"It's done!"
A delicious aroma of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, and a bunch of other sweet smells filled the Crystal Gems' beach house. Steven giddily armored himself with duel oven mitts to pull his magnificent concoction of desserts out of the oven. He whipped around, showing off the giant tray piled high with brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and more all smashed together into a chaotic masterpiece. Connie sat at the bar and stared at her friend's creation in awe. Connie had been craving sweets all day, but she wasn't sure what exactly, so Steven decided to make her a little of everything.
"Wow, that looks amazing, Steven," said a drooling Connie.
"I call it…" Steven struck an epic pose before declaring: "THE PYRAMID OF A THOUSAND DESSERTS!"
Connie giggled. "'The Pyramid of a Thousand Desserts', huh?"
Steven placed the tray on the counter. "Okay, maybe it's more of a dome than a pyramid. And maybe there's not a thousand desserts in there."
"But it's close enough," said Connie. "I can't wait to try it."
Connie picked her fork off the counter, her tongue poking out of her mouth ever-so-slightly.
"Wait! It's still super hot," said Steven. "You gotta wait for it to cool down."
Connie sighed. "Fine."
Steven hopped up on the barstool next to Connie. They waited with their elbows resting on the counter and their chins resting on their hands, staring impatiently at the Pyramid of a Thousand Desserts. But only about ten seconds passed before Connie reached for it again. She grabbed her fork off the counter and scooped a big bite onto it.
"That's it, I can't wait any longer. It smells too good!"
Connie shoved the bite into her mouth, which she realized immediately was a mistake. She opened her mouth slightly and breathed air in and out in order to cool it down.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" she exclaimed, waving her hands around.
Steven couldn't help but laugh a little. "I told you!"
Connie was finally able to swallow the bite, but it hurt the whole way going down.
"Man, that was hot," Connie huffed.
Steven rested a comforting hand on Connie's shoulder. "I love that you appreciate dessert as much as I do, but maybe that wasn't your best idea?"
"Ow, it burnt my lip." Connie pouted her lower lip, which was now a little red.
"Did it at least taste good?" Steven asked.
Connie scratched her chin. "Hmmmm, I don't know. It was so hot I couldn't even taste it." She looked at Steven with a mischievous grin. "Guess I'll have to find out!"
Connie went in for another bite with her fork, but Steven grabbed her arm.
"Oh no, you don't," Steven laughed.
The two playfully fought over the fork in Connie's hand and giggled. Eventually Steven was able to snatch the fork away from her.
"Alright, you win." Connie sighed and pat Steven's knee with a smile. Steven blushed a little from her touch. "My stupid lip still hurts. Does it look bad?"
Connie puckered her lips at Steven. Steven's cheeks reddened a little more.
"Uhhh, there might be a blister," he said.
"Oh great, I hate blisters. Do you have an ice pack or something I can put on it?"
Steven took a big gulp. "I might have an idea that'll help… close your eyes."
Connie raised an eyebrow. "Close my eyes?"
"Just trust me."
Without any further questions Connie closed her eyes. If Steven told her to trust him, then she would. She never had any problem trusting Steven. They were best friends. They've saved each other on multiple occasions. They always had each other's backs.
Steven's eyes grew wide with worry as he leaned forward, realizing what he was about to do. He started to pucker his lips when Connie's eyes snapped open. Steven's face was just inches from her face.
"Steven, what are you doing?!" Connie exclaimed, reeling so far back she practically fell off the barstool.
"I-I uh—
"Were you going to kiss me?" Connie asked. Steven heard either shock or confusion in her tone, but couldn't tell which it was. Probably both.
"Uh, uh, uh—
Steven was panicking. His face was completely red. Sweat poured down his entire body. He couldn't breathe. The deafening pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. What had he just done?! Why did he do that?! He was so in shock of his own actions he barely knew what to do or say.
"My spit!" were the only words he could form. "I was trying to heal you with my spit!"
Connie jumped off the barstool, her body language completely different than before. Steven saw how her shoulders slouched, she crossed her arms, and looked down at the floor. His heart sank. He made her feel like this. He put his best friend in an uncomfortable situation, and she trusted him.
"I think I should go home now…"
Her voice was small and unsure.
Connie grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.
"Connie, wait!" Steven chased after her.
"I'll see you later, Steven," she said, without looking back at him.
The screen door slammed in Steven's face. Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks as he watched Connie scurry down the front steps. He could've ran after her. He should've ran after her. But the weight of what he did to his best friend rooted him to the ground. He couldn't move or make words. A million things were running through his head and yet he couldn't think what to do. This wasn't how he ever imagined it, and now that moment is forever ruined, and the idea of their first kiss forever tarnished.
Amethyst appeared from her room.
"Yo Steve-aroni, what you guys up to?" she asked before spotting the dessert on the kitchen island.
Without using any utensils Amethyst removed a glob of it and shoved it in her mouth. She barely chewed it before swallowing it almost whole. Her eyes widened. It was delicious. She shoveled more in her mouth.
"Where'd your girlfriend Connie go?" Amethyst asked with a mouthful.
