You're Worth the Risk

Their forty-five-minute travel from Athens to the town of Vouliagmeni in the Attica coast was so relaxing and breathtaking. As the urban setting in Athens disappeared from their view, the Attica coastline took center stage. It was almost unbelievable to see the beauty of the coastline --- blonde sands and unyielding sea views.

"Spectacular!" young Phoebe kept on musing as they travelled along the coastline.

Evan, while driving his hard-earned BMW convertible with a retractable hard top, glanced at the girl beside him once in a while. He couldn't help but smile at her. She appeared so excited and he was glad he took the risk of bringing her in Vouliagmeni. This was, for sure, a weekend to remember.

Wanting the girl to have a full view of the beaches they passed by, he made one click of a button and the silver car's whole roof opened up. Immediately, they both feel the cool wind on their skin.

"Wow! This is even more spectacular, Evandros! You rock!" she screamed, amidst her laughter.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

"Oh, gods, this is so beautiful!" young Phoebe screamed when she was facing the beach where Evan brought her.

She knew Vouliagmeni was famous for its glorious beaches but she didn't know seeing the real Vouliagmeni beach was seeing paradise itself. Wearing sun glasses, printed loose top and short shorts, Phoebe ran barefooted on the sand.

Evan, with shades, t-shirt and cargo shorts on, followed the girl who was running to the water. He was barefooted, too.

She turned around and saw him coming after her. Phoebe got even more excited and headed to the water.

There were several people on the beach --- some were sunbathing, others were strolling or playing --- but both Evan and Phobe didn't mind those who were around them.

"Come on!" Phoebe yelled at him.

Indeed, Evan was fast and in no time he caught her up. Some strong waves came rolling towards them and Phoebe lost her balance. To help her manage her stance, Evan caught her wrist and immediately imprisoned her in his arms.

She was laughing hard as she clang her arms around his neck. Evan can't help himself but stare at the beauty in his arms.

"That was so fast!" she uttered. "So naughty of the waves, Evandros!"

Evan was silent because he saw total happiness in the girl's face. If he could only have all the chances in the world to make her happy...

Once again, series of sparkling waves rolled into their legs. He tightened his hold of her waist while young Phoebe was leaping like she was afraid of the water.

"So tickly!" she remarked. "Why's the wave so tickly?"

This time, Evan smiled at her childish antics. One more giggling act and he could kiss her right now.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

Evan knew that this would be the first and last time that he could spend an overnight with Phoebe privately so he made sure that it was something unforgettable to her.

They rented a cottage villa to stay for the night. The villas were lined along the beach and they all looked a photocopy of each other due their uniformed style and color. They were all painted white which almost coincided with the blonde sands on the beach.

When their things were secured on their rented villa, both of them headed back to beach. This time, Phoebe was wearing a black two-piece swim suit under her beige open-knit tunic, giving her a sexy look without showing much of her skin. Evan, on the other hand, was on a pair of printed swimming trunks and a white cotton tee shirt.

The girl settled on a king-sized beach lounge bed with a canopy that covered her from the sun. As much as she wanted to bathe herself under the sun, she just managed to lie under the cloth. She wouldn't want people in the mansion, especially her parents, to get a clue that she went to the beach if she would allow tanning her skin. She couldn't allow the change of skin color or else people would suspect. She planned to swim by sunset until the night. She giggled at the thought. She was going to have a long night ahead with Evan.

She thought she would feel awkward being on a bed in the beach... but, on the contrary, she actually loved it! Lying on it, she felt the wind blowing here and there that her skin felt so alive. She also heard the sound of the waves and it was so relaxing to the body.

Oh, if only she could be in the beach daily!

As she was enjoying there, Evan, who came to order some food, joined her on the bed. He placed the food tray on the bed surface at her side.

"Here, have some refreshment!" he said, offering her a glass of fruit juice.

She rose up, sat facing him on the bed, and crossed her legs. "Thank you," she said, accepting the glass. Feeling so thirsty, she sipped the cold juice right away through a straw, finishing it to the bottom.

