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There were many things Julia hated in particular - but one of the most resented ones was trains. And them being constantly late. Everywhere.
She's been standing at the station for around half an hour, and the train Mk was supposedly taking was meant to come well over twenty minutes ago. While there were a few benches scattered around, they were far from pleasant to sit on given the fact they were placed directly in the sun. And as much as Julia loved tanning and the feeling of warm rays scattered on her face, she wasn't feeling like burning her ass off on them. So she stood by the roofing which thankfully cast a shadow, a perfect place to take a break from wrinkling the eyes and wiping the sweat off one's neck.
There were a fair amount of people around, rushing to their platforms or waiting for the train to come, likely to greet their relatives or to take it themselves, going to whatever destination it would take them. Women wearing little to no clothing, little girls eating ice cream, an old man reading a newspaper, middle-aged couples with hundreds of luggage, teenagers chatting with their friends on their phones. Julia watched through her purple sunglasses, tucking an annoying strand of hair that stuck to her cheek behind her ear. She liked summer, cute outfits, spending the entire day on a deck chair, sipping on a strawberry lemonade, and taking thousands of pictures, the light perfectly emphasizing her clean skin and sharp features. But she didn't like the amount of sweat her body produced with every move she made, no matter how few layers worth of clothes she'd put on herself. Especially with how intense the sun is shining nowadays, having no remorse for those with sensitive skin. And the blonde was, sadly, one of these people - to tan properly, she had to take a bath in a sun protector before. And most of the time she would still get her back burned to a crisp, not being able to sleep on it properly for three days.
Sometimes she wished it would be cold again. But then she'd remember how rough and dry her lips were in January, how textured her skin would get, and how terrible it was to get your feet soaking wet due to the snow getting literally everywhere. And she concluded she preferred summer over whatever kind of disaster winter in Canada was.
It's been a year now since Total Drama season two happened, and around ten months since it aired on national television. By the time it did, Julia managed to bring her hair to an acceptable state, yet watching it getting ripped off her head hurt deeply. Literally and figuratively. Did people have any idea how painful it was to feel half of your scalp getting pulled by a fucking dinosaur? Yeah, not something she would recommend. Not to mention, she had to come back home with a terrible mullet and no million dollars. Nothing, not even a penny. All of her sacrifices were inconclusive. Yet again, she got completely humiliated on television, wasting so much time and energy over the prize that was handed to Wayne, Wayne out of all people instead of her. What did he do to deserve it? A whole bunch of nothing! While Julia gave everything, including her beautiful, deep blonde locs. And it didn't bring anything with it.
But, she did gain something completely unknown to her before - a friend.
Julia was always on her own. It was never about anyone else, everything she did, she did for herself. She became an influencer strictly for personal gain. And she came to total drama for the same reason - to win the money and increase her popularity. All of it led to her being even more successful and set for her life. She never cared about friends - who needs them when you have fans?
That's the mindset she stuck to through the entirety of season one. And it would stay like it, if it weren't for a bold, snarky ravenette, her height not reaching five foot, with an ugly beanie and husky voice that nicely scratched Julia's insides each time it would call out the blonde's name.
There was no one like Mk before in Julia's life. Were there girls she treated like friends? Maybe, but it was never authentic. And as most of them realized Julia's real side, they would leave her. But it wasn't anything she cared about. If there was something in this world she believed in, it was Julia herself. Worrying about others and their struggles was a waste of energy, not getting anything in return. Useless. Being selfless was useless.
So when she found herself getting comfortable around Mk, feeling a weird sense of security when they talked, shared their thoughts and laughed, and even a glimpse of guilt when sabotaging her in the stupid cooking challenge, Julia started considering whether it was normal for these kinds of feelings to take over. In the first season, the blonde resented Mk - her attitude, the way she exposed her on the internet (that eventually came out in favor), and acted so oblivious when Julia confronted her about the whole stealing agenda Mk had going on. But she also resented how strategic, down-to-earth, and confident the ravenette was. The way She pointed out others' flaws, wasn't afraid to strike her point and could boast of her intelligence. How good her approach to the challenges was, how well she utilized her abilities and could rely on herself, being painfully honest and backing off when it was beneficial for her.
You could almost say her hatred was an attempt to hide how much she looked up to Mk.
When she watched the entirety of season one, Julia knew it was only a matter of time before these two would form an alliance. With one being a thief and the other one of the most hated players in Total Drama history, there weren't many chances of them getting far on their own. Both of the girls needed someone equally cruel, who wouldn't be afraid to play dirty and could use every given chance to turn things around for their profit.
