Omniscient POV:
Lauren got up and out of bed bright and early to head into the kitchen area of their hotel room.
Wearing some baggy sweatpants, a cropped wife beater, and Nike slides, she tied her hair into a low messy bun. Accompanied by the brief sound of morning ocean waves just beyond the cracked patio door, and soft jazz music playing on her speaker, she began cooking breakfast for her girlfriend who was still asleep.
Today's May 31st, Sade's birthday. And though she could've taken her out for food, Lauren figured she'd show her girlfriend how much attention she paid to Sade's little tips she'd offer when cooking for Lauren.
Sade's always been the kind to shy away from such affection, yet she had no problem giving others her all. And Lauren noticed this when they first started dating; with compliments, gifts, acts of service, words of affirmation, eccetera. Her birthday was another thing she wasn't too big on. Everytime the topic arose, Sade would deflect from speaking on her own and mainly address Lauren's.
Much to her girlfriend's initial discomfort, Lauren has always made sure to make Sade feel like number one, whether she wanted to be or not. She couldn't fathom how little Sade would think of herself sometimes, but she'd be sure to tell or show her otherwise at any given chance.
Preparing eggs, bacon, French toast, and freshly cut fruit, she plated it all fancy before placing the plate on a wooden tray, along with a glass of cran-apple juice and a single rose.
Before bringing the tray in, Lauren opened the bedroom door and smiled to herself, looking at a peacefully sleeping Sade.
She eased inside to light a 'coconut island' scented candle, and gently pushed back the curtain to reveal a bit of sunlight. Tip-toeing back into the kitchen area, she turned the volume up on the speaker just a smidge to where it could be heard across the room, then grabbed the tray. 'Ooo Baby Baby' by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles softly serenaded through the entire suite.
Sitting the food down lightly on the nightstand beside the bed, Lauren sat alongside her sleeping girlfriend, extending an arm over her body. Sade was on her back with her one arm covering her face as the other laid out in the other direction, hanging off the bed a bit.
Taking Sade's right hand in her left, Lauren used the other to move Sade's arm. She then traced her girlfriend's features with the back of her finger. Stirring a bit, Sade shifted around to face Lauren, still asleep.
"Emerald..." Lauren sang softly. Barely a response though. She then chuckled, leaning down to kiss her girlfriend's jawline before nearing her ear. "Eeeemeraaallld," she sang again, this time earning a groan followed by more shuffling.
Lauren then tenderly trailed her right hand down Sade's body, caressing her exposed skin for she only wore a cropped t-shirt and some shorts.
"Stop it, that tickles-" Sade's voice was extremely raspy as she squirmed under Lauren after feeling the skin of her pelvis being brushed across.
Lauren chuckled, traveling to the other side of Sade's face as her girlfriend turned into her more, now laying on her side while facing Lauren.
"Come on get up, I've got something for you," she said before kissing Sade's left ear and letting her hand travel down to find her behind.
Finally opening her brown eyes, Sade gave her lover a playful squint while smirking,
"What kinda something?" Lauren laughed aloud, shaking her head,
"No it's not that, I-" Sade took a glance behind her, and her eyes widened as she sat up a bit,
"Holy shit, no way you cooked this!"
Attempting to hide a smile, Lauren faked a hurt expression,
"Well gee, thanks for having faith in me babe."
Her girlfriend had fully sat upright now, still a bit shocked as she met Lauren's gaze with a chuckle,
"Oh I'm sorry baby. I knew you could do it, I promise-"
"Mmmmhm," her green eyes cut at Sade before falling into her adoring gaze.
"You really did this for me..."
"Of course I did babygirl-" Lauren leaned forward to peck her lips. "I love you."
Sade smiled, reaching for her girlfriend's hand,
"I love you too Honeybee."
~~~~~~~~
"Y'all realize this is our last group trip...." Dylan trailed. Everyone then groaned, uttering complaints,
"Dude-"
"D, come on-"
"Seriously babe?"
"Not cool man-"
"Good lord, don't remind me-"
The blonde boy laughed, "hey my bad, I was just thinking out loud-"
"He's right though," Hunter spoke up, ushering a swift moment of silence. "Hey, we've gotta make sure to stay in touch in the future. I like you trolls way too much to never speak to you again after this summer-" They all shared a laugh.
"I agree," Aria said before taking a sip of her drink. "It's a shame we became friends our last year. I wish we had more time."
Everyone nodded in thought,
"Same-"
"Same-"
"Me too..."
Hunter glanced around the dinner table at the now depressing mood amongst her friends. She then shook her head, beginning to stand.
"Okay no, we can't do this." Her eyes skimmed over them as they gave her their attention. "It's Sade and Lauren's birthday trip and we're supposed to be living life right now, not sulking." One by once, the group began to nod in agreement. "So all of you, get your asses up and let's dance."
Pretty soon, the bunch of eight made their way out onto the beach just outside the restaurant they resided in for dinner.
