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The Bering Land Bridge Theory posits that during the Pleistocene Epoch a land bridge, Beringia, connecting Eastern Siberia and Alaska which allowed migration to the Americas. After the last glacial maximum of Pleistocene, ice gradually began to melt, submerging Beringia, as such disconnecting Asia and North America. (Britannica, n.d.).
Similarly, in a much smaller scale, land bridges connecting small islands to the shore may disappear and reappear depending the level of high tides which are caused by the Lunar Tidal Effect.
(Un)fortunately, tonight is a full moon perigee, or commonly known as a supermoon, and such period causes even higher tides.
Such is a love story between the moon revolving around the Earth, and the latter reciprocating through their tides.
As a Marine Science student, Gem should have known this fact by heart and should have warned the crew not to travel to a remote island about three kilometers from the shore. But she forgot, all because of a certain someone who she happens to share eight kisses the day before.
Meet Pearl, the other half of Gem's homoerotic friendship. Those eight kisses must have meant something, right? Wrong. Shit like that could still be considered platonic.
Because what if Pearl was just curious? This question has been bugging Gem for the past 12 hours. The easiest way to resolve this question is to ask Pearl directly. But guess what, neither of them spoke about it. They did speak to each other about the trip of course, but other than that, there is an unusual radio silence between the two of them. They both knew what the other is thinking, yet none of them had the courage to interrupt this moment of solace to ask one simple question: Does she love me
Ignorance is a bliss and they both believe it, proven by the fact that they both subtly try to avoid each other in small ways. There is a mutual mental note between the two of them that they should at least give each other some space after that whole thing. Otherwise, their awkwardness of being such in a close proximity with each other would thwart all emotions they could possibly feel in this trip.
If not for a certain Mumbo Jumbo who initially turned down this opportunity but ended up joining last minute to have a content for one of his subjects as a Film Major. He was such in a rush for this last-minute decision that he immediately sat at the left middle row seat, Gem's ideal seat.
Of course, it would be definitely awkward if Gem asked Mumbo to switch seats with her. Resigned to her fate, she sat by Pearl who was quietly looking at the window, silently wondering why the hell she initiated the kiss between her so-called best friend. In fact, that very thought kept her up at night and now she feels sleepy.
Not even an hour in, Gem would notice that Pearl is falling asleep. Her head is drooping off her neck and would bounce a bit at slightly bumpy roads. Gem sighed and straightened up her posture to allow Pearl to sleep on her shoulders.
And at that moment, everything around them seems to blur, Gem couldn't remember how the ride even went. Pearl's close presence blocked all of her sense from functioning.
You see, Gem noticed that Pearl has this distinct fruity yet minty smell. It's quite subtle, but distinct enough for Gem to notice. It could've been her perfume, body wash, or shampoo, but it could've also been some sort of pheromones that only Gem could've smelled (in the "she's the one" kind of way, not in the ABO one.)
"Hey Gem, it's your favorite song. You can thank me for adding that to the playlist." Skizz remarked. It was Daylight by Taylor Swift, but Gem can't even hear it clearly because her beating heart is too loud. So loud in fact that Skizz made a comment about it.
"You guys hear that thumping sound? Joel, are you sure the car's good?"
"Go to sleep Skizz, you’re hallucinating."
Of course, Gem also didn't hear this small banter. She might've added into it if she heard it, but the girl's in love, who can blame her? She can't even hear her favorite song, the one she dedicated to Pearl.
It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive to the beach that Grian found. It wasn't the resort type; in fact, no one is there and no structure is in sight.
"You sure we're in the right place?" Joel, the driver asked.
"Yep." Grian said as he showed him the map in Google Maps. They're in the southeast coast of Dawn.
"Don't ask me why there's nothing here. I literally looked for an empty beach to enjoy it all for ourselves. And look, there's an island over there." He pointed towards it. "And it's low tide, we can go out and explore."
"I don't want us to be featured in a true crime channel." Jimmy chimes in.
"Don't be such a coward Tim." Grian rolled his eyes. "Joel, you can park there." He then pointed at the coast.
"I swear Grian if this van gets damaged, I'll make sure that you'll pay the whole cost."
It wasn't Joel's van. It was some Scooby Doo style van that they've rented from someone at the university. It was a bit old but it still works perfectly fine. It can hold up to eleven people with four rows of seat.
Joel and Lizzie are in the driver's and shotgun's seat respectively. Grian and Jimmy are on the second row, since the former is their navigator. Mumbo, Gem and Pearl are on the third one, with a gap between Mumbo and the girls for back row access. And lastly, Scar, Impulse and Skizz, are on the last row.
Their personal belongings are being carried by each of them, except for Joel who was driving. All of their group necessities like their communal food and drinks are in iceboxes at the back row. Sleeping bags are also placed at the back, while the tents and the fishing rods are tied on the roof of the car.
"Joel, slow down." Lizzie said as she heard the items at the roof seemingly crackle.
"I can't babe, the terrain is not it." He replied as he continued to drive the van in an equally sandy and rocky terrain.
The bumpy road awakens a sleeping Pearl who opened her eyes. Why am I sleeping on her shoulder? In order to avoid the awkwardness of it, she pretended to sleep again. Luckily, Gem didn't notice as she was busy stressing over the bumpy road.
