Leave her

{if GameMode == true}

You decide to just make your own way back to the campfire shortly after.

{if apologise_to_amber == true}

As you approach the group of people sitting around the fire, which is pretty big and there seems to be a pile of firewood next to it too, you notice Amber. The two of you lock eyes for a moment, before she awkwardly darts her eyes away and starts fidgeting.

“What the fuck do I do now?” you mutter under your breath, until it strikes you. You do exactly what you would do normally - go and talk to Parisia.

You make your way over to Parisia, who is sitting and talking with Axel and Neela.

“Hey, Parisia?” You ask.

She looks at you and before she answers you make look at her in a way that she can read as distressed, so stands up and walks with you. Parisia can read people really well, she's really observant and that's one of things that makes her really good at giving advice on these kinds of things.

You start walking to the edge of the beach, where the water thrashes against the damp sand. As soon as you're out of earshot, Parisia speaks first.

“What's up?” She asks, looking at you with worry.

“I think I fucked up,” you respond with a sigh.

“Come on, I need specifics to work with.” She playfully replies.

“Me and Amber kissed,” you say.

“What!?” she exclaims.

“Shh, keep your voice down.” You tell her, as the two of you sit down less than a metre away from the water's edge.

“Tell me everything, starting from the beginning.” Says Parisia.

“Fine,” you reply. You then proceed to tell her exactly what happened when Amber was sorting out your bandage, not leaving out even the smallest detail.

“That would have been her first kiss,” says Parisia.

“Really?” You ask.

She nods in response. “You know all those times I teased you about her, I never meant anything to come of it,” says Parisia. “I'm glad it's you though, and not some older douche bag only looking for a hookup.”

“Thanks, I think?” You say.

“Anyway, I think you should just talk to her.” Says Parisia.

“So it's that simple?” You ask.

“Of course not, I wasn't done.” She says, in an irritated tone. “Just gently bring up the kiss, then try and gauge her reaction. If she's responsive to it then ask her why, otherwise give her some space.”

“Thanks,” you say.

Parisia hugs you tightly, and you hug her back.

“You're both my friends and I don't wanna see either of you get hurt,” says Parisia. “It's one of the reasons why I hate these situations, but just know I'm rooting for you.”

You both walk back to the camp and Parisia goes back to where she was before.

You decide to go over to Amber and clear things up now, before it becomes too awkward and you never speak to each other again.

“Hey,” you say, in a gentle tone, while sitting down on the bare sand next to her.

“Hey Julian,” she returns, with a smile that you can tell is ****.

You know her well enough to have seen her smile genuinely and when she's faking it, something is wrong.

“I don't really know how to bring this up in a subtle way so I'm just gonna say it-” You begin.

“I'm sorry,” she says. “I really enjoyed the kiss, even wished it was longer, but I just can't.”

“Amber, I can tell when something isn't the whole truth,” you say. “You're forgetting that I'm your friend too, and we used to be able to talk about anything.”

“I've not forgotten that,” says Amber.

“Then talk to me,” you say. “Tell me what's bothering you.”

“I was seeing someone,” bursts Amber.

Your heart sinks for a moment. It could be due to guilt or jealousy, maybe both. Either way you don't feel good.

“I was afraid to tell you because I had a feeling you'd react like this, it was for your own good.” She says.

“But you still kissed me back? Leading me on, is that what you call ‘my own good’ huh?” You ask.

“I didn't mean it like that,” says Amber.

You sit there for a moment, not knowing what to say really. You didn't even have feelings for her before the kiss, now there's just something about her that makes you want to do it again.

“You're right, I reacted exactly how you thought I might,” you say. “Let's just forget that the kiss ever happened.”

“It's my fault too, I can't decide what I want right now,” says Amber. “How about we forget, but not completely.”

“You really want another, don't you?” You flirt.

Amber just blushes. You know she can't deal with flirting well, so you decide to have mercy on her and recover before she becomes flustered.

“I think we should call it a night though,” you suggest, looking around at the rest of the islanders who have all gone to sleep, save for a few who are talking quietly in pairs. The fire in the centre is starting to die down and with everyone falling asleep anyway, there is no need to waste wood to reignite it.

After a few moments of fumbling around, the both of you find a comfortable position, using your t-shirt to rest against a log and with the two of you facing upwards in an attempt to make things less awkward. After a while, Amber submits to her fatigue, so turns over to face you and leans her head on your shoulder. Moments later, you feel her small hands on your arm, gently clutching it and it feels nice. You have craved this physical contact ever since your last relationship. Even though you've messed around with a few girls since, it's not felt the same.

You wonder what would have happened if you had taken up Michelle's offer. You make a quick mental note to explore that in the future. As for now, you just want a good night's sleep.

