I was really looking forward to our side trip. I love exploring when I travel and so far, we’d seen a lot of the resort and some of the west coast of Maui, but not much else. And, taking a long drive with Josh was a chance to talk—about life, the universe, and everything, and maybe even about us.

*

Later that afternoon, we were standing in the lot of the car rental place, deciding which car to get. We’d left Siobhan to bask in the afternoon sun with the promise that we’d meet up with her for dinner.

“Why not the Mustang? It’s a convertible.” asked Josh.

I made a face. “Old Mustangs are cool. The new ones are …” I couldn’t find words that sounded nicer than “ugly” or “boxy”’, so I just made a more extreme face.

Josh rolled his eyes at me. “If you weren’t so cute, you’d be annoying,” he teased. That was probably true. “They’ve got an Audi convertible. It doesn’t cost much more than the Mustang. How about we just get that?” I jumped up and down and clapped my hands. I’d never driven an Audi.

We finished the paperwork quickly, and Josh drove us back to the resort. At least I thought we were going back to the resort. When we passed it, I gave him a questioning look. “It’s a surprise,” he said, smiling.

Another surprise. Josh was being very boyfriendly for someone who didn’t consider himself to be my boyfriend.

As he drove, I watched the coastline out the passenger window. Maui was so beautiful, especially when everything was bathed in the golden hue of the late-day sun. It was incredible visiting somewhere that was even more impressive than it looked in photos or on film. It was everything I’d hoped and far, far more.

About fifteen minutes’ drive beyond the resort and past signs for Big Beach—hardly an innovative name for a beach—we drove into a residential area and parked on the street. I looked at Josh again, but he was giving nothing away. “Come on,” he said. He got out of the car and I followed.

He led me down the street along a dark-grey stone wall, then through an opening in the wall and down a set of rustic stairs, where we emerged onto a stunning beach.

It was a small cove with golden-coloured sand and jagged black rocks which trailed into the water. There was an opening in the rock formations, almost a channel, where the water rushed to shore. Cupping the sandy cove was dense greenery, more black rocks, and a random assortment of palm trees.

We weren’t the only ones there, though. There was a wedding party having photos taken, but we kept to the right of the beach and found a place to sit where we were out of the way. It was not long until sunset, and the sky was alive with burnt orange, pinks, and the lingering blues of the day.