Keith and Mehi-An Unexpected Surprise

Once again Mehi found herself walking in the park, her loose braids hanging down her shoulders, the slight breeze blowing the SHORT loose strands around her face. she was looking up at the sky noticing nothing except the tree tops, the wind running through the leaves, the pleasant rustling sound, and the beautiful clear blue sky. she was singing softly. To her everything was perfect and she was smiling. Boo hung by one paw from her hand and she swung her teddy bear slowly.

She carefully adjusted the bag on her shoulder pulling her attention back to the ground. Mehi wandered from place to place until she found a good place to rest. It happened to be somewhere she always loved coming when she needed a bit of privacy and she considered it to be her special place. Mehi dropped the bag and her bear on a grassy patch under one of the trees near a bench. She stretched her arms, joining her hands above her head and she let out a happy laugh, laughing for no reason other than she was happy. it was a beautiful day, and she'd met so many nice people in the short time she'd been living there. The sun had lightened her hair a little, she'd spent most of her time outside and it showed. dropping her hands to her side she bounced on her feet a bit, letting one hand brush away a little dust that was on her denim shorts. She really didn't have any reason for being in the park, but really what reason did she need other than she just WANTED to do it?

Mehi leaned back against the tree where she'd dropped her things, still standing, enjoying the feel of the tall tree's rough bark against her back, the loosely formfitting, thin pale blue shirt she was wearing provided little protection. Her skin was slightly tender as she had the start of a sunburn and she loved the shirt because the thin material allowed the slight breeze through, cooling her slight burn. She hadn't used to stay out in the sun all day like she did now. Mehi was seriously beginning to love life on the island. She loved how it was always nice weather, well as long as she'd been there it had been decent, and had never really gotten cold. The tree's branches cast a dappled shade around her, the sun's rays slipping through the many spaces between the bright green leaves. Mehi raised one hand to her face, allowing it to cast a slight shadow to dim the suns brightness as she looked into the treetops, trying to spot the birds she could hear singing their happy songs.

She loved all the people she had met. Though still a bit shy around his family, Keith and his family had made her feel comfortable and welcome, although she still felt intimidated by the sheer number. Mehi knew she'd like to see them again-she didn't dare to admit to herself how much she liked Keith. She still felt embarrassed at how they'd met, her on her butt in the dirt....She had reacted as if he had been a masked murderer when in reality he had been the sweetest, and by far the cutest boy she had seen. ever. And she couldn't wait till the next time she saw him, though heaven only knew when that would be. She had not expected to run into Chepe or Tesanee either. it was comforting to know they lived there too. She'd known he had gone back to an island though the name of it had escaped her until she had run into him on the beach. She really hoped that she would make more friends here.

Dropping to the ground Mehi settled under the tree and leaned back in the soft, cool grass, which felt comforting on the slightly burned skin that it was able to touch,before reaching over and picking Boo up. Settling the stuffed bear on her chest she began to play with the bear's paws, lifting them up over his head, then putting them down again and then making him hop up and down. Giggling, she brought his paws around to the front and made him clap. "Having fun Boo?" she asked and then went on to answer for him, saying yes.

She rolled over onto her stomach cuddling the bear under her. Before she settled in she pulled a small blanket out of her bag and laid it out for Boo, and set up a little picnic she had brought for the "bear" although she knew he wouldnt eat the food. She set out a plate of chicken sandwiches, some fresh fruit and both water and some soda she'd snitched from the fridge. She knew from experience she'd be hungry before she left the park, and she intended to spend as much time as she could there today.

She'd brought a book to read, so she stretched her arm reaching for it, the corner of which was just visible poking out of the lilac colored bag that she had dropped nearby. Letting out a very unattractive grunt she squinted her eyes and grabbed for it, just barely catching it by small corner, but the movement squished Boo into the soft grass. Mehi pulled her prize toward her and easing her weight onto her elbows so she wasn't squashing her bear, she started to read, her hair falling into her eyes and the dappled sunlight peppering her with golden color. The scene, unknown to her made an entirely cute picture, her focused on her book with her bear poking his head out from under her arm as if he was reading along with her while snuggled under her arm, her feet raised above the back of her head, with the prepared picnic spread around them on the soft  rippling grass.

