Have a Little Faith

Levi's POV

Hello wattpadonians =) Here's a new chappie. Happy reading <3

Nike :) ∆«∆«∆«∆«∆«∆«∆«∆«∆«∆««∆«∆

Levi’s POV

I was kneeling in my newly built ditch bringing out the last handfuls of sand when a small wave surprised me and splashed up on my back. The cold water was a sharp contrast to my warm skin and i let out an embarrassingly high squeak. I jumped up onto my feet and jumped around trying to  shake the icy water off my back. Suddenly i heard a laugh- probably the cutest laugh i had ever heard bubble up beside me. I looked up and saw Dakota covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed. I watched awestruck like a moron, as she tried hiding her smile. For the first time since i had met her i watched her face pull into a beautiful large smile, her pretty eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as her melodic laughter spilled through the warm summer air. I walked towards her, wanting her to remove her hands from her mouth so i could hear more. She looked happy- even if it was at my cost.

“I’ve never heard you laugh before” i said coming closer to her. “Actually, now that i think about it, i’ve never seen you smile a big smile before” I added gently taking her small hands away from her inviting lips. In the short time that i had known Dakota, the only smile i ever got, or anyone for that matter was a small tug at the corners of her lips, but never a full blown smile. I wanted to see her smile more, heck, i wanted to hear her laugh more, she looked happy and carefree, that dull emptiness in her green eyes that had bothered me since i’d met her, temporarily lifting to make way for an incredible sparkle that lent her face a magical touch.

A blush crept up on her smooth cheeks and she cast her eyes towards her feet.
“Thanks” she said, stammering slightly.

“You’re going to make me puke Romeo. I think it’s time for you to come back here and let me entertain you sexy lady friend” Jay groaned the first part and then sat up straighter, waggling his eyebrows at Dakota when he finished his sentence. I watched in dismay as her smile began to fade and she peered up at my idiotic best friend.

“I really don’t think that i should leave her with you. Why don’t you go and round up Melissa, I'm sure she’ll let her panties drop for you.” I said turning around to throw him a pointed look.

“Ouuuuu, is someone not getting a little bit over protective?” he asked jumping down from his post.  He sauntered towards me, ignoring my annoyed look and pinched my cheek. I slapped his hands away but couldn’t stop him from throwing his arm around Dakota’s shoulder. Her eyes widened fractionally and she seemed to shrink under his penetrating gaze.

“Uhh” she stuttered, looking kind of helpless.

“Bugger off man, i won’t make you stay here any longer, just leave her alone” i said stepping forward and taking her cold hand in mine before gently guiding her to my side where she stepped behind my back.

He slipped his sunglasses back onto his nose, brushing off the rejection and looked across the beach.
“I think it’s time for a booty call” he said before sending me a small salute and leaving.

“He’s a good guy he just goes through girls like a box of tissues, so don’t get the wrong impression when i try to stop him from spending time with you. It takes some time to drill it into his head that some people just want to be friends” i said, until i realised that i probably sounded like a dad.

“I mean unless you’re into players…” i trailed off slightly unsure, the thought of Jay messing with Dakota leaving a feeling that was dangerously close to jealousy in the pit of my stomach.

She rubbed her small nose and pushed her glasses back up slightly before shaking her head at me.

“Nope. I can assure you that I’m not into guys like Jay” she said looking up at me. The monotone dullness was creeping back into her eyes as she stared out at the ocean. She took a step back when a larger wave travelled up the beach, although we were still a good ten meters from the waters edge. I realised that she had built a sandcastle relatively close to the water, seemingly forgetting her fear of the ocean when she wasn’t thinking about it. Now that she wasn’t occupied anymore though her face scrunched into a cute frown as she pulled down her sleeves and crossed her arms.

“Lets go, i’ve got some things to teach you, like i promised” i said. I quickly told the kids that i was heading back to my post and after receiving some frowns and pleads for more time they trudged over to me and hugged me thanking me for the sand castle. Before i could ask them to thank Dakota as well, they walked over to her and hugged her legs smiling widely at her. She looked surprised as she bent down to their level and hugged each one back. The last one to hug her was Sammy and she stopped right in front of her.

“Promise that you won’t take him away from me” she said with a serious face. I half expected Dakota to stand up and brush off the little girl like many other did, but Dakota mimicked Sammy’s face and said,

“Cross my heart and hope to die” She held out her pinkie for the small blonde to take and when she did, a large smile spread across the younger girls face, before she wrapped her slim arms around Dakota’s shoulder, hugging her tightly.

“I’ll see you soon” she said before running after her brother. Dakota’s eyes followed the small girl for a couple of second before she stood up and brushed the sand off her shorts.

“Pinkie promise huh” i said smiling at her.

“One does not simply break a pinkie promise” she said a faint smile on her lips when she followed me to the high seat.

She took Jay’s unoccupied seat and crossed her legs. The wind had picked up and her red curls were being whirled around her face. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. I took the couple of seconds to admire her attractive features. She had smooth plump pink lips and the longer I looked at them the stronger the urge to kiss her became. I eventually tore my eyes away from her face, forcing myself to not think like that. She wasn’t someone I could just randomly kiss. Her trust had to be gained as she wasn’t a girl who threw herself at the first guy who glanced at her twice.

“Even though i don’t like the ocean, the wind and the sunshine, plus the view from up here is pretty amazing” she said, i looked over at her to see that she was staring out over the big blue of the Pacific.
“One of the perks of being a lifeguard” i said smiling at her. I wanted to see another smile and decided that it was something i could work towards.

“Alright” she said, restraining her red flames into a messy bun, “teach me something” she said looking at me expectantly.

I rubbed my chin and sat back against the warm plastic chair.

“see those dark patches of water just behind the surf?” i asked pointing to the navy blue currents tearing through the indigo water.

“Yeah”

“Those are the currents that drag people out, or depending on the day, towards those cliff” i said pointing over at the choppy cliffs at the end of the beach.

“So what are they doing today?” she asked shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked down the beach.

“If you were to get washed into one of the currents, you would be carried out into the ocean within the next five minutes.” i said looking at her. She shuddered slightly at my words and sat back as well.

“That’s good to know”

“Getting out of one of the currents is difficult, and if you’ve been in one too long, close to impossible because the pull is so strong. You’ve got to be a really strong swimmer to get yourself out of one of them, and even then, if you’ve tried getting out for as much as a couple of minutes you body begins to tire itself out and you get weaker.”

“Have you ever been dragged into a current?” she asked looking at me.

“When i was younger i was boarding. And one time i duck dived under a large wave and landed right in a current. When i realised i began panicking and paddling like a mad man. The whole time i was being pulled out further and further, with my paddling doing nothing but making my arms feel like lead. When i began calling for help i was already out right around there” i said pointing to a small island that was about a hundred meters from the beach. “The lifeguard i told you about a couple of days ago at the party?” i said looking at her, when she nodded i continued “He thankfully saw me and grabbed his surfboard, coming after me. After fifteen minutes he had managed to bring me back onto the sand. What he didn’t tell me is that he had almost not made it back onto the beach. He leisurely shared that piece of information with me a couple weeks later.”

“Geez” she breathed, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, I took a break from the beach for three weeks after that.”