Harbor Docks: Chepe's Birthday

Chepe smiled, with his arms still around Lena, treading water while being careful of her legs so he wouldn't kick her. He was good at swimming like this since he was a lifeguard at the pool back home. He had to be able to swim while holding a person. "Okay then...my question is this....Any time after my family moved....Did you ever miss me?" he asked looking at her face curiously. He didn't expect her to have ever missed him at all, really. He sometimes thought he'd been a pain in the butt to her, even though they had been friends. He knew an 8 year old was old enough to and could remember their friends. But had she missed him? He was rather curious about it.

“Any time after my family moved....Did you ever miss me?”

Leaning back as far as Chepe’s arms would allow her; Lena looked up at the clear blue sky focusing on a small white puffy cloud seemingly the only one in sight. His comment triggered memories of the day his family had uprooted from the island, to come flooding back to her mind. Had she missed him? Of course, there was no questioning it. Chepe had been her best friend as a small child. Unknown to him, the very same day he had moved away he hadn’t been the only one to shed tears. That night the small redhead had cried herself to sleep…However now Lena had extraordinary control over her emotions rarely allowing herself to cry. She didn’t want to feel small, weak, and lonely ever again.

Dragging her hands through the water Lena’s gaze fell down back to Chepe. “Yes, I did miss you.” Her voice although soft didn’t hold it normal chirper tone. Pushing the memories of the lonely days that followed Chepe’s absence from her mind, Lena playfully splashed him. A smile returning to it proper spot on her lips she steered the subject back to their little game. “Alright, truth or dare?”

Chepe noticed the expression on Lena's face, hoping he hadn't brought bad memories to the surface for her. His wet hair was still annoyingly hanging in his eyes. Chepe wondered why it never did what he wanted it to. It was even more annoying when it was wet. He grinned at Lena, saying, "Truth." He wondered if his sister had planned this, and if that was why she had taken off like she had. He smiled at Lena, then looked off into the clear water. He could see down pretty far. There were several brightly colored fish swimming around in the clear water.

"Oh hold!" Lena said, slipping out of Chepe's reach swimming toward the dock. Lifting herself only half way out of the water, she leaned over the edge reaching for her bag. Her feet kicked playfully through the water as she dug a hair tie out, dropping herself back into the water. Swimming back to Chepe she ran her fingers throw his hair tying it back out of his eyes. "There! Much better...now you’re not hiding from me.” Lena concluded looking up into his deep green eyes. Had he always been this handsome? Well, that definitely wasn’t going to be her question. Swimming around him she racked her brain for a good question, stopping to his right she tilted her head slightly asking, “What did you miss most about the Island?”

Chepe watched Lena as she swam back to the dock. He wondered what she was doing when she started digging through her bag. What was she looking for? After a little while, she must have found what she'd been after, because she was swimming back to him now. When she'd reached him and was running her fingers through his hair, he blushed a little at the feel of her fingers. Suddenly he realized that she had tied his hair back. She had had to tie the hair back on the top/back of his head since if it had been a low one his hair would still have been in his eyes. He knew he probably looked really stupid, but since she had done it he didn't say anything, he just smiled at her. "I couldn't hide from you." he said. "I don't think I could ever live with myself if I did that."
Chepe turned to face her again. "well....what did I miss most about the island?" He said, softly. "I would have to say.....that what I missed the most about it was...well...was you, Lena." his blush deepened as he looked toward the dock, and the things on it. He could see Lena's bag there and his own guitar bag further away. He thought of all the songs he'd written with Lena in mind when he'd been old enough to write them. He didn't think he'd ever get a chance to see her again..or let her hear them. He was a little nervous about that idea however, since he had put a lot of emotion into them. Granted, she would not know they were done because of her unless he told her...unless she was good at picking up on that kind of thing.


He smiled at her, looking into her blue eyes. "Truth or dare?" he asked her. He wondered if she was getting bored with the game. He didn't know what she thought. Would she prefer swimming and just being together than doing the game that his sister had stuck them doing? It didn't bother him at all. He was rather enjoying it, but he would be willing to do whatever Lena was wanting to do. He looked at her, waiting.