Steven turned around, tears in the corners of his eyes. "Why would you say that?!"
Amethyst shrugged, not knowing the reality of her comment in this situation. "Relax, dude I was just making a joke."
Steven plopped on the ground and groaned. Nothing could fix how awful he felt.
"Amethyst, I really messed up."
The purple Gem took another bite from the Pyramid of a Thousand Desserts. "Nah, I think you nailed it."
"Not the dessert. With—ugh, never mind."
Steven slinked his way up the stairs to his loft and slithered into bed like a defeated snake. He wrapped his blanket around him like a cozy burrito, but he didn't deserve to feel cozy. So he kicked the blanket on the floor and groaned again.
It was the next day and Steven still hadn't gotten out of bed. He just laid there, no covers or anything, staring up at the ceiling. Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl convened in the kitchen.
"What's going on with Steven? He still hasn't gotten out of bed," said Pearl, concerned.
Amethyst was finishing the leftovers of Steven's dessert from the day before, which he hadn't touched once. "I don't know. He was acting all weird after Connie left."
"Do you think she upset him?" Pearl asked, almost surprised at the possibility, but to her she couldn't imagine what else happened between them.
"There's one way to find out," said Garnet. "Ask Steven."
Pearl ignored Garnet. She can't help but worry and ask questions aloud. "Maybe it was food poisoning from this awful thing he made?"
Amethyst burped after finishing the final bite. "Well, I ate most of it and I feel great."
Pearl placed her hands on her hips. "That's because you don't have a digestive system like Steven."
"I can hear everything you're saying."
A soft voice announced himself to the room. The three Gems immediately stopped talking upon realizing that maybe they hadn't been discussing things as quietly as they thought.
"It wasn't Connie's fault. It was my fault."
Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst all looked at each other. Without an exchange of words, they headed up to Steven's loft. Steven rolled on his shoulder facing away from the Gems as the three of them squished to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Steven," Pearl said gently, "what's going on?"
There was a long pause. The kitchen clock ticked in the background. The looks of concern grew deeper on each of their faces as they stared at Steven's back. It was like a brick wall facing them.
Then, without turning to face them, he asked, "Have any of you been in love?"
Amethyst was at a loss for words. "Uhhh—
Pearl tried to hide her blushing cheeks with her hands. "Garnet, why don't you take this one?"
Steven flopped on his back so they could finally see his face, but he stared at the ceiling. "I know Ruby and Sapphire have obviously. Garnet is proof of that. But I guess what I'm asking is…"
Garnet knew what he was trying to say. "It feels like kindness and compassion and understanding and loyalty and honesty and strength," she listed off, but in the most genuine of feelings.
"Strength?" Steven questioned.
"Like you're stronger together," Garnet clarified.
Pearl was starting to pick up on the situation. "Did something happen with Connie?"
Steven sighed before sitting up in his bed. He watched his hands as he nervously fiddled with the wrinkles in his sheets and heat from embarrassment crept across his cheeks.
"I… I tried to kiss Connie," he admitted.
The Gems subdued their reactions, happy or shocked or what have you, in order to not make Steven more embarrassed than he already was.
"But I didn't ask her if it was okay first, which was wrong. So she freaked out and left."
Pearl tried to place a reassuring hand on the boy Gem. "Steven…"
But he pulled away. "No! Don't try to tell me it's okay or what I did was not that bad, because it was. Connie's my friend."
"We know, Steve-o. We get it," Amethyst empathized.
There was another pause amongst them all.
"You have to find her," determined Garnet. "You have to talk to her."
"I'm sorry, Garnet normally I would agree with you but I think Steven should give Connie some space," said Pearl.
Amethyst hopped off the bed excitedly. "No way! He's gotta tell her how he feels!"
"Exactly." Garnet smiled and nodded.
"Through romance!" Amethyst transformed into her signature helicopter. "You can whisk her away on a night ride over Beach City."
Garnet's smile fell to a disapproving frown. "Okay. Not exactly."
Amethyst then morphed into a cello and she played a jazzy base line on herself. "Then you can take her to a night of dancing! Then the night will end with a romantic walk on the beach, where you'll see…" Amethyst turned this time into a dolphin. "Dolphins!"
She tried to jump through the sky victoriously for the big finale, but out of water it just looked like a belly flop onto the hard floor. A clumsy fail like this from Amethyst would normally make Steven laugh, but there was too much on his mind. In fact, he looked less than enthused about Amethyst's idea.
"Maybe Pearl is right. Maybe I should just give her some space."
Pearl was delighted to hear Pearl is right. She gasped. "Oh! I knew you'd make the right choice, Steven. And who knows? Five thousand years from now, maybe even only one thousand years from now, you two can share a look. Then in a few more thousand years you might graze each other's hands. Then in a few more thousand—
"Stop." Garnet held up her gem-covered palm. "You're both being ridiculous. Steven just needs to talk to Connie… as in have a normal, honest conversation."
Steven looked at Garnet, nervous. "But what do I say?"
Garnet lowered her glasses and cracked a smile. "I think we both know the answer to that." She winked at him before covering her three eyes with her shades again.