A few seconds later, the car came to a stop. Pearl felt a light tap on her right cheek.
"We're here." Gem whispers, which sent goosebumps all over Pearl's body.
"Oh?" Pearl pretended to be half awake and then slouched back to her seat, and proceeded to look outside the window. She is indeed interested in the surroundings, but all she wants was to avoid Gem's gaze for now.
"Items out, everybody." Grian commanded them.
Gem hurriedly went outside to get some fresh air after feeling all hot and bothered. Pearl was also bothered, but for another reason. Does she hate me?
As the others started to bring their things out, Scar spoke up about his brilliant island.
"Here me out, guys. Why don't we go over there?" He asks pointing at a small island in the distance.
It wasn't that far of an island, just a little bit over a kilometer (0.621 miles for the Americans) from the shore. It is connected by at least ten meters (around 33 feet) wide sandy land bridge that can be easily passed. The island itself does not also seem to be too big. It could probably take 20 minutes to run from one end to another.
"What? And we're gonna leave this bus here all alone in the night?" Joel asked.
"The car is the least of the problems, Joel."
"C'mon guys it will be fun. And look there's a land bridge. I'm sure the car can cross that."
"You know what, let's see what's beyond there." It was painfully obvious that Grian has a soft spot for Scar.
Pearl noticed his brother's gay ass, of course. And yet, here she is, volunteering to be the third wheel just to stay away from the awkwardness called "having a crush on your best friend".
"Wait, I'll go with you." Pearl catches up to both Grian and Scar who are starting to cross the land bridge. Everybody is confused, especially Gem.
Twenty minutes later, they have returned. They are greeted by the sight of their other friends in their swimwear and are slightly annoyed. Both Joel and Skizz are topless, Lizzie is wearing a pink swim dress, Impulse is still wearing a t-shirt, Jimmy changed into a tank top, Mumbo is of course in his Hawaiian shirt, and Gem.
For fuck's sake. Pearl felt the air getting thicker and thicker, to the point that she finds it difficult to breathe. Completely understandable because there is this goddess in front of her wearing a yellow one-piece swimsuit with a denim short.
Pearl suddenly felt self-conscious, looking at her outfit --- a tank top underneath an open dress shirt. She fixed her hair a bit and tried her very best to not to draw attention as much as possible.
"What took you so long?" Jimmy asked.
"We just left for twenty minutes. We haven't even explored the rest of the island but it looks good." Grian replied.
"It better be. I'm not gonna risk this van for a boring ass island." Joel spats back.
"The audacity to talk about that damn car when it isn't even yours."
"Listen here you little piece-"
Grian and Joel's argument suddenly seem to fade out of Pearl's mind. Part of it was because it was a repetitive argument, but most of it was because Gem was staring right through her soul.
Pearl is terrified, feeling Gem's piercing gaze on her peripheral vision. Terrifying Pearl wasn't on Gem's mind though. She just spaced out and looked for too long. Why can't she look at me?!
Gem's train of thoughts was broken when she felt a nudged on her stomach.
"You know you can't get a girl by looking at her like that." Lizzie said in an almost whisper.
"Was I that obvious."
"Look at Pearl, she seems a bit tense. You're scaring her."
"No, I'm not."
"You do, sweetheart. Anyway, I'm going to calm my husband's ass."
A few minutes later, the group packed up and went inside the car. Oddly enough for Pearl, her new seatmate is Lizzie. She wouldn't mind it if not for a fact that everyone sat on their previous seat, except for Gem who swapped with Lizzie.
"Why the fuck are you here?" Joel quietly asks Gem.
"Girl problems."
They soon started driving towards the island. Surprisingly enough, it was a very smooth three-minute drive. Everyone, especially Joel, was overjoyed.
They excitedly set up as soon as they've arrived. At this point it was already high noon. Unlike the other days, the sun did not produce a scorching heat wave. It was a cloudy day after all.
Grian immediately placed down his foldable chair, and then went back to the van to retrieve his fishing rod and worm bait. He locked in immediately after sitting down. Nobody can disturb him.
Lizzie and Joel on the other hand, made a small campfire to grill the frozen meat they've brought along. Of course, they will also be cooking Grian's catch.
Impulse and Skizz on the other hand, began setting up the two tents they will be sleeping in later. Seeing her pseudo dads somehow struggling to keep the tent from collapsing, Gem decided to help them.
"You guys are pathetic." She said while shaking her head disappointedly.
Everyone's busy except for the wet cats of the group. Seeing that she is basically jobless, Pearl took out a mat from the van and placed it beside Grian. She then laid on her back, and started counting the clouds passing by, an attempt of distracting herself.
She was about to doze off when she heard Jimmy's voice.
"Scar, will you be my tour guide around this island? Please say yes."
"Oh Jimmy, you little toy, of course I can. Where do you wanna start your journey? Left, or right?"
"Guys can I come too?" Mumbo asked. "I want to take some shots."
Both Jimmy and Scar nodded, and then waited for Mumbo to catch up with them.
"Wait! I wanna go too." Pearl sprang up in action and then towards the trio.
She didn't even waved goodbye. Why do I even care about this shit? Gem is about to crash out.
"Guys, there's a cave system in the rightmost hill and it's so huge. We can just camp there, I'm sure Joel can drive." Scar excitedly exclaims.