There were not many to choose from.
But as it turned out, aside from being a respectable player, Mk was also surprisingly fun to hang with. Humorous, sarcastic, and witty, the ravenette woke up a strange feeling in Julia - sympathy. Before the blonde knew it, she felt a wave of stress washing by when Mk was up for elimination, and a relief when her name would get called up, meaning they would spend another day on the island together. She awaited the moments when it would be just the two of them, having time to shit talk and crack jokes about other players, bragging about how annoying everyone was and how Chris could just give them the prize money already since they were the only ones worthy of it. She liked listening to Mk's snarky responses and the rasp present in her voice. She appreciated the fact that no matter how unhinged she would let herself be, Mk would never judge her for that. And how easy it was to feel comfortable around the short girl, not needing to put in any effort like she previously had to when attempting to make "friends". It just came naturally for her, and from the bottom of her heart, she wished Mk felt the same way about her.
But things took a wild turn when Mk asked whether Julia liked her.
Yeah, she guessed she did. After all, they were friends, nothing else to it. But was it all? Was it what the ravenette actually meant by it? Or was she just teasing Julia as she usually would to piss her off? She never had so many questions filling up her head. Julia assumed they would pass naturally, but it only got worse at night time, when the cabin was bathed in darkness, only a few stars casting small drops of light on the windows, Julia's eyes locked on Mk's barely visible silhouette, lying on her side, head facing the wall with Theodore tucked under her arm. When it was calm, Julia's thoughts would become the complete opposite. It wasn't the first time she felt that way, but it was the first time it applied to a person, not Julia herself.
She thought it would be easier once Mk was gone, but boy was she wrong. She couldn't sleep, not when her mind constantly wandered back to the dock and the crickets, the wood cracking under her and Mk's weight, the feeling of the ravenette’s hands tugging her waist, a warm gust of breath hugging Julia's bare skin, and the smell of Mk's worn-out hat suffocating her when she hid her nose in it. Such a simple gesture that for some reason couldn't leave Julia alone.
There were a couple of more moments like these.
When she saw Mk's face on the screen during the first challenge he had to deal with alone.
When Mk was the only one to support her during the finals.
When Mk put her hand on Julia's thigh.
When she tried her best to comfort Julia when she lost her hair, even though she sucked at it.
These were all unknown, strange, and likely meaningless to the kleptomaniac. Yet Julia couldn't help but come back to these memories when left alone.
And once the season finished, and the girls kept contact, despite them living in different cities, Julia couldn't shake off the thought that maybe, just maybe, it could be that all this time it was more than just a mere sympathy.
Did she ever consider herself anything other than straight? Not really. Julia just assumed that she was into men, ignoring how she never felt any sense of attraction toward them and all of the semi-serious relationships she would get into were devoid of romantic feelings. She liked getting compliments and being spoiled and adored, but that's about it, and who said women couldn't do the same? It took her a long, long time to accept this conclusion, as Julia being different in any shape or form felt out of place, alienating her to the point she didn't know where she belonged. Matter of fact, she was so desperate she texted Bowie, BOWIE, to ask him about his process of realizing that he was gay. And during a couple of reunions her competitors organized throughout the year, she would blankly stare at him and Raj, contemplating how long it took them to feel so comfortable in their skin, given how the world treated people like them. Like her.
Was it too early to say that? What if she was mistaken and her feelings for Mk weren't anything more than platonic? But would she question herself so much if they were?
Would she?
It took a while before she eventually accepted her interest in Mk. Only then came another realization - the ravenette likely didn't feel the same way about her. And boy it hurt, to think that someone wouldn't want Julia herself. She was basically perfect, her figure slim and toned, her face flawless, gorgeous skin and hair, nails taken care of. Not a single off-putting thing about her. Well, maybe besides her personality. But Mk was, in fact, the one and only person that accepted Julia as she was. What would be the turnoff there, then?
Well, Julia wasn't sure whether Mk liked women.
Yeah, it was true she would catch the kleptomaniac taking a few long - too long in her opinion - glances at her when she walked around the cabin in short pj bottoms, or at different girls in the camp, minding their own business, chatting and laughing, exposing their wide smiles and white teeth. And it was true Mk only followed women celebrities on Twitter - the only social media app she had. And it was also true she never showed any interest in a man whatsoever. But could Julia be one hundred percent sure? And even if she was a lesbian, would she be interested in Julia in particular?
There was only one way to find out. And the plan she prepared in her mind would begin thirty minutes ago, if not for the goddamn train.
