Have a Little Faith

Levi's POV

Levi’s POV

I caught myself thinking about Dakota’s beautiful laugh more than once over the next couple of days. For those brief seconds her large green eyes sparkled like a starry night and her cheeks flushed adorably. She seemed carefree and full of happiness, her plump lips spread into a large, sunny, smile.

When her small frame was pinned securely under my large one, the subtle swell of her chest pressed firmly against mine and her warm breath fanning across my neck the situation had felt too perfect to be true. I had never been really interested in a girl before, sure the occasional crush over the years and one or two girlfriends, but nothing serious. But Dakota… she was a completely different story. Her face was captivating and intriguing, her personality luring me, making me want to know more about her.

That night on the beach i had meant to ask her for her number but when the mood had changed and our chase suddenly had an undertone of something much larger, I had only managed to wave at her like a lovestruck moron, watching her disappear into the night.

Dakota hadn’t showed up at the beach for six days (yes i had been counting, trying to convince myself that i wasn’t and that i coincidentally just … knew) and I watched the road more intently every day, hoping to see her flaming red hair. On the my day off i headed into the small town past the caffe were i had seen her once, but was left disappointed when i couldn’t spot her. Instead i had a rather strange encounter with a young woman with charcoal black hair and purple highlights. Her beady eyes set firmly on me when i passed the small surf shop on the broad walk. She had been working at the cash register when i stuck my head in to greet Mr. Harris- a trusty old man who had been running the shop since i could remember.

“Hello mr. Harris!” i called through the empty shop, hoping that the greying man heard me.

“Levi my boy, could you give me a hand back here. Just some larger boxes that need shelving” he asked.

I chuckled at his greeting and stepped into the air-conditioned store. The smell of surfboard wax wafted through the cool air and my flip-flops crunched on the thin layer of sand on the scuff wood floor. I sent the girl behind the counter a friendly smile as a greeting but was met by a thoughtful look, as if she were thinking really hard about something when she saw my face.

I walked behind the counter and through the door to see Mr. harris scratch the back of his head as he muttered something at the cardboard boxes in front of him. When i cleared my throat he looked up and smiled warmly at me.

“Hello son, how are you doing?”

“Really good recently, how ‘bout yourself?”

“Same old, same old. These boxes need to go up there, but my bones won’t let me do it” he said looking momentarily upset at the thought before stepping away to make space.

It only took a couple of minutes before his storage room was neatly stacked and organised again, all boxes safely secured in their rightful places. When I stepped into the actual store again the girl from the register stood in front of me with her arms placed firmly on her hips.

“I know who you are” she stated.

“Uh” i clicked my tongue peering at her, “have we met before?” i asked unsure.

“Nope, but i know who you are. You were the guy dancing with my best friend at the beach party”

“Okay” i trailed off uncertain. “Well my name is Levi and yes i was dancing with Dakota at the party.”

She tilted her head to the side and fixed me with her stare. I lent back and pushed my hair off my forehead.

“So what are you guys? Have you been seeing each other?” She asked mimicking my stance across from me.