It did not take an hour for the wet cats to return. Being in a litter of idiots, neither of them remembered to bring food or even a water bottle. As a result, they are all exhausted are basically scrambling to find the nearest water supply.
"Drink." Gem pointed a water bottle at Pearl who is literally kneeling on the ground, about to pass out from exhaustion. Pearl instinctively opened her mouth, expecting Gem to pour water on her.
"Open it yourself, you idiot." Gem threw the bottle on her, which was in fact, sealed. Pearl sheepishly sat on the sand and opened the bottle.
"You guys are weird, I'm getting out of here." Mumbo, who saw the whole thing, commented
"Says the one who started a cult because the moon became irrationally big." Pearl replied.
"By the way, if anyone else wants to explore the island, feel free to do so. Just don't go too far into the center or deep inside the cave. We don't want anyone to get lost, understood?" Grian reminded the group.
The rest of the afternoon was spent by the group swimming, building sandcastles, eating, chasing Jimmy with a water gun (Grian-exclusive), sunbathing, gossiping, and fishing (also Grian-exclusive).
There have been several trips made throughout the island for the duration of the afternoon. It takes almost an hour to cover the whole perimeter of the island. All trips did stay on the perimeter only because no one dared to cross the center in fear of snakes and other scarier wild life. So far, no scary wildlife made an appearance, just the usual seagulls and squirrels.
Nothing is scarier than being in a weird situationship with a friend though.
"Gem, wanna race with me?" Pearl asked while she is coming up from the shore. She did change her outfit into a rash guard after being peer pressured by Joel to go swim.
Good to know that she still wants to talk to me after two fucking hours of radio silence. Gem started cursing on her mind.
"I would love to see you try beating a Marine Science student in swimming, but unfortunately, I have a schedule with my dads." Gem stood up from her foldable chairs. "Hey dads, we're touring the island now, right?"
"Now? I thought you said-" Impulse's reply was cut off by Gem's immediate response.
"Great, let's go."
This was all part of Gem's stupid revenge plan in retaliation for Pearl taking every opportunity to get away from Gem. Unfortunately, a clueless as ever, Pearl is confused. What the hell did I do wrong?
An hour later, after Gem and the dads arrived, the group had a short dinner with the food that they have brought over the campfire that Joel, a well-known arsonist, had set-up.
It didn't take a while for them to tell ghostly stories while toasting smores. Sadly, for our main couple, nothing worthwhile happened over this scouting activity. Just a few awkward accidental eye contacts with each other as Pearl sat between Jimmy and Scar, while Gem was in between Lizzie and Skizz.
After that they decided on where they should sleep for the night. The dads volunteered to sleep in the beach mat with the stars under them. Grian and Jimmy shared a tent, while the other tent was shared by Mumbo and Scar. Joel and Lizzie of course slept on the van, because Joel, and also Gem and Pearl, much to Grian's insistence.
After the short room assignment, everyone was basically free to do what they want. Jimmy and Scar went night swimming, Grian and Mumbo cleaned the place up, and the rest freshen up at a nearby stream in a small patch of trees.
As if by fate, Gem and Pearl happens to be the last ones on the stream, after Jizzie and ImpSkizz left.
"Don't look because I'm definitely not gonna look at you." Pearl said while she's changing her clothes. Both of them are having their backs face each other.
"Don't lie to me. I saw you eyeing my body earlier after I changed into my swimsuit."
Pearl looked around hoping that nobody can hear them right now. "You saw nothing."
"I definitely saw my best friend being either a pervert or just plain jealous of my body." Pearl does not respond, prompting an awkward pause. "You know, we can just talk about this, Pearl." She turned around to face Pearl who was still buttoning her shirt
Pearl suddenly turned around after feeling Gem turned. "Hey, have you been looking at me the whole time?"
"Pearl, listen. You can either choose to forget that night or acknowledge its existence and its implications."
"Don't make me decide, you're also involve in this."
"But I'm not the one who's running away. I'm confronting you directly, Pearl."
"Give me a day to decide."
"All right." Gem surrendered and began walking towards the van.
Pearl followed soon after and they've both discovered the difficulty of their sleeping area. They soon saw a sleeping Joel on the reclined shotgun seat while Lizzie is on the second row of adjoining seats.
Unfortunately for both Gem and Pearl, the third row has a gap on its middle, which means that one of them gets to sleep in the adjoining last row, while the other is on the floor. They both sighed knowing that they have to discuss with the other.
A very common fanfic trope is being forced to share a bed because somehow someway that's the only available room in a local motel after the couple accidentally argued for too long, they missed the last train.
Gem and Pearl, however, have no bed at all. Just Joel's dusty rusty rented van, and they're both sleeping in different levels. Pearl being the taller one, volunteered to sleep on the van's floor, while Gem laid on the four adjoining car seats at the back.
A reminder that none of this would've happened if Grian isn't gay enough to consider Scar's idea. They could've slept under the starry night, admiring the stars, looking for constellations, and having deep talks about life, but that ain't gonna happen now. Instead, they're both stuck at this dusty, rusty, and probably musky van with both Lizzie and Joel snoring loudly, because they are in fact in a remote island. It's not the most romantic, but at least it helps lessen the awkward atmosphere through experiencing this once in a lifetime shit together.