Even though the blonde didn't win the main prize, she still gathered a nice amount of money from her sponsored posts, interviews, and participation in Total Drama itself, as the reboot turned out to be a hit in Canada. So, what else was she supposed to use other than a well-deserved vacation?
She, of course, wasn't planning on spending them with her family, never in her life. But going somewhere alone would be even more embarrassing, so she thought of an amazing idea - she would invite Mk to come with her.
They talked the whole idea over very thoroughly. And it turned out that, with the prices going over the roof, it would be safe to spend it somewhere they didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for a night.
And Julia had a perfect solution for that - her auntie owned a small cottage near Wasaga Beach, that was nearly an hour and a half ride from Toronto where Julia resided. They could stay there for as long as they wanted, if "they didn't burn it down", her aunt declared. The only problem was Mk's location, as she and her family lived in some Nowheresville near Ottawa. So the ravenette would need to take a train to get to Toronto in the first place.
Julia begged Mk to the point where she couldn't refuse. Then Mk had to plead with her parents to let her go, which was a long process, but they eventually agreed. After all, it's been around three months since they saw each other at one of the reunions, and with summer starting, it was only natural for them to spend some time together. As good friends they became overtime.
Julia hoped it would become something more in the process.
So Mk was now on the road, and Julia waited patiently to pick her up from the station and drive them to the cottage in her white, cluttery Honda.
It was not a novelty that Julia was a very impatient person. And with the train still nowhere to be seen, she opened up her text messages with Mk and started aggressively tapping out letters
Mk🙄
Jules: where the hell are you
Jules: i'm getting calluses from standing for so long
Mk🙄: jeez calm down
Mk🙄: there was some accident on the rails
Mk🙄: ill be there in five minutes
Jules: you better be
Mk: miss me so much?
Jules:🖕
God this girl was insufferable. And that was partly why Julia couldn't help falling for her.
She thought finding someone equally vile as her would be impossible, but Mk proved that theory wrong. And it turned out that there was nothing more fun than being shitty people together.
After what felt like an eternity - Julia kept checking the time every ten seconds - a train drove up to the station with a squeak. People spilled out of it as soon as it stopped, unleashing a huge crowd on the platform. It took Julia a while to notice the one she awaited, since Mk was so fucking short it was basically a challenge, but after a while, she spotted her face in the mass. Everything she thought so deeply about struck her again, making Julia shrink uncontrollably. She could feel her heart fluttering when their eyes locked for a brief second, and it beat like crazy once the ravenette began walking in her direction.
Mk didn't have her usual beanie on, that was a strange view - but not surprising, since it was too fucking hot to squeeze your head with thick wool - she replaced it with a red cap, slightly too big for her head, falling to the side as she walked. She was wearing a plain, oversized black tee, light wash jeans cuffed like three times, and red Converse, with colorful socks sticking out of them. She carried a big, rectangular almost backpack on one of her shoulders, and a messenger bag on the other - it was impressive she managed to fit all of her belongings in there. The blonde noticed a bunch of bracelets stacked on her wrists, and a necklace Julia got her once they met the first time after the second season - the one and only matching heart pendant. Mk thought Julia was joking, but she wasn't - she truly wanted to do something corny girls half their age would do once they found a friend because it was the first time Julia found one herself. And as much as Mk wasn't a fan of such cliche things, when she saw how much Julia cared, she accepted the pendant.
And haven’t taken it off ever since.
It felt like hours passed until Mk reached Julia, and they now stood face to face. Well, face to chest to be more accurate, almost thirty centimeters height difference between the girls. It likely looked funny from the side, but Julia liked how tiny the ravenette seemed around her - it was somewhat adorable, to see how such a cruel character could fit into such a small body. Her appearance was misleading, but Mk sure used it to her advantage, because stealing from people in the mall never seemed easier when you didn't have to bend in to reach someone's pocket (Mk's words, not Julia's).
"Finally, I thought I was gonna melt here" Julia began, taking her sunglasses off and putting them on the top of her head. She could now see Mk in brighter colors and examine her face. It was bare, as usual, only eyebrows evened out with brow gel. The ravenette knew nothing about makeup and wasn't specifically interested in it, but Julia couldn't bring herself to ignore the potential she could unleash from Mk if only she did her makeup. Other than getting the ravenette to confess her feelings, convincing her for a makeover was a second point on the list.
