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DIANA'S POV

"I'll be updating you from time to time, don't worry!" I loudly say over the phone. I'm currently riding a twenty-minute pump boat trip to one of the three Boat Stations on White Beach, which is on the west coast of Boracay Island. 

"I'm really gonna miss you." 

The sound of waves is making my phone conversation with Veronica a little choppy.

"Come on, Vee. We're gonna be home by Friday. It's just for three days lang naman." The boat finally halts into a stop as it reaches the coast. "Oops, wait, we're gonna pull up now." I stand up to prepare for disembarkment.

"Okay. Take care and enjoy, Dee. And oh, love you."

My smile fades as she utters those words again. The emotions in her words are so transparent I can really feel it. I don't know why but being loved by a girl feels way more genuine than being loved by a guy. I always think that the latter is only after the physical attraction and I really don't connect with them at all.

"I-I love you too..." I just find myself saying it back. We have been officially dating for the past week and I have never felt this...secured. I initially had doubts about my feelings for her. I thought my attraction to her was not enough and that I'm not ready for a commitment yet but being able to live with her made me realize that this is actually what I needed in my life. The fact that we were close friends before being lovers does help a lot because of our established connection and comfort with each other.

After trudging my way to the main hall, I immediately look for my brother and the others.

Standing inside the hall in the midst of all these people, my teeth start chattering when my eyes finally found David.

Why would you be nervous to see your own brother, Diana?

He's falling in line for the registration, wearing an open white shirt, glasses, and a red bandanna on his head. There's a lot of people around; locals and tourists. I squint my eyes and recognize the guy beside him who is wearing a cap backward, sleeveless shirt and floral shorts; he's no other than Sky who is currently talking to a woman who I presume is Franki but she has her back on me.

Sky notices me when I start to approach them, my hands kind of shaking for some reason. Franki looks back and my heartbeat accelerates, forcing me to wear a smile. She slides her sunnies down her nose bridge and energetically waves at me.

"Diana!" she calls out in her familiar, crispy voice.

My eyes casually rake her form from head to toe as she skips her way towards me. I can't deny the fact that this girl is really a stunner. Whenever you look at her, everyone else around her blurs out. She's like a hot ball of sunshine that radiates all over the place.

Shes' wearing a silky black flowery bikini cover-up that flows down above her knees that kind of teases you what's inside... Her hair was just donned up into a messy, curly bun with some bits of baby hair messing her forehead. She looks like she didn't comb her hair today but she still looks way prettier than half of the female population.

For the nth time already...Control yourself, Diana.

I want to laugh at my slightly perverted thoughts. I always dress up girly too, like right now with this super short maong shorts and blacktop but who would think that I'm also into girls?

That's the advantage of being a lipstick lesbian. We are hard to detect and we can always get away with our attraction to our fellow women. People would just think that we are clingy or that we just admire the other girl's beauty but little did they know that we are already fantasizing about kissing them.

So are you saying that you are fantasizing about your brother's girl?

Ano? (What?)

I inwardly deny my strange inner thoughts. Since I'm still in the closet, I don't want anyone in my relatives, especially my mom and David to know anything about it because it will definitely break their hearts...

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! You're here!" Franki screeches in a high-pitched voice as she excitedly approaches me with wide-open arms.

She flings her arms around my neck and I automatically wrap mine around her waist. God, she smells so good and feels so soft and small.

"Glad you've made it!" she exclaims in her husky voice next to my ear.

"Of course," I flash her a small smile. We had already planned about this last time and David has been blowing my phone up to make sure that I'm coming.  I really didn't have much choice. They just went ahead of me because I had some on-the-spot casting in ABS for a music video but the important thing is I'm already here now. Knowing my brother, he badly needs someone to be with Sky so he can focus on his girl.

"How's everything? How's your friend Veronica?" she asks in her usual cheerful demeanor.

I'm not sure if I have absorbed what she just asked because her face is so distracting. It's really, really stunning. It has been a week since I last saw her and she looks even more radiant and gorgeous than before.

"She's fine now. I've been keeping her constant company."