It was a false alarm though. While yes, the moment wasn't awkward at all, but Pearl felt tension. The tension between her and Gem's body, despite the difference in elevation. One wrong move and Gem would fall onto Pearl, literally.
Sure enough, it would be awkward as hell, your crush landing on top of you, while you're both in a cramped space, making it insanely difficult to get up and untangle yourself from each other. But Pearl is anticipating it, it was a guilty pleasure kind of thought. And if indeed that almost impossible scenario will happen, Pearl would not shy away from that moment.
What if the seats are frictionless and Gem would roll over, fall down onto me, and our lips inavertedly crash onto each other again?
Fellas, is it gay to accidentally kiss your homie while snuggling with each other?
Pearl would say yes and she hopes that Gem wouldn't say no.
She can't exactly remember how they got in this position or when did it start. Maybe it was that time when Gem went at her place for their Earth Science presentation on Lunar Tidal Effects. It wasn't anything special really. It wasn't fate that caused them to be pairs with each other. No random wheel of names things, they just chose each other because they were friend
They were part of the same large friend group along with Jimmy back in high school, although they're not that close. It was a situation of someone (Scott), merging two of his friend groups together. Gem and Pearl are not in the same sub-friend-group, but they did had lunch with each other at some points.
The next time they interacted after high school was in that Earth Science class that both Marine Science and Astronomy majors are required to take. Pearl immediately sat next to Gem and they connected more compared to their high school days.
Months into the semester, they did a project together at Pearl's condo unit. Naturally, they both got tired after three hours of work and Pearl invited Gem to sleep. There is a pillow between them, but somehow, they found themselves skin-to-skin with each other.
It was 7 PM when they heard a knock on the door. They've been sleeping for two hours and Pearl's roommate, BigB had arrived.
The following weeks, it became a cycle. Both of their schedules lined up with an afternoon free time on Tuesdays and Fridays and they would head to Pearl's unit and sleep together. Literal sleeping together. As weeks pasts the pillow between gradually slips away and they ended up cuddling with each other.
As their bodies pressed closer, so does their faces. One time they both woke up at the same time with their faces mere inches from each other. They quickly turned away, flustered and awkwardly spoke for the rest of the day. The awkwardness went away quickly though and they went back to the same habits.
Cuddling with their faces close to each other would warrant accidental kisses. It starts with cheek kisses, until they've become comfortable enough to do it, platonically of course. Then it goes to forehead kisses, and eventually the whole face, except for the lips. Oftentimes, their lips would lightly brush each other, and they would get flustered and apologize to each other. And then this happened on one Friday afternoon amidst the light of the golden hour shining through the windows.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have turned knowing that your face is there." Pearl apologizes to her. They're both lying in bed, hands on each other's waist, blushing, as their lips made contact with each other due to Pearl's sudden turn around.
"Don't. Don't be sorry. I could've dodged it, you know. I know you'll be turning your head towards me and I know that your lips will land directly in mine, but I didn't move."
They were both silent, except for their raging heartbeats. They are so close with each other that they are basically exchanging breaths.
"Pearl, what I am saying is... I don't think this is an accident anymore." Gem's grip on Pearl's waist tightens while Pearl's hands transfer onto the other's cheeks.
"Gem, if you're uncomf-"
"Do it." Gem says in an almost whisper. "Please."
Pearl cupped Gem's cheeks and immediately crashes her lips onto Gem's. It took a whole second until she pulled away, with of them blushing.
"Whoa." It was the only thing that Pearl said before Gem kissed her, and then Pearl responded again. Then another and another. Eight kisses in total, all but one was pecks. The exception was the last one when Gem interlocked their lips together.
It could go on even further if it weren't for BigB knocking on their door.
"Peeaarl, have you read Grian's message? He says he wants to go to the beach."
And so, the beach trip did happen, just not in the way any of them had expected.
The next morning arrived and Gem found herself in Pearl's arms. Of course, she did, in fact, she purposefully controlled every muscle of her body to be able to fall down onto Pearl without any much noise. She fell asleep immediately after landing on Pearl's body.
"Rise and shine idiots!" Joel's voice boomed through the van. Gem instantly attempted to stand up. Attempted. She fell on Pearl at least three times before she was finally able to support herself to sit back at the car seats. She then looked back at Pearl who was still sleeping soundly despite being fallen over by Gem. She's definitely lying.
"Hey cleaning lady wake up! We've got a lot of cleaning to do!" It turns out Gem wasn't the only one who was focused at Pearl.
"What the fuck, Joel?" That was the first thing Pearl said in the morning. That's actually a lie. She did whisper "I love you" to Gem in the wee hours of the morning. Gem was fully asleep on top of Pearl at that point.
"This better be worth my time." Pearl stood up without even fixing herself and bolted out of the car. Joel followed suit.
"Don't worry, you can always relive that moment, Gem." Lizzie then showed her a photo that she took of Gem sleeping on top of Pearl, comfortably hiding on her neck. In contrast to Gem's fear, Pearl is very much comfortable at all, hugging Gem with both of her arms. In fact, one of her hands is even inside Gem's shirt.
"Hey! Delete that! Lizzie! Give me your phone!"
"Only if you shoot your shot. Joel's right, you guys are both idiots and it is starting to irritate me that neither of you wanted to confess to each other despite very obvious signs of liking each other."
