Finding Our Souls

12

Stephan opens his eyes and first of all he takes a moment to look at Joelyn who is sound asleep on him, not bothering to wake her up, he let's her rest on his chest while he takes his phone out and take pictures of her sleeping. He found it cute when she'd sleep so he wanted to snap the moment. The sun was rising and Joelyn could feel the morning here, she opens her eyes slightly and rubs them fast with her palms, and on her face came a smile after realising that Stephan was admiring her.

Stephan: "Good morning beautiful"
Joe: "Good morning"
Stephan: "Slept well?"
Joe: "Yeah and thanks to you"
Stephan: "You don't need to thank me"

"Shall we join the others?" She stands up yawning.

"No, com'ere, in my hug" says Stephan, pulling her by the waist in his hug and resting his head on her shoulder.

Joe: "But..."
Stephan: "They won't look for us, don't worry"
Joe: "Aight then"
Stephan: "What can be more perfect than having you in my arms early morning and waking up to this beauty"
Joe: "Indeed it's a really beautiful place"
Stephan: "I was talking about you, you're the beauty"
Joe: ...
Stephan: "I love you"
Joe: "I love you too"

They get on their track back to the others for their breakfast, but surprised to the fact that no-one was there, and everything was left unguarded, they start calling out for them. They were in dire need of food, so they stopped and ate some remaining food that were prepared by the squad when they were away.

"Hey there, the 2 of you, come join us" cried Jim from the water.

Joelyn cries out back to them and wave at them.

Stephan: "Wow, I hadn't noticed them in the water earlier"
Joe: "Weird, I hadn't too"

"Too much taken up by love I guess" he says with a smirk on his face.

"DUHHH" she exclaims with a groan.

Before Joelyn could say anything more Stephan leaves everything and lift her by the waist causing her to shout,

"Stephaaaaaann, whatchu doing!?! Put me downn!!!"

Not paying attention to her, he speeds up towards the water and throws her into it,

She stands up and give him a harder push and he falls in the water too, he tries chasing Joelyn who swam into the deep but at a point he stood still,

"What's wrong!? Come further coward" She screamed from a distance.

"I...DON'T....KNOW...HOW...TO SWIM..." He said pouting his lips.

"Soo?"

"Com'ere nah" He pleads.

"Aww, poor you" she says and swims back to him,

He grabs her by the waist and swirls her in the water trying to play with his girlfriend. The team knew that Stephan didn't know how to swim so they all approached the couple.

They were kissing each other's lips as the others came,

Stanley: "Grrr, Jesus help"
Dane: "Shut it Stan, they're in love"
Phil: "I wish it happened to me too"
Stephan: "Ahahha, sorry guys"
Rebecca: "It's alright, don't pay attention to em"

"Guys, let's play!?" Hailie suggests from the back holding a huge plastic ball.

"Why not?" Dane smirks

They aline themselves making a circle and Hailie does the pass. They play and swim for about an hour before getting out of the water to dry themselves.

Jim: "Guys, I think we need to wash off the saltwater from ourselves, it's gonna be itchy and I usually get allergies with that, do we have excess clean water guys?"
Hailie: "Well, we don't but surely there's a lake nearby, around a kilometer away from the shore"
Rebecca: "Is it clean?"
Hailie: "Yeah of course, it's a natural lake where nobody usually visits, I know there cus, I once came here with my brother and ended up there while looking for pure water"

"Wow, okay, let's go then," said Stephan.

They walk on the paths made from the sea to the lake and throw themselves in the water for another swim and a final wash.

Stephan pulls Joelyn in the water briskly and removes the hair that would stick to her face all wet.

Stanley: "I may complain a lot about love, but surely when i see these two, my inner self feels happy"
Hailie: "Me too"
Dane: "Don't you think seeing us two like this would be fine too?"

Hailie turns to the other way trying to avoid Dane and eventually swims away.

Jim: "Don't worry Dane, she's with you, she loves you but you need to give her time"
Dane: "I wish she accepted me earlier than what she plans to do"
Rebecca: "I wish I could do something for you guys but she ain't ready to listen to anyone"

Joelyn feels like talking to Hailie after hearing the conversation between Dane and the others.

Joe: "Hey Hails"
Hails: "Hi, what's up"
Joe: "Actually I wanted to talk to you"
Hails: "Go on"
Joe: "Do you really love Dane?"
Hails: "I do, but I don't think anything is possible between us"
Joe: "It is possible, you're just not allowing yourself to let him in"
Hails: "Well, I don't think I would"
Joe: "Hails, this guy has got a life too, he really loves you and wakes up everyday hoping for you to confess your love for him"
Hails: "I didn't ask him to wait for me?!"
Joe: "Okay fine, then, would you be able to see him belong to someone else one day? Would you be able to see him kiss someone else before you and love that someone the way he wanted to love you once?"

Hailie goes mute and her face tensed, she always tried to avoid this topic but Joelyn brought it up in such a way that she couldn't escape it.

"Tell me Hails, won't it hurt? The way he holds your hand, gets close to you and prioritises you, would you be able to see him getting this much attached to another girl?" Joelyn asks and cross her arms to her chest.

Realisation hits Hailie like a truck at that moment and she left the water claiming that she wants to be alone for a while.

"What happened to Hails?" Asked Stephan all confused.

Joe: "Let's just hope that my words' gonna turn the wheel in the right way this time"
Stephan: "I hope you know what you're doing babe"
Joe: "Trust me"
Stephan: "I do"

After a while they rinse themselves a last time before leaving the lake to head back to the beach for lunch hoping for Hailie to reach before them...