I DO NOT OWN THE IDEAS OF THESE CHARACTER. THIS IS BASED ON THE WONDERFUL BOOK 'The Hourglass by Tracey Rees'
'Bach' - welsh for 'little one'
'Diolch' - 'thank you'

The Tenby bus jolted at its destination. Chloe jumped up straight away, hulled her suitcase and belongings down the bus stairs, clanking behind her.

Aunt Susan was wearing a purple tight suit with a matched hat balanced against her black hair. Chloe thought even if it was a decade old outfit, she suited it more than anyone could.

"Chloe, dear" she said helping with the suitcase "How was the journey?"

Chloe before answering the question stood on her tip toes and got a better view of the colourful houses and turquoise blue sea, the colours ripple through her. She was at her Summer home at last.

"It was bumpy. Halfway through I got a little motion sick but I'm here now!"

She smiled brightly and wanted to hug Aunt Susan to express how happy she was, but she remembered Aunt Susan didn't appreciate hugs.

"How is Llew?"

"I haven't seen much of him this year, Chloe but Megan has and comments he looks content enough"

Megan, she couldn't give a descriptive sum anything, especially not of a person like Llew. She would never have focussed on him.
This didn't matter, Chloe knew even if Llew wasn't okay, they would make it soon enough with swimming in the clear sea and melting ice creams.
She couldn't wait to get to the house, to lay her stuff down and run, run to Llew.

Aunt Susan and Chloe walked back in awkward silence, Chloe's silence from excitement, but she wasn't sure Aunt Susan's was. Was having Chloe becoming a burden? She did stay for 3 weeks and had done for 5 years now, Chloe hadn't got on her well with Megan, but Aunt Susan always stuck to Chloe. It wasn't as if Chloe wanted to butt heads with Megan, she was stunning and popular.

Chloe cut the silence.

"Are you well, Aunt Susan? Having me isn't a burden is it?"

Aunt Susan looked taken a back and raised a delicate hand to her heart.

"Of course not! Chloe bach!"

Chloe's worries melted into the sea, she took a deep breath and felt the salty air fill her lungs and bring her to life, she loved this feeling, the feeling of Tenby.

Llew wasn't on the top marble step of aunt Susan's home, which was odd, but Chloe was 15 now, she wouldn't fuss about Llew so much, although he was 2 years younger…

Richard was still working at the local hotel, keeping his business running smoothly as Uncle Heinrich had explained. This was good news, it meant that for another year Chloe could stay in his old bedroom in the cosy attic with the old bookcase that held all the Enid Blyton's she could wish for.

"Better than the camp bed, isn't it?" Uncle Heinrich said with a bright smile he was always holding.

"I didn't mind it so, Uncle! I'm just happy you let me stay here" The camp bed wasn't the comfiest or most fitting, but it was true. She was barely asleep anyway, Llew would wake her early and leave her late into the night.

Aunt Susan walked into the front room with a pink tray holding welsh cakes and tea and placed them on the carved coffee table.

"You must be peckish after the ride, bach" she smiled, pouring some tea and giving it to Uncle Heinrich first.

"Ah, Megan dear!" Cooed Susan to Megan's tall frame in the door. Her hair was even more golden than the year before, Chloe thought, she was a young lady now and Chloe couldn't help but feel tender jealousy.

"Hello, Chloe" Megan cheered into the front room in a voice she wouldn't use to Chloe if her parents weren't there.

"Hello, Megan. You look very pretty" she couldn't help herself but saying so, Megan looked truly like Marylin Monroe.

Megan's eyebrows furrowed and then lifted.

"Diolch" she mumbled now sitting opposite her own Father. The awkwardness the same between Megan and Chloe.

They ate lunch and spoke small talk. Chloe couldn't focus on anything but talking to Llew she had been here for an hour and they still haven't seen each other. It was unlike them.

Susan had packed a big lunch even though it was past that and Chloe has eaten, she wasn't about to let the tradition go amiss, not even one year.

She threw the door open to a still, bright Tenby and began to walk quickly to Mr Jones' house to collect Llew.