"But, what if..."
"Trust me, I've been in your place once. He was my best friend before we became together. Fate led the two of you to be stranded on an island for you to finally admit your feelings to each other."
"Wait, what? What do you mean we're stranded? I thought we're coming home today."
"The sea level suddenly rose and we saw dark clouds up ahead. I'm afraid, we can't cross the land bridge anymore."
"But it's still a bit early in the morning. I know for a fact that the sea level will eventually lower at noon."
"Like what I've said, a storm seems to be approaching. We should start looking for a shelter if it indeed came. That's why Joel woke Pearl up early to ask her help to organize our stuffs."
"What the fuck?"
"Exactly."
BOOM!
And as if on cue a thunder can be heard. It started raining immediately.
"Hurry! Pack up everyone." Grian screamed at his friends amidst the pouring thunderstorm.
Lizzie and Gem both went outside to help carry the things inside the van. Things were shoved left and right inside the van. Everyone moved as quickly as they could, in fact the tents were placed on the roof of the van without even securing it, just faith and blind trust.
When everyone was inside Joel started the van.
"Joel you might want to hurry up." Impulse said as he looks back onto the beach. The water level is rising very quickly, with the waves higher than a meter hitting the shore.
Joel hit the gas pedal and started going somewhere. He also doesn’t know where is this somewhere.
"Where are we going?" Jimmy asked.
"You tell me, where the fuck are we going?"
"To the cave, you short man!" Grian exclaimed.
"We're the same height for fuck's sake."
The cave was indeed the right place to go. It was elevated at least seven meters from the shore, yet the path going there is quite smooth.
Joel then parked the van at the mouth of the cave, just in goldilocks zone of being covered and being far from stalagmites. When the group went out, they were shocked to find that their tents, which they failed to secure, was missing.
"Who needs a tent when we have this huge ass ceiling?" Jimmy asked while pointing at the ceiling of the cave.
"It's not about the tent Jim, it's about my money." Grian replied.
"Can you guys tone it down? Your noisy assess are disturbing the ecosystem of the cave." Scar said in a whisper. It was in fact true as these noises can disrupt the bats as they mainly use echolocation for their mode of transport.
"You guys sure this ain't dangerous?" Joel asked.
"We used a makeshift torch yesterday, not the British one but like the Minecraft one. The fire kept burning through a hundred meters in and it did not explode. Safe to say that this cave got enough oxygen levels and no other natural gas, such as methane. Yup, I learnt it all from Tango." Skizz proudly mentioned.
"You guys entered the cave? I thought we all agreed not to explore that far?" Grian reminded them.
"Gem wanted to buy time." Pearl's ears suddenly perked up.
"Care to explain?" Grian asked Gem who immediately roll her eyes.
"Can't a girl explore?"
Grian's eyes darted at Pearl then slowly turned his head back to Gem. "You know, you don't need my permission for that."
Gem immediately blushed, understanding what Grian had meant. "Idiot." She then separated and went with Joel.
"Never seen Gem that red." Pearl jumped immediately after hearing Skizz's voice behind her.
"Haven't seen it either." She lied. She saw a Gem way redder than this one during that night. "By the way, do you know what they're talking about? I've heard but I don't have the context."
Skizz just shrugged and went back to carrying the items from the van.
The group made arrangements wherein half of the crew going back and forth from the van while the other half set up their equipment. They were able to find a somewhat flat and smooth surface where they could set up a temporary camp. They were able to start a fire with the driftwood that they had gathered the day before and was able to cook meals. Unfortunately, though, they don't really have a good resting place since both of their tents were blown off by the win.
The group all huddle up close to the campfire to get enough warmth, since all of them have wet clothes from the torrential rain. Gem naturally found her place right beside Pearl who suddenly became stiff.
"You haven't talked to me since you woke up. Let's see if you will avoid me." She whispered as she placed her right hand onto Pearl's waist. Nobody really paid attention to it.
"You're getting bolder, aren't you? Are you trying to influence my decision, perhaps?" Pearl whispered back. "Don't worry, I have already decided."
Gem suddenly became nervous, and yet she still manages to gather her courage to speak. "Whatever it is, I'm fine with it. I just hope that the awkwardness between us would soon fade." She says as she leans onto Pearl's shoulders. Pearl gladly accepts her gestures and even used her other hand to pet Gem's head. Eventually, Pearl's stiffness went away, and she leaned her head on top of Gem's.
It was still early in the afternoon, and yet it was as if it's evening outside. The dark and stormy clouds completely block off the sun's rays making seem as if it was night. The storm grew heavier and heavier, lighting strikes almost at every minute, and yet most of the crew were asleep. Thunder cannot wake up boredom.
After they had lunch, they all made small talks and spread gossips, as a large group which eventually broke up into smaller conversations. Time passed by and they ran out of topic. No one was stimulated enough to continue, and yet no one strayed far from the group. Except for someone have to take care of their business which they all did in pairs behind a tall stalagmite.
Everyone who attempted to raise the idea of cave exploration was immediately shut down by Grian, Mumbo, and the dads.
"We don't want to be interviewed by random true crime podcasters in case you disappeared." Grian replied.
