There was a period of chill after that night. Although Hailey and Edward were unsure of what happened, they knew something happened. The wait staff knew and took the liberty of serving Aron his meals in his bedroom. Aron was ashamed. He stayed in his room for two days and two quiet nights thinking about that night with Cara. Aron could not seem to accept that despite how much he hurt Cara and how much he wanted her, he did not regret what he did. He couldn't. It was not his place. Edward loved her and it would be a fate worse than death to lose his only true friend over a girl.

But, in the background, a plan was being devised ever so strategically to break the silence and, in some ways, to create a harmony lasting the rest of the summer. On the third day, Hailey began her scheme. She walked into Aron's room and dramatically pulled the curtains.

"It's so sunny this morning!" she walked over to his bed and pulled off the silk sheet. It floated in the air momentarily before gracefully drifting down to Aron's feet. Aron lied face down on the pillow, clothes sleep-wrinkled, hair left uncombed.

"That's nice." he sighed and turned over, revealing his sleep-deprived eyes. Hailey threw a few hangers of clothing over his shoulder.

"I want to go to the beach - the nice one - so get dressed." she walked to the door and turned back, "I'll call Robert to give you a shave." as he sat up, she threw a pair of underpants at his head before leaving.

...

"But Hailey, you don't get it," Cara pleaded as numerous bottles of wine were carefully wrapped in napkins by Evangeline and stuffed into a box filled with ice, "these are the only swimming costumes I have." Spread across the dining room table were four swimming costumes. One was black, another was moss, another was navy and nother was navy with a black stripe across the midsection. Hailey was horrified.

"But... no!" she whined, "It's not enough." Hailey whispered and groped the fabric as she contemplated her next move. The sound of a box being cut open sliced through the silence of thought. Hailey smiled and ran off.

"Hailey!" Cara shouted after her. She sucked her teeth as Hailey rounded the corner to the stairs, ignoring her. Cara looked at the swimming costumes in admiration and pride. She picked up the black one and held it against her body. She loved that one. It was the first thing Cara bought with her own money. Hailey waltzed into the room and cleared the table with a long sweep of her arm. She took the cozzy from Cara and lay it flat on the table, cutting it in two with shears, "What are you doing!" Cara demanded.

"Trust me!" Hailey said without looking up and continued cutting. She took off the sleeves and the midsection. She took off most of the fabric meant to cover the legs so it only covered five inches of her upper thigh. Hailey threaded two silk ribbons on the fabric that, at this point, only covered the bust and then threw the scraps on the floor, giving Cara the finished product, "Put it on!"

"Are you crazy?" Cara exclaimed looking over the scant amounts of clothes. Hailey sighed and grabbed Cara's shoulders, looking at her with intention.

"My brother hurt you, right?" Cara nodded, vaguely recalling the event, "Then why not make him regret it?" Hailey asked seriously. Cara pursed her lips and walked off with her new cozzy into the nearby bathroom.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked loudly as he walked down the stairs.

"Soon, all in good time!" Hailey said as she hid the scraps under a chair, "Where's Aron?"

"He's combing his hair." Edward said, ruffling Hailey's hair playfully, "I'll be in the car waiting." he said and walked out just as the bathroom door opened. Hailey looked Cara over once and grinned happily, giving her an enormous sun hat.

"It's perfect." Hailey said and gave Cara a light summer dress to wear over it.

...

The dock was a short drive away; however, the good beach, with beautiful sun-warmed sand and sky blue water was a semi-long boat trip away. Hailey adored sailing, even if it is considered unlady-like. She enjoyed the sun and basked in it as the wind cooled her. While on the boat, Cara took out a small book and began writing in it. As she did, Edward walked out of the cabin with Aron following. They spoke low and seriously. Watching the hushed conversation annoyed Cara and prompted her to untie her summer dress as Hailey untied the boat from the dock. When the boat was making its way to the beach, Cara's dress was neatly folded beside her and she lounged on the chair, waiting for Aron to notice. Edward glanced over to Cara mid-sentence and then back at Aron. In a moment, he lost his train of thought and looked back at Cara, thinking he was imagining the image before him- he wasn't. He looked back at Cara whom lied in the sun-bathed chair, only shaded by the hat she wore. Almost all of her skin showed, only covering the important bits. It was unlike any swimming costume Edward saw anyone wear and the fact that it was on Cara made it that much more alluring. Due to his loss of focus, Aron searched for the distracting and was then a victim to it as well. Both of them were speechless. This seemingly innocent day of bliss turned into possibly the most difficult test of will power to ever be endured, creating that much more of a reason for Aron, Edward and Cara to get inconceivably drunk.

...

Towards nightfall, when the nighttime bonfire was lit, everyone relaxed a bit more. All of them had splashed around in the cool calm ocean water and shared jokes and funny stories. They ate picnic foods and drank far too much wine. It was when Aron and Cara began to nod off that Hailey began the second step of her plan.

"So Ed," she said quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yaa-umm humm." Edward was fighting sleep.

"What do you think of Cara?"

"Huum?"

"Well... romantically..."

For a moment, Edward contemplated the question, but the wine clouded his mind. He shook his head as he forgot the question and giggled, "She's my friend-best." Another drunken giggle, "Best... best friend."

Hailey bit her lip, "And Aron?"

Edward laughed a little loudly, "He too! I love all my best friends." he took another drink and looked across the dying flames at Cara. She used a towel as a dress and a small mountain of sand as a pillow. Her hair was damp and beginning to curl around the stray bits of caught seaweed. She looked like a beautiful mermaid.

"Well, I think they should be together... romantically." Hailey said seriously as she sipped on a glass of grape juice. Edward looked at her and then at Cara. In his mind, he heard her say 'you should be with her' and to this, he nodded, never taking his eyes off her. Hailey nodded as she sipped her drink, ready to move on to the next phase.

I still have no idea what she did between now and when I woke up mid-day the next day. But somehow, she was able to set the ground work for their romance overnight. If I knew how skilled a matchmaker she was, I would've told her I loved Cara way before any of this happened. But I didn't. I really wish I did...

...

In short, I adore American time. However, I will be heading back home in about a week or so (not on a Wednesday, I know that now). So I sha'nt get used to it but its bloody perfect. My family dictates the lions share of my time now and at night, I can write to my heart's content. It's brilliant. Anyway, I'll keep this one short as well. I was inspired by this American car advert I saw a few months ago where some car dealership was trying to compare their innovativeness to Louis Réard (inventor of the modern-day bikini). Which was daft but made me think of how shocking it would've been to see a woman go from wearing this terrible jumpsuit with long sleeves and pants to a bikini. So I took a few liberties in terms of time and ta-da! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! Remember to comment, comments make writers happy!