The sun was just rising on the beach. Fatin was awake, she loved to watch the sunrise every morning. The gold light would fall on Leah, leaving her glowing. She was looking forward to today. Leah rolled over and opened her eyes.
"Good morning," she yawned, rubbing sand from her eye. Fatin smiled. "Morning, ready for our trip?" Fatin stood up, grabbing the bag that was next to her, Leah followed. They had planned to explore the north side of the island, the complete opposite side from where they were. They knew this trip was going to take a few days. There was no way they would make it there, explore, then return by sundown.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do kids!" Dot called sarcastically. Leah flashed her a smile as they took off. Fatin was a few feet ahead, it took no time for Leah to catch up. Her eyes met Fatin's for a second and they both couldn't help the warmth from rushing to their cheeks.
"I hope we can find some berries or something we can make a jam with. I would give anything for seasonings, I'm tired of flavorless fish all the time." Fatin complained. "Oooh, or some grapes, maybe we can make wine!"
They walked in silence, (which was natural for them) never felt awkward, just enjoying each other's presence. When they got about halfway around the island, they decided to stop for a break. Leah plopped in the sand and took her shoes off.
"Glad we decided to take the beach instead of trying to go through the forest" She placed her elbows on her knees.
"Yeah, there is no way we would have made it through all that." Fatin pointed behind her with her thumb and sat down next to Leah. Letting out a long sigh, Leah laid back in the sand. She could feel her spine decompressing, relaxing her. Fatin followed, shielding the sun from her eyes so she could face Leah. The only sound they could hear were seagulls and rushing waves.
"It's so peaceful when there's no arguing." Fatin took a deep breath, she wanted to reach for Leah's hand which was right next to hers.
"Yeah, I can get lost in these sounds." Leah closed her eyes, trying to sink further into the sand. 'Fuck it' Fatin thought. She slid her hand toward Leah's, interlacing their fingers. Leah didn't even flinch, didn't react, or open her eyes. She just simply smiled, giving Fatin a small squeeze to let her know this was ok. They laid there for a few minutes before Fatin broke the embrace, sitting up. She grabbed her bag, pulling out a diet coke. Popping the can open, she took a sip, then passed it to Leah. Sitting up just enough to take a sip, Leah grabbed the can and drank. She screwed the coke can into the sand as a cup holder.
"Ready to get lost?" Fatin joked as she stood up, dusting the sand off the back of her legs.
"Uh-huh" Leah grabbed her shoes, putting them back on her feet. Fatin held out her hand which Leah gladly took, pulling her up. Without a word, she dusted Leah's back off.
"Thanks." She smiled, meeting Fatin's gaze. Leah turned before she could spot the large smile that crawled across her lips. Fatin grabbed her bag and Leah, the coke. They began again on their journey, Leah taking the lead this time. Fatin snatched Nora's journal from the bag, flipping through it lazily, following Leah with her peripherals. They trailed the rest of the way until they were in unfamiliar territory. Fatin made sure she drew some sort of rudimentary map as they went along.
Finally, they had reached their destination and they still had enough sun left to explore, maybe two-three hours tops. They were both exhausted, but they were just as equally curious. They also knew they could explore the out-skirts and gather supplies to make camp. Fatin and Leah scanned the area for any resources they could possibly use. Leah gathered firewood and Fatin gathered palms for make-shift beds. Once the sun had finally set, there wasn't much left to do for the night. Leah and Fatin used the remaining sunlight to try and catch a fish. They were successful, but it was smaller than they had hoped. The campfire was crackling, smoke drifting to the sky. Leah was sitting with her legs folded, picking bones out of her food, focused on what she was doing. Fatin had her knees up, elbows resting on them. She was just picking at her food at this point, wanting to say something but not finding the words yet. She just wanted to hear Leah's voice, it had become a comfort to her.
