A Summer Romance

Covering her mouth with her hand as a yawn escaped her; Elina shuffled across the small lobby of the hotel, her flip-flops thumping against the stone floors, and pulled open the glass door leading to the restaurant. Glancing around the large room, scanning the tables for her family, she gave a half nod as she caught her mother’s eye.

Walking over to the buffet, she helped herself to the fresh fruit and poured herself some milk and cereal, collecting a glass of orange juice as she walked over to the table where her 15-year-old brother Johan was sitting.

“Well aren’t you chipper,” he teased her as she plunked down in the seat across the table from him.

“Shut up,” she glared at him, only to roll her eyes as he stuck his tongue out at her.

“So where were you last night?” he smirked at her, ducking just in time as she threw an orange peel at him. “Ohh, testy.”

“Back off,” she ordered him, knowing that it would only serve to spur him on.

About to throw another retort at her, he was interrupted by the arrival of his younger brother by two years.

“You didn't watch the game with us,” Simon pointed out as he sat down at the end of the table, looking at his older sister, disappointment shining in his green eyes.

“I know,” Elina smiled slightly, reaching out and running her fingers through his unruly blonde locks. “But I did say I might not make it back in time for it,” she reminded him, knowing that it had fallen on deaf ears when she left the hotel room the previous evening.

“You spent the night on the beach instead of watching football?” the thirteen-year-old asked sceptically. “You're weird,” he decided simply, going back to his sandwich.

Sharing a smile with Johan, she finished off her cereal before leaning back in her chair, crossing her long legs beneath the table. “So did you make any plans with the guys you met the other day?” she asked, eating pineapple with a fork. Out of the two brothers, he was easily the most easy-going one of the two brothers, he could make friends with anyone, anywhere, if he wanted to that was.

“Not really,” Simon shrugged simply.

“Who won?” she asked, already knowing he was dying to talk about the game.

“Greece!” he exclaimed, his whole face lightning up. “Greece is in the final!”

“Really?” she asked surprised, that she wouldn't have predicted.

“Yeah,” Simon nodded quickly. “And they’re meeting Portugal or Holland. That semi is being played tonight,” he informed them simply, even if his two siblings were already well aware of that.

“Might just have to watch that then,” she smiled slightly, finishing off the strawberries in the bowl.

“You sure you're not going to be ‘walking along the beach’ all night then?” Johan asked smirking, the point of the statement hitting right where he was aiming, and going straight over his younger brother’s head.

“Shut it,” she threatened to throw a dirty napkin at him, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head that was questioning why the hell she was acting so juvenile. “I’ll be there,” she stated frankly, consciously missing the way he rolled his eyes at her.

“We’re going to go out to the pool,” Elina’s mother, Marie said as she came over to where they were sitting. “Will you be out there soon?”

“Yeah, soon,” Elina replied with a smile, Simon only nodding in confirmation.

“I'm going to go grab my things from the room right now,” Johan said before getting up from his chair and heading towards the exit of the restaurant.

“Great,” Marie smiled at the two kids left at the table before joining her husband and leaving the restaurant through the terrace.

“Portugal or Holland?” Simon asked suddenly, startling Elina slightly as she was sipping her juice.

“What?” she choked slightly, arching her eyebrows in question.

“To win and go to the final, stupid,” he stated like she was the dumbest person alive.

“Don't call me stupid,” she smacked him around the head before finishing her juice and standing up from the table. “Portugal,” she stated simply as they walked through the restaurant together. “But I think that Holland is going to give them a fair fight thought,” she elaborated, the warm sunrays hitting them as soon as they walked down the steps to the pool-area.

Joining the rest of their family, Elina stepped out of her flip-flops and pulled off the loose tunic and the short jean shorts she’d been wearing, leaving her in a turquoise bandeau halter bikini before she pulled her long hair into a messy bun and lay down on a lounger, soaking up the rays like there was no tomorrow.