Steven sighed. She was right. It was time.
There was a gentle knock at the door. Connie yelled that she would answer it, having a feeling she knew who it was. She opened the door to see Steven wearing the pink button up she gave him. His hands were behind his back. He was nervous.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Wanna go get some fry bits?"
"Sure. Just, let me go tell my mom."
Connie closed the door and ran inside the kitchen to tell her parents she'd be going out. They told her to be back before it was dark, nothing new there. Before heading to the front door Connie stopped in the powder room. She quickly glanced in the mirror and patted down her hair until it looked just right. Then, she was off.
"Ready?" Steven asked.
Connie nodded. "Ready."
They walked in silence to the Fry Shack. No doubt both were formulating what they wanted to say in their heads. The sun was beginning to set, blanketing the boardwalk with an array of orange and purple hues.
They arrived at the Fry Shack and Steven ordered his usual, but Connie didn't order anything. Once Steven got his bits the two walked to the edge of the pier and sat with their legs hanging off the end. The setting sun warmed their faces as a cool ocean breeze rolled over their shoulders. Steven held out his bag of bits.
"No thanks," said Connie, "I'm not that hungry."
"Me neither," said Steven.
Connie raised an eyebrow at him. "Then why did you want fries?"
Steven's face was already turning red. "I didn't. I just wanted a reason to talk to you."
"You never need a reason to talk to me, Steven. You can always talk to me," she assured him, her voice sounding much more warm and comfortable than the end of yesterday.
"I'm so sorry about yesterday," Steven sniffed, tears coming to the corners of his eyes.
"Aw, Steven," Connie chuckled a little, wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay."
"No, it's not. I—I was going to… kiss you and I didn't ask if it was okay."
"Well, I suppose if you had asked I would've been less surprised. But like you said, you were doing it for the spit," Connie laughed, trying to make light of the situation.
Steven's cheeks turned even redder as he threw some of his fry bits to the seagulls on the beach.
"It wasn't just to heal your blister. I… I wanted to kiss you because… I like you."
"You do?" Connie was surprised, but more in the way of but why would someone like me?
Steven could hear it in her voice. It crushed him to hear that doubt. "Of course I do. You're so smart, and brave, and funny, and kind."
Connie smiled and pat Steven's knee, just like yesterday on the barstools. Her cheeks were red now too. "You're all those things too, you know."
"Really? Thanks."
"And you know what else? I always knew you'd probably be my first kiss. I just wasn't expecting it to be yesterday," Connie laughed softly.
"Well, it doesn't have to be any time soon. I don't want to make you uncomfortable ever again," said Steven.
"Thanks." Connie shrugged. "And maybe it'll be sooner than you think."
She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, as he just stared at her in awe. Their eyes locked and lingered for a moment. Neither was sure if it was the tension of the moment that made it feel like they were being drawn together, or if they were really leaning closer and closer. But after what felt like eternity, finally…
A seagull swooped in and started attacking Steven. He screamed as Connie tried to shoo it away, but Steven had waited too long to throw it some of his fry bits, and that bird was hungry. Connie snatched the fry bits from Steven's hand and threw the bag on the beach. A herd of seagulls attacked the fries like an all-out war.
"Are you okay?!"
Just then, an angered voice yelled from behind them: "Aw c'mon, way to ruin the moment, seagulls!"
Steven and Connie whipped around to see Amethyst, with Garnet and Pearl behind her. The three were hiding poorly behind the Fry Shack, obviously spying on them.
"Shhhh! Do you want them to see us?" Pearl whispered, but not that quietly.
"They can certainly hear us, thanks to you two," Garnet pointed out.
Amethyst and Pearl then realize how loud they were being, with Steven and Connie glaring at them.
"Oops, my bad! Sorry, Steve-o!" Amethyst called to him.
Steven face palmed but Connie just laughed. At this point, the Gems didn't even try to hide themselves. And they didn't plan on leaving either. They needed to see how this was going to work out.
Connie decided to ignore them. She found their curiosity endearing. "Did you get hurt?"
"Do you mean physically by the bird or emotionally by those three?"
Connie gasped and pointed to Steven's arm. "You're bleeding!"
Steven waved his arm around. "Ahhh! I have bird flu! Get it off, get it off!"
Connie placed her hands on her hips. "Steven!"
He smiled sheepishly. "Oh yeah." He then licked his hand and placed it on the cut from the bird, healing it instantly.
"Okay, I have something else that might make you feel better. Close your eyes," Connie told him.
Steven closed his eyes. His heart pounded rapidly in anticipation of what might happen.
Connie leaned in and gave him a quick and shy peck on the lips. Steven lit up. The Gems cheered, well, mostly Amethyst, who also celebrated by turning into a helicopter and flying circles above them.
"I hope you didn't feel like you had to do that because of me, or them," said Steven, embarrassed.
Connie intertwined her fingers with his. "Nope. I just wanted to."
Steven grinned the biggest grin his face could handle. Then he and his nosy, uninvited chaperones walked Connie home before it got too dark. And they held hands the whole way.