"I wish it was below thirty-two degrees. Then the pool would be frozen and I could play."

"WE could play, you mean. No way I'm letting you play hockey without me."

"Yeah, yeah. I meant that."

It was hot. Very, very hot. And for Carlos, hot weather was torture. Partly because he had grown up in the Minnesota cold, partly because having a helmet on in almost a hundred degrees does funny stuff to your head.

Now, the logical thing to do would be to take off the helmet, and let his cranium un-fry. But no. He wouldn't take it off. Why? Well, so far, only two people knew, himself, and a mime he met in Kindergarten.

"Carlos, you're gonna suffocate with that helmet on," Stephanie said exasperatedly. "I really would rather NOT have to take you to the ER."

"I'm used to hot weather, are you kidding me? I can take this." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Carlos," Stephanie said firmly. "Take. The helmet. OFF."

Carlos grew frantic. He jumped up from his seat. "NO! I can't! It's fused itself to my head! You can't have it! You'll have to take my head with it!" He clutched at his head protectively.

Stephanie backed off a little, her arms spread in a hopeless gesture at her sides. Carlos rocked back and forth, satisfied. He had defeated her. Or so he thought.

In one swift movement, Stephanie had grabbed the helmet, and took off running around the pool, into the lobby and out the door onto the street.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE WITH MY HELMET!"

"Not happening! Come and get it, el nino." She waved it around in front of her a little, mocking him with her adorable smile.

He turned very red in the face. With a prehistoric battle cry, he lunged forward, tripping over an inner tube, a pool noodle, and a beach chair before he finally reached a hysterical Stephanie, doubled over in laughter in the doorway.

"Where's my helmet?" he asked, glancing rapidly from left to right.

"I gave it-" she choked on her laughter a little. "To Katie. She left. Down the street. Away. From here." Then she succumbed to giggles.

Carlos pondered. "If I know Katie, it'll take her little tiny legs approximately twenty minutes to get tired and come back here, at which point..." he scratched his chin.

She was looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

He shrugged. "Eh, she'll bring it back eventually. To the beach?"

Stephanie looked scandalized.

"No. You're telling me, you're just gonna let that little PUNK run off with YOUR helmet, and not do ANYTHING about it?" She put her hands on her hips.

A light shone in his eyes. He was looking adventurous.

"No. Like heck I'm not! I'm gonna go give that juvenile little child a piece of my mind!"

"Ooooo, juvenile. Learn that from Logan's pocket dictionary?"

"No. Well... I- what's it to ya anyway?"

"At least you used it right in a sentence. Nice work, el nino."

"Would you STOP calling me that?"

"Sure. To the beach."

"The beach."

"After I give your helmet back to you."

"After you give my helm- wait, WHAT? You said KATIE had it!"

Stephanie shrugged, smiling at him. "I lied."

"Oh, very funny. Now you know what I'm gonna have to do."

She grew genuinely apprehensive. "What? What are you gonna do?"

He grinned wickedly. Then he grabbed her sunglasses, and ran down the street waving them above his head.

"Those are my favorite shades! COME BACK!"

"Come and get em, la nina." He laughed.

"Oh it is ON now! You're gonna get it Garcia! Just wait till I..."

And their talk faded as they both ran up the street, waving their various hostage items.

They made it to the beach, where he finally surrendered and gave her her glasses. She put them on with a dignified air. They fell crooked. Carlos reached out and straightened them. Stephanie laughed.

"Thanks. I suppose I should give this back to you." She pounded on the helmet, which she had placed on her own head.

Carlos considered her. "Nah, I like it better on you." This just made her laugh even harder.

Carlos smiled, but looked confused. "What? What are you laughing at?"

"YOU! You're hilarious! Why don't you do stand up or somethin..."

"One of my many talents, milady," he said bowing.

They collapsed onto the sand. Stephanie played with the straps on the helmet. Then she took it off and settled it gently on his own head.