By chance glancing up as she was in the middle of a kick-about with her youngest brother and the two friends he’d made at the hotel, Elina couldn’t help but smile as she recognised the blonde man who was approaching the tall gates at the ocean side entrance to the hotel.

Excusing herself from the three boys, she ignored the faces Johan pulled at her as she passed him in the pool and headed across the lawn, the thick grass tickling the soles of her feet.

“Hey,” she smiled as she reached him just as he was walking through the gates, slightly surprised when he reached out and pulled her into a hug only to have to suppress the sudden feelings that bubbled up inside of her at the sensation of his warm hands on her bare skin.

“Hi,” Fernando greeted her as he pulled back, pulling a quick kiss on her cheek which caused her to blush slightly. “That your family?” he asked as he glanced over at the group of people who were gathered at neighbouring lounge-chairs.

“Yeah,” she nodded once, pushing her hands into the pockets of her short jean-shorts that were barely hanging onto her hips as she had yet to button them up. “My brothers are...somewhere,” she added as she glanced around, not able to locate them.

“You having a good time?” he asked as he carefully checked her out; her turquoise bikini contrasting nicely to her already tanned skin which in turn only made her blonde hair seem more golden.

“We’re not really doing anything,” she pointed out with a smile. “But yeah, I am having a good time,” she surprised herself by saying, for the first time realising that since she’d met him the previous evening, she hadn't thought about...him even once...”What about you?” she pushed those thoughts away and focused her full attention on the guy standing in front of her right then.

“It’s looking up,” he told her with a pointed smile that only grew as her blush came back to her cheeks. “I'm here with my brother and his girlfriend and you can only be around them for so long,” he revealed with a shrug. “I really don't have anything planned besides just taking it easy and relaxing, getting away from everything back home,” he elaborated with a somewhat guarded look in his brown eyes.

Nodding slowly as she could relate, at least in some way, she glanced back at where her family was sitting, her mother having noticed her only daughter’s absence and were therefore looking straight at them, curiosity written all over her face.

“You don't have anything to do today?” he checked and she only shook her head as she looked back at him. “Good, cause I was thinking that maybe wanted to spend some time with me,” he suggested, hoping that she was going to be interested.

“Like what?” she asked, an almost goy look in her blue eyes as she squinted slightly in the bright sunlight.

“I don't know,” he smiled at her. “We could just hang here at the beach, and then maybe have some lunch,” he suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea,” she nodded slightly, lingering slightly as she bit her bottom lip. “I'm just going to get my stuff and tell my parents I'm leaving,” she told him before spinning on her heel and having to refrain from sprinting back across the pool area.

“I’ll wait here,” he nodded, knowing that she couldn’t hear him as she was already halfway across the grounds.

Grabbing her bag from next to the lounger she’d been occupying just half an hour earlier, she told her mother that she was heading to the beach, with a friend... Dodging her mother’s inquisitive looks, she slipped her feet into her flip-flops and walked back to Fernando, the two of them walking out through the gates and across boardwalk.

The two of them falling into step as well as an easy conversation, they walked across the wide beach and wandered for a moment before they found a slightly less crowded area. Spreading out her towel, she sank down on it without removing her shorts and leaning back on her outstretched arms, her breath hitched slightly as she caught him pulling his polo shirt over his head.

That he was fit was obvious to anyone who saw him, but without a shirt on...the view was a little too good actually....

Swallowing hard, forcing the array of feelings that bubbled up inside of her to get lost, she averted her gaze to the azure blue sea and tried to keep her breathing even. She’d just gotten out of a year-long relationship, she should not be having this kind of reaction to a guy, and especially not a guy that she’d just met the previous evening...

Time had passed quickly as they talked about practically anything and everything, getting to know each other in the process, and Elina had shed her shorts and moved onto her stomach, her head resting on her folded arms as she could feel, and hear, Fernando moving around next to her. Lifting her head and looking at him, she arched her eyebrow amused, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he replied a little too quickly, pink tinting the top of his cheeks as she’d almost caught him checking her out.

