Walking On Sunshine

Prepared for their sandy arrival, Dora had swapped out her typical stiletto heels for platform wedge sandals which allowed her to easily transition from the tiny plane onto a wooden dock and then straight into the pure white sand. She took in the beauty of their destination through her oversized sunglasses. A tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, half-way around the world from their troubles and responsibilities. It was even more gorgeous than the adverts had described. The water was so clear Dora could see the sandy floor deep beneath the surface, and it glittered in the mid-day sun. Waves brushed against the pillars that held the luxury bungalows above the water, and onto the pristine sand covered beach. The beach extended for miles along the shoreline, little stilted huts dotted along the edge of the island as far as she could see. The island itself was a tall mess of tropical forest. A vibrant green covered everything in the distance and nestled against the picture-perfect backdrop of swaying palm trees and crisp blue skies was a large building with a palm-thatched roof in the center of several smaller buildings of the same Polynesian design. The resort offered an array of amenities from upscale restaurants and bars, to night clubs and even a 5-cauldron spa. Dora had poured over the brochures, planning out every possible detail of their leisurely two and a half week holiday and making sure to keep it all a secret from her bestie so as to not spoil the surprise.

They were met on the dock by a trim man with dark skin wearing a pale blue shirt and white shorts carrying a tray of champagne, and man in a uniform identical to the first man’s who took their luggage from the plane and banished it to their little hut. Fin asked where they were and Dora grinned, pleased that he hadn’t figured it out even after all his incessant questions on the plane. “Bora Bora,” she said in a breezy voice as she took a champagne flute from the wizard who had come to serve them.

A petite woman with long black hair approached, wearing a dress of the same blue material as the other staff, and draped a flower lei over Fin’s neck, then one for Dora. “Welcome to Sable Pur,” the woman greeted them. “Let me show you to your bungalow, Mr Avery, Miss Parkinson.” The huts were connected with wooden walkways that connected to the sandy beaches. Dora looked at the smaller huts as they passed, following the hostess to the farthest building out on the deck, and by far the largest of this little cluster. There seemed to be several clusters of overwater huts along the beach but aside from passing a scantily clad holidayer on the dock that connected their little island community, there appeared to be little risk of overhearing a neighbor as the huts were rather well spread out.

Traditional teak furnishings adorned their three-bedroom bungalow, with vibrant red and stark white linens creating a sense of elegance and luxury. The rich colors of the wood and the high ceiling of the thatched roof gave way to large opened windows and shuttered doors that looked out over the ocean and their own private lanai, complete with deck chairs and a waterslide. Dora could see through an opened doorway that led to one of the bedrooms that their luggage had already arrived, her many bags resting on the crisp white linens of the king-sized bed. Her swimming suit was packed on top, knowing she would want to shed her already skimpy dress for something much more island appropriate as quickly as possible.

Turning to Fin with a proud smirk on her face, Dora waited until they were alone to ask his opinion. “So?” she said, the delight barely contained in her voice. “Think this place will do for the next few weeks?” Of course it would. They were surrounded by beauty reserved exclusively for pureblooded witches and wizards with too much money and nothing but free time. Dora was only one of those things, but Fin embodied the whole criteria perfectly and it was his vault footing the bill, so Dora could easily pretend she belonged here, too.

Aurelius Avery was an attractive man but that was where Dora’s list of compliments for the man stopped. She was dismayed that Fin’s remarks seemed to come out in his father’s voice and it would have put a damper on their first day of their holiday had Fin not caught himself and shook off the evil old bat that was haunting him. Dora loathed to think that it was inevitable that they would all just turn into their parents in the end. Fin’s father was atrocious, a truly horrible man that resembled nothing in his son, sans this one surprising question. Would he one day wake up and realize that he had become his father? Would Dora do the same and only see her mum in the mirror? She was adamant that would not happen. Rebekah Parkinson had been indifferent to her children when they were both alive and technically under her care, but at some point in the not-too-distant past she seemed to transform that indifference into actual disgust. Dora would never hate her children the way her mum hated her, and when Dora finally did find a husband and had his heirs several years from now, Rebekah Parkinson would get little more than a birth announcement for her grandchildren. If Dora could find the strength to actually hate her mother as she so vehemently claimed she did.