“Huh?” Lena stopped mid-swim turning to fully face Chepe’s blushing face. She must have heard him wrong. No…she was sure he just said that she had been the thing he had missed most about the island. She hadn’t realized that he had cared that much about her or their friendship, OR that she had made such an impression on him. Honestly she was surprised he even recognized her after all this time. His answer had brought a pinkish shade to her cheeks; thankfully he had been looking off towards the dock so it went unnoticed. A cunning smile spread across hr lips as she swam up beside Chepe, pulling at his tied back hair playfully she teased, “Well I didn’t know you were that fond of me Chepe!” She let go, a small giggle escaping her lips as she swam away calling DARE over her shoulder.

Chepe laughed, swimming after her quickly. "You asked and I gave you an honest answer." he said. "You're the only thing I ever really missed...you made the island special to me." He was a fast swimmer so he had no problem catching up to her. "You pulled my hair." he said, grinning at her, as he caught her. He looked at her, swimming away quickly again. "I dare you to try and catch ME!" he called laughing, as he zoomed through the water like a fish."And if you catch me...I'll have to do what you want without a dare!" He wasn't swimming as fast as he could because he wanted to make it easier for her. He wasn't sure how good of a swimmer she was.

Anything without a dare? This was definitely worth the chase. However Lena knew she wasn’t the best swimmer, and would never be able to catch Chepe. At least not by playing fair....

Swimming after him she stopped suddenly an ear piercing scream filling the air. Passerby’s on the harbor shoreline stopped and stared, a few of them looking as though they were contemplating running out into the water at the first call for help. Kicking her feet her voice was a frantic the words an incoherent jumble. Whatever it was had visibly frightened her…..

The sound of Lena screaming made Chepe stop swimming instantly. He was already really far away from her. Turning in the water, his years of lifeguard training made him act without thinking. As soon as he saw the panic on her face, he took off straight toward her through the water. Reaching her in only seconds, he grabbed hold of her. "Are you okay?" he asked her, very worried. He looked at her. Was she hurt? scared? what had happened? He hugged her.

Well that worked a lot better than she had originally hoped for. Chepe was at her side within seconds of her screaming, clinging onto her as if her life depended on it. Throwing her arms around him she buried her face into his neck suppressing the urge to laugh which caused her body to feel as if it was trembling.

“Chepe…I…I…I caught you!” She pulled back a wide victorious grin on her face. Her arms stayed around his neck pulling him a little closer to her as she asked, “Did I ever tell you I took drama for three years?” Her act had worked perfectly, and hopefully Chepe's sense of humor was better than the onlookers at the shoreline. Cursing under their breath for being tricked they stalked away back to their daily routines.

Chepe held her tighter, laughing. "You DID catch me!" He grinned at her."Pretty effectively too." strands of hair were falling down loose now. "That was great!" he said, shaking his head. "Well...I owe you.....so what do you want me to do?" He still had a slight smile on his face. He thought she was so cute when she was having fun. He wondered what she would want from him. He didn't have any clue what she could possibly want him to do.

“Well actually I’m going to hold on to this little dare I won, and use it when the time is right.” Giving him a playful wink Lena squirmed out of his arms swimming towards the dock. They had been in the water so long that her fingers were pruney noting that it was time to start heading back. Pulling herself out of the water she turned to Chepe calling out, “You coming? We can’t spend all night in the water! It’s about to get dark out, and we should be heading back.” Tilting her head to the side grabbing a handful of curls she expressed as much water as she could from her hair.

"I'm coming." he said. Chepe followed her to the dock, and pulled himself up out of the water. Once he was on the dock, He removed his hair from the ponytail and squeezed the water from his hair. It was still pretty wet even so. It immediately fell in his eyes again. He picked up his wet shirt, and his guitar, and stood there waiting for Lena.

Walking back to the car beside Chepe, Lena kept up small conversation laughing about the look on his face when he had heard her scream. It was strange she felt as though he had never left, and they had spent the last 10 years together. As they reached the car Lena opened the trunk pulling out a towel she had brought along, knowing Chepe would have to get wet in his clothes. Tossing him the towel she opening the door to the backseat setting her bag and clothes down. "Chepe? Do you have your driver's licence?" She asked glancing over at him. She was leaning against the car door and hadn't missed the looks she had been getting from the young sailors passing by unable to keep their eyes off her....no, her body.

Chepe said, "yeah..I actually do." he smiled at her, then noticed people watching Lena. He positioned himself between them and her blocking their view. "why?" he asked, drying himself off with the towel."Thanks for the towel," he said. He scratched his shoulder when he was done drying himself. He glared at the guys still trying to see her. He put his things in the car too.

