"Mom, have you seen my straightener brush?"
Ruth's instincts sprouted, she almost never called her that, usually a "Mother" or "Ruth" escaped her lips, especially when she was angry; the girl wanted something... or was hiding something.
"I don't know Rose, every day I tell you to clean up your room. If I had known you were bringing your trash to the entire suite, I would have insisted Cal to stay..."
Ever since India, things had been very good with her mother, Rose was surprised to see she was genuinely interested in culture without believing herself superior (as Ruth usually did). When they both agreed, Rose was once again that little girl eager to follow her mother to the ends of the earth.
Rose continued outlining her eyes, making sure to leave a wing on the outer corner. Then she took off her ear piercings, looking to match the Oman dressing code. I hope the recent ones don't close, she thought, not wanting to go through the pain a second time.
She sighed in frustration, she couldn't find the iron under all her things; maybe Ruth was right, she needed to clean her room. Rose made herself a little corner in the bed upstairs, since they weren't getting off until they reached Southampton again, she took the liberty of re-decorating the suite. Cal had moved to the stateroom next door, not wanting to sleep in the same room as his ex-fiancé and his ex-mother-in-law. With that in mind, Ruth knew something was up...
"Ugh forget it, I'll go borrow Molly's"
"Come here young lady" Rose rolled her eyes "You never spend time with your mother. At least tell me where you're going"
"I told you I'm going to Molly's and then we'll explore Muscat"
"What's going on Rose?"
"Nothing..."
"Is everything okay with Cal?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. Our relationship is exactly the way we want it" Non-existent, that is.
"Then why aren't you wearing your ring?"
The ring. Where was it?
Rose stumbled for an answer but couldn't find a convincing one, not for herself, not for her mother. She eagerly searched for it while listening to Ruth's scolding two steps behind her.
"I'll look for it later! I have to go mom..." she rushed to the hallway and closed the door behind her.
Was she brave enough to lie to her face like that? Was she making the right choice going behind Ruth's back and meeting new investors without her consent? Forgiveness is easier than permission I guess...
Meanwhile, a third of the RMS students were in a van and on their way to the rocky coastal plateau, home to the Bimah Sinkhole. The vehicle had air conditioning which helped them get through the heat of the dessert. They only hoped the water was cool enough.
"Brizio! Look at the goats" Tommy cheered. The younger boy wasn't impressed, he was too busy finishing his book. Liam had warned him to not read while they were moving, but he hadn't listened to him either.
"Put that thing down" Jack grabbed it by the cover
"I'm almost done, I promise"
"You literally started it yesterday morning"
"I said I'm almost done..."
"Is that your Valentine's gift?" Selective listening was something Fabrizio had learned since he started seeing Sean.
"I had a valentine once in Paris" Jack followed "we never really dated, we were just going out... I don't think there's even a French word for dating"
"I had a Valentine in high school... she was hot"
Jack's mind wandered to what Rose's dating life must have been like, meanwhile the rest of the tour complained about the heat. Upon arriving to the sinkhole, the boys dared each other to jump from above while other students took the stairs, Mr. Todrick wasn't the strict type of teacher, so he let the boys do as they pleased; although deep in his mind, he didn't think they would actually dare to jump. About an hour later, they went further south and had a picnic at the beach. The tour lasted nearly seven hours, and with that in mind, they made sure to not spend all their time in the water, instead they took their time to eat and relax.
The natural desert landscape forced Fabrizio to stop reading, as the van was moving too much. Along the way they were able to admire the beautiful beaches, mountains and bays, until they reached the hidden waters of Wadi Shab. Upon arriving, some boats were waiting for the group; following the idea that they were fed up with themselves and each other from spending so many hours on the road, Tommy chose to get on the boat with the boys from his class, the business and economics boys welcomed the Italian as well and Jack decided to go on his own and shared a boat with the arts girls.
The ride was about three minutes long and it led them to their next activity, which was hiking through the reddish rocks and alongside the beautiful clear greenish water. The main topic of conversation of everyone was the calmness the country offered, and the devotion for their culture and religion.
Mr. Tod informed them they would be staying only 30 minutes, since they had to go back to Muscat before the sunset. According to Jack's plan, it was perfect, although he wasn't sure if he had the strength to organize an improvised date after the trip.