My excuse to David was that my friend Veronica is sharing her condo unit with her sister for a year now but the latter has an important business trip for a few weeks so she invited me over to stay with her in the meantime because she's not used to living alone. David bought it so I didn't have any problem with it at all. I just felt the need to give him and Franki the privacy they need and...yeah, I'm kind of not comfortable around his girlfriend.

"Oh, she's lucky to have a friend like you! We miss you, you know!"

I subtly roll my eyes with a smile. She probably just wants me to do the household chores while David tours her around Manila.

"Diana! It has been a while." says a familiar voice. It's Sky, and he finally joins the conversation.

"Hey...Sky! How are you?" I smile at him.

"Great! I'm great!" His eyes lit up as he gazes at me. "Wow... I mean...wow! Look at you!"

He looks a lot better now, the metrosexual kind of handsome. It has been like what, two years? He went to Korea for work after we graduated from college and I wasn't able to keep in touch with him since then.

"I miss you!" he happily says as he opens his arms for a hug.

"I miss you too, Sky!" I answer as I hug him back.

Sky is our childhood best friend. He, David, and I were like the best trio ever; playing hide and seek in our house in Cabanatuan, making anything out of clay, sweat ourselves out as we played Patintero, cooking using leaves and toy kettles, and many more outside games. Oh, the childhood memories. We three were really close back then but things changed when David started to tease us with each other in high school. I wasn't into it because Sky was just like a brother to me. There was also a point in our lives that I thought that he's gay because he's kind of feminine sometimes, and his skin...God, it's poreless and really clear... and prettier than most women.

That view of mine changed when he eventually gave in and tried to court me. He made things awkward between us and it ruined our friendship. At that time, I didn't really feel that he was attracted to me. His words and actions didn't match. David really wanted us to be together so I got pissed off and stuff. We went to a separate school during college, ultimately losing our closeness. He and David have been having constant communication though.

"I see you've met Franki already," I comment when I notice that both of them seem already close.

"Yeah, yeah...We've been talking non-stop in the plane. David sure has a nice taste in women." Sky says, referring to Franki but his eyes are on me.

He sure is...

"Oh, you're so sweet, Sky. I think I like you already!" Franki chimes in with a playful tap on Sky's shoulder, and I again heard that adorable giggle of hers. She's really flirty...

David beckons for us to write our names on the registration list before we could finally ride a van to our hotel. I am surprised when Franki chose to sit beside me inside the van instead of her boyfriend.

"We haven't even started yet but I think this is gonna be fun! Boracay is now crossed out in my bucket list. I want Siargao to be the next one and you should come with us again, Diana." she says while putting on a matte lipstick with a compact mirror in hand.

"I'm not sure about my schedule..." I lean back on the chair and fold my arms in front of my chest. I'm kind of sleepy still, probably because of the early morning flight.

"Oh come on," she rolls her eyes while snapping the compact mirror close before glancing at me. "Please?"

"I'll see." I flatly reply with my eyes traveling down her lips. The pink lipstick definitely emphasized the beautiful shape of her lips, especially the lower, fuller one...

"Gosh, I'm so excited to see the beach!" She turns to the window beside her and looks out, making me picture out a child who just got out of the house for the first time. "I need a tan. I can't wait to have a tan!"

"Sure, Franki. Do whatever you want later," I can't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.

I look back to check on the boys behind us. David is sleeping with his mouth slightly open and Sky is just quietly listening to music using his AirPods. He flashes me a small smile as our eyes meet. I smile back and when I return my focus ahead, I silently gasp when I notice Franki staring at the tattoo near my collarbone.

"This looks nice...I want to have a tattoo too," she comments.

"Oh yeah? What kind of tattoo? A butterfly sprinkling rainbows on your shoulder?" I lowkey joked. To my surprise, she drops her head back and roars into her adorable giggle.

"How did you know that? Matalino (Smart) si Diana!"

"Just a wild guess," I shrug my shoulders. She slides her sunnies up to her head and leans in closer to take another good look on my tattoo.

"What is the meaning of this tattoo though?"