“Well you see I thought that maybe you could drive us back.” Lena replied leaning into the back seat to retrieve her keys from her bag. Straightening back up, she dangled the keys out in front of him to take if he was up from driving her car. It wasn’t the pretty things on the island, but it wasn’t hard to drive. She had plans to change before they got to the school, but seeing that there were too many lingering eyes at the harbor it would do her no good to try here.

"Sure, I'll drive if you want me to." he said, taking the keys. "Are you sure you want me to?" He smiled at her. "You better get in...They're still trying to get a look at you." Grinning, and pocketing Lena's keys, he said, "before we leave, I'm playing a couple songs for you and I won't take no for an answer." Smiling at her, he grabbed his red and white guitar from the backseat and pulled it out of it's bag, slipping the strap over his head, leaving the bag in her car. The red color on it perfectly matched the red in the tattoo on his shoulder. Pressing the play button on his tape player that he kept in the outer pocket on the bag, he started playing, his long black hair in his bright green eyes, as he looked past the car, into the distance. He was tapping his foot on the ground, and swaying in time to the music. He had a soft smile on his face as he sang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uq97aOlILE&feature=player_embedded#!

He readjusted himself for the second song, pushing his hair back again, but giving up when it fell in his face again. As the music on the tape started again, he joined in.
(The song name on the video is wrong. The name of the song is "Falling Even More In Love With You)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6-jmQOwTJ0&feature=player_embedded#!

Chepe decided to do one last one before he got in the car. After all, he DID have the keys. She was most definitely a "captive" audience, since she couldn't leave unless she wanted to walk back to her dorm in her bathing suit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_m5vGmrpGU&feature=player_embedded

When the songs were finished, he slipped the guitar strap back over his head, messing up his hair even more in the process, and quickly put it back it it's bag and back into the car. He then put his tape player back in its proper place. He waited for her to get in the car before he did the same, starting it up. "You ready to get going?" he asked, resting his back against the seat, relaxing. He looked back at Lena, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "I really like you...and it's different now. It's not just a "friend" thing like it used to be. I feel like I've never been gone, and I know we've only just started hanging around each other again...but I would love it if you were my girlfriend." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't want to risk losing you all over again. You're just too important to me." He looked ahead so he wouldn't have to look at her. He was really nervous. "I hope that doesn't offend you, coming from me like this so soon." he said. He was always honest, even with how he was feeling, and right now it was making him feel very awkward. What if she didn't like him back? Chepe blinked and ran his hands through his hair, not taking his eyes off the hood of her car through the windshield. He was beet red at the moment. He couldn't figure out where he'd gotten the nerve to even say this to her. He was so worried she would be like Mina, even though she didn't seem like she would be. Mina was the only girl he'd ever really dated and she had been horrible to him. He wished he could take back what he had just said to Lena. Certainly she would not feel the same about him. Why on earth would she? after all, Mina never seemed to think much of him, until he'd left her. Now she was calling and texting him all the time. Mina was currently trying to arrange a trip to the island to see him, he knew, but he really didn't want to see his ex. He desperately hoped Lena didn't see his face as red as it was currently.

Lena settled herself into the backseat of the car, her long slender legs hanging out of the open car door – barefooted she wiggled her toes keeping her feet off the scorching asphalt. Her blue eyed gaze was fixated on Chepe as he adjusted the guitar strap at his shoulder preparing to play a song - or two. Bouncing slightly on the edge of the seat an anxious smile appeared on her lips. Secretly she really enjoyed hearing him sing...the look in his eyes while he sang made her feel like...maybe...just maybe it was meant for her.

Chepe strummed a few notes before his voice rang out melting into the melody. Somewhere in the middle of the second song Lena had closed her eyes listening, her body making the smallest of movement’s, swaying as she lost herself in the song. He really did have a beautiful voice. Before she knew it the third song was coming to an end. It had crossed her mind to use that dare she’d just won just to have him sing to her some more, but as she opened her eyes she realized that she wasn’t the only one listening. Not far from her parked car a group of tourist had stopped to listen. As they began to applaud Lena got up from the backseat nudging Chepe gently in the side, “Well take a bow!” She told him playfully, taking his hand she curtsied to the crowd. Yes, curtsied in her bathing suit.