Fin’s moment of fatherly incarnation was quickly resolved as he picked up Dora, who laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, the champagne flute in her hand resting against Fin’s back. Her smile quickly shifted as Fin began to run toward the open ocean. “No! Fin! Stop! Don’t you dare!” But it was too late. What she had assumed to be a loving embrace with her best friend turned quickly into a shocking bath in the cool ocean water. Her head sank below the surface of the water and she felt Fin’s arms pull away from her body. Pushing herself up until the water broke around her face she gasped for air and gave an offended, yet humorous glare in Fin’s direction. “You twat!” she squealed, splashing him with a wave of her thin arms. “I haven’t charmed my hair yet!” Indeed, Dora’s dark locks hung limp around her face, a little more wild than she would have liked had she a mirror to inspect herself.

Her glass was gone now, she wasn’t sure when she had released it but it was of no consequence to her. There would be more glasses to lose later and it wasn’t as if she would have been the first person to drop something into the ocean. The floor of the sea was probably littered with lost goods from drunken holidayers but Dora would be damned if she was going to lose any of her own items. She could feel her thick wedge heels slipping from her feet and she paddled herself closer to their stilted hut, held onto the ladder, and carefully removed her shoes one at a time and flung them onto the deck. She splashed Fin once more, not bothering to notice that her light colored dress had turned her into the winner of a wet t-shirt contest she hadn’t bothered to enter.

Flinging her remaining shoe onto the deck of their cabana, Dora rolled her eyes and gave a crooked smirk at Fin’s correction. Handsome twat indeed. She inhaled deeply and plunged herself under the water, reemerging soon enough and brushing her hair out of her face with her hands in an attempt to look a little more purposefully soaked instead of like the victim of a surprise water bombing. “Your makeup looks fine,” she teased him back, leaning her head back and enjoying the sunny rays that beat down upon them. Floating on her back, letting the gentle waves move her skirt around without notice, Dora listened to Fin try to weasel his way out of spending time with her. He continued to think himself smarter than her, but Dora was far from stupid. “You can nap if you want to,” she said casually as she moved closer to him. “But I’m going to go flirt with some hot locals and if you don’t at least attempt to shag that hottie from the hut down the way, then I’ll be forced to set you up with one of the cabana boys.” Dora rolled over from her back, her body instantly sinking into the water until she was in a more upright position next to Fin. “We’re on holiday and I’m not 93. I’ll nap when we’re in England.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips then dunked his head underneath the water, using all of her might to force his much stronger and larger body beneath the waves. She laughed and swam back over to the deck, pulling herself up onto the ladder before Fin could retaliate.

Her light dress stuck to her wet skin as she climbed up out of the ocean and left a trail of sopping footprints on the wood as she headed inside to get dressed, fix her hair and makeup, and make a beeline for the tropical bar they had passed on their way in. As she disappeared into the bungalow, she called out to Fin. “See you at dinner, love.” If they didn’t have tales to tell within the next few hours, they were certainly doing this tropical holiday all wrong.

A soft thud could be heard through the door as Dora tripped over herself, the bedsheet twisted around her legs. “Oh, bloody hell…” She giggled and then sweetly demanded “help me” to her new friend, Omar. Olias. Orion. It was something starting with an O, she was fairly certain, but his accent was thick, so it really could have been any vowel. Dora wasn’t the greatest with foreign accents, all she knew was that most of them were irresistibly attractive and a sexy accent went a long way. Omari’s sun kissed and chiseled body only aided things, and along with the few cocktails that had been purchased for her at the bar, it really was only a matter of time before Dora and Oliver fell into bed together.

