"Hello," Callie said to the brown-haired guy sitting on the couch.

He stood up immediately, "Callie!" He shook her hand then gave her a quick hug.

Callie laughed inside, Jason was the same as before when she had met him, businesslike but friendly.

"How are you?" Callie asked, sitting down on the couch with him.

"I'm good. Is there anything I can get you?" Jason asked her with a smile.

"Jason," Callie commanded, "You need to stop working."

Jason laughed, "No but seriously, can I do anything for you?"

Callie thought of Gabriel. "Actually, maybe you can. I would like a job as a lifeguard at the resort."

Jason considered this then said, "Well we have Gabriel-"

Callie cut him off, which she knew was very unprofessional. "Well he needs more time off to work on his surfing career and I need a job..."

Jason nodded, "I see your point. I'll talk to Vincent tomorrow morning and call here. But you're probably hired."

"Yes!" Callie exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

"It's the least I can do," Jason stood up and started walking towards his room, "See you in the morning."

"Good night!" Callie called cheerfully as she made the couch into her bed. She changed and brushed her teeth in the bathroom then got into the bed. Through the open window she had a great view of the ocean. It would be full moon in a few days. Callie tried to sleep, but knew that sleep wouldn't come because she couldn't stop thinking about Gabriel.

- - - -

"Look, Gabriel," Callie said as she walked up to him on the beach. "I just want to finish what we started last night."

Gabriel didn't understand, "What did you mean?"

"This," Callie leaned up against him and pulled his head down to kiss him. Gabriel got hot all over and a bell started ringing. And ringing. And ringing.

Gabriel woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He rolled out of bed in just his boxers and groaned. He had three consecutive dreams about Callie last night. He couldn't get her out of his head. And he didn't even know why. He stumbled to the fridge and drank some orange juice from the carton.

He pulled on his swim trunks, grabbed his keys and was going to go out the door, when he paused. He ran back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Then he washed his face, and put on some deodorant. He even put a tiny bit of gel into his hair before he left. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't trying to look good for Callie, that he was doing it for himself.

- - - -

Callie brushed her hair one more time. She couldn't figure out how to do it. Finally, she decided on pulling it into a ponytail and she brushed her teeth for the third time that morning. She brushed on a little eye shadow and some lip-gloss.

"Hurry up!" MJ yelled, banging on the door.

"I'm coming!" Callie came out of the bathroom, "Maybe if you came home last night, you would have more time to get ready."

MJ's mouth fell open. Callie mocked her, "Oh no!"

MJ shoved her and then slammed the bathroom door, but she was smiling.

Then MJ opened the bathroom door, "Trying to look special for any certain someone today?"

Callie made a face, "No!"

"Gabriel!" MJ teased in a moony voice.

"CHRIS!" Callie shouted back.

MJ stuck out her tongue and closed the door.

"How was your date last night?" Frankie asked Callie as he poured himself a glass of milk.

"It wasn't a date," Callie protested automatically.

"Sure," Frankie said, "Anyway, did you get that life guarding job?"

"Yup," Callie smiled, "Jason called this morning. I start today. Gabriel has to teach me everything I need to know."

"About life guarding." Frankie added with a sly smile.

"Yes about life guarding!" Callie said exasperated, "Why does everyone think there's something going on with me and Gabriel?"

"Because you both wish there was!" MJ called from the bathroom.

Callie groaned and stomped off to go wait in the car for them.

- - - -

"Get up," Callie opened her eyes and shaded them from the sun. She saw Gabriel standing over her. Shirtless. She stood up in a second.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We're going surfing." Gabriel told her. He carried a huge long board under one arm.

"Now?" Callie asked. It was eight in the morning.

"We don't have to be on the stand until 10. And the waves are perfect for you to learn on." Gabriel told her. "Okay, turn around and wait."

Callie had no idea what he was talking about so she turned around. Gabriel shoved her from behind. Callie toppled forward onto the sand.

"What was that for?" she asked meanly.

Gabriel was laughing at her, "You weren't supposed to fall over! You push someone to see what their strong foot is. Whatever foot that you put forward is your strong foot."

Callie blushed, "Oh."

Gabriel put out his hand to help her out, "You are the first to ever have no strong feet."

Callie laughed, "Okay, do it again." He pushed her and her left foot went out forward.

"Figures," Gabriel muttered, "You're goofy."

"I'm what?" Callie asked, turned around to look at him.

"Goofy footed." He explained, "Your strong foot is your left foot. That's not as common as the right."

"Oh," Callie nodded, trying to take all this in.

Gabriel threw the board down on the sand. "Lay down on it."

Callie stared at him, "Now?"

"Yes, now." Gabriel grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the board. Callie did as she was told, thinking that Gabriel was crazy.

"Now," Gabriel squatted down so that his face was near hers, "Paddle."

Callie paddled.

"Good," Gabriel commented, "You paddle right."

"Well I was on the swim team for my entire life," Callie told him as she continued to paddle. "Do I have to keep this up?"

"Yes, now when you've caught the wave, you arch your back and then stand up, with your left foot on the back of the board." Gabriel explained.

"Okay." Callie nodded, trying to remember exactly what he said.