Her face is so close that I have to look away so I can breathe normally. I'm not sure if I will be comfortable sharing my breath with her...

Jesus, Diana, what kind of thought is that?

"What is written here is nakakapagpabagabag in another language," I decided to play with her. It's actually a date of some important event in my life last 2012.

"What? Can you say that again?"

"Nakakapagpabagabag. It means worrisome in English."

She leans in even closer and I seriously thought she's going to kiss me but she's apparently just reading my lips.

"Nakakapagpapapagab," she cutely tries, her eyes still on my lips and I badly want to laugh at her pronunciation. I try to correct her again, and again, and again. It took us a million years when she finally got it right and my stomach ached at the suppressed laughter.

"Nakakapagpabagabag." she carefully states with confidence, but her pronunciation killed it.

"Finally," I comment with a sigh.

She elicits a happy, raspy scream but immediately covers her mouth when she realized how loud she can be. She's really cute and I can only press my lips inwardly to stop myself from pinching her cheeks.

"Why would you put a tattoo of that though? Are you worried? Something's bothering you, Diana?" she suddenly asks with a very worried expression.

Oh, shoot. Wrong choice of word. I don't know how to answer her.

Thank God her phone rang and she immediately answered it. I look ahead to see where we are now and silently pray that we should be arriving at the hotel any second from now, as this girl is messing with my gayness.

When we finally reach the hotel, David told me that he actually booked for two rooms.

"Yo' Brat, you and Sky will be staying at the other one and Franki and I will be here, alright?"

Wait, what? I want to throw David a disapproving look but I don't want to offend Sky in any way. We have just been reunited and I don't want unnecessary drama.

I notice Franki looking at me as if she's reading my expression. She might have noticed my discomfort.

To my surprise, she dashes towards me and links our arms together. "Or we girls can stay together so you boys can do your thing? Good idea, right?"

I inwardly sigh in relief. I want to hug her right now for saving me but I gulp in anxiousness at the next moment when I realize that we are going to be in the same room. I'm not sure which one is worse...

"Baby!" David glares at her with both hands on his waist.

"Oh come on, big boy." she goes to him and wraps her arms around his waist. "Can't get enough of me?"

David rolls his eyes before playfully pushing Franki on the bed next to them. "You little peanut!"

Sky and I exchange glances and shrug our shoulders when the lovers start doing some PDA in front of us.

"You both go ahead and Franki and I will just...prepare some stuff," David mumbles naughtily in the middle of tickling his girl.

"No problem, Bro. Take your time." Sky says before pulling me out of the room, finally leaving the lovers inside.

****

"So...Any lucky guy nowadays?" Sky casually asks me as we both rest on the lounging chairs that he had set up under the shade of the coconut trees near the shore.

It's a bright, sunny day today, a perfect day on the beach. I breathe the crisp of the salty air that is coming from the crashing waves. It feels so warm and comforting at the same time.

"I'm afraid none," I answer him while trying to take a nice selfie for Vee, just to update her.

"How about you?" I redirected the topic to him as I don't want him to delve into my personal life.

"Well, single and ready to mingle," he emphasizes the word single as he glances at me.

"I'm pretty sure there are a lot of cute girls in Korea."

"Yeah, but I'm kind of focused on my career now, you know."

"Better choice you got there, Sky." I dismissively reply.

He gets up and sits on the chair, facing my direction. "Do you want to swim now?"

"I think it's better if we'll wait for them," I look back to see if there are any signs of the lovebirds approaching. I resist the urge to scoff as it seems like they got busy in the hotel room. Also, I don't feel like swimming with Sky alone.

"David can't get enough of his girl, noh? Bet they're making the most out of their limited alone time right now,"

I just find myself smiling while slowly shaking my head. "Well, can you blame him? She's a stunner." The words were already out of my mouth before I was able to stop them.

Sky removes his shades and gazes intently at me, "You're a stunner yourself too, Diana,"

I don't know what to say. I want to change the topic but my mind is totally blank right now.

"Oh my gosh, I so freaking love the ambiance here!"