As a result, almost everyone decided to sleep just to past time, hoping that by the time they've woken up, the storm will finally be gone. Despite being ten of them, they've managed to squeeze themselves in the two beach mats like sardines. They've also designated two people per two hours to watch over the group.
In the spirit of conserving the space, Pearl used Gem as her own bolster pillow which is better than all bolster pillows since it hugs back. Four hours into their deep slumber. They were woken up by Lizzie and Joel who just had finished their shifts.
"Wake up, lovebirds." Lizzie quietly tugged them. "It's 8 PM. Your time to stay awake."
The next thirty minutes was utter silence only to be broken by the sound of movements when one of their friends shifts into another sleeping position. Usually Gem doesn’t sleep this early, especially since it just almost 9 PM. She usually sleeps up until 1 AM regularly, but she can go up to 4 AM in during hell week. This time it was a rare occasion though, as boredom slowly induces her to sleep. With no means to entertain themselves, Hypnos almost cradled her to sleep. Almost.
“Sleepy already? How are you supposed to last all night long for our honeymoon?” Pearl’s voice woken up something inside her.
“Shut up. You haven’t even told me your decision.”
“Oh, I could say it right now. They all seem to be fast asleep, but I don’t really wanna risk it, especially that both of our brothers are here. And nobody is awake in case something will happen.”
“Fair point, so, what do you suggest, princess?”
“We could tell someone to cover for us. The problem is, I haven’t told anyone about us.” Why is she not blushing when I’m literally calling her princess?
“Lizzie knows that I have a crush on you, and my brother has suspicions, but I don’t think it is fair to wake them up especially after they just finished their shift.”
“Wait, who’s after us?”
“Mumbo and Scar.”
“Scar is a bit loud. I think Mumbo’s the best shot. Let’s hold him hostage.”
Minutes later, the couple enacted their plan. Slowly but surely, they made their way into Mumbo’s bag and stole his camera. Pearl got his camera while Gem slowly shakes him up.
“Is it time yet? Wait-“ Gem immediately covered his mouth. “Don’t be too loud or we’ll do something with your baby.” She turns her head to Pearl who was holding the camera.
Mumbo immediately removed Gem’s hands from his mouth. “I promise I’m gonna talk quietly.” He whispers.
“Good. Now listen carefully. Pearl and I are about to talk about something private, so we need to go somewhere. Don’t worry, we won’t go far out from this place, just somewhere out of earshot. I need you to just stay awake and keep an eye out for the rest. You know what happens if you don’t follow us. Pearl motions to the camera.”
“Okay okay, just let me have it first.”
“Don’t worry, you’re gonna get it in an hour.”
“What? Okay fine, just promise me that you would keep it safe. That’s worth at least a thousand dollars and my project is in there.”
“We’ll take care of it, Mumbo. Have fun!” Pearl said as she and Gem made their way into the darkness, with only a flashlight and Mumbo’s camera, while holding each other’s hands.
They walked for at least five minutes before they found a nice flat spot to sit down and talk.
“So…” Gem asks her. “What’s the verdict?” Gem asks as she faces Pearl, still holding her hand. Suddenly, she felt a swift force taking her, lunging her body straight towards to Pearl. She suddenly felt Pearl’s hand on her cheeks as the latter’s face move closer and closer to her. So close, she felt Pearl’s hot breath on her lips. So damn close, she felt Pearl’s lips on hers.
“Will you accept that answer?” Pearl asked her. Gem was stunned. Pearl has indeed kissed her on the lips again. With a singular flashlight illuminating both of their faces, she attempted to look directly at Pearl, but it was a challenge for her, especially when they just kissed. When she was finally able to do so, Pearl immediately avoided her eye contact.
“Pearl, look at me.” Pearl immediately looked at her, trying to establish an eye contact. “I want you to say it to me.”
“But, Gem… “
“You can’t just joke about lasting long enough in a honeymoon and then kissing me, just for you to chicken out when I ask you to say it aloud. Look, I don’t want a partner in the future that can’t commit to what they say.”
“That’s the problem, Gem. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a relationship yet. I’m not romantic or creative enough to say things that would make your heart flutter, but I like you Gem. I really, really, really like you. And I don’t want to ever forget that night even if I have the option to. I want that kiss or kisses, rather. I desperately want your lips onto mine and our bodies as close to each other as possible. But I don’t think I can commit to being in a relationship yet.”
“God, you’re so pathetic. And dramatic. I’m not asking you to be my girlfriend right now. I’m just asking you be my girlfriend… right now. I just want you to say it outright if you ever felt something to me. Pearl, I also have feelings for you, you pathetic little wet cat. Now, won’t you lean down and let me kiss you.
Pearl of course leans down and met Gem’s lips. It wasn’t just a singular peck, it went deeper and deeper, until they are practically out of breath.
“Didn’t know you’re a good kisser. Where did you learned that?” Gem teased her. Her arms are still on Pearl’s waist.
“How’d you know I’m good? Have you kissed someone before?” Pearl replied back.
“Shut up, it’s just you Pearl, just my Pearlo.” Gem hugged her, burying her face onto Pearl’s chest in the process. “You know, I did say I don’t want a partner who can’t commit in the future, I still stand by it, but it’s probably good to take things slow first. Let’s enjoy what we have right now without having to rush things. But, do you still want to be exclusive, even without labels?”
