12 Hours In Paradise Read Online Free Page A

then?”
    “I don’t really want to be a movie star. You forced me to make a choice, so I picked movie star. Probably ninety percent of girls my age would say that. Or singer. Anyway, I have no idea what I want to be, and fame really isn’t my goal. It might be nice, though, at least in a fantasy.” That sounded dumb even to me. I wish I had picked another answer, but I’d already told Arash no do-overs. “Okay, that was stupid.”
    “Stupid? Anything but stupid. We’re on an adventure, which by definition means indulging our fantasies.”
    We’d arrived at a large stone statue of a Hawaiian goddess, where a group of Japanese tourists were posing for a picture using a selfie stick. They froze into position, vacation joy etched into their smiles. The flash blinked a few times before they all relaxed and resumed their conversations.
    “Excuse me.” Arash approached the group. “May we borrow your selfie stick for a moment?”
    “Arash,” I pulled on his sleeve and hissed at him. “You can’t borrow someone else’s selfie stick. It’s programmed to their phone.” I felt like I was reprimanding Chester.
    “I know,” he whispered confidentially. “I’m just trying to reestablish the human connection that was lost with the invention of the selfie stick.”
    Lucky for us, they didn’t seem to understand English.
    “Could you take our photo, then?” he asked, holding his phone out to one of the women, who nodded enthusiastically. The entire group smiled in solidarity. The universal language of travel. The universal language of the smartphone.
    All of a sudden I knew what Arash meant. It would be sad if everyone started using selfie sticks and nobody needed a stranger to take their picture anymore. He put his arm around my shoulder and drew me close. I held my breath and wished we were wearing anything but those ridiculous matching outfits. But then I thought about it again and decided there was nothing better.
    “Me too,” I said when the woman returned the phone. “One with my phone too, please,” I spoke extra loud, the way people do when they’re talking to someone who doesn’t understand their language. As if by being yelled at they’ll miraculously learn the language.
    The pretty lady nodded and smiled and took a few more pictures of us.
    That time I leaned in farther, pressing my cheek up against the pocket of Arash’s shirt.
    We thanked them and went on our way, and they went on theirs. Travelers in the night who would never meet again, but we’d come together just for that moment. A moment they captured for me, not even thinking about its significance. They were on an adventure too. Everyone was that night.
    “Okay, so you’ve bought some extra time to think about your answer,” I said. “Would you want to be famous, and if so, for what?”
    “I know this is one of those trick questions where I’m supposed to answer yes.” He smiled at me slyly. “But I’d have to say no. I wouldn’t want the scrutiny that comes with fame.
    “But…” he said, just as I was getting ready to say, “Next question,” “I would like to invent a time machine, of course. Or discover the cure for cancer. I just don’t want to be known for it.”
    “You’re so modest.”
    “Not modest. I just value my privacy.”
    There was that short i sound in privacy again. It was so exotic. So swoon-inducing.
    “Next question,” I prompted.
    “I think I should walk you back to your hotel room. It’s midnight, and that’s the deadline you gave me. I’ve been watching for signs of embers on your cheeks or pumpkins growing out of your ears, and there’ve been none. But nevertheless, it’s midnight all the same.”
    “But we need to answer the rest of the questions.”
    “I don’t think there’s time.”
    “But…” I suddenly felt like I was going to cry. There was no Arash waiting for me back in Reno. There would be no amazing adventure with a magical prince who wore wire-rimmed glasses perched