Thin legs free from the tangled sheet, Dora pulled the material up around her body like a makeshift Grecian toga and jogged lightly over to the door of her temporary bedroom, pulling it open just enough to see Fin standing on the other side. “Two minutes,” she grinned, holding the sheet up against her chest. Her hair was clearly mussed and her cheeks were flushed. She had a glow about her that had nothing to do with the tropical island or the warm rays of sunshine still streaming in through the massive windows of their bungalow. The door was pulled open wider and a tall man with caramel colored skin and a strong jaw appeared, wearing a pair of shorts and holding his sandals and shirt in his hands. “Au revoir, mon petit chou.” Oscar, or whatever his name was, lifted her chin and tilted Dora’s face up towards his, then kissed her tenderly on the lips. It lasted only a few seconds before Odin turned to Fin, patted him on the shoulder and said, “she is all yours,” with a heavy accent of mingled French and something Dora couldn’t recognize. The man brushed past Fin and let himself out as Dora attempted to smother a huge grin that she was failing to conceal. “I’ve no bloody clue what he was saying half the time,” she admitted, a tinge of pink in the apples of her cheeks. “Two minutes,” she repeated again, holding up two fingers as she stepped back into the room and shut the door.

Charms and vanity spells aided in Dora transforming from a disheveled nudist to a respectable vixen in a matter of ten minutes. She had meant to go faster but you couldn’t rush beauty, anymore than she already was. Time had gotten away from her in the arms of a handsome stranger and she hadn’t meant to keep Fin waiting. It would be worth it, however, as Dora had already reserved them a table at the ocean front restaurant earlier that day while Fin was trying on his new blonde friend. A little tealight floated over the table between them, creating a gentle glow as the sky began to turn shades of pink and orange. Dora sipped on her bright pink iced drink happily. “These are amazing. Try,” she said, taking another sip and then offering the hurricane glass to Fin. “I’m starving,” she followed up, glancing over her menu, deciding what to order.

Dora wasn’t the biggest fan of beer. She didn’t see the fascination in the piss-colored and piss-flavored beverage that you had to drink four of to get the same buzz as with one of her frilly cocktails, but she was a sport and alcohol was alcohol when it came right down to it. “You’re going to regret that bet, Mister Avery” she said in a playfully taunting tone, though she would never purposefully displease him. Pulling the large beer to her side of the table, she lifted the mug and took a sniff just as Fin had done to her drink. “How you drink this is beyond me,” she said, her nose in the air but a smile on her lips until those same pretty pink lips were coated with a cream-colored foam as she swallowed a sip of amber liquid. A dainty foam mustache graced her face and she lifted herself out of her chair to lean closer to her bestie. “I mustache you a question,” she said with a soft laughter, trying not to draw the attention of anyone nearby. “Do I have something on my face?” She laughed to herself and then gave Fin a quick peck on the cheek, leaving a glistening print of dissolving froth on his skin.

Dora covered her face with her napkin and cleaned herself off as the waiter came around to their table. He was handsome in the same foreign sort of way as her friend from earlier today, dark hair, caramel skin, chocolate eyes, though this man seemed to have more muscles than the last bloke. She smiled up at him as he asked if they were ready to order, a bit of foam still sitting on her lip. She ordered two dishes that she couldn’t decide between, one for herself and one for Fin though she planned to have a bit of both. Dora was lovely in that she didn’t order anything she knew Fin would hate, but she didn’t play it safe either. They were on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, they weren’t going to have any ordinary meal tonight or any other night.