It did not take long for Mehi's mind to wander from her book, as she fell into a daydream, to all appearances, still looking as if she was reading the book, though the truth couldn't have been more different. A small happy smile spread over her face as she became hopelessly lost in her thoughts.

The warm feel of the sunshine on his bare shoulders brought a relaxed, easygoing smile to his lips as he strolled along with nary a care in the world. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Anyone who knew Keith Wilder knew that the soft spoken teenager cared about many, many things (from the well being of his family and friends to stray animals, climate change and charities for the poor). In fact, despite being from a poor family himself, Keith was always volunteering to read to children at the library or playing piano for the Veterans Administration. He'd even take a keyboard to Tatawal Harbor sometimes to play for tourists.

But thankfully for him, today was not a day to run off to this part of the island or that while trying to do some good. Today was just a day where he could relax and go for a nice walk in the park. The birds chirped cheerfully in the trees and a light breeze blew through the air, cooling his skin. Forgoing his vest and jeans for a white tank top and a pair of long, dark blue shorts, he was still easy to pick out in a crowd. It was the knee length hair swaying to and fro with each step he took. For crying out loud, it was hot and heavy and required way too much care, but that was his own fault for not wanting it cut. Perhaps he'd cut two or three feet off and donate it to kids with cancer.

But then, something caught his smoky blue eyes. There, in the grass! Was it...? Like some sort of weirdo kid in a flatcap, he crouched behind a nearby bush and peeped over it. Yes, he was certain of it. A wild Mehitahelle had appeared! His smile widened into an excited grin as he watched her lounge on her blanket with a book before her. She was alone, but seemed to be enjoying herself as she daydreamed with a far off look in her eye. Well, what kind of gentleman would he be not to join her? With that, he strolled over to where she was comfortably splayed out and leaned down with a grin.

"Lovely day for a picnic my dear. Might I join you?"

Mehi jumped a little, caught off guard by the voice calling out to her, but she knew it immediately. Smiling, she sat up and waved at him, leaving Boo lying on the blanket next to her. looking up at him, she couldn't hide how happy she was to see him. "Of course you're welcome to join me, Keith." Blushing slightly she said, a little quieter, "It's always nice to see you." It felt like she had conjured him up just from her thoughts as he was the one she had been lost in her imagination with.

She rearranged herself, on the blanket to make room for him to sit too, and shoved her stuff out of the way for him. "If you want to grab something to eat, go ahead, " she said shyly. She was kind of embarrassed cause she had made all of the food she'd brought herself and didn't know what he would think of it. She sure wasn't going to mention she made it so he wouldn't feel like he had to say he liked it. If he even was hungry.

He must have ears like a hawk, because they could pick up every tiny sound the girl made. Not missing her softly spoken comment, he sat himself right next to her and gave her a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek. "And it is always a pleasure to be in your company, my dear." He told her sincerely, making himself comfortable.

It looked as if she had quite a nice little spread of food with her and he picked up a sandwich. "That's quite kind of you to offer. I'll gladly take you up on it if you don't mind." And with that, he bit into the sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. The flavor was particularly delicious in his opinion and as soon as he'd swallowed it, he told her so. Without any hesitation, he gladly finished it and was about to reach for something else when a noise reached his ear. "Did you hear that?" Keith asked, "It sounds like a cat."

delete

Mehi smiled. "of course I don't mind." she brushed her hair out of her eyes and continued. "No way I could have eaten all this." She gestured at all the food. She honestly doubted that she could eat anything at all now anyway. she blushed a little at the kiss, but didn't look away like she would have before. The shy girl did however manage a real smile in response to it, and shockingly actually did something that required a lot of bravery on her part. With her brown eyed gaze meeting his eyes she just looked at him a few moments and leaned in closer, keeping a slight smile on her face. She then lifted one hand and lightly placed a finger on his nose, in the first ever flirt she had ever done EVER. "You're cute." She tried not to let out a nervous giggle, immediately feeling self conscious as the light breeze fluttered the hair that had pulled free of her pigtails around her face. On Mehi's face there was now a look like she was fighting a bad case of nervous giggles.