"Take it. Because I like it better on YOU."

He smiled. "Thanks." He stretched out. "So what should we do now?"

"I don't know. We could talk."

"About what?"

"Your music, the guys, family, your life, past relationships..." She rubbed her neck self-consciously.

Carlos blinked.

"Did you just say 'past relationships'?"

"You know... do you... do you have any crushes, or any-anything like that? Bad breakups in your past? A wrenching heartache you can't bear to forget? A GIRLFRIEND?" She lurched upright and stared at him.

Carlos looked very confused. "Why do you wanna talk about this?"

And just as quickly as she had become alert, she sank back down beside him, and calmly said, "Oh no reason. Just cause."

Carlos rubbed his eyes. Was she... blushing?

"Well, OK. I've never had a girlfriend, or anything. I'm actually the only one of the guys NOT to have one yet." He didn't look very comfortable.

"Oh. Do you want a girlfriend?"

"I guess it would be OK with me. I wouldn't hate it. I mean, if Jo and Kendall hadn't worked out..."

Stephanie's look was enough to throw him off.

"You would've been there for her? As more than a friend?" She sounded like she could cry.

"No! I mean, I don't LIKE like Jo. She's... she's just... I mean, she's Kendall's girlfriend! Why would I?"

"I'm just wondering, Carlos. Geez, don't have a stroke."

A few deep breaths later, he asked her, "Why do you care about this stuff? And don't say no reason because Steph, I swear, I will kill you."

"What happened to old Carlos? Who doesn't care what people think, and isn't serious or anything, and who would NEVER give up his helmet for anything? Huh?"

"He's gone. Because I don't think now is the time for jokes."

Stephanie rubbed her toe around in the sand, in a distracted sort of way. Except Carlos could tell she was focusing hard on something in her mind.

"Unless... you want me to tell jokes! Then I will!"

"Carlos."

He stopped jabbering. She was looking at him with a rather unreadable expression on her face.

"Well, you and me..." she said, quietly.

Carlos' heart skipped a few beats.

"We went to the dance together, and I just didn't know if... If you and me were... you know." She shrugged.

"Like, together, you mean?"

She swallowed. "Yeah. That."

"Well, we COULD be. I mean we could if we wanted to."

She searched his face, slipping away in the dim light. "DO you want to be, Carlos?"

He could tell what she was asking was completely different.

"Do you want me, Carlos?"

He gulped. His palms were sweating and shaking, and his breaths came quickly.

"Yeah. I do, Steph."

She breathed out in relief, and he followed, not realizing he had been holding it in.

"So what do we do now?"

"Should we kiss or something? To, like, make it official?" He couldn't believe he had actually said that.

"I guess," Stephanie said, much to his ears' amazement.

"So, I'll just..." He leaned in.

Closer... closer... aaannnd...

They bumped hard. On each other's noses.

"Maybe we should..." Stephanie shifted, rubbing her nose. Till they were almost directly across from each other.

They tried again.

Bump.

Try, bump. Try, bump. Try, bump.

"OK! THIS IS NOT WORKING!" Carlos shrieked.

"I think if we-"

He cut her off by pulling her very quickly up to him, and planting a firm kiss on her lips. He had his eyes squeezed shut, just in case she was looking appalled.

He didn't open them until after he had moved fairly enough away.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Carlos..."

He raised his eyes.

Even though it was dark, he could see she was smiling. He smiled back.

"Did anyone ever tell you you're a great kisser?" she asked.

"Back at ya, mi amor."

"Wanna go home?"

"Yeah. But not yet."

She looked at him questioningly.

"Can we... can we maybe, try again?"

Carlos could live off of the look that enveloped her face.

"Yeah. Let's."

And they did. And they kept on trying, well into the sunset, and the night beyond.

Haha! YAY! I love Carphanie! I may write other one-shots for these guys, because they're just too darn adorable! :D So hope you liked it! Review, and tell me what you thought.

xoxo

~Starbucks