"This one time I got so drunk at a party, I was dancing on a pool table, and hit my head on the chandelier. The whole thing just came crashing down to the table and I swear, I have never seen that many people leave a building that fast." Fatin threw her leftovers over her shoulder. Leah just looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Holy shit, were you ok?" Leah took one last bite before doing the same.
"Oh yeah, just a few scratches. No one else was hurt but man, the sound of it shattering…" Fatin shook the chills off. The wind had picked up and the fire wasn't helping as much as they hoped. Leah was wearing a brown hoodie, Fatin only had a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve shirt over it. Leah noticed and moved next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. Fatin leaned in, this felt natural for them. They sat enjoying the fire and each other's company talking about stories from their past. Leah thought her stories were boring, but Fatin loved them.
"I'm beat." Fatin yawned.
"Same." Leah responded but didn't move, she didn't want to let go yet. She sat and waited for one of them to make a move, but neither did. Leah was the one to break the embrace this time, she laid back against the palms. She padded to the space next to her.
"C'mere I want to show you something." Fatin without hesitation laid next to her.
"See That cluster of stars there, the bright one in the middle, extends out to connect the stars next to it?" Leah pointed to the sky, closing one eye to focus. Fatin leaned closer.
"Yeah, I think so…" Fatin rested her head against Leah's shoulder.
"That's Virgo, I look at it sometimes at night. I don't know why, maybe as a reminder? I'll be eighteen this year, but here I am, I could care less. All I wanna do is get off this fucking island." She sighed and turned to face Fatin.
"What will life be like once we get back?" Leah continued, she brushed the back of her hand against Fatin's arm. Fatin rolled over, lifting her chin with her fist. She met her gaze, smiling. The fireflies were blinking around them like tiny lanterns. The smell of smoke and ocean drifting with the wind. The crickets chirped in the background, and waves crashed against the beach. Time almost stood still. Fatin brushed a hair off to the side of Leah's face.
"I don't know…" She lingered off.
"But I do know one thing." Fatin was lightly playing with Leah's hair, twirling a piece around her finger.
"And what's that?" Leah's voice sounded like a dare.
"This." Fatin leaned in and met Leah's lips with no resistance. The kiss felt like a missing puzzle piece finally clicking into place. Leah deepened the kiss by running her hands through Fatin's hair, bringing them in closer. Fatin had started the kiss, but Leah was hungry for more. Fatin topped her, straddling her hips without breaking the moment. Leah tugged at the rim of Fatin's shirt, bringing it over her head. Exposed to the chilled air, Fatin shivered. Leah couldn't help to think how hot that was. She wanted to reach back and undo her bra too, but she resisted the urge. Fatin pulled Leah's sweater and shirt off rather quickly, this time breaking the kiss for a breather. They were both starting to get cold. Leah pulled Fatin in, wrapping her arms around her so that their chests were flush.
"We should stay warm." Leah reached for her jacket, throwing in top of both of them.
"Good idea." Fatin leaned in, she gently kissed her lips. Leah let her take the lead. She started slowly, tonguing and biting at Leah's lips. Her hands tracing the sides of Fatin's body, wondering around the curves. Finally, Leah reached her tongue out to intertwine with hers. Their hips were bucking against each other, grinding. Their bodies were heating up, they both wanted more. Leah broke the kiss.
"Hold on…" Her eyes darted to the side and they both sat up.
"I'm sorry I-I…" Fatin started but was interrupted.
"No, no. It's not that. I just… I want this…. It's just that," She started.
"It's that you've been here before, I get it. No need to rush anything." Fatin placed her hand on Leah's shoulder. She immediately placed her hand on top.
"Thanks." She picked up Fatin's hand and kissed it.
"C'mon!" Fatin leaned back, laid her arm out like a pillow and patted to the space between them. Leah smiled and laid her head on Fatin's arm. She snuggled in close, burying her face in her warm and welcoming arms. Fatin wrapped them with what clothes she could reach, kissed her on the forehead, and they fell asleep.