She kept her head down, following her feet with her eyes. The cobbled pavements she had walked on a million times, it was nostalgic and calming, even the stones here were magical. She practiced what she was going to say to Llew, she would ask him if she has changed much, her own mother had said she had grown and wanted Llew to share the same opinion. Oh, it was always the best day of the year to see-

"Ouch!" Chloe dropped the picnic basket and rushed to her knees to pick it back up. Someone had bumped into her.

"I'm sorry" they said.

She huffed and picked the contents of the food with her bare hands, luckily aunt Susan had brilliant wrapping skills and no actual food touched the floor.

"Do you need help?"

The voice was irritating her.

"No!" She stood up and shook her hair from her face to see the person.

"Chloe!"

It was Llew.

"Oh, Llew!" She said throwing her arms around his shoulders, he hugged back just as warmly.

"Goodness, I was just about to see you" he said.

He hasn't changed one bit. His hair was still messy, his tawny eyes still bright, although his voice was deeper, unrecognisable without a face.

"I was doing the same!" She gasped, holding the basket up to prove it.

"Have you just got here?" Llew took the plaited basket from her and began to walk by her side, smiling.

"No, I've been here an hour"

Llews tawny eyes blurred dull.

"I'm sorry, Chlo! I thought you were arriving now" he mumbled with obvious embarrassment. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently.

"You're here now"

They reached south beach in expert timing and slumped onto the sand that gritted against Chloe's bare legs, but this feeling was second nature in Tenby now.

She remembered her practiced speech.

"Do you think I've changed much"

Llew took a bite of his ham sandwich. Was he ignoring the question? Chloe put her own sandwich down to angle herself to face Llew more directly, throwing her tangled hair out her face.

His eyes landed on her and her new position. He chuckled lightly and placed his sandwich down.

"Still quite short, pale hair, bright eyes. No, not at all Chloe Samuels"

Her back hunched in defeat, she felt like telling him to look her again but to take more time. She was 15, she wasn't supposed to look 12 anymore.

Llew threw his head back and laughed very loudly blocking even the sound of the waves.

Chloe caught on then and slapped his arm. He threw his hands up as a surrender.

"Alright! I'm sorry!"

"I knew it couldn't be true!"

"You have a grown a bit, and your hair is much longer"

They were obvious things to happen over a year, but Chloe was happy that Llew was seeing her turn into a young woman. She wouldn't want anyone else in the world to grow with.

Chloe barely touched the food, still full of welsh cakes, Llew however, gobbled all the sandwiches.

The sun was just setting, balancing against the sea's horizon. It had been hours here on the beach, but time always flew when the two of them caught each other of the past year. Llews dad had given him a new camera that he showed Chloe in detail. It was a major upgrade to his old, tattered one but she felt bitter sweet, the first camera captured their first meeting on the grass where she tripped and she wanted it to capture all the moments for all time but that wasn't realistic, and she knew that.

Chloe's brothers were misbehaving in school, she explained in annoyance to Llew. One of them was his age, 13, it still astonished her. Llew listened with genuine intrigue and tutted at the silly things her brothers do.

Llew stood up suddenly, crawling out of his t shirt and throwing it against the sand.

"Come on!" He shouted holding a hand out to Chloe.

"I don't have my swim suit!"

"You've never cared before! Are you a chicken, Chloe Samuels?"

Only Llew could call her a chicken and make her annoyed.

She grabbed his hand roughly and pulled herself up.

They stared at each other for a while before Llew turned and ran towards the sea all while taking his trousers off.

"Slow poke!" He chanted.

Chloe dropped her dress to the floor, leaving herself open to the world in only her knickers and brassiere.

She joined him in the race to the ocean, bracing herself for the coldness. She felt the white froth hit her ankles and she gasped, stopping and looking at Llew who was already waist deep.

"I'll only come in" she panted and caught her breath "only if you go to the Tenby teens dance! You're a teenager now!'

Llew shook his head in disbelief. Chloe giggled and started backing away from the water seeing Llews face become defeated.

"not this again! All last year"

"yes, and all this year if that's what it takes. Oh, you'll love it Llew. You can photos of me from inside!"

She took a step forward submerging her ankles into the waves once again, they weren't as cold this time.

His eyes were fixed on her legs.

"I don't like dances" Chloe was about to take a step back again-

"But I will go"

That was it, Chloe felt her heart beam, her body fill with happiness and sprinted into the ocean not caring about the coldness that slapped her.