I rushed around the tent, grabbing every blanket I could find. It was midnight, and my friends and I were the only campers awake. Why, you may ask? Thanks to the storm that flipped over the boys' tent. I know, it's ridiculous. What an idiotic way to end a day, I thought to myself. But, as usual, I was delighted that I'd be able to spend more time with Ee Zhen.

As I put down the thick blankets, I felt a hand wrap around my hips. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "You've got to help me. You can't just tease me like this." I groaned. "Too bad," he whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear. "But I do intend to help." He continued. "By distracting me?" I asked. "No such intentions. As if." I could hear his eye roll. I attempted to wiggle out of his strong grasp but failed, and I eventually realized it was hopeless, so I continued setting up the makeshift bed. "Listen, I've got to finish this, or you're sleeping on the floor tonight." I looked at him sternly. "Aren't you supposed to be the sensible one?"

"No, I'm not. You want to go to the beach later?" His light brown eyes had visibly darkened, and I knew that look. Leaving his hold was a wise choice, but unfortunately, I couldn't. "Please?" His voice was rough-hewn, and he wrapped his other hand around my wrist, pinning me to the bed, obstructing me from finishing my job.

"What are you guys going to do later?" A voice came from behind, startling us. I did know who it was, though.

"Renae!" I groaned. "You better not tell anyone. It'd be the death of me." Renae only laughed. "Fine. Although I wish I could tell, I suppose what you're planning is too important to leak. Everybody would've loved to tease you," she concluded.

“Now that you know, fuck off." Ee Zhen always spoke his mind, which was a trait I liked, although at certain times he could be too harsh. But honesty is the best policy, isn't it?

"Asshole. I'm doing you a favor by not leaking whatever you're doing tonight. Just a warning, don't create earthquakes." Renae could be as rude as anyone could ever get, but as much as I loved her blunt ways, I just couldn't stand those types of jokes. Especially dark humor.

"Renae!" I groaned. "You know I can't stand those types of jokes. It's fine if you want to say them, just not around me. You know why not to very well." I continued.

Her hand flew over her mouth in an instant, stifling a gasp.

It is an extremely painful story for me to share, so I'll just keep it short. When I was around eleven years old, I almost got robbed of my innocence in the, you know, way. That was also eight years ago, around the time I met Ee Zhen.

"Are you good?" Ee Zhen asked, concerned for my mental health, which had been pretty bad after that incident. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks." I replied, letting him pull me onto his lap. He threw Renae an if looks could kill look.

"Jeez," Renae held up both hands—"not my fault if I got murdered tonight, looking at how angry your boyfriend is." She looked at me.

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"I doubt so, honestly." I replied to her. "Can't say much. Not like he'll murder you. He'll maim you, but he won't kill you." Renae rolled her eyes. "Thanks for your useful tip. I feel so much safer now." She did a massive eye roll. "Bye. It's time for my beauty sleep."

*****

Time skip to 12 p.m.

"Let's go." I took Ee Zhen's hand, and he used the other to pick up the picnic blanket. We walked onto the sandy beach, and I could feel the cool night breeze and the damp sand in between my toes. It was cold. My free hand held the bottle of apple cider that we'd picked up on our way to the campsite. We found a spot not too far from our tent, and we could easily see turtles should they come up to lay their eggs. The full moon was reflected on his hair, making his already light brown hair even lighter in colour. I couldn't resist the urge to run my fingers through his hair and mess it up.

As we placed the blanket, I could see a gigantic crab hole under it. Shit. "Ee Zhen! We'll have to take up the blanket and fill in the crab hole." Too late. As we took up the blanket, I could feel it turning heavier. Upon closer inspection, a massive crab with the largest pincers I'd ever seen was pinching our blanket. "Oh god. The things we get ourselves into. Now we're going to have a hell of a time removing the crab." I groaned. I'd dealt with crabs before, and let's say it wasn't exactly the most memorable experience. I had gone crab-catching with a friend once during the summer break, and I ended the day at the clinic to treat all the wounds I'd gotten.

"I'll remove it if you want me to," offered Ee Zhen. I looked at him seriously. "No way. Then your hand will get hurt, and I'll have nothing for my hands to hold onto, and I'll fidget too much." I told him. "Besides, we only got to see each other once or twice a month, so I enjoy it when we're hanging out together." He grinned at me. "I'll find something else for you to hold onto." I slapped my forehead. Never mind. "I'll be back," I promised.

I jogged to the tent cautiously, careful not to step on any crab holes. When I reached, I took out his pair of thick cloth safety gloves. Perfect. I ran back at lightning speed and somehow managed to avoid every crab hole and twig. "Here." I passed the gloves over to him. He took it, his hand lingering on mine for a second longer than appropriate. I removed my hand. Gently slipping on the gloves, he moved towards the crab and removed it from our blanket. "Done." He looked at me like a golden retriever wanting its belly rubbed.

I beamed at him. "Lovely." I patted the space right to me, and he kicked off his shoes and walked onto the blanket. He sat down and stared at me with his almond-toned eyes. I could feel the intensity of his look as he continued staring at my face. "What?" I asked him. "Nothing. Just looking." His lips curled into a smirk, and he made eye contact. "God." I palmed my face. "Stop staring. It's creepy and weird, and... so unlike you." I wasn't exactly eager to have him stare at my face, smirking, and on the beach on a full moon, if you get what I mean. I shifted slightly away from him, and the suddenness made him frown. "It's more comfy here." I attempted to lie to him, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but my voice came as a high-pitched squeak.

"You're a shitty liar. And you can't even come up with a lie that's actually logical." He laughed at me, and I hoped the full moon wouldn't show my embarrassment, as I could feel my ears slowly turning red. "And you're a shitty housekeeper. You can't even wash the dishes properly. There's always a bit of oil left, and I know you've been blaming it on Max for always adding so much butter," I retorted.

"Guilty as charged." He smiled cheekily, and I took out two wineglasses and our apple cider. I poured the cider into both glasses and gave him the glass with more cider. "A toast for our first vacation together!" I clinked my wineglass against his, and we drank. I have absolutely no idea when, but I know I fell asleep because I woke up to the first rays of dawn a few hours later.