The horn of the ferry blared at around 7 am, starting Maja awake. She nearly tumbled out of bed due to the rocking of the boat, so that was a great start.
With a groan, she steadied herself as she realized the boat was docking.
She was here.
A flurry of texts flooded in, many being from Kalani, whom Maja could practically hear screaming in delight.
K: OMG YOU'RE HERE! I'M ON MY WAY!
Maja read through and replied to the texts her family and friends had sent, letting them know she had finally arrived on Motunui but that she would be MIA for a bit as she settled in.
Her legs were rather unsteady as she dragged her luggage up the stairs to the deck of the boat, standing in a line of her fellow passengers who were just as eager to disembark onto dry land. As she and the others waited for the gangplank to drop, she twisted her aching neck towards the towering island. Kalani had said it was mountainous, but no description truly prepared for just how tall the mountains actually were. She felt a breath escape her as she took it in but marveled at their beauty. They were a rich, lively green, and the peak of the tallest mountain was shrouded by thick clouds.
The gangplank was dropped, and Maja followed the small herd of people out onto the pier, which was quite wide. Just as she felt in Samoa, she breathed in the welcoming fresh air of Motunui. As she walked down the pier, she felt a chill run through her. Overwhelmed by the whole trip, she fought back tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks, not wanting Kalani to see her crying quite yet.
"MAJA!" A voice called from the end of the pier. Maja craned her neck, trying to find Kalani, her heart pounding in anticipation. She could feel her hands shaking even as she gripped her luggage handles tightly. She steadied herself with a deep breath as she focused, and soon, she spied a semi-familiar face.
Kalani.
However, compared to the photo Maja had found of her online, Kalani's hair was streaked with electric blue and teal instead of her natural dark brown-black hair. She had a huge smile on her face, and Maja spied a singular nose piercing on her left nostril glinting as she came running. She wore dark navy shorts, bright blue slides, a lighter blue crop top, and a crocheted sleeveless cardigan.
"OH MY GOD IT'S YOU!" She exclaimed, bringing Maja in for a tight hug, nearly squeezing the air out of her.
"Oof! WOW! Hi Kalani!" Kalani pulled back, her hands on Maja's shoulders as she took her in. Maja was just a few inches shorter, a lot shorter than Kalani had expected.
"Wow is right. Goodness, I- I can't believe this is happening!" Kalani exclaimed again, pulling her in for another breathless hug.
"Yo, Kalani, give her a moment to breathe!" A deeper voice called out. Glancing over, Maja spied a young man about her age headed their way, also with a huge, beaming smile, short curly hair, and an incredibly fit physique. He was handsome, for sure, and Maja nearly felt her breath catch in her throat as the man caught up to Kalani.
"She's fine, Varua!" Kalani assured. Varua, huh.
"I'm sorry about her; she's easily excitable," Varua apologized awkwardly, grimacing. Maja just nodded slowly, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh— no, no, it's fine. She kinda warned me about the eager welcome."
"Oh! Before I forget, here!" Kalani pulled out three leis of blue, pink, and yellow flowers, draping them around Maja's neck, and she took in their fresh, delicate scents. "An official welcome to Motunui!"
With Varua's help, they loaded Maja's luggage into the back of his open-air Jeep, and Kalani was talking up a storm, rambling on about Motunui, though Maja wasn't particularly paying attention, mainly due to sheer exhaustion, but she was also caught up with gazing at Varua, though trying to fight it. Under the white button-down he wore, she noticed a tattoo on his left bicep, which flexed as he moved things around, taking care not to toss her stuff around too much.
"I hope you don't have anything fragile in there," he teased with a grin, making Maja's heart flutter.
"Uh-… I, uh, no? No, I don't, heh…" She attempted, stumbling over her words. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and she reached for her water bottle.
"So, uh, where're we going first?" She asked once Varua and Kalani hopped into the car, the latter doing so casually, crossing her legs on the seat. Maja took note of the random assortment of clutter around the back seat, haphazardly shoved to the side. She also noticed two half-empty cups of some drink in the cupholders at the front, and the ornaments that dangled from the rear view mirror.
"First to my place, where you'll be staying. You can unload what you need and get comfy. By the way, did you get any sleep during your trip?"
"Some. Though I can assure you that I'm wide awake, no thanks to the ferry horn." Varua laughed from the driver's seat, receiving a light whack on the shoulder from Kalani.
"A lot of people say that when they get here, but I know for a fact your body is exhausted from the traveling, so you're gonna need a lot of rest before we get down to business." She chuckled, "Your room and bathroom are all ready for you, so if you need to sleep once we get there, go for it. Oh! And of course, gotta get introductions out of the way, I'm Kalani Fa'alupega, obviously, and this is Varua Kawai, the childhood best friend I told you about, though he's got like a million middle names, so that's what you need to know."