Franki's familiar, high-pitch voice echoes around the place.

Finally!

She saved the awkward moment. I look back to see her and David looking so much ready to swim.

"Come on, guys! Time for swimming!" she earnestly invites with her signature screech.

I slowly drop my jaw when she sexily unties her silky cover-up to reveal her yellow and white checkered two-piece swimsuit that reveals her well-endowed body, especially on the upper part...They are really screaming for attention.

Sky, David, and some people around are also gawking at her right now. Well, damn...She really embodies her career; a swimsuit model.

"Come on, Diana. Your turn!" she urges me to finally strip.

My chuckle sounds very lively as I finally get up and strip down to my red bikini. Everyone's eyes are onto me this time and I'm kind of used to it. I'm confident with my body and it always feels empowering.

"Whoa!" Franki exclaims as she gawks at me. "Very sexy, Diana!"

"Thanks!" I radiantly reply. But you're sexier and I wanna do you.

Franki squeaks in delight as we all four finally plunge ourselves in the water. I so love the feeling of the coldness of the sea kissing my skin under the warmth of the scorching sun. Ah, never felt so good.

Sky is just casually floating near me, trying to talk about something while Franki is riding on David's back on piggyback as he swims on the deeper part of the sea.

Sky and I are in the middle of an interesting conversation about the politics in Korea when I heard Franki calling my name out from the distance.

"Diana, help! David is trying to drown me!"

I can hear David's playful laughter from here as he rides on Franki's back this time.

"Diana!" she yells again as she swims back towards me, leaving David alone.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming..." I promptly work my limbs out against the waves.

"What happened?" I ask her when we finally reach each other.

"I so hate your brother!" she is pouting her lips at me. "He sometimes is a bully, you know."

"I'm pretty sure he is just having fun with you."

She flops her arms against the water as she moves around me. To my surprise, she is now hanging onto my back and her warm breath is tickling the back of my nape.

I chuckle in amusement. "Franki...What are you doing?"

I can feel her chest pressing against my back and it's kind of making me uncomfortable. The sound of her giggle next to my ear is making my stomach flutter for some reason.

"I remember when I was young, I was really afraid of the sea," she mumbles as I start dragging our bodies across the water.

"And why is that?"

"My mom told me that there's a giant octopus in the middle of the sea, ready to devour naughty children anytime."

"I think those giant creatures exist deep in the ocean floor so you don't need to worry about swimming on the surface."

"Of course! I just remembered them. It's actually a cute story if you'll think about it,"

"So you're not afraid of those creatures now?" I feel like I'm talking to a baby right now.

"Well...konti na lang. (Just a little now)" she snickers adorably as she presses herself even closer against my body. "But that doesn't stop me from loving the beach!"

Franki and I continue talking about some random things while the boys are swimming further ahead. I admit that I am having a lot of fun right now, but I know that I shouldn't...

After a few more minutes, the boys swim back to the shore and pulled us for lunch.

As we make our way to the restaurants, my phone suddenly chimes in with Veronica's text:

"So...how's your day so far? Is everything good?"

I replied: "We just finished swimming. Time for lunch."

Franki unlinks herself from David and suddenly rushes towards a bikini store nearby while Sky and I are following behind them.

"Diana!" she looks back at me.

"Yes?"

"Come with me..." Her husky voice is soft with a hint of demand, the kind of sound that you cannot say no to.

"Okay," I answer while reading Veronica's reply: "How's Sky? Is he bothering you?"

I turn to see Sky and he's on phone with someone right now while David is taking pictures of the views from the beach.

"I need to buy another bikini. You should help me with the fitting!" Franki excitedly says while linking her arms with mine this time.

Help her with the fitting? Oh God, please. No.

She turns to the boys and excuses the both of us. "Just a sec, boys!" 

David dismissively waves his hands at her and continues taking pictures.

"One minute, I just need to reply to this," I excuse myself.

"Actually, Sky is not bothering me at all..." I hastily typed in while suppressing the urge to add the text:

...but Franki does.

*****To be continued*****

A/N:

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