Evan, so amazed with the girl, just smiled and gulped his ice cold beer. He also brought scorpion fish with vegetables and spicy meatballs to eat. Both of them enjoyed it. Phoebe realized that the food was definitely delicious and to-die-for... or was it really that yummy or was it just because Evan was forking the food to her mouth?

Later, a beach boy came to retrieve the tray and Evan had a bigger space on the bed now.

"I've already applied sunblock in my skin but I don't think I've covered all important areas. Can you please do it for me this time?" she pleaded to the guy beside her, batting her eyelashes to him.

For some time, he felt rigid as he heard her request.

"Come on, Evandros, please," she pleaded still, giving him the sunblock.

He cleared his throat before accepting the lotion. The girl eased closer to him now, sitting and showing him her back. In an instant, Phoebe took off her tunic over her head and arms, showing him her back. She then tucked her hair to her side over her right shoulder with her right hand and, if not because of the bikini top she was wearing, Evan would have seen it completely bare.

With that, her smooth, creamy skin was displayed to him. Evan breathed so deeply as he stared at her back. Her perfect glowing skin was one of his weaknesses these past weeks. Just seeing it produced tingles in some parts of him. Naturally, he wasn't like this when he was with a girl. But Phoebe was different. There was something in this girl that made him lose his confidence at times.

Just like right now, looking at her perfect skin was making some parts of him contract.

"Come on," she spoke softly after waiting for seconds.

He was sitting at her back and he felt rigid, until she turned her face to him. "Like what you see?" she said, flirting in a way.

Evan felt the heat in his nape. If she was just another girl, if she wasn't a Perkos, if she wasn't the forbidden apple in the Perkos garden, he would have traced his lips on her delicate skin.

Trying himself not to be overpowered by this girl, Evan started to put some lotion on his palm. Slowly, with his goosey heartbeat, he started rubbing it on her back, starting from her neck to her shoulders.

The moment that his warm palms touched her, Phoebe shut her eyes. Evan's touch felt so good on her that she just wanted to drown herself into the sensation.

"Toso kala," she muttered in between her breaths.

Evan cleared his throat after he heard her. "Good?" he reiterated, using the deepest tone of his voice. His palms now were running along the length of her spine.

With his touch and with the kind of voice he was using, she wanted to melt now in his arms.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

"Thank you so much for this," she said. "I will not forget this, Evandros." They were still on the lounge bed, lying on their back, but with a considerable space in between them. They were just feeling the wind.

"No, don't thank me. It's me who's supposed to give you thanks."

"Why?"

"Because you take the risk of being with me today..." he said, whispering and looking at her.

She smiled at him. Then, she realized that they were together yet the guy still seemed to be putting a gap in between them.

Wanting to close the distance, Phoebe asked, "Can I put my head on your arm?"

Stunned, he gazed at her. Of course, he wanted her to do that. "S-Sure," he muttered softly.

The girl moved towards him and placed her head on his well-toned biceps. With this, her body was also inched close to him. Phoebe was totally elated with the body contact especially when she smelt how good he was.

There was not much activity done by the two of them. As the others spent the whole afternoon swimming, surfing, playing, and strolling on the beach, Evan and Phoebe took the opportunity of feeling each other's body as they snuggled close to each other.

"If only we could be like this forever, Evandros," she whispered to him.

Forever? Was the girl thinking of being with him forever? Evan asked himself.

Somehow, that statement pained him... because they both knew that everything was temporary.

When the sun was setting, both of them ran to the beach. Phoebe took off her tunic once again and, with just her two-piece bikini, she wasn't aware the effect she had on the guy following her. Evan also took off his shirt and joined the girl in the water.

Phoebe was a good swimmer. She always loved being in the pool at the mansion. Hence, freely and confidently, she displayed her swimming skills which, for Evan, were superb. She was swimming and playing in the water and Evan matched her with his vigorous movements. He grew up on an island and the sea was like a home to him. It gave him life. That was why, there was no need to ask why his first and last date with Phoebe had to be on the beach.

The sun had already disappeared from their view and they were still in the water. It seemed like they forgot the time.