Her eyes were slightly crinkled from the sun crashing directly into them, and her nose lifted due to the frown. Her cheeks were rosy, likely because of the temperature, and the girl's lips looked pouty and pinky as always. They were nice to look at. Wide, not too thin, with a beautiful, pale color. Julia would like to know how they would look covered in one of her lipsticks.
Get a grip girl! Now was not the time. They still had a lot of stuff to do before she would get down to business.
"I wish it would go faster too. Do you know how stuffy it was there? I could barely breathe!" Mk cried, which led to Julia smirking. When the shorter noticed her grin, she rolled her eyes as hard as she could, making sure it was visible "Yeah, super funny"
"I'm not saying anything"
"Of course you aren't, you're not the one who spent 5 fucking hours in a stinky train full of crying babies"
"You can complain about that later on. Come on, It's getting late and I wanna go to the beach today" Julia turned around before finishing her sentence, and began walking to her car, left in the nearby parking lot. Mk followed as she had no idea where she was and a second of inattention would result in her getting lost.
"How did you manage to stack up everything in these? I have like, two suitcases" Julia questioned as they walked side to side, avoiding other passersby in the process.
"For a five-day trip? I just took clothes, games, and food" Mk shrugged, her eyes constantly looking to the sides, getting to know the surroundings. "What do you need so much luggage for?"
"Makeup and clothes, obvi" Julia pointed out with a cynical remark, forcing Mk to roll her eyes yet again "I hope you brought your swimsuit, we'll be swimming tonight"
"I don't think you wanna see me swim, I look like a drowning cat" Mk joked, cranking her teeth in the process. They finally got to the parking lot and Julia unlocked her car, letting Mk and her big ass bags in "Nice car, but mine is cooler" Mk winked while the blonde processed her response.
Was that an allusion to what she said in that one confessional?
No, she had to stop feeding her delusions and focus on the present. She knew what she had to do.
"I didn't even know you had a car," Julia talked back, getting a short laugh in return. Mk voice cracked up a little and gosh, how she missed it. They didn't talk much since Mk was more of a texter, so it wasn't that often Julia could hear this typical rasp of her. But even the phone wouldn't be able to give off how satisfyingly it sounded. How nicely it scratched Julia's ears, giving her goosebumps even in this weather. She had no idea what kind of spell Mk put on her, but it sure worked.
They both sat in the front of the car - Julia in the driver seat, Mk next to her in the passenger seat. The blonde turned on the engine and left the parking lot as fast as she could - there was no time to waste. As they drove on the street, a small traffic already catching up to them, Julia turned on the radio and began searching for some listenable music. In the meantime, Mk rummaged in her backpack, getting out a few bags of chips, jellies, and cans of disgustingly sweet energy drinks.
"I've got supplies for like, a whole month" she explained upon noticing how Julia stared at her from the side.
"Be honest, did you pay for any of this?"
"And what do you think?'' Mk grinned, her smile contagious, and the blonde's mouth turned up as well. It was good to see her again.
She didn't realize how much she missed that stupid rat-like thief.
When lights changed and they were finally back on the track, Julia stopped on the radio station that played "King '' by Years & Years, making Mk groan out of displeasure. But Julia didn't care, it was a nice song, it reminded her of nights out, black sky and dainty air. The ravenette lowered the window, the wind blowing into her face, letting a fresh breeze in the car that, despite the AC working, was warm as hell. Mk took her cap off, revealing a short, awry chopped bang she hid under it - it was a bit longer than back in season two when Julia first saw her without the beanie, so still some progress - and getting rid of the shadow the hat cast upon her eyes. Now, her elbow resting on the side, wind blowing out her straight hair, eyes wandering outside, Julia had to hold herself from looking at the girl sitting next to her rather than focusing on the road. In such simple, day-to-day moments, while the ravenette likely thought no one noticed her, she appeared the most beautiful to Julia.
The most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
•••
It took them a while to get to the final destination and unpack everything, and by the time they were done, it was already 7 pm - Julia had to pass on her tanning session which didn't fill her with contentment. Nevertheless, they still decided to head to the beach, as it was why they came there in the first place. The cottage was big and nicely taken care of, with pretty decorations all over the kitchen, two separate bedrooms, and a big bathroom with a tub in it. On top of that, it was equipped with a terrace with a view of a nearby meadow and a little pond in the middle of it. It was so convenient, luxurious even, they could easily spend the entire trip there. But none of them wanted to waste any of the time given, so once they got into swimsuits, and gathered up all the drinks and towels, they headed on the path leading to one of the least popular parts of the bay, where tourists rarely appeared, and it was mainly full of local people taking walks with their dogs and families.