“Are you asking me to be in an official situationship with you?”
“It’s not a situationship, just the dating stage without the commitment of an actual relationship. Still up for it?”
“What the hell, sure?” Pearl leaned down again and kissed Gem with more and more kisses. Gem of course kissed her back so hard that their flashlight fell onto the ground. The sounds of its shatter immediately broke off their kiss.
“Shit…” That’s the only thing that Gem has managed to say in the complete darkness. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. That’s probably a sign for us to go back.” Pearl held Gem’s hand as she attempted to find their way back.
Crack.
“Oops…” She stepped on the broken flashlight instead.
“We’re definitely not making it back.”
“Wait, we can use Mumbo’s camera. It has a flash maybe we can use it. Unfortunately, it relies on a capacitor instead of a battery since it is meant for short bursts, so we can only use it to illuminate our way for a few seconds at a time.”
“You’re such a nerd.”
“That’s what Physics 102 does to a girl.”
Together, they attempted to make their way back in the dark cave system Mumbo’s flash, snapping a few couple pictures in between. One of which includes them kissing.
“Don’t you think Mumbo’s gonna see that?” Pearl asks.
“We’ll be fine, we can just hold his camera hostage again.”
Crack.
Gem used the camera’s flash to see what she stepped on. It was the broken flashlight. “Wait, are we going in circles?”
At the point, they only have around ten minutes left before Mumbo and Scar’s shift. Mumbo on the other hand, becomes increasingly paranoid for his camera. He keeps on looking at his watch and the direction at where Gem and Pearl went.
“Maybe it’s that way?” Pearl pointed at another direction while Gem flashes the camera.
“Yeah, let’s try that one.” It was the wrong direction, and instead it lead them deeper and deeper into the cave.
An hour had passed and they still have no clue how to get back. They’ve seen a bath colony, a boob-shaped stalagmite, and even a waterfall leading to an underground river. In fact, they’ve passed by that waterfall for the third time already. In addition to that, the camera’s battery is almost running out. Feeling tired and dejected, the two of them slumped at the smoothest part beside the underground waterfall.
“Did you bring water? I’m starting to get thirsty; I might drink out of this river instead.” Gem said as she rests her head onto Pearl’s shoulder.”
“Hey, I don’t want to take care of you if you got diarrhea from that river. But, if you’re really thirsty, you can just drink my saliva instead.”
“Ew, you’re disgusting.”
“You can’t say that when you were sucking my lips so hard earlier. You are basically sucking my saliva too.”
“That’s vastly different from drinking your saliva. “
“You’re still consuming it. Don’t worry, Gem, I don’t think about you that way. You can spit on my mouth whenever you wanted to.”
“I hate you.”
“Yeah, you hate me so much that you almost put your tongue inside my mouth earlier.”
“I want to taste you, Pearl.” She placed her hand on Pearl’s thigh, causing Pearl to be stiff. It was Gem’s turn to tease. “Can I?” It was complete darkness yet, somehow Pearl can see Gem doing a puppy face. It was cute, but it was so dangerous. She knows she can’t resist it.
Pearl cups her face in response, and they’ve began kissing each other. Pearl moaned as she felt Gem’s tongue crept slowly inside her mouth. Of course, she did not let her win, and instead fought back with her tongue. She felt Gem’s grip on her waist becomes tighter when she licked the roof of Gem’s mouth. Running out of breath, they both broke the kiss.
"Isn't it awkward to have our first make out in the middle of the cave?" She asked.
"We are exactly right where we should be, now shut up and let me straddle you."
Pearl immediately zips up her mouth and straightens her back.
"God you're so pathetic, I fucking love you." Gem immediately sat on Pearl's lap and pulled her in for a kiss. Pearl responded with an open mouth kiss and then another, and another, and another. One thing led to another and their tongues are both exploring each other's mouth again.
"Mmm..." Gem moaned as Pearl's tongue touches the roof of her mouth. Satisfied with Gem's response, Pearl continued dominating her mouth, letting her tongue explore each and every crevice. This causes Gem to dig her nails onto Pearl's back.
Adhering to the fact that she is gay as fuck, Gem couldn't think straight. Especially when she felt Pearl's tight grip onto her waist, slowly loosening up, and started to toy with the hemline of her shirt. Gay panic sank right in when she felt Pearl's middle and pointer fingers brushing over her bare skin. Can't she move it up higher?
"Who's pathetic now?" Pearl gave her a smug grin, after breaking off their kiss.
"You're so fucking annoying, why did I even fall for someone like you?" She then removed her hand from Pearl's back to grabbed her hair, angling it so she could have better access onto Pearl's neck.
Slowly, but surely, she started kissing her jawline and then trailing down to her neck where she began planting open mouthed kisses.
"Gem..." Pearl moaned in response. This awakened something inside Gem, causing her to give little licks during each kiss on Pearl's neck. Once she landed on her collarbones, she began to suck Pearl's skin. Naturally, Pearl moaned in response. But it wasn't Pearl's only response.
Gem did not realize that while she's busy planting a hickey on Pearl's collarbone, the latter's hands slowly crept inside her shirt, gripping Gem' bare waist. It was only after she finished sucking when she felt Pearl's delicate touch on her lower ribcage, just an inch below her breasts.