"Now do it for me," Gabriel ordered, standing back up to watch her.

Callie paddled for a little, pretended that she caught the wave and arched her back.

"Stop," Gabriel commanded. "Arch your back again."

Callie did as she was told and Gabriel squatted down beside her. "You need to arch it more," he instructed, "Or else you won't have the balance to stand."

"Okay, like this?" she asked, trying to arch her back more, but she felt dumb and the look on Gabriel's face told her she wasn't doing it right.

Gabriel poured cold water from his water bottle on his hands, and then put his fingers on the small of Callie's back. Callie was surprised and, as Gabriel had hoped, she arched her back even more to try to get away from the cold.

"Good, now arch it like that when you go to surf," Gabriel instructed her.

"Okay," Callie nodded, "Can we go in the water yet?"

Gabriel nodded and led her down to the water after securing the leash on her ankle. They moved out until they were a little past where the waves were breaking.

"Get on," Gabriel instructed and held the board for her while she struggled onto it.

Gabriel held the board so she wouldn't float away, and to be honest, he did notice that she looked especially good in her bikini. He shook his head to focus on teaching her how to surf.

"Okay," Gabriel yelled over the sound of the crashing waves, "I'm going to push you on the first wave, but you still need to paddle, okay?"

Callie nodded, "I'm ready!"

Gabriel waited until he saw a wave that was a good size approaching, "Okay, this wave, Paddle!" he screamed.

Callie paddled hard and Gabriel shoved her board forward. As Callie paddled, suddenly she realized that she had caught the wave. She wasn't sure how she knew, she just did. Excited, she arched her back and tried to get to her feet, but toppled over sideways, turning the board upside down too. When Callie surfaced, she yelled in happiness, "That was awesome!" She yelled, getting back on the board and paddling out to Gabriel.

"How sick was that?" Callie asked him, hitting him on the arm to get an answer out of him.

Gabriel laughed, "It was awesome."

"What about this wave?" Callie questioned, ready to go again.

"Nope, not good enough." Gabriel waited until he saw a decent sized wave coming.

"Okay, paddle," he instructed as he gave her a smaller push this time. This time, when Callie caught the wave, she rode for a few more seconds and then fell off the back. Gabriel was worried when she didn't surface for a minute. Then she emerged laughing hysterically and he sighed in relief.

"I put my hands over my head! Just like you told me!" She yelled, like a little kid proudly showing off.

- - - -

When they had finished surfing, Callie and Gabriel walked slowly towards the lifeguard stand, both reluctant to start work.

"You're a natural!" Gabriel told her honestly.

Callie beamed, "I just wish you would let me watch you," she explained, "I want to see how it's done."

Gabriel laughed. "Well you should watch someone else," he sighed. "Not me. I can't even go pro."

Callie got serious and stopped walking, "Gabe," she said, "You will go pro. Stop being so negative."

Gabriel shifted the board from one arm to the other and gave a small smile. "I'll try."

He continued up the beach and leaned the board against the bar by Frankie.

"You guys looked pretty cozy," MJ commented with a small smile to Callie.

Callie elbowed her, "Did not. He's teaching me how to surf."

"And lifeguard." MJ added, "Anything else you need to know?"

Callie made a face and was about to respond when Gabriel came up behind her, "Ready to go on the stand?"

Callie smiled, "Of course!"

Gabriel led the way up and once on the sand, he began telling her all the information she would need to know as a lifeguard. Callie tried to pay attention to what to do during a riptide, but her mind kept straying... perhaps to Gabriel's beautiful eyes or his defines muscles. It was very hard to concentrate on anything but him.

"That's about it," Gabriel finished up.

"Not too hard," Callie smiled.

Gabriel laughed, "Nope. Just boring."

They sat on the stand in comfortable silence until a young man of about their age approached them, followed by a group of his friends.

"Hey baby," he said looking up at Callie, "Want to teach me how to do CPR?"

Callie, utterly repulsed by his pick-up line, was about to answer back when Gabe interrupted.

"Why don't you leave her alone? She's trying to do her job."

The guy shrugged and winked adding to Callie, "I'm in bungalow six."

Callie groaned as he walked away, "I will never enter bungalow six," she confessed.

Gabriel laughed, trying to sound relaxed and indifferent about his defense of her. Like she was his something. But she was something to him, wasn't she? Yes, he was sure of that, but what exactly he didn't know.

- - - -

Callie glanced at Gabe, a huge grin on her face. He obviously didn't know it, but his immediate defense of her had touched her. She put her hand on his for a second.

"Gabe," she said, "Thanks for helping get rid of that guy."

Gabe grinned back, making her heart melt. "You have to learn to deal with horny guests. They're in great abundance here."

Callie groaned, knowing Gabe spoke from experience. "Lucky us."

Gabe thought for a second. He used to think he was lucky with all the North Shore guests he had been with. But the longest relationship he had was two weeks long, and as much as he hated to admit it, he needed more. He needed a real relationship, with a real girl. He ran his hands through his hair, telling himself he was turning into such a girl.

"Don't stress out," Callie told him automatically as she saw his hands go through his hair.

Gabe smiled at her concern, "I'll try not too."