I am to Thomas's body, yelping now and then. "Don't let them come close."

He takes the snorkel out of his mouth. "It's fish. They're more scared of us than we are of them."

"Then why does that big one keep coming closer?!" I tighten my arms around him.

"Sage, what is that fish going to do to you? Eat you? I'd be surprised if it even manages to bite your finger."

I shudder at the thought of having that little mouth around my finger. "Don't say that."

"Don't lie. They're beautiful fish."

"Yes, but they're still scary."

"Whatever you say. Please swim on your own now, though. I can't keep the both of us up forever. The sea's deep."

Protesting on the inside, I let go of him and swim on my own, through the water that's colder than expected. I've gotten a bit used to it, though.

The fish are colorful and pretty. Some of them are a bit scary, especially when they come close. But I'm probably overreacting a little too much.

I take a deep breath before I put the snorkel in my mouth and look down through the goggles. Dozens of fish are swimming below me, swarming in their schools.

Half an hour later, the guide lets us know we should go back on the boat, which I gladly do.

I can't deny that after the scary part, it was fun.

Once we're wrapped in a thick towel together, we watch the boat sail back to the coast of Mykonos.

Tomorrow's my birthday. I have a feeling it will be one of the best ones I've ever had.

Plus, it's a golden birthday, just like Evie said.

☯︎︎

After dozens of video calls and promises that they'll give me a present when I come back home, Thomas and I are walking past the many stores. I'm holding his hand, my ring between it.

He gifted me a promise ring; it features a small diamond that's set on curvy band, which has little diamonds on it as well. Along with the first band, there is a second one. It's intertwined with the first one and not decorated with diamonds— just plain.

It's beautiful.

He said that, obviously, this trip is my birthday present but he wanted to do something extra, and he also said he'd buy me anything while we go shopping.

Which I won't allow, because he has done too many things for me already, but I still thanked him. A lot of times. With a lot of kisses.

I don't think my dozens of presents for him compare to this. What he's doing is out of this world; a ring, a trip, and offering to buy me anything else I want.

A simple idea pops up in my mind. "Where do you want to go?"

"It's your birthday. You can decide. There's enough stores to choose from."

"Do you want to get lunch somewhere?" I ask.

"Sure."

We find a cute little cafe that allows us to see the ocean while we eat. Together, we try some Greek cuisines. Most of them are very nice.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he announces, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Okay. Do I need to order anything else in the meanwhile?"

Thomas gets up. Shakes his head. "Don't think so. I'll be back!"

I wave at the waiter the second he disappears out of sight. "I'd like to pay," I announce.

It's the least and bare minimum I can do, but okay.

A few minutes later, Thomas is back. "Have you eaten enough?" He wonders.

I nod.

"Drank?"

"Yes. Let's go."

"Wait. I'll pay—"

I interrupt him by pulling his arm, then walk down the hill with him frowning.

"Did we just dine and dash?" He asks, almost overwhelmed.

"Yes."

That's what he gets for telling me he didn't have anything planned.

"What? No, we need to pay. That was a small little cafe, not a gigantic business that won't even notice," he protests.

"Come on, Thomas. Have some fun for once."

He stops walking, cupping my face to look my right in the eyes. "This is not Viviette," he huffs.

I smile. "Didn't the doctors say my personality could change after dying?"

He pulls a face.

Okay, I can't stand this. I don't like pranks. "I was kidding. We didn't dine and dash. I paid."

A deep exhale comes out of his mouth. "Thank God. Wait— you paid?"

"Why so surprised?" I ask, offended.

"It's your birthday. You can't pay." He begins walking back to the cafe, changes his mind, and then turns back to me. "Send me a pay request or something."

"Jeez, act normal," I laugh. "This is literally the first thing I've paid for in four days. It's fine, Steph. You don't have to do everything."

"I want to do everything."

I squint an eye at him. "There is no way you're not glad you didn't have to pay."

He takes a step back, holding his hands next to his ears. "Okay, maybe I'm a little glad, but don't do this again."

"Can't promise anything."

☯︎︎

"Close your eyes," Thomas says. He puts his hands in front of them for extra coverage. "We're going to walk now. It will take like seven minutes. Keep them closed!"

Nerves are balling up my stomach, both for what I'm about to see and the fact I'll be walking blindly. But I trust him. "I will."

I hear him closing the door of our villa. The night's cooler air hits against my skin. Today, I bought a few warmer clothes, though. It helped a lot.

Right now, I'm wearing a dark red dress I made a while ago, exactly for this moment. I already planned to go at least somewhere with Thomas for dinner back then, and this is perfect.

It's quite elegant and off-shoulder, made of satin fabric. The bodice hugs my waist just perfectly, while the skirt of the dress flows to just past my knees. Its neckline is draped on my shoulders.

"Okay, little step up," he announces, lifting my dress a bit. I step carefully and miss. Chuckling, Thomas lifts my matching heel up, and then the other one. "And now we have many steps down. I'll just carry you."

Before I know it, I've been scooped up. A small yelp slips out of me at the sudden motion, then I'm comfortably against his body.

"Keep the eyes closed."

"Yes," I repeat, laughing.

Eventually, he puts me back down. I feel a strange texture below me. It takes a minute to realize it's sand. The distant sound of waves create a soothing feeling; we're on the beach.

"We still need to walk a little bit. Tell me if I need to carry you again." Thomas intertwines our fingers. We keep walking for a good few minutes.

I can't stop smiling, and I haven't even seen what he has planned. Knowing Thomas, probably more than just a small dinner.

"Another step up." He helps me again. We're now on a wooden surface, and the waves soon seem to be directly below us. We must be on a pier. "Not much longer now."