When he told her he liked what she had made, her blush got a bit deeper. Again somewhat shy, she said.."i'm glad, I made them right before i came out today." She smiled. "I knew I would be out here for a good long while and that I'd need to eat before I decided to head home. I know i'm going to be alone when I get back to the house." The little brunette paused. "I guess it's a good thing I can make my own food."

At the unexpected news that he thought he heard a cat, she commented "A cat? out here?" Mehi looked around wondering where.. and HOW he had heard that. He must have extremely good hearing to have heard such a small sound in this big place. She had only been hearing the rustling of leaves for some time as well as birds singing, but now that he'd said that she heard, by listening very hard, what sounded like a tiny, very tiny, squeak. Curiously, she stood and looked around to see if she could gauge where the tiny sound was coming from. It couldn't have been far away cause the sound was so small. She was sure there were probably a lot of cats that used the park for hunting. Her family often joked with her that SHE was a cat because of her own affinity for outdoor spaces, and her most common position outside, perched on a bench, or sprawled out on the ground, watching clouds, or reading books, always with her beloved Boo by her side or in her lap.

Mehi looked back at Keith, still holding a sandwich in her hand. She started toward the nearest bush, letting it drop back onto the plate. After looking under a couple of the bushy plants, she heard the same shrill tiny meow that Keith had heard moments before. She wondered if the mother had put them somewhere to keep them safe and she made her way back over to Keith and the blanket. she figured if the mother cat didn't come back before they left she would go make a closer inspection and maybe locate the little one or ones, even if only to be sure they were safe.

Sitting back down next to him easily, she pointed out where she thought the sound originated from."I think it's over in that direction Keith" she said, his name coming much more easily to her and already her permablush was lessening a bit with normal conversation. she had, upon settling back on the soft blanket, sat down close enough to him that if either of them had moved their shoulders could have brushed. Mehi either didn't notice this or the closeness didn't embarrass her anymore. She picked up one of the sandwiches,again but instead of taking a bite, she carefully set it in her lap in favor of talking to Keith and continued speaking. "but maybe we shouldn't bother it, or even them if there are more than one, until before we're leaving..I wouldn't want the mom to come back and smell us all over the babies." Just because she felt like that, she couldn't stop herself from worrying about the apparently small animal...." unless you think we should find it now." She pulled her legs up so she was sitting at a slight angle, legs folded up under her and Mehi set Boo on her lap comfortably.

Besides she wasn't ready to just up and leave. if she had found the cat before she had known he would be there, that would have been different. very different indeed. Remembering their first meeting, in this very same park she had to laugh. Her reaction seemed so silly now, and extreme. She tried not to imagine how she must have looked in a heap on the ground, flat on her rear.

A gentle smile came to his face as he listened to her talk. His smokey blue eyes taking in each and every tiny detail of the girl, from the way the wind played with her hair to the way she blushed when speaking to him. She was a petite, delicate flower, blossoming beneath the golden rays of the sun. Her voice was was shy, but her smile was warm and kind. And were he to quest extensively for the good of mankind, he would spend every waking moment thinking of her. When he dreamed at night, it was Mehi that called to him. Her voice enchanted him as if she were a siren and he was a man too long at sea. If he were dying of thirst in the desert, she would be the cool, refreshing drink he'd crave endlessly.

It really was unfortunate that they were only in middle school.

He wondered if she had any inkling of the extent of his feelings. Of how deeply they ran. Of how tender he would be when they finally became one. But that was a long ways down the road and he would insist upon making their first time perfect. No rushing, no impatience. Just the two of them, so wrapped up in each other that the world could be forgotten, if only for a time. He would wait for her for as long as it took, even if it meant waiting until marriage, because he was a gentleman. And a gentleman such as he could never bring himself to be boorish with a lady of Mehi's caliber.