The set up was beyond beautiful. Party lights hung above the docks and walking areas. The tiki bar was switched to night mode with led lights and glow in the dark decorations everywhere. Live music played in accommodation to the dancing guests of the tropical themed restaurant on the beach. As of now, Mac DeMarco's 'My Kind of Woman' played aloud through multiple speakers around the place.
Each couple gathered in their own little areas upon the sand, and ventured off into their own little worlds.
Lauren and Sade watched as everyone hatched out, and were the last to be at the table. As Sade observed her friends and the scenery before her with a glimmer in her eyes, Lauren gazed at her girlfriend wearing the same expression.
Feeling dear eyes on her, Sade then turned to Lauren with a soft beam.
The hazel eyed girl reached for her girlfriend's hand, beginning to stand from her seat. "Dance with me, will you?"
Turning their interlocked hands, Sade lifted the back of Lauren's to her lips, planting a soft kiss that prompted her girlfriend's smile to grow.
"Always."
Aria giggled as Dylan swirled her around. "Come on birthday girls, get out here!" She called to two of her best friends.
"We're coming!" They said in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~
~ End of June ~
Hunter's POV:
"Hello, hellooo," I sang, announcing my presence as I walked into Lauren's bedroom. In here was Aria, Sade, and Lauren herself.
"What up dawg-"
"Sup whore-"
"How do you do-"
With a sigh, I plopped on the bean bag chair since the other seats in here were occupied. "What are we eating tonight?" After sliding off my shoes, I sat them alongside the wall with the rest of them.
Sade sighed, sitting in Lauren's rolling chair as her girlfriend resided on the bed with her legs stretched into Sade's lap,
"Don't know yet, we're trying to figure that out."
"Hey where's Tina?" Aria asked me, sitting at the head of Lauren's bed as she scrolled on her phone.
I waved a hand off. "Oh that old thing, she's coming. She was taking a call in the car when we pulled up, so I told her to meet me inside."
Just as I mentioned my girlfriend, she walked right through the door, looking rather radiant. I smiled internally, knowing I was at fault.
Aria was the first to greet her, followed by Lauren, then Sade. The room then fell silent as I looked at her with a straight face. Tina saw it and mirrored me. And I suppose all eyes were on us now, but to me it was just her and I.
"Ellis." Her tone was firm, yet snarky.
"Tellis," I matched it.
In my peripheral, I could see heads glancing between the two of us, thickening the tension in the air. I paid them no mind though, and neither did Tina.
Narrowing her eyes at me, she then huffed out a breath and began walking in my direction, yet looked at Sade,
"So, what's the move for tonight?" My girlfriend sat in my lap, leaning her back into my chest as she took my arms around her before glancing back at Sade.
All three of them just stared at us in humor, confusion, disbelief, and amusement. I chuckled at their faces,
"What?"
Lauren swished her finger between the two of us. "I'm confused, y'all mad at each other or not?"
Tina laughed, "oh yeah, she's mad at me-"
"Okay but tell them why," I cut in, causing my girlfriend to groan, leaning her head back on my shoulder.
"Oh my god here we go-"
"She told me I'm a bad dancer-"
"No, no, no- I said you're not the best dancer. There's a difference."
I rolled my eyes before looking to my three friends for backup. These bitches let their eyes wander around as if pigs are flying or something.
"Y'all," I deadpanned. "I can dance. Right?" Silence, maybe even a faint whistle from Aria. "Right??!" Tina chuckled, hearing the panic in my voice. "Lauren?"
"Huh-" Tina snickered. I gave my best friend a look and she sucked in a breath. "In all honesty Hunter, I thought you were completely aware of your...impaired dancing abilities." Aria, Sade, and Tina broke into a fit of laughter.
"Seriously y'all?! I thought I had a little something going-"
"Hunter babe," Sade cut in. "Even Aria dances better than you and she can't bust a move to save her life-"
"Hey, at least I got some rhythm," Aria retorted, wagging her finger before pointing it at me. "You, my friend, you're giving Debby Ryan a run for her money-" they all snickered again as I heavily rolled my eyes, huffing out a breath.
"I do not-"
"Yes you do babe-" Tina shifted to turn her body around to face me and cupped my face. "But it's okay, I love you still. Terrible dancing and all," she cooed before pecking my lips then turned back around in my arms.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes again then glanced at the other three, my finger pointing between them all. "You bitches can count your days."
Lauren faked a shocked yet humorously hurt expression as Sade just chuckled, waving me off. And Aria's attention drew back to her phone as she shrugged with a smile on her face. It's probably Dylan that's got her so wrapped into her phone like that.
Aria's POV:
"You know what we should do..." I said, staring at the ceiling with nothing but mild midnight thoughts touring my brain.
"What?..." Lauren asked, turning to me with a skeptically amused grin. I returned one similar,
"Make a time capsule-"
"What in the High School Musical," Hunter quipped, sitting upright as the four of us remained laying down in a line across Lauren's bed. Everyone giggled,
"Where is this coming from A?" Sade, who was on the other side of me, glanced my way. "Don't get me wrong, I'm down. But like, what?" She laughed, as did I before I then released a breath,
"I don't know, I was thinking it would be fun to do in the spew of the moment...." there was a pause as my eyes found the ceiling again. "Plus...it may give us a reason to come back together if we drift apart..."