"Jesus Christ I cannot walk in those flip-flops" Mk groaned as they roamed through the path, grass tangling in between their feet. Julia kicked on some rocks from time to time, her beige sandals making a clack sound each time.
"No one made you wear them. Come on, stop complaining already!" Julia pleaded, looking at Mk with a sign of fatigue. She wanted the day to feel special, to be special. She had so much to talk about with the ravenette, but if she kept on complaining like this, it wouldn't be easy to go on with her plan, as Mk would likely find excuses for everything.
"Okay Miss Moon warrior goddess" Mk spat, almost laughing at Julia sending her a death stare. It was true some of her old habits made an impact on the present character, but the person who initially ended her glory making fun of it was putting her off for some reason. Even if it was Mk.
"Remember I can leave you here and you'll die in those woods" Julia spat, a short chuckle audible as a response from the shorter one.
She wouldn't do if, of course, but Mk didn't need to know.
"Excuse me" the ravenette mumbled, purposefully drawing out vowels to add to it. Julia couldn't help but smile, relieved knowing Mk couldn't see her face while she walked behind her. It was good to have her around, but she didn't need to know how happy Julia was with it, as it would feed on her ego and add another possible topic for her stupid remarks.
Julia didn't like her feelings getting pointed out, it made her feel weak.
And her "crush" on Mk (which sounded so sappy in her head that it almost made her puke) certainly made her weaker. So sensitive, face flushing upon hearing insult-like compliments Mk had to offer was not something Julia ever let happen before. And it freaked her out.
But, once she had a confirmation Mk felt the same way about her, she would be back with full control over everything, knowing how much of an impact SHE had on the ravenette.
It took them a while before they exited the wild path and reached the beach. The sun was already set low but still shone as strong as ever. The beach was, to put it shortly, beautiful. Clean water, the shore surrounded with seashells and holey stones, gold-like sand splitting the coast from the bay. The beach was fairly wide, so there was more than enough space to settle and leave their belongings. As Julia predicted, there were a lot of families sitting by the side, playing with their dogs or absorbing sun rays. A bunch of people swam in the water, splashing each other or diving. She noticed a group of preteens playing beach volleyball on the side, near the border between the beach and the forest nearby. It was crowded, but not too crowded, giving Julia assurance she would be able to relax after a long car ride.
And enough privacy for her and Mk.
What was her plan exactly? Show off herself and force Mk to confess, as she wouldn't be able to resist Julia's charms. And she sure had plenty of them in store. One of them being her long, slim legs.
It wasn't a secret Julia was well-built, toned down, muscular even, in some areas. After all, not everyone was able to just lumber a whole ass tree under time pressure with precision. She exercised a lot since showing yourself on social media always brought the idea of being open to criticism and hate. And oh boy, people really were hateful. She didn't want to let them see any flaws they could point out, that including her body, which - after tones of sacrifices - was perfect from the head down. Julia was aware of it and never wasted the opportunity to show it off, wearing revealing clothing and thousands of different bathing suits. It took her a while to pick the perfect one for this day, eventually making a safe choice of a nicely sewn, lacy, purple bikini, the color matching her eyes, and emphasizing her slim waist with a silver chain belt, a bunch of pearl charms stacked on it.
There was no way Mk could resist that showoff!
"Let's settle there" The blonde pointed at an empty area near the shore and immediately began walking in said direction. Mk had no time to question, so she simply shrugged and followed.
They put out the towels, securing them with bags, in case a gust of wind would come by and rip them off the ground. Once they were done, Julia took off her white cami top and threw her jean shorts off the hips. She was now modeling the bathing suit to Mk, who sat next to her, making sure the pose she stood in embraced all of her best features.
Mk's eyebrows rose as she scanned Julia with her eyes "Why are you standing like that? Your back broke or what?" She joked, forcing a frown on Julia's face.
What the heck? Not even a flush of blush? No double looks? That was not a reaction she expected. Sure, she didn't await for Mk to howl or something, she wasn't stupid, nor a bold compliment, but at least some kind of a comment. But that? Not how it was supposed to go in Julia's head.
Maybe she was trying to hide her admiration with mean remarks? That had to be it.
"Oh fuck off" Julia sat down, resting her chin on one of her hands. She looked at Mk, who was still wearing her jumper and sweat shorts, clothes she changed into after getting to the cottage "You're not gonna undress?"
"Jeez Julia, if you wanna see me naked so bad you could've just said so" The ravenette chuckled, her comment making Julia's eyes widen like she had just seen a ghost, a rush of blush coming on her face.