"If you feel that we should wait to check on the cats, then I'll gladly do so. Besides, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing than spending time with you." Keith said softly and reached a slim hand out to pluck a nearby wildflower. Bringing it to his nose, he inhaled it's sweet scent deeply, before holding it out for his lovely companion to sniff. When he was satisfied, he tucked it into her hair next to her ear. "It was beautiful on it's own, but now it's far more exquisite." His voice was breathy and he could not bring himself to look away.

Mehi wondered what Keith was thinking. Looking up at him again she caught the smile he had on his face as he watched her. Shyly wiping her bangs out of her eyes she remained where she was, not feeling any wish to move away from him. The cats could wait after all. At the moment she was too comfortable where she was,and too happy just sharing her picnic with Keith.

At the comment he'd made stating he would rather do nothing than be with her, she couldn't help but believe him and she blushed deeply, her cheeks turning an almost scarlet color. It was the same way she felt about him. The shy girl would do anything at all for him if he only asked her to. She was still not used to the way he made her feel, but the little brunette loved it and him. Mehi thought for a moment before replying. "I would rather stay with you as long as I can and check them before leaving." She paused as if trying to decide if she should continue speaking or shut up before she embarrassed herself. She chose to continue her thought. "I've never been as happy as I am when I'm with you." Mehi hid her face behind one of her pigtails, pulling it across her face self consciously hooking it with one finger.

She looked over in the direction where the sounds seemed to be coming from and looked back at him. She had been moments away from speaking again just as he picked a pretty flower and smelled it. She smiled, the way he looked was adorable to her and quite effectively made her forget what she had been about to say. As he unexpectedly held the flower out for her to sniff, she leaned forward a little holding Boo in one arm closely against her body,  her lashes shielding her brown eyes as she sniffed the beautiful bloom held in his hand. After she had done so, she realized with some embarrassment he was settling the flower into her hair and she made a mental note to dry it upon returning home, to preserve the lovely little flower as a precious memory.

She remained still as he settled it into place, her every sense on high alert at Keith's touch on her hair. It had been almost as if her hair had feelings of its own amazingly. When his voice again came, she heard the change in its sound and her heart quickened slightly as she wondered what had brought about this new tone. her deep blush lessening, she scooted a bit closer, curiously staring up at him, into his eyes. That change in his voice..couldn't be caused by her could it? The look upon that much loved face was sending shivers down her spine and making her blush return full force. Yet she could sit there literally forever and just watch him if the world would just stop turning for her, which at the moment she sincerely wished it would so that she would never have to leave this spot.

His heart was overjoyed that Mehi wanted to spend as long as possible with him, but he wanted to find out exactly how long that would be today. After all, he had no particular place to be, no appointments to keep. So if he could get away with it, he'd spend all day with her. Eventually, when they were old enough, he'd tell her he want to spend the rest of forever with her. But for the time being, he'd have to settle for the day. "So, how much time do I get to spend with you today, my dear? Do you have to be home in time for dinner or do I get to keep you until curfew?" Keith asked, giving her his full attention.

Mehi sat Boo down next to her, rearranging herself on the blanket to settle in more comfortably. She felt her cheeks warm slightly as she answered Keith's question. "I have the entire day free. All my sisters are off doing their own things so there's no need for me to get home in a hurry." She smiled somewhat shyly. "So I suppose that means you get me as long as you want to."

Pulling her legs up under her she reached down and scratched her knee lightly at the sharp itch that had suddenly made itself present. She was much more at ease now. Something about being in the open peaceful space was relaxing. Mehi always loved the peaceful feeling of grass, trees, flowers, and wildlife surrounding her and now she got to enjoy it with Keith too. She wondered if he could tell just how much she liked him, or if he, like most boys, was completely clueless about it. The strength of her feelings was altogether new to her and it scared her a little, but she was happy too and she decided to not fight it. It wasn't often she was the focus of any male attention and she was finding herself liking Keith quite a bit.

She'd take it where it led..within reason that is.

She was looking at him again, her gaze accidentally locking on his eyes. This time however she didn't look away, and in fact managed the smallest of genuine smiles