As the crowd dispersed -buzzing about the “talented boy” – Lena got into the passenger seat, followed by Chepe sliding into the driver’s seat. She turned to him about to let him in on what she had planned to use the dare for, but he had spoken first -- his words leaving her speechless. Was that just a confession? Of course it was...he said girlfriend. He wanted HER to be his girlfriend? Of all the girl’s he could have -and she was sure he could have ANY- he really wanted her? Lena blinked her big blue eyes at him surprised; it must have taken a lot of courage for him to speak those few words to her. He wouldn’t even look her in the eyes after, his nervous gaze falling on something passed the windshield. If she was going to give him an answer to his confession he would have to look at her properly.

Reaching out Lena placed her hand softly against his right cheek, her voice no louder than a whisper, she called his name so that he would look at her, “Chepe…” As soon as she had his attention she leaned in closing the distance between them. Her lips capturing his in a soft deep kiss…this was her answer.

When Chepe felt Lena touch his cheek, and heard her say his name, he almost thought he had imagined it. His wet hair was in his eyes again, and he was a little glad it was hiding them mostly from view. He looked at her, a little shyly. As he watched her he was a little apprehensive to see her closing the distance between them like she was. She didn't LOOK like she was ready to bite him like Mina would have, but how was supposed to know? When she kissed him, he was a little off balance. He'd been expecting her to laugh at him or something, and when it didn't happen, he had to regain his thoughts. He put his arms around her,holding her tightly like he would never let her go, returning her kiss, his cheeks still a little red. He had been sure that Lena hadn't felt the same way about him, and was amazed at what had ended up happening. It was hard for him to think that this birthday had been his first one without his parents and so was the worst one he'd ever had....but in a way, it had also been the best birthday he'd ever had.

Chepe retuning her kiss awoke butterflies in Lena’s stomach urging her continue. Her free hand came up cradling his face in her hands as she pulled herself onto her knees. Leaning slightly over him she deepened the kiss tangling her fingers through his hair. Loosing herself in his lips she had completely forgotten she had only been dressed in a very revealing bathing suit, her bare skin pressing up against Chepe as she kissed him. Pulling away enough that her lips were still brushing against his, she was the first to speak, “I really like you too Chepe…” She responded just in case the kiss wasn’t enough evidence for him.

As Lena continued kissing him, Chepe let his hand move up the side of Lena's face. His own face felt awfully hot where she touched it. He leaned back against the car's seat as she leaned over him. His body felt hot when her skin made contact with his, and he was completely lost in the kiss by now. Both of his hands were now in her hair, partially tangled up in it. When she pulled back a little to speak, he didn't say anything because he didn't trust his voice, so he just smiled slightly, rather hoping she wouldn't be able to feel how hot his skin was. He stayed where he was, not pulling any further away. He was still a bit in shock but he was really glad that he had gone ahead and told Lena how he felt. If he hadn't done it then he might not have said anything for much longer. Possibly he wouldn't have said anything for years. As it was he felt pretty lucky that the prettiest girl on the island also happened to be his best childhood friend...and now girlfriend. He couldn't stop looking at her, he was so lost in her dark blue eyes.

Looking down at Chepe’s blushing face brought a smile to Lena’s lips. Had he always been this irresistible? Though Lena’s had her fair share of “boyfriends” none had made her heart race the way it did when Chepe stared into her eyes. As it thumped away in her chest she tilted her head towards the side, her breath at his ear, “Happy Birthday Chepe.”

The heat radiating from his body was a warm and welcoming feeling against her skin, making it hard to pull away from him. Although she REALLY didn’t want to Lena sat back in the passenger seat. “We should start heading back, before we steam up these windows.” She said, a flirtatious smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Thanks." he said. "I had so much fun with you today...It was the most fun I've had in a while." Chepe fished Lena's keys out of his pocket. "Yeah.. we better." he smiled at her, sitting up more in the seat as he started her car, and backed carefully out of the spot she'd been parked in. He smiled over at her as he started driving back to the dorms. He thought Lena was extremely pretty when she smiled. He was already thinking about seeing her in class the next day, and he was thinking of asking her to sit with him. It would be easier for him to not be bored if she was beside him. He smiled a little to himself. Chepe couldn't help wondering where he should go. Should they go to her dorm or his first?

Lena was secretly celebrating a silent victory knowing that Chepe had enjoyed his day with her. She wasn’t sure if he was up for her spunky outgoing personality, and luckily she hadn’t scared him away. She really cared for Chepe he had been an important person in her life for a very long time. She finally had him back now… she wasn’t going to let him slip through her fingers again. As they made their way back to campus Lena suddenly unbuckled crawling into the back seat of the car. “Don’t mind me…” She said digging through her bag, “Just changing.” She had packed extra clothes, since she had originally planned on staying over at Emma’s dorm that night - to catch up with her closest and only "girl" friend, since lately neither of them seemed to have anytime to talk. Not wanting to show up sporting a bikini she decided she might as well change before they got there.