"You out of your mind?!" She spat, turning her head to the side, trying to fight the sudden wave of warmth spreading on her face. That girl was just insufferable!
Mk responded with another chuckle, one of her fingers making circles in the sand "I don't really like wearing swimsuits"
The comment awakened Julia from her inner panic, turning herself back and looking at Mk. She admired her long, straight hair, knots at the ends of it. Julia's hair grew out of the horrendous mullet throughout the year and she got it properly fixed by a five-star hairstylist, but it wasn't even half the length of the hair she had before the god-awful incident. So she couldn't help but feel envious of what Mk had, her two front pieces slightly shorter than the rest, nicely framing her round face. Julia wondered how it would feel to run her hand through it. Would her fingers get stuck in between the tangly knots?
"What are you, insecure or something?" The blonde cross-examined, watching Mk's eyes wander to the side. Julia was far from self-conscious, as she knew her worth and how attractive she was. So the whole idea of insecurities was alien to her. Sure, she knew how often teenage girls specifically struggled with their bodies and self-acceptance, but she couldn't put herself in their shoes. Yet the thought of Mk, someone so effortless and bratty, having self-image issues was not something she considered before.
Mk didn't seem interested in the topic, simply shrugging it off "I just don't like showing my skin. And even if I was, would you blame me, sitting next to a literal walking goddess?" she remarked, throwing her hair off her shoulders.
Julia couldn't help but smirk. So Mk did consider her attractive! After all, who wouldn't?
"Come on, I don't wanna be the only one sitting in a swimsuit like a weirdo" Julia pleaded, crossing her hands over her chest.
"Then dress yourself" Mk concluded, her response awarded with an exaggerated hiss from the blonde. But after a minute of tense silence, the ravenette threw her jumper off her shoulders and proceeded to take her shorts off, revealing a built-up, blue swimsuit with green and yellow patterns of flowers and leaves. Her shoulders were round and bare, a couple of moles adorning them. The top part firmly secured her chest, while the bottom, almost short-like, was beginning just under Mk's navel. She looked really good in Julia's eyes. Her physique wasn't astonishing, as Mk avoided exercises like the plague, and her skin remained soft and plump in some areas. But she had a surprisingly slim waist, curvy hips, and thigh gap, which made her figure nice to look at, desirable almost.
Julia wanted to compliment her, but she couldn't bring herself to say what she wanted out loud, and the only thing she managed to spit out was a mumbly "See, it wasn't so hard"
A few minutes later Mk was leaning over her console, playing some loud video game, putting Julia off a bit. Why would you come to a beach and play some fucking games out of all things? It didn't make sense to her.
She groaned under her breath and got back to a sitting position, as she lied herself a couple of minutes before and examined the ravenette, deeply invested in the game. Julia decided it was time to start another part of her "plan"
She stretched herself, letting out a forced yawn, trying to get Mk's attention. It didn't work, as her eyes were firmly stuck to the console, so Julia proceeded to lean her back, securing herself with her elbows. She shifted her weight to the side, sticking one of her hips out, and drew out her legs as far as she could, enhancing their length and shape. But Mk still didn't budge, and the blonde's patience was slowly running out.
"Oh my god, do I have a bruise on my leg?" She asked, almost screaming, so that the ravenette would pay attention this time. She paused her game, looked to the side toward Julia's legs, and returned to her previous activity.
"Nah, everything's fine" Mk answered, not bugging to look at Julia in the meantime. Now the blonde was getting mad. There was no way Mk wouldn't like to take a longer look at her legs for God's sake, she was likely holding herself. That had to be it, and Julia was determined to break this barrier.
She crossed one leg over the other, shifting herself to the side, getting closer to Mk, but only slightly so as not to make it look too obvious. She then straightened up her left leg, feet pointing out, making it look as long as it possibly could. And yet again, Mk didn't look.
Why was she so oblivious? Julia began shifting even more, fidgeting around, striking the most random and out-of-place poses, all to enhance her legs. And finally, after a while, Mk turned her console off and looked at Julia, slightly concerned.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you sick or something?"
Now she had to be kidding because there was no way Mk couldn't get such an obvious hint. Julia pouted her lips and frowned, her eyes squinted.
"Just making sure every part of my body is equally insolated" She quickly came up with an excuse, shutting the topic down as fast as she could. Mk examined the look on her face and eventually shrugged, letting it go.