In silence, the group of girls knowingly glanced in my direction as I kept my eyes trained up above. There wasn't a verbal reply, but that wasn't needed.
Sade drew in a breath before sitting up with a grunt. "All right then, let's do this shit."
"Seriously?" I asked with hopeful uncertainty.
"Shit why not-" Hunter got up as well.
"Yeah, I'm in," said Lauren as she stood alongside her girlfriend.
Tina took Hunter's extended hands and stood as well. "Babe, we should take your car-"
"I was thinking that too-"
"Good, I did not want to drive-"
"Same-" Sade and Lauren chimed as they grabbed their things.
Chuckling to myself, I just shook my head while following them out and shutting the door behind me as we made our way downstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~
Pretty soon, we'd arrived at Walmart after about ten more minutes.
As we walked inside, Lauren hugged up to me, draping her right arm over my shoulders to pull me close while holding Sade's hand with her left. I appreciated it seeing as I definitely didn't like feeling left out, and it was easy to come by when hanging with two couples.
It's a little past midnight right about now, and the store's just barely empty.
Firstly, we went to the toy aisle of course, and rode their bikes. It's not a midnight Walmart trip without acting like a bunch of five year olds with no adult supervision. And second, we grabbed a few snacks per Lauren's request as usual. Then, we finally gathered all the crafts needed and a chest like box to bury.
~~~~~~~
"So," Hunter spoke as she dug a hole. The rest of us gathered around closely. "How many years until we dig this up again?"
We each glanced at each other.
"Uhhhh," Sade began.
"Five years?" Lauren suggested.
"Would that be too short?" I asked.
Silenced then seeped in, allowing the sound of crickets and wind weaving through the trees to fill it.
"How about seven?" Tina muttered just as Hunter had finished up. She'd been sitting on the ground for moral support for her girlfriend. She glanced at Hunter, then the three of us standing. "It's a lucky number isn't it?"
"I think so," I said, slowly nodding.
Sade then shrugged. "Works for me-"
"Yeah me too," said Lauren.
"I like it-" Hunter sat up on her knees and swiped her hands of dirt.
We'd chosen this random spot on a hill with a very beautiful view of the city of Tallahassee. Hunter claimed she knew a place, and that she did.
Lauren and I were sort of keeping watch of our surroundings as Sade sat with Tina as Hunter dug a hole big enough for the chest we bought. It wasn't a large one, but it wasn't itty bitty either.
Considering the fact that this was a spontaneous impulsive adventure and it's past one in the morning, none of us brought anything rather sentimental to put into the chest. Instead, we brought a Polaroid camera from Walmart, paper and markers, and ourselves out here.
We'd been taking a shit ton of pictures ever since buying it; and we'd choose a total of ten to place in the chest. The group also agreed to give anything we had of value on our person. It would be that, along with a handwritten letter to our future selves from each of us.
"Hey A," my best friend tapped my shoulder, drawing me from my thoughts as I gazed into the starry night sky. I turned to her with moderately raised eyebrows. "Will you take this for us?" She asked, referring to her and Lauren.
With a nod, I took the Polaroid from her as she backed away and moved closer to her girlfriend.
Sade snuck a hand around Lauren's waist and quickly pulled her closer, making Lauren giggle.
Just then, though I'm not sure why I didn't wait until they gave me the go ahead, I clicked the button, signaling the flash. In that moment, Lauren's face was taken over by laughter as she turned into her girlfriend, and Sade had a very subtle yet telling smile on her face as she gazed at Lauren, holding her close.
"Got it," I said, already waving the film. Sade gave me a whiny look of disapproval.
"A, we weren't even ready-"
"You were, I promise." I handed her the picture. "It's cute! Now smile-" Quickly turning around, I held the camera up to face us before snapping it. Sade was still glaring at me when I faced her again, and it made me laugh. "It was cute Sade, I promise!" I playfully pushed her shoulder, and she curled her lips inwards.
"Emerald, I doubt she'd do us dirty like that," Lauren grabbed her hand, making Sade look at her. "Plus we can just take another one-"
"Oh wait we've gotta get a group pic-" Hunter joined in, and Tina trailed behind her.
"Who's gonna take it?" Lauren asked.
"We're doing a selfie-" the two looked at each other with mild glares. "Dumbass-"
"Bitch-"
"Ooookayyy-" Sade quickly jumped in front of Lauren just before she could reach for Hunter who was mischievously snickering while hiding behind Tina. Chuckling to myself, I shook my head at them. "Did everyone finish writing their letters?" Hunter asked as we all gathered to take the picture.
"Yeah, they're in a pile by the chest," I responded.
"Okay. Smile bitches," my best friend said through a line of teeth just before the Polaroid flashed and the film followed.
~~~~~~~