They both wanted more, Gem wanted Pearl's hand to go up higher, while Pearl wanted Gem's lips to go lower. They also both know that in the middle of a fucking cave wasn't the right place for that. But hey, if they're going to be trapped in this cave in the middle of a remote island, why not go out with a bang?
The pair locked eyes after the whole hickey thing. It's dark, and they only have one dying light source. They can barely see each other clearly, and yet they can understand each other so well.
"Continue?" They both asked at the same time.
They both nodded, and so Gem began lifting her shirt, when they both heard footsteps.
"Gem! Pearl! Are you there?" It was Impulse, followed by Skizz.
They both exhaled in unison, unsure if it was a sigh of relief of being rescued or of frustration that their little intimate time was interrupted.
They’ve all made it back safely, and they were greeted by Grian who was crossing his arms. There’s Mumbo by his side who seems paler than before.
“My camera!” Mumbo exclaims as Gem handed him back his beloved camera.
“Where the hell have you two been?” Grian wasn’t mad, just disappointed. Either way, he comes off as mad.
While the two lovebirds got lost in the cave, Mumbo waited for them to comeback. Thirty minutes had passed and he decided to wake Scar up, who was his pair for the shifts. He then told them about Gem and Pearl, and Scar immediately panicked, waking everyone up, including Joel and Grian, the lovebirds’ older brothers.
A search party was immediately enacted, splitting the group into pairs, while Grian and Mumbo holds down the fort. They made sure to leave a few markings behind just so they would not get lost in the darkness. It took another hour of searching before they were found by Impulse and Skizz.
“I had the urge to poop so I asked Gem to accompany me. I didn’t do it in our designated spot, since the smell became unbearable.
Grian wasn’t convinced and both of them knows it. “You know what, fine. I’m glad both of you are safe. Pearl, come with me.” Grian pulled her aside. “I want you to be honest with me. You don’t have to tell me everything now, but I hope you will in the future. You might want to cover it up.” Grian said as she motions on her neck. It was a hickey that Gem gave earlier.
“Thanks?” That’s the only thing Pearl was able to reply to him. It was so awkward thanking your sibling.
Meanwhile Gem and Joel on the other hand, had a lot more different dynamic.
“Gem! Are you okay?” Lizzie exclaims as she hugged Gem.
“I’m perfectly fine, you guys, don’t need to worry.”
“She takes after me.” Joel proudly proclaims.
“Being impulsive runs in your blood.” Lizzie replied to him.
“It’s called, being adventurous, babe.” And the two began to banter.
Once everyone had made it back safe, they’ve decided to go to sleep again with Jimmy and Grian guarding the rest of them throughout the night. Gem and Pearl found their way onto each other’s arms again, comfortably placing their hands inside each other’s shirt, heartbeats pounding in sync with each other.
The sky was clear again the next day. In fact, the land bridge has now reappeared and definitely safe for the to cross back an hour after everybody had woken up, they’ve packed all of their things in the car and then went back to the bridge. Along the way, Lizzie had spotted Grian’s tent which flew during the storm. Grian was more than happy to have it back.
On the way back, Pearl had found herself getting sleepy again. Instead of avoiding Gem’s presence, she leaned into it, and feel her warmth. She laid her head on top of Gem’s breasts while the latter wrapped her arm around Pearl’s shoulder. It was the most comfortable sleep Pearl had ever had.
Hours later, they’ve arrived back at their university. Joel delivered them one-by-one to their rentals. Next up was Pearl and Scar’s condominium. Grian and Mumbo were already dropped off earlier. Gem instantly saw the shift of Pearl’s mood as soon as her brother left.
“BigB’s just messaged me. He said he’s staying over at Ren’s tonight.” It was half-truth, she practically begged BigB to go somewhere just for the night after her phone was charged at a gas station en route.
“That means, you’re all alone?”
“I could use your company.” Gem was excited. Finally, alone time with her in the appropriate space. Can’t wait to prove her wrong and keep her up all night.
“Hey Joel, I’m staying at Pearl’s tonight.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Joel just rolled his eyes, while Lizzie was visibly joyous.
“I can’t believe your younger sister has more rizz than you.” Lizzie whispered at him.
Joel just scoffed in response, but smiled at the thought of his sister finally getting to be with the love of her life.
A few minutes later, the group bid their good byes as Gem, Pearl, and Scar were dropped off at their condominium. The three of them rode the elevator together before Scar waved goodbye as he exited at the 4th Floor. Soon the elevator had reached Pearl’s floor.
“Can’t wait to continue our little moment at the cave yesterday.” Gem winked at Pearl, and practically dragged her out of the elevator. They’re still label-less, mind you.
They’re both nervous at what this relationship will bring to them, but nonetheless, the excitement of being in love completely overwhelmed all their doubts and hesitations with their new relationship. Although they’re both unsure whether this will lead them to heartbreaks or eternal happiness, it will be an experience that they knew they will cherish throughout their entire lives. A love story between the moon and the sea causing eternal tidal waves of love in their lives.
A few days after the trip, Mumbo had just finished developed the films from that camera he brought. Out of the 36 exposures of the films, about two-thirds of those were taken by Mumbo himself, while the last one was suspiciously taken in the cave. His eyes then landed in the last batch of photos.
“Gem and Pearl are kissing?”