Sitting sideways on the seat Lena reached up pulling the strap of her bikini. She had herself situated so that all that Chepe would be able to see was her bare back. She didn’t have much of a problem with nakedness; she just didn’t want to distract him too much from driving. She much preferred that he kept his eyes on the road just to be safe.

Chepe kept glancing over at Lena as he drove. He couldn't keep his eyes off her for long and he wondered what she was thinking about. She looked so happy. He wondered if she'd had as much fun today as he had. Chepe thought about his parents...they would have loved to see Lena now. They had really liked her. But Chepe knew that if the accident hadn't happened he wouldn't be here, in the most beautiful place on earth again, which was made more beautiful by the girl who was beside him. For the first time since his family had moved, he felt like he was back where he belonged.

He had been trying to take everything in since he had arrived, but today would stand out as the day his life was beginning again. It was fitting to him that it was also his birthday. He knew that he would heal faster from the accident with Lena by his side, no matter how difficult that healing might be, or how long it might take. He had wanted to give up, lie down and die just like his parents had every day before now. He'd had so many responsibilities pushed on him after the accident. He had to care for his sister and he had also been in charge of packing away his parents things and getting them ready for storage, and then and getting their home ready to move away from. Now he had a reason to want to go on and his heart felt lighter than it ever had since the day he'd lost them. He was beginning to be happy again, though he knew that he still had many bad days ahead of him. He felt that the bad days would be easier for him to handle with her by his side. He felt stronger than he did before. Would Lena ever know that she was the reason he had decided not to give up? He remembered the day he'd arrived back on the island and she had learned of his parents' deaths. Would she be able to be there for him, like she had said, even on the bad days, full of painful memories? Or would it be too much for her? He hoped she would be able to handle it.

He looked at Lena out of the corner of his eye...not wanting her to pick up on his thoughts. Right now he was thinking that Lena was the most beautiful girl in the world. When he was little he had actually thought she was a real life angel. Even then he had only wanted to be around her. He'd been fascinated by her red hair and happy personality. She had been very important to him. Back then he'd loved her as only children can love each other. He spent every minute with her at the daycare, and when he'd seen her at the park or beach, he would go straight to her. Their parents would even have a hard time separating them when it was time to go home, and Chepe had spent time at her parents' house too. He'd never been as close to another person as that after the move, and it had hurt him that his parents had never given him a good reason for making the move. It didn't matter now. He was home, and he never intended to leave again. He was not going to abandon Lena again.

He focused on the road, still being very careful. He wasn't one to do things recklessly, whether it was driving, or things like relationships. He still couldn't believe that had been him talking just now. He wondered if he was a little pitiful: his first real kiss when he'd just turned 18. Come to think of it, Lena had also been the first girl who was unrelated to him to kiss him on the cheek too.
Chepe let his thoughts go back to the two of them playing on the floor when they'd been 4. Chepe had gotten hold of his dad's guitar and had been trying to play for Lena. He had sounded horrible of course, having never played, but Lena had loved it. That had been about a year or so before his dad had actually begun teaching him how to play. He smiled at the memory. He could remember so many things that they'd done as kids. She had spent so much time at his parents' house and they had always had a good time.

Chepe decided to come right out and ask Lena something. Looking over at her he said, "Would you like to walk to class with me in the mornings? I do usually take my motorcycle,so I don't mind giving you a ride if you would like that better than walking." He was a little embarrassed asking the next part. "I'd like to start sitting with you in class...I mean every day...would that be okay with you? I love being near you. I don't care who else sits near me, I just want you by me too." He smiled, a little as Lena suddenly unbuckled her seat belt and climbed into the back seat. He was wondering what she was doing back there. When she said she was changing he did his best not to look into the rearview mirror.Of course he had to, to keep an eye out for any possible cars, so when he did look he was distracted by Lena's bare back. A bathing suit was bad enough. Chepe quickly looked ahead again, not knowing if Lena would be upset that he'd looked back at her, or if she was one of those girls who it didn't bother at all. Mina had been from the freak out if she got looked at wrong group.

His phone started ringing, and picking it up, he read the name that was connected with the number. Sighing, he just put the phone back in his pocket, not answering the call. He didn't want to talk to Mina. Besides he never talked on his phone when he was driving.