"It's not deep at all!" One of the girls shouted.
The tour guide gave them a thumbs up if they wanted to swim through the rocks. The boys caught a glimpse of a few other tourists coming from what it seemed a small hole peeking out from the rough, red-tinged rocky body. They swam through it and found a stunning waterfall; the water cleansed their minds as they admired the story of the Earth written in the colors of those rocks.
The artist wasn't wrong when he thought they would all be exhausted after the long day, the adult few noticed an immediate difference when the van got quiet and most of the students were asleep. Silence accompanied their way back to the city, leaving more than half of the group in no mood to eat dinner.
Jack took with him the same blanket and basket he had used on the beach that morning and went on to buy an impromptu dinner. Pizza never fails. He settled the spot with a few candles which would be the only thing illuminating their evening and went looking for Rose.
"I'm sorry it's not as big as what you deserve... but i wanted you to know that the greatest gift is having you by my side and having you happy" Jack led Rose through the darkness trusting the flashlight of his phone and spotting from a distance the place he had prepared for their date. The girl wasn't surprised when she felt the sand beneath her feet, the breeze made the thin fabric of her dress dance, as well as the scarf on her head.
"Jack, you know me" she laughed "I hate fancy stuff"
"That's not true, you love it"
"No i don't!"
"Come on, you wouldn't go a day without hot water and eating caviar"
"Listen you, I hate caviar"
"Then why you keep ordering it?!"
"I don't know!"
Jack laughed at his girlfriend's pout. Rose gasped at the sight of the picnic.
"I know it's not big... and sorry I couldn't get more candles... and half of them are fake and the food is probably cold, and the wine is box juice..." Rose urged him to shut up with a kiss. She cupped his face with both hands and pulled him down, since she couldn't stand on her tip toes much longer.
Contrary to his thought, the pizza was well heated thanks to the fire of the candle, and Rose and Jack shared a beautiful romantic evening in the light of the moon, accompanied by the sound of the waves of the sea and the February breeze.
They were constantly switching positions between sitting and lying down, or even standing up and running playing tag. This was Rose's third slice and Jack was thrilled, but not as thrilled as she.
"So, what did they say?"
"They said they love the idea" she took a sip of her glass "That they are looking forward to see what we've been doing, and I told them about our agreement with the Royal Marine School and they are anxious to meet you too!"
"Nah huh, don't drag me into your business stuff..."
"Too late. Besides, you're my boyfriend. Everyone needs to meet you eventually... by the way... we need to talk" Jack froze, blinked a few times and gulped hoping for the worst "What's going on? Why am I getting an email that you haven't been attending class?"
"BECAUSE I WAS WITH YOU!"
"WELL, THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE"
"Oh my- of course it is! How, how are you scolding me now?... the nerve..."
"The what? Oh you're on"
Rose walked up to him and tackled Jack to the ground. "Alright, alright I'm sorry!" He managed to say between laughs "I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" They played wrestling for a while, then decided it was time to go back. Jack dared Rose to go into the sea but she practically swore there were giant creatures that would eat her, instead they just walked along the shore in the moonlight.
"I don't want this to end, ever"
Jack put an arm around her and pulled her closer "me either... you look beautiful"
Rose smiled at him, but lowered her gaze again "I wish... we could freeze this moment in time"
"That would be good. Just you and I, right here, right now. I love you so much"
They interlocked hands and began a playful dance involving the waves crashing on the sand. Their heart was where the other was, and their hearts were happy.
The girl giggled as she jumped around, eventually dropping her headscarf. She ran back, remembering that her boyfriend with the injured wrist was in charge of carrying the basket with all their stuff.
She gave him another kiss and invited him to dance with her, he grabbed her by the hands and began to spin her around, taking her weight to spin himself too.
"Wait! Jack!" She tried to stop him from injuring himself even more "Jack, no!" but he perceived it as a challenge to go faster. Laughing they fell to the sand; at that moment they realized the celestial mantle that covered them.
Yeah, i'm looking at you, and my heart loves the view... cause you mean everything
"Jack, I have to tell you something..."
The boy looked down and then looked back at his Rose, crystallizing the sincerest smile in his eyes.
"Yes?"
"My mom knows everything"