"I take mild offense, but there is truth to that," Varua laughed again, shaking his head as he turned down a street.
"Whatever, anyway, there'll be plenty of time to meet the other folks I want you to meet, but that'll be for another day."
Maja was interested in listening to Kalani more, but her mind was fuzzy, and her brain felt like soup. She needed some food and sleep in that order, and it seemed that Varua picked up on that, noticing the bags under her eyes when he glanced at her in the rear view mirror.
"Hey, 'Lani, let's get her to your place. Text your mom to see if she has some food ready, she looks like she's starving."
"Oh, good point! On it."
"Maja, get some rest. It's not too long a drive, but every minute of rest counts," Varua assured with a wink. Maja could only silently blink in response but leaned back in the rear seat and closed her eyes, though she knew sleeping back here wouldn't be ideal.
The trip from the pier to Kalani's house was about 15 minutes, and Maja could hardly sleep due to the rough roads and going uphill. But it was fine; she was fine. There was going to be a bed waiting for her momentarily.
Varua parked the car, and from inside, Kalani's mother called out to the group, calling them inside.
"There's food ready for you all!"
"Fa'afetai, Mama! We'll be right in!" Kalani replied. Varua went to the back, helping Maja out of the Jeep, gripping her forearm tightly but not squeezing it, sensing her unsteadiness. Once her feet touched the ground, she lost her footing.
"Whoa, whoa. You okay there?" He asked, holding her up, one arm wrapped around her midsection. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, instead yawning.
"Gotcha," was all he said, "wait here, I'mma get your stuff." Kalani stood by Maja as Varua unloaded her luggage and began hoisting it up the short flight of stairs. Once he stopped at the front door, Kalani helped Maja up, and the three entered.
"She's here!" Mrs. Fa'alupega exclaimed in delight, rushing over to her new guest and pressing four kisses to Maja's cheeks. "Oh, she's beautiful! Welcome to Motunui! We're delighted to host you! Kalani has told us all about you. I've never met a Norwegian before!"
"Mama! Please!" Kalani admonished, her brown eyes wide in embarrassment, "Don't overwhelm her; she's exhausted."
Mrs. Fa'alupega apologized, though Maja easily determined where Kalani got her energy from. Like mother like daughter.
"Varua, you can put her stuff in the guest bedroom," Mrs. Fa'alupega said as she hugged him, directing him to the room. "And Maja, you can also put your clothes in the dresser. There'll be food ready when you are."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Fa'alupega, that's very kind of you."
"Of course!"
Maja followed Varua into the guest bedroom, and he offered to help put some of her stuff away, mainly her clothes.
"Oh, um, sure. Yeah, that's fine." Maja agreed, swallowing hard.
The bedroom was about the same size as her bedroom back home, with large windows allowing plenty of light in, covered by sheer white curtains, and the bed tucked into the corner right next to one of the windows. The dresser was next to the bed, with a lamp and a few books on top.
Across from the dresser was a single chair and a floor lamp decorated with floral print, and on the floor was a lovely rug decorated with traditional Motunuian patterns.
Varua noticed her admiring the rug and informed her it was tapa, a traditional fabric made from natural fibers on the island.
"It's beautiful," she remarked, kneeling to feel it.
"You want your stuff next to the chair?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, that works. Thanks." She set her backpack down on the bed, hopping up next to it, and began to unpack.
"Oh, just so you know, around here, we tend to take off our shoes at the front door," Varua said as he unzipped her suitcases. Maja had already removed her shoes once she entered the bedroom, but she flushed bright red in embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll remember that." He shook his head assuredly.
"It's all good! Just a little something to keep in mind: I know a lot of this is new." He took a seat on the chair, eyeing her curiously, "Your cheeks are super red, are you alright?" She swallowed hard again, her eyes darting around as she struggled to avoid staring at him. Underneath his dark gray shorts, she noticed more tattoo lines on his knees and the area right above them. She guessed that he had to have tattoos covering his rather muscular thighs.
"Oh, um… yeah. I have an inflammatory skin condition called Rosacea. My cheeks always look super red, but they can get aggravated easily."
"I see." There was an awkward pause as he seemed to think about what to say or ask next, "Oh, um, I can get you the wifi info. I'll write down the password for you. I know you'll be doing a lot of work." She glanced at him, smiling appreciatively.
"Thank you. I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep, though; I feel like my body is about to collapse."
"Right! Right, let me close the curtains for you. I'll let Kalani and her mom know you're getting some rest." He did as he said and gently closed the door behind him, allowing Maja to change into some more comfortable clothes. She put her phone and laptop on charge, sending a text to her family that she had safely arrived and was going to get some rest.
After receiving a heart from her mother, Maja put her phone on DND and rolled over to sleep.