Orange Waves - Ryeji

Half and Half

Ryujin didn't disappoint. She showed up on time every morning to pick Yeji up and drive to the next competition location. Of course it was a few weeks away, but it's nice to get the atmosphere regulated. Yeji was grateful for her, given this location was further away than the other two she's been to. Lia was still skeptical, but slowly becoming less angry with Ryujin each day.

"Here try this." Yeji said, handing Ryujin a drink. The raven-haired hummed in delight upon tasting tinges of tangerine on her tongue.

"That's really good." She said, handing it back to Yeji who nodded in agreeance. Ryujin stared at her for a moment, watching how the breeze blew her hair gently and her face nuzzled up into the warmth of the sun. The way her cat eyes closed while she laid down to rest on the sand for a while. Most of the droplets evaporated off of her skin, and Ryujin wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

"It's rude to stare you know." Yeji chuckled, eyes still closed but knowing exactly what Ryujin was doing. Her face flushed upon realizing she'd been caught.

Yeji lost the feeling of the sun's radiant heat for a moment, and sighed knowing a small cloud was probably just passing by. Though, soon enough lips were on her own, and she knew that very cloud was the one and only Shin Ryujin. She hummed, her arms naturally slinging around around surfers neck and pulling her weight into her.

"You worked hard today." Ryujin mummbled between their locking. She wasn't lying, Yeji had been surfing for hours, waves over waves, over more waves. She assumed her lips tasted rather salty for that.

"You should reward me." Yeji replied, Ryujin's hands resting on her waist.

"Should I now?" Ryujin said, teasing. Yeji nearly whimpered, but knew Ryujin would tease her for that too. Not that she cared that much, she liked Ryujin's teasing.

"Mhm." Yeji opened her eyes, Ryujin placing a final kiss on her neck, just under her jaw.

"Unfortunately, there's people here babe." Ryujin said, knowing that nickname always had Yeji weak. They weren't even official, yet Yeji never minded it.

They spent the remaining hours of daylight walking the shore and talking, building sand castles even though they knew the tide would overtake the sandy walls. Ryujin found a dead sand dollar, surprising Yeji with it and giving her a stroke at first by pretending it was an urchin.

"I'm just kidding, it's just a sand dollar." Ryujin said, chuckling while Yeji shot a playful glare her way. Yeji took it in her hand, feeling the smoothness on her tips. It seemed to be broken in half, which made her wonder where the other half was. Ryujin wondered too, looking around her feet before releasing a 'aha' and picking up the lost half. "When it's dry I can glue them together if you want." Ryujin said, Yeji shook her head. She seemed to be thinking of something.

"No, just keep it like this." Yeji said, Ryujin understood, keeping the one half for herself. She supposed maybe Yeji had some kind of history with sand dollars, or maybe she was just that sentimental. Either way, she liked it. "When I was young and just learning how to surf my dad would always run along the shore every week trying to find a sand dollar." Yeji replayed the memories through her head, smiling at the ground.

Ryujin matched her slowing walking pace, listening carefully and with awe. "He'd only find a couple a month. If it was alive he'd call me over and tell me I'd have good waves the next day. If it was dead he'd bring it to me to keep and say it already gave me its good waves, and that I should keep it close." Yeji looked to Ryujin then, seeing those dark eyes looking into her own. "Sorry that probably sounds silly." Yeji's face reddened, but Ryujin thought no such thing.

"No, it's not silly Yeddeong. I think that's really sweet of him." Ryujin said, appreciating Yeji opening up to her even after the competition betrayal merely a week ago. "I'll keep my half close." Ryujin finished, shooting Yeji a whisker smile when she looked her way. The orange-haired seemed so happy, giggling before splashing a little water onto the raven-haired, who splashed back.

"Ryujin, I- do you. Hmm." Yeji was stuttering, Ryujin didn't laugh, just focused on her, listened and waited patiently. "Do you really like me? I mean, after I found out you were just getting close to use me I don't know I guess I just have a lot of doubts." Yeji said, breaking eye contact and looking at her feet. She noticed Ryujin's steps stopping.

"I do like you. I like you so much Yeji. I don't even know how or why, I was stupid and cold then, and even though it wasn't long ago I swear to you Yeji I'll be here for you until you don't want me." Ryujin said, looking deeply into Yeji's browns. "I swear."

Yeji kissed her after that, it wasn't very sappy or necessarily romantic, but having that reassurance from Ryujin just felt good, and comforting. She swooned, nearly dropping her sand dollar as it became more passionate. Their silhouettes could be seen on the sand behind them. The sunset making them glow in orange and red.

"Well, I guess we should start heading back, we don't want to make our roomies mad." Ryujin said, their foreheads still together while they breathed.

"Yeah."

"So, you get her trust again? We're doing the same thing as last time right?" Yuna said as Ryujin walked through the door. Chaeryeong looked at her expecting, as if asking the same thing.

"Yeah, I think I have her trust... But no we aren't stealing her routine." Ryujin said, Yuna paused from eating her chips, shaking her head.

"Wait wait wait, what do you mean? She's obviously an amazing surfer we could lose if we don't-"

"And so what if we lose? If she's good enough to win she deserves to win." Ryujin said, holding her ground even with the pressure of her friends. Though, Ryujin sometimes questioned their intensity and need to be on top when it came to surfing. Sometimes the competitive nature gets to their head. Hell, it even got to her head last week when she agreed to brutally betray Yeji.

"I see what's going on." Chaeryeong said, both Yuna and Ryujin looking her way. "You like her. A lot more than last time." Chaeryeong said with a wiggle to her brow.

"I-"

"You're right, look she even brought back half a sand dollar." Yuna said, roughly grabbing the raven-haireds wrist to reveal the dead creature. "Let me guess, she has the other half?"

Ryujin didn't say anything, just glared before walking to her room.

"You guys need to learn to be decent people. Ever since we started winning it's like you've put yourselves on a high stool." Ryujin said, closing her door. Though she heard Yuna's words well.

"And suddenly you're not? You were just as passionate to win a week ago. Jesus she's ruining you Shin." Yuna said, then returning to her conversation with Chaeryeong about a potentially bringing a puppy home. Something about responsibility.. Atleast I'm trying to be better, she thought.

Ryujin buried her head in her pillow and held back a scream. If being a good friend, if not more, to Yeji meant losing her current friends then so be it. An idea sparked in her head not long later though. Maybe if she surfs with Yeji, claims the first two spots, they'll learn. They'll be forced to third and below. If not lower considering Ryujin always led what they would do to win each week.

Yeah. That should work. A little rivalry never hurt anybody. Ryujin was suddenly smiling into her pillow, now turned around and laying on her back. She felt the sand dollar between her fingers and decided that Yeji was worth more than a few risks.