{elseif blow_off_some_steam == true}

As you approach the group of people sitting around the fire, which is pretty big and there seems to be a pile of firewood next to it too, you notice Amber. The two of you lock eyes for a moment, before she averts her gaze and starts talking to Roman. You're not completely sure, but she seems pissed off at you.

“What the fuck do I do now?” you mutter under your breath, until it strikes you. You do exactly what you would do normally - go and talk to Parisia.

You make your way over to Parisia, who is sitting and talking with Axel and Neela.

“Hey, Parisia?” You ask.

She looks at you and before she answers you make look at her in a way that she can read as distressed, so stands up and walks with you. Parisia can read people really well, she's really observant and that's one of things that makes her really good at giving advice on these kinds of things.

You start walking to the edge of the beach, where the water thrashes against the damp sand. As soon as you're out of earshot, Parisia speaks first.

“What's up?” She asks, looking at you with worry.

“I might have fucked up by thinking with this one,” you respond, pointing to your groin area. Then, pointing to your head you finish. “Instead of this one.”

“Give me all of it.” She playfully replies, knowing exactly how double-edged that phrase sounded.

“Michelle sucked me off and I think Amber might be pissed off,” you say.

“What!?” she exclaims.

“Shh, keep your voice down.” You tell her, as the two of you sit down less than a metre away from the water's edge.

“How does Amber even know about that?” Asks Parisia.

“What? She doesn't.” You reply.

“Tell me everything, starting from the beginning.” Says Parisia, with a sigh.

“Fine,” you reply. You then proceed to tell her exactly what happened from when Michelle first started teasing you, to when you returned to the camp. You purposely left out some of the details though.

“To be honest, I think they might be completely unrelated,” says Parisia.

“Really?” You ask.

She nods in response. “Maybe something happened before, but by you refusing to acknowledge it and going off with Michelle, you might have made it worse,” says Parisia. “Don't worry though, it's not even that bad.”

“Okay?” You say.

“Anyway, I think you should just talk to Amber.” Says Parisia.

“So it's that simple?” You ask.

“Of course not, I wasn't done.” She says, in an irritated tone. “Just try and find out what the problem is, and gauge her reaction. If she isn't responsive then don't push her. Oh, and definitely don't mention Michelle.”

“Thanks,” you say.

Parisia hugs you tightly, and you hug her back.

“I missed giving you advice, we've not done this is ages.” Says Parisia.

You both walk back to the camp and Parisia goes back to where she was before.

You decide to go over to Amber and clear things up now, before it becomes out of hand and you never speak to each other again.

“Hey,” you say, in a gentle tone, while sitting down on the bare sand next to her.

“Hey Julian,” she returns, with a smile that you can tell is ****.

You know her well enough to have seen her smile genuinely and when she's faking it, something is wrong.

“Amber, I can tell when something isn't right,” you say. “Maybe you're forgetting, but I'm your friend, and you can talk to me about anything.”

“I've not forgotten that,” says Amber, slightly irritated.

“Then tell me what's bothering you,” you suggest.

“Are you and that blonde girl a thing now?” asks Amber.

That was unexpected, you didn't think that was a question she would be asking.

“Well, we haven't kissed.” You say, technically telling the truth. “Anyway, is that what's bothering you?”

“No, I mean, yes, well kind of,” she says.

“What?” You ask.

“The thing is, I'm seeing someone back at home and I didn't want to tell you but seeing you with Michelle has made me question things,” says Amber.

You sit there for a moment, not knowing what to say really. You don't have feelings for her, and you know that she doesn't have feelings for you either, but if you're hearing things right, she's feeling jealous of you and Michelle.

“Well, I don't know what to say,” you say.

“It's fine,” says Amber.

“Promise?” You ask.

Amber just nods.

“I think we should call it a night then,” you suggest, looking around at the rest of the islanders who have all gone to sleep, save for a few who are talking quietly in pairs. The fire in the centre is starting to die down and with everyone falling asleep anyway, there is no need to waste wood to reignite it.

After a few moments of fumbling around, the both of you find a comfortable position, using your t-shirt to rest against a thin log and with the two of you facing upwards in an attempt to make things not awkward. After a while, Amber submits to her fatigue, so turns over to face you and leans her head on your shoulder. Moments later, you feel her small hands on your arm, gently clutching it and it feels nice. You have craved this physical contact ever since your last relationship. Even though you've messed around with a few girls since, it's not felt the same.

Even though your relationship with Amber is completely platonic you can't help but think about what could possibly happen if you were to be more than just friends. You make a quick mental note to bring this up again in the future. As for now, you just want a good night's sleep.

{else}

ERROR: Please message me if you see this with the error code C12.

{endif}

{else}

Please turn on game mode to read the full story. Head to the menu at the top right, then select ‘Start Game’ under the ‘Score’ tab.

{endif}