

"That's what we're doing." Emmie nudges me with her shoulder. "But you're here, aren't you?"

He shifts from one foot to the other. Sunlight catches against the moon-shaped gem hanging from a silver chain around his neck.

"I'm just playing a few shows as a favor for a friend. But I'm working on an album so I need some inspiration." He glances out at the crowd for a moment. "Kinda weird yeah but it's not always the easiest to get some of that when you're home."

"No kidding," I laugh. "Sometimes you just need to get away and see something new"

"Experiencing the world is good for the soul," he agrees.

Pablo comes up behind us with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, man. That was good. One of the best I've seen here in a while."

"Thanks, bro," the singer replies.

Pablo turns back to us. "Darren said he can take off early enough for dinner. But he refuses to eat at Olive Garden."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Well, why the fuck not?"

"Does that even need an explanation?" he deadpans. "Olive Garden is good when you want to spend no money for nearly unlimited food but don't you want to go somewhere nicer for your first night here?"

"No. I want Olive Garden."

Being the traitor she is, Emmie sides with Pablo and Darren on this one. "We can get trashy, fake Italian food for lunch. Let's go somewhere nice."

The guy looks back and forth between all of us before pushing off the wall and looking down at his wrist. "I gotta get going but maybe I'll see you around if I end up in Hawai'i."

"If you're ever in need of good food recommendations, you can try and find Alex Rivera and I'll direct you to my brother because he eats way more than I do."

"Alex," he repeats thoughtfully. Something flashes across his face for a brief moment before disappearing as quickly as it came. "Don't be surprised if you hear of some Nik asking around for you."

...

Even though the demand is met with resistance, I eventually twist their arms until they agree to dinner at Olive Garden.

"I don't have one back home!" I point a finger at Pablo before whirling around to Emmie who's shaking her head. "And you had two years with them. Don't judge me."

"It's not even real Italian food," she grumbles, holding the door open for the two of us to walk inside.

A gust of air washes past as the door closes behind us. After a full day of nonstop walking around, resting is much needed. The balls of my feet already feel sensitive from our long day, and I know it'll only get worse with all of the hikes Emmie has planned for us in the next couple of days.

"Nobody comes to Olive Garden for authentic Italian food," I deadpan.

Pablo, looking down at his phone, glances up to alert us that his boyfriend Darren is already sitting. We squeeze through a few tables before the lone diner comes into view and Pablo's mood immediately lightens up—less like fireworks, more like the comforting glow from a crackling fire. Since I've spoken to Darren a few times in passing while face-timing with Pablo, he introduces Emmie.

"Pablo said you lived here for a couple of years?" he asks once we're all sitting down, the question directed at my best friend who's taking a generous sip of the red wine Darren ordered for the table.

She places her glass down and dabs her mouth with a cloth napkin. "I haven't officially moved back to Hawai'i yet but yeah. I live with a couple of roommates in Upper Queen Anne."

"Oh, it's nice up there." Darren nods. "I've always said if we buy, we should check out that area."

"Can we not think about that?" Pablo shivers. "I just graduated last year. Those student loans are still kicking my ass."

"Higher education is the biggest scam in America."

Emmie clinks her glass against mine. "Amen to that."

"Where do you like better?" Darren asks, unaware of the weight his question carries. "Hawai'i or Washington?"

"Hawai'i, no competition," she doesn't hesitate. Even though I knew the answer was coming, it still warms my heart to hear. "Washington is beautiful and the best state in the Pacific Northwest, but you can't beat Hawai'i. Being there gives you this feeling like no other. Like you're being welcomed into someone's family."

Pablo gives me a small smile before turning back to Emmie. "Darren and I have been wanting to go there to see Aulani. Have you been?"

"The Disney place? Oh, it's way too expensive for me but I heard it's beautiful. And my friend's sister works there."

Pablo turns to smack Darren's arm. "See? How are we supposed to even consider buying a place when I need to spend all of my money on student loans, food, and Disney trips?"

"You don't need to spend your money on those."

"Yes, I do."

"I think I'm gonna have to go with Pablo on this one." I lift my wine glass in the air, tipping it ever so slightly toward my friend. "What's the point of life if not to spoil yourself?"

"We deserve a break every once in a while," Emmie agrees. "Aulani here we come."

I hold a finger up to her. "The cheapest room is like six hundred dollars. These two can spoil themselves. We'll come over and hang out in their room."

"Oh wait, it's that much?" She reconsiders. "Spoil yourselves, friends. We'll help you reap the benefits."

"How does next year sound?" Pablo smirks.

Darren smacks himself in the forehead. "We're never getting out of our shitty apartment."

Emmie clears her throat and hoists her glass in the air for a toast. Somehow, even under the dim restaurant lights, she still finds a way to shine above the rest. "Before we eat, I just wanted to say thanks for coming to our rescue with such late notice. Our girl needs a good support system."

I blush at her comment.

"Here's to drinking too much coffee, stuffing our faces with endless breadsticks, and, if your Instagram is any indication, lots of booze for the rest of the week."