Okay, this part of the plan didn't work out. So what? She had more ideas, one surely had to work. Next on the list - applying sunscreen. Julia took out a small tube from her beige bag, an SPF50 she, obviously, applied before going to the beach. Everywhere beside one place - her back.
She pretended to smear it on her legs and arms, and then sighed loudly, catching Mk's attention.
"Mk, could you spread it on my back please? Can't reach it myself" she asked nicely, looking straight into Mk's brown, black almost eyes. They were hard to read, as Mk expressed herself more with other features than her eyes. Smirking, frowning, nose crinkling, but her eyes usually remained the same. It was weird, but an interesting aspect of it as a whole, and Julia couldn't help but get drawn in by it.
"Yeah, I guess" Mk stuck out her hand, waiting for Julia to pass her the sunscreen. The blonde understood and threw the tube in her hands, and then turned herself, her back now facing the ravenette. She sat straight, making sure her waistline was nicely enhanced, taking her hair in one hand and moving it in front of her shoulder, exposing her neck. Now that sure made an impression on Mk, right?
But the ravenette didn't comment on it, not even once, simply proceeded to squeeze the cream on her hand and smeared it out on Julia's back. Her hands were cold, surprisingly cold as for the weather, it made Julia jump in place a little. It could be the sunscreen, but Mk's fingertips were smooth and extremely soft, tracing her spine, resulting in Julia's stomach doing a turn-over. She couldn't help but melt under her touch, so delicate yet effective. Julia couldn't stand how much of an impact everything Mk did had on her. It was supposed to be the other side, wasn't it?
"Okay, done" The raspy voice brought Julia back to the earth, as Mk closed the tube and let go of the blonde's back. Her body felt somewhat empty after she did.
So, another fail. The only one who was affected by this was Julia, the complete opposite of what she expected. Why was Mk so hard to break?
For the next hour, Julia tried every single method of getting Mk's attention she could possibly come up with. Taking a long, slow walk from their towels to the shore and back, collecting seashells and giving the prettiest ones to the ravenette, constantly brushing through her hands "by accident", flicking her hair every given second. Nothing worked. Aside from some of Mk's cynical remarks, all of her attempts were silenced. At some point, when the sun began to set, Julia questioned whether Mk was purposefully ignoring Julia's attempts, or if she really wasn't interested in her.
And it broke the blonde's heart a little, as the second thought was getting louder and louder, pounding in Julia's head.
The crowd on the beach thinned out, only a bunch of families scattered all around it left. Julia and Mk were alone on the part of the coast where they settled a bunch of hours earlier, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore nicely resonated in Julia's ears, bringing her inner peace.
The blonde's mood was ruined by her failure to achieve what she wanted, it was undoubtedly humiliating. Not as humiliating as losing a million-dollar prize to the stupidest dude known to mankind, but still humiliating. How could Mk not want Julia? Maybe she wasn't interested in women after all?
It would certainly be less hurtful than her not sharing the same feelings toward the blonde.
When she could see the ravenette fidgeting in her place, likely out of boredom, she decided that it was time to just let go of her stupid, desperate plan and try and have fun. As much as they could have with the awareness of Mk's lack of interest in Julia as a potential partner.
"Come on, let's go swimming" The blonde got up and stuck her hands to Mk, encouraging her to do the same. Mk looked up at Julia through the coat of her short, dark eyelashes and sighed loudly.
"If I have to"
With that, Julia took Mk by both of her hands and practically dragged the girl beside her. The ravenette almost tripped, cursing Julia out in the process, to which the blonde responded with a short, honest laugh. They ran towards the water like they were pursued by someone. When they reached the shore, cold water reaching their bare feet, Mk shuddered at the temperature of it.
"No way I'm going in. Too cold"
"Oh yes you are going in" Julia commanded, and before the kleptomaniac knew it, the blonde pushed her toward the water, making her take a few rapid steps and then falling in, both her hands and legs wet when she landed. She hissed at the cold embracing her, then looked toward Julia with the biggest frown the world had ever seen. Her eyes were filled with anger, that slowly transformed into a desire for revenge.
"You're not getting away with this"
"Try me" The blonde smirked and started running as soon as Mk got up from the ground and began chasing her, splashing water to the sides. Julia ran into the water, the sudden change of temperature putting her off a bit, but she wouldn't let Mk have the satisfaction of drowning her in it, so she continued, reaching the waist-high part of the bay. It took a while before the ravenette caught up to her, groaning under the cold feeling on her skin, mumbling something about how she hated everything. It made Julia laugh even more, the corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes crinkled. Mk watched her in silence, only to use the moment of her frailty, gripping both of Julia's shoulders and dragging her down, making the blonde bend and immerse in the water. She screamed, surprised by Mk's boldness, and broke away from her grip, taking a few steps back.
