Chương 16: "Bonfire Kiss-1" (extra)

Gem hurriedly went to the bathroom to shower. She hung her clean clothes in the rack attached to the door. Piece by piece, she took off her clothes, and opened the shower. While the water trickled down her face, so did her tears, as she was thinking about their previous conversation…

'Surfing.'

---

"The first place goes to Ms. Gem Sayaka! She will be participating in the 2048 Olympic Games!" The emcee said, and applause was heard all over the venue. The 2047 surfing championship was held in one of the northern provinces of the Philippian Archipelago, in the province of Aurica.

Gem walked towards the stage and was given a trophy to commemorate her victory. She became famous for her difficult maneuvers like the "hundred eighty degree rotation" and the "flying dolphin". The audiences and the judges were amazed how she managed to rise up long in the air. It was as if she was on a trampoline, but the ocean waves were tossing her.

After the program, Gem approached her family. There stood her parents and her five, younger siblings, who all idolized her.

"I knew it, you could bring home the bacon," Gem's mom said, patting her shoulder.

"But it's a trophy, mom," Gem replied jokingly. "I'm kinda craving bacon now," as she shot her parents a look.

"C'mon let's celebrate Gem's victory by stuffing our face with bacon!" her dad exclaimed and followed with the shouts and cheers from her siblings.

They went together to a restaurant near the beach. The restaurant was packed with people, but the owner recognized Gem and gave them a private dining room. The owner's son named Joe turned out to be one of her biggest fans. The private dining room had posters of her, on every contest where she had won.

Joe served them seafood dishes like stir-fry shrimp, grilled mackerels, and grilled pork. He also served them three plates of hot, crispy bacon.

"We just ordered two plates of bacon…" Gem said, who was very worried about their bill.

Joe chuckled and said, "It's my treat, as a congratulations gift. Eat up, okay? You did well today. You deserve it." He then gave Gem a sweet smile.

Joe headed towards the door and was going to attend to the other customers. Before Gem could reply to thank him, he had left.

After a hearty meal, they paid their bill through a waiter, and the whole family stood up to get ready to leave. Gem looked around to look for Joe. She wanted to thank him for his generosity and kindness. And above all, she was interested in him.

When she turned in the corner of the room, she bumped into him.

"I'm sorry!" Gem exclaimed, and when he saw Joe, she said, "Oh, hi."

"My idol, hello. Did you eat well?" Joe asked, delighted to see her.

"Thanks to your extra plates, yes." Gem said.

"Until when are you going to stay here in Aurica?" Joe asked, leaning towards the wall. "I want to… go surfing with you."

Gem didn't know why, but she felt excited. "I'm going to leave next week."

"Are you free, then? Are you going to do some training?"

"I'm free this week. I have no training, and I plan on going on tour around Aurica. Uhm… Can I have your D-Chat e-mail?"

They exchanged emails, and then Gem waved goodbye to him. She and her family stayed in a nearby hotel.

The next day, Gem's family had scheduled to go back to their home in Alfinne City, five hours from Aurica and an hour south from Makylee City. Her five younger siblings had summer classes in two days so they all needed to return.

From the hotel, Gem transferred to a cottage house in front of Joe's restaurant. It was a small rental house with a roof made from dried leaves of palm and grass. Its main structure is made of bamboo and metal. She dragged her wheeled luggage bag towards her bedroom. She was about to take out her stuff when she was interrupted with a sudden knock on the front door.

Gem hurriedly opened it. Joe was there, standing, holding a basket of fresh clams. He was wearing yellow floral, summer-style shorts, and a very loose sleeveless shirt, which emphasized his muscular arms. He gave her a wide grin.

"Good morning, idol!" He said, then showed her the basket. "I brought you some clams."

"Good morning, Joe, I just got in," Gem said, while curiously looking at the clams.

"I know, I was sitting outside the restaurant, waiting for you," Joe said, then he winked.

Gem's cheeks flushed. Embarrassed, she immediately took the basket from Joe and replied, "Come inside." Then, Gem placed the basket of clams over the kitchen counter.

A few days have passed, and the two of them have been spending their time together. Joe's father had told him that he could be free from his work the whole week to spend his days with his idol surfer.

There was a day where Joe rode his e-motorcycle with Gem and they went to a secret beach. The waves there were very fit for surfing and the ocean was so beautiful. Because there were no roads around, only a few people knew the way to that beach.

Joe was prepared, bringing a tent, two surfboards tied in his motorcycle, and some food and beverages.

Seeing what kind of items Joe brought, Gem asked him, "Wait… Are we going to spend the night here?"

Joe chuckled. He replied, "You don't want to?"

Gem was taken aback by his words. Even though her heart was beating loudly, she tried to regain her composure and said...

"Do you want to?"