“Come on,” she pushed.

“I was just looking for my phone, to check what time it is,” he dodged easily, it was a believable lie. “I'm starting to get a little hungry,” he admitted.

“Why didn't you just say so?” she smiled at him. “Let’s go and find somewhere to eat,” she told him, already moving onto her knees.

“You sure?” he checked even if she was already on her feet, having dug her shorts up from her bag.

“Yeah,” she nodded simply, pulling her shorts up her long legs and buttoning them before slipping on her loose tunic. “Let’s go.”

“Alright,” he shook out his shirt and pulled it over his head as she gathered up their towels, placing her own in the large straw bag she’s brought with her from the hotel. Carrying their shoes, she moved the bag onto her shoulder and couldn’t help but smile as his hand easily found hers and they walked along the beach till they reached the boardwalk leading to the small market place just a short walk from the hotel she was staying at.



“I should probably start heading back to the hotel,” Elina said softly as she was sitting in a chair across a small table from Fernando in the small outdoor area of the restaurant where they’d had lunch several hours ago. Conversation had been flowing so freely that neither of them had wanted to leave, but now time was getting away from them and she was supposed to have dinner with her family. “Let everyone know that I'm still here and that I haven’t run off to Mallorca or something,” she joked slightly.

“They’d really think that?” he arched his eyebrows at her, a smile playing across his lips.

“I really hope not,” she smiled back at him, causing him to laugh slightly. “But they are probably wondering where I am, I only told my mom I was going for lunch,” she pointed out. “Besides, we have to eat dinner early enough for the boys to catch the football afterwards.”

“Semis?” he asked knowingly.

“Yeah,” she nodded once. “As I told you, they are football crazy and since I didn't watch it with them last night, I kind of promised Simon I’d been there when we were having breakfast,” she admitted with a slight frown.

“Simon is the younger one, right?” he checked, hoping he’d gotten it right.

“He is,” she confirmed.

“I think it’s sweet,” he smiled at her. “You making an effort,” he added, she’d told him about the trouble the three siblings had had getting along when her mother and the brothers’ father began dating, and especially after they all moved in together...

“Are you going to watch it?” she deflected, by nature not knowing how to respond to compliments.

“I don't know, maybe,” he shrugged, it would probably hurt a tad bit too much.

“Maybe?” she pushed as she laced her fingers together and rested them on her flat stomach.

“It pretty much depends on what my brother and Natalia decides to do,” he told her. “There’s only one TV, in the living room, and there’s only so much a guy can take of cute little noises and endearments.”

“Right,” she nodded understanding. “Well, you could always call me and come watch it at the hotel with us. I mean, if you even want to watch the game, that is,” she stuttered slightly, feeling the telltale signs of a blush creeping up her neck. She hated how much she was blushing in his presence.

“Maybe,” he smiled softly as he watched her. “Give me your number.”

“Okay,” she reached into her bag and after rummaging through it, produced a pen and quickly scribbled down her cell number on napkin, pushing it across the table when she was done. “Here.”

“Thanks,” he told her, folding the napkin and placing it in his wallet, having every intention of calling her, no matter what his brother and his girlfriend decided to do.

“I really have to go,” she said reluctantly as she uncrossed her legs, all in a move to get up from the chair.

“I’ll walk you back,” he stated as he too stood up from the table, the tab long since paid.

“You don't have to do that,” she protested with a slight smile. Her boyfriend hadn't even made a habit of doing that.

“My mother would skin me alive if she knew that I let you walk back on your own,” he told her with a smile, but a slight seriousness playing in his dark eyes.

“Alright, you can walk me back,” she smiled back at him as she let him steer her through the small seating area and out on the pavement before he took her hand and walked her to the hotel.

Maybe chivalry wasn't dead after all...