I'm thinking either something at the end of the pier or a boat?

"I think this is a good time to open your eyes."

Thomas removes the one hand he was holding in front of my eyes. Slowly, I peel them open, blinking to get used to the new sight.

The boat is white, full with candles. Though it's not enormous, it can for sure be called one of those boats to live on.

"You have to see the deck." He steps onto the boat and takes my arm, helping me get on as well.

"You hired a boat?" I ask, my voice high from excitement.

"Just for a little night, mhm. Come on."

We walk through the first door. I get greeted by the sight of a small kitchen, and a longer hallway that leads to the deck. On the left, there's a door.

"That's the bedroom," he says. "Bathroom's on the right."

"I didn't bring any other clothes or a toothbrush or—"

"I've got it settled. Don't worry," Thomas assures, taking me by the waist to pull me close. He kisses my forehead. "Okay, now for the deck. The best part."

I follow him towards the door. When he opens it, I am gasping.

Dozens of candles are spread around the place. There is a table full with food and more candles. A big carpet with two orange-ish poufs on it, which matches the beige color of the carpet. The table is placed close to the edge of the deck. It has been made in a way that you can sit against it, like a couch, with pillows and everything there. Above it all, there's a nice roof. 

"Thomas," I gulp. "Oh my— this is amazing." I attack him with the tightest hug ever. "I love it so much— I love you so much."

"I'm happy you like it," he murmurs while holding me against him, hand running through my hair.

"Love," I correct.

We pull away. "Okay, love."

"How did you manage this?" I twirl around the place. "Wait, can we actually sail?"

"Yup. I got taught some things. It shouldn't be hard. We need to sail slowly anyway— with the candles and all."

I nod in an attempt to keep casual, but then I'm jumping in his arms again. "Ohh, this is the best thing ever. And we can really spend the night on here?"

"Yes. About that," he rubs the back of his head, "do you want me to anchor the boat somewhere in the sea, or do you want it to be attached to the pier."

"If possible, in the sea. Less sounds."

"Alright. I'll try to sail a bit before we go eat."

I watch the island become further and further away from us in the next minutes. Eventually, Thomas steps back onto the deck. "This okay?"

"Perfect."

He spends a few minutes anchoring the boat as I inspect the table. It's filled with Greek food, some of which I already recognize, but also Italian.

Then we're eating, mostly in silence. It's nice. The food is good, I'm close to him, and the waves send calmness every time I hear them. I can see the lights of the island, in different colors and sizes.

"I even got wine. You think wine's okay, right?"

"Yes. Where did you get that?"

"The man I hired this from bought it for us. He's really chill... though I'm pretty sure we're allowed to buy alcohol here, as nineteen-year-olds."

"Ah." I watch him fill half of our fancy glasses with red wine. When they clink together, we go for a kiss instead of immediately taking a sip.

We finish our meal after quite a while. The gentle rocking of the boat and the soft glow of the candles set the vibe more than anything. Makes it ten times better. The taste of the last sip of my wine lingers on my lips while I look at Thomas.

"Thank you," I whisper, leaning closer. "This is perfect."

He takes the opportunity to press a soft kiss against my lips. His hand brushes against my cheek, sending fires to my stomach.

Though that touch soon turns fervent. I'm leaning so close that I'm practically on his lap, not daring to miss any spot on his lips. He holds my waist to keep me steady, but it doesn't do a lot.

When we stand up in unison and navigate to the narrow hallway, my nervousness starts to rise. There is only one place we realistically could be going.

Sensing the hesitation, Thomas pauses; he pulls away so his face is just an inch away from mine and his hand returns to caressing my cheek. "Are you okay with this?" He whispers.

I nod, but my heart is racing. "Just... nervous, I guess."

"We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with." He embraces me in a small hug. "We can stay outside and watch the view, or simply just kiss, or sleep— whatever you want."

His words plus the warmth of his body soothes my stress. "No, I'm okay with it," I say firmly. "Really just nervous."

Thomas brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "Me, too, to be honest."

My nervousness seems to break away when he says that, and a smile comes along. "Okay. But, eh, do you want to?"

He nods. "Yes. But we'll take it slow."

It sounds so awkward, but it doesn't feel like that. At all. It makes everything better, in fact.

Our lips connect again. We're still on the deck, but we try to make our way to the hallway. With our mouths pressed together, it's a challenge, though.

We bump into a view things and we have to take breaks to both breathe and laugh. Then finally, we reach the bedroom. The moonlight filters through the window, onto the bed, where Thomas gently lowers me on.

His lips move down my neck, leaving a trail of hot tingles. I fist his shirt at the ticklish feeling, able to sense his smile.

He paused for a moment, eyes on me. I arch towards him at the same time I pull him close, and we twist around, so I'm on top. For a second, I'm not sure what to do, then I plant a soft kiss against his neck. And one more. And more.

The neckline of my dress begins to drape off my body just when his shirt lands on the floor. I trail my kisses down to his chest, where I kiss him until his grip on my waist tightens. Then he sits up.

He kisses me as he reaches for the zipper at the back of my dress. I begin feeling the fresher air hit my back, and then legs and torso; my dress is next to his shirt now.

I get laid back down. The warmth of his breath against my skin makes the fireworks in my body multiply. He places gentle kisses all over my stomach, so many that his name becomes a constant on my lips. 

A whimper escapes me as I run my hand through his hair, pulling slightly. "You okay?" He asks, his voice sending a thrill through me.

"Yes," I breathe out.

We're lost in each other. As much as the mattress sinks below us, we sink away from the world. Each whisper and caress feels like an exchange of love I have never felt before— not in the exact nineteen years of knowing him. So I guess this can be called the moment that ties our bond off to something unbreakable.