Once in a while, the girl bobbed on and off the water, giving Evan that exciting thrill. Every time she rose up, her skin would glow against the moonlight and the lights from the cottages and villas nearby. One time, Evan wasn't able to hold himself but grabbed her tiny body to him. Phoebe gasped in excitement and, trying to catch her breath, she was only able to mutter the last syllable of his name, "...ros!"

She embraced her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him. It was wonderful to feel his body heat in contrast to the cold water around them. With that magical moment, Evan crushed his lips against hers. For the second time, he tasted her and everything seemed perfect.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

Temptation.

Everything about the girl was one damn temptation.

While Phoebe was lying down and taking a nap on the lounge bed after the exhaustible swimming session, Evan couldn't help but gaze intensely at the young girl.

Forget that she's a Perkos right now!

He remembered what she said.

"If my sanity's not functioning well right now, I might have forgotten who you really are," he whispered to her ear as he was lying beside her. "But, I think, I'll just be satisfied carrying the torch for you forever."

Phoebe moaned in her sleep and, while gazing at her, Evan wanted to kiss her lips once again. He brought his fingers to the corner of her lips and rubbed it slowly with his thumb.

The pain of thinking that he couldn't ever have a relationship with this breathtaking sixteen-year-old girl made Evan rise up from the bed.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

Phoebe awoke and learned that she was alone on the bed. The surroundings had become less noisy, indicating the retreat of the people to their villas. It was already dark and, if not because of the bonfire about five meters away from where she was, she wouldn't be able to notice couples strolling hand in hand, or sitting close to each other and making out on the beach.

She sat up and wondered where Evandros could be.

She looked around and, when her eyes went back to the bonfire, she noticed his bulk beside it. He was sitting solitary on the sand while facing the beach, his shadow loomed at his back to her direction.

Phoebe stood up and, slowly, brought her steps towards him.

Evan was a bit surprised when he felt the girl's presence at his side. She sat down so close next to him and held his right arm.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just thinking..." he muttered.

"About what?"

He gulped something in his throat and looked at her sadly. "About you."

Phoebe felt the sadness in his tone and, with that, she felt the ticking of the clock in her heart. Their time together was almost running out.

"After this..." Evan whispered.

"No more?" Phoebe asked, also in a whisper.

Evan didn't answer because he was in so much pain thinking about ending the only time where he could show freely how much Phoebe mattered to him.

"Is this really going to be our only date?" the girl asked.

"Nai," he replied softly, then, with his fingers, he tucked Phoebe's hair to the side of her face. "Really thank you for your courage of taking this risk with me."

"No need to thank me, 'Ros, you're worth the risk," she said honestly, not minding the natural production of his name's last syllable coming from her mouth, not minding how the name sounds perfectly to her heart.

Evan couldn't believe the girl's reply. Was he really worth it?

"From now on, I won't forget this night, this beach, this town, Vouliagmeni. I will forever cherish this date with you in my heart," Phoebe continued as she slumped her temple to his right shoulder.

Overwhelmed with a mixture of so many emotions such as pain, happiness, regret, Evan snaked his right arm around her tiny body. Phoebe, on the other hand, clang her arms around his neck as she looked up to him.

"Can I say something before the sun rises?" she asked softly, battling her unsteady breathing.

"What is it?" His mouth was now a few centimeters away from hers.

Tears flowed from Phoebe's eyes as she pronounced slowly, "Se agapó, 'Ros."

Hearing that, he knew he should be shocked, but he wasn't. Instead, with his full sanity, he claimed her mouth. They kissed tenderly on the beach with only the bonfire, the moon, and the stars as their witnesses. This was maddening but, for the meantime, he wouldn't care. This was time to forget his real connection with this girl. For now, he didn't care.

"I love you, too, Phoeb," he whispered when their mouths sought for air.

When they got enough air they needed, their lips collided again.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

A/N

Hello, world!

Sorry if this took me a while to update... I've been really busy, preparing for university... This one's different, this is scholarship and I've to do this right.

Whew! Pressure!

Anyway, hope you'll still VOTE, COMMENT, and SHARE!

Alwayz,
(sapphiregirl22) ~_^

Translations:
toso kala - so good
Se agapó. - I love you.