"Oh, it is on" She bit her tongue, looking into Mk's eyes, filled with snickering and delight.
They began chasing each other, opening up a competition on who splashed who more. Mk was almost fully underwater while Julia had it only tickling her waist, so the ravenette constantly complained about the conditions being unfair. Julia just provoked her more, forcing Mk to swim around to catch up to her, trying to wet her head as much as possible. After a long moment of going back and forth, both of the girls reached each other's shoulders and dragged each other down, Mk dived in first, but the amount of force she used forced Julia to dive as well. She swam out after a second, her entire face wet, the bang she tried to desperately grow out for a year sticking to her forehead. Her mascara gathered up and smudged on her lower eyelids, messing up the eye makeup. Mk emerged a second later, her hair covering half of her face, she quickly ran her hand through it. It was now fully visible, her lips were trembling a bit, her nose was pink from the cold, and her eyelashes stuck to each other, creating a couple of clumps. They both looked like a hot mess.
"God, you're so insufferable," Julia remarked, hearing a cracking laugh in return.
"I am, and you love it" Mk smirked boldly, a small blush sneaking into Julia's face from the comment. The air was warm, sitting on their shoulders, the scent of summer as present as ever. The setting sun cast a shadow on both of them, the sky was a mixture of purple, pink, and orange, all combining into a beautiful, salmon shade. Mk's hair shone in it, enhancing the deep color and its slick look.
"Shut up" Julia whispered, noticing how messed up Mk's eyebrows got due to the water. Before she knew it, she took the ravenette's head into her hands, placing them on her temples, brushing through the eyebrows with her thumbs, smoothing them out. Mk traced her every single move, looking deep into Julia's amethyst eyes. She then proceeded to tuck a few loose pieces of Julia's hair behind her ears, fingers brushing through the skin. They looked at each other in silence, and at that moment Julia could swear Mk's beauty altered her brain chemistry somehow because a second later she cupped the shorter's cheeks and leaned in for a kiss, forcing their lips to meet.
Julia had her fair share of kisses before, but no one could prepare her for the feeling of Mk's lips on her. They were surprisingly soft, oh how soft these woman's lips were, textured a bit, yet still extremely soothing. She could hear the ravenette gasp, hesitantly giving in to the kiss, standing on her tiptoes, the water rippling from her move. It was a short, spontaneous gesture, and when Julia finally parted from Mk, they both looked at each other in shock. She had no idea why she thought it was a good idea, how could she be so stupid? It was Mk who was supposed to take the initiative, not her! Now she looked even more desperate, hungry for attention she never thought she would crave. Not in that way, not from a woman, not from Mk. And what if it was the very last time it would ever happen?
Luckily for her, this wave of anxiety got cut by Mk's grin and giggle, her voice cracking up.
"Finally, I thought you would never get to business"
What?
"Excuse me? You were waiting for it this whole time?!" Julia exclaimed, confused at the shorter one's statement "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It was fun to see you being so involved" Mk explained, brushing through her hair again. It all clicked now.
Mk was simply playing with Julia.
Julia's eyes widened upon the realization, making the ravenette laugh out of delight. How could she not realize it sooner? Was she so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Mk was tricking her? Did she let the guard down too early on?
"It was funny, but so not like you. I like you when you're natural, Jules" Mk took a step closer and took Julia's hand in her, their fingers tangling with each other, forcing Julia to look at the kleptomaniac. She was smiling warmly, and sincerely, she looked absolutely beautiful. Julia couldn't keep her eyes away from her, even though she was slightly pissed at the ravenette. She was too nice to look at. And the amount of sappy feelings filling her made her die of embarrassment.
"You're lucky you're so charming or I would drown you right here" Julia pointed her long nail at Mk's chest, slightly pushing her. They kept eye contact in the process, none of them indenting to look away, examining themselves and drowning in the depth of the colors.
So, you could say Julia's plan worked. Not exactly how she imagined it to, but it did. She came back from the beach with two new things - a girlfriend, and a belief that maybe feelings weren't making her weak, but even stronger in the process.
As the two came back from the beach, Mk rummaged through her luggage and let out a loud groan of displeasure.
"Darn it, I left Theodore at home"
Which to, Julia answered.
"You know, I can be the one you'll snuggle to at night"
And even though the cottage had two bedrooms, one remained empty throughout the entire trip.