Pink skies turned to purple and then navy. Their food arrived just as the lights inside the restaurant were turned up, glowing softly accompanied by thousands of stars that shown more brightly here than they ever had at home. Waves crashed upon the shore and slapped the stilts of the cabanas along the beach. It was wonderfully romantic and Dora was pleased to be here with Fin, getting an incy bit more than buzzed on her third blended beverage. “I was thinking we might go snorkeling tomorrow. They’ve got a lesson we could sign up for, and the instructor is just your type.” She grinned at Fin, her eyes closing and opening more slowly than a normal blink required. “Unless you’re planning on playing house with that witch from this afternoon…”

Fin was utterly adorable pouting over his paper umbrella, or lack thereof. He could be such a princess sometimes, and even Dora had made note of it and she was the most princess-like of any non-royal on the bloody planet. She even had her pup, Mimosa, boarded at a fancy doggie retreat in Scotland while she was away on holiday (on Fin’s knut, of course) and still Fin was the biggest princess of the pair of them. She sipped her drink happily, watching him over the top of her own paper umbrella. He asked about beach girl and snorkel woman, and Dora chuckled. “Well, Casanova, I think you might have to put a little thought into that one if you expect to make it work.” She sipped her drink again, thinking anyone who turned down a tumble with Fin Avery was off their rocker. If he did really want them both, she was sure he could manage it. Having been his housemate for a year and a half, Dora was no stranger to spotting, well, strangers trying to sneak out the next morning. The walk of shame from Fin’s bedroom was a well-worn path, though Dora had little room to talk in that regard.

Hiking didn’t sound like something Dora would be into, but she’d trade hiking with Fin if he gave her snorkeling. The latter came first and in true Dora fashion, the skinny brunette arrived for their lesson in the smallest bikini she could find, with a sheer cover that left nothing to the imagination. She topped the look with oversized sunglasses which were ultimately left on the beach along with her cover and sandals. She wasn’t sure what to expect, never having gone snorkeling before, but after getting Fin to help her with her bubble head charm, Dora found she was truly enjoying herself. Dozens of brightly colored fish, an eel, and two sea turtles later, she had ditched Fin and found a private cove with a cute bloke who was staying a few huts down the beach from her. Failing to notice how eerily similar to her best mate this wizard looked, Dora happily spent the next several hours with him, only finding her way back to her own hut well after lunch time.

Having packed nothing that most witches would have deemed appropriate for a hike up a mountain with a bunch of strangers, Dora stepped out of her bedroom to greet Fin in a pair of platform wedges and a short skirt. He promptly laughed at her, to which she punished him by making him hold her handbag while she browsed the various resort shops, putting together a more sensible outfit. Hiking boots – the world’s most hideous invention – paired with excessively short shorts and a t-shirt that was quite possibly the most comfortable item of clothing Dora had ever put on her body. She looked about as ready to hike in the mountains as a fish was to fly, but her outfit matched and her shoes would get her at least a part of the way there. She told Fin he was to carry her if she found she couldn’t make it, but it actually wasn’t very difficult to reach the gorgeous clearing near the top of the mountain and look out at the entire island beneath them.

She felt so tiny standing next to Fin without the added five inches her heels would have given her, though he was absolutely right to force her to change. She never would have made it in her initial attire. The boots and shorts were a necessity and she had managed to transfigure her bag into a little satchel that she could carry over her shoulder without worrying about it slipping and tumbling down the path behind them. Thank goodness for accessories, or else how would she have managed a flask all the way up here? She took the shimmery flask from Fin and took a drink, hanging on to it while she swallowed and looked out over the scenery. Taking another sip, she smiled. “Pretty worth it,” she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder. “So long as you never develop those photographs.” She was only half kidding but in truth Dora would be mortified for anyone back home to see her dressed down as she was, even if her rear end was on display in her short shorts as Fin snapped her picture hiking up behind her. She wouldn’t mind reliving these moments with him privately but if he had plans to share these photos in a slideshow like her mum used to after her vacations with daddy, Fin had another thing coming. Maybe she could cherry-pick the photos he shared. She had looked spectacular on the beach yesterday, and he’d gotten a nice shot of them lounging on the deck of their cabana under the starry sky their first night here. This definitely was a wonderful holiday, Dora was so pleased with herself for planning it.