A dream. He was sure this wasn't real, but then a spray of salty ocean wave hit the side of his board. Gordon watched her in the warm glow of mid-morning sunlight, her arms pulling at the water and she sped over the wave. Penelope - his Penelope - was moving away from him, laying atop the board he'd given her until the wave began to roll and she got to her feet. Her ringlets were gone, replaced by curls dampened by the last hour of learning to do something he enjoyed.
She was radiant - arms out for balance, knees bent as she felt the curve of the wave that encouraged the board on it's way towards the beach. Amber followed her the whole way, entranced by the gentle curves until she fell back into the water. Even that was graceful and he imagined her popping back up as a mermaid who he would gladly follow into the depths.
She laughed, her smile gleaming as she pulled herself back into the board and turned to regard her teacher. "How was that?" Penelope called, propping herself up so that golden waves draped over her shoulders and dripped crystals back into the ocean.
"Perfect," Gordon heard his own voice, strong and edged with the excitement that sent his heart hammering. Then, to himself, "absolutely perfect."
His turn and he was forced to wait for the next wave that was taking far too long to build. He wanted to be by her side again - to see the same excitement in her sapphire eyes before they went again.
A wave - barely considered worth the effort to surf - and he took it, gliding easily over the water. He kept his eyes on her, noting the way the water sent her swaying as the wave drew closer. The nose of his board turned sharply and Penelope didn't even flinch at how they nearly collided. She trusted him too much to think he might actually cause her harm. Another turn and he sat down on his board next to her, a confident smile on his face as he paddled to her side.
"Show off," she teased, sitting up to meet him.
"Oh, that? That was nothing," he shook a hand through his stiff, damp hair absently. "Now, if we were in Hawaii..." Gordon let that though blossom a moment.
"If we were, indeed," she absently pulled her hair to the side, sending trails of water over her chest and he couldn't stop staring. He needed to stop, but then, her face was in his line of sight and her lips were on his.
It was only a few seconds, but to Gordon it was an eternity. Salt mingled on their lips as the waves forced them apart and he could focus once more.
He licked his lips, feeling lightheaded in the warm sun, "Um - should we try one more run?" And he suddenly felt like an idiot for even asking as Penelope's head tilted with the grin on her face.
"I think that's enough surfing for today," she lowered herself to the board and began to row herself back to the beach. "How about we just sit for a little while?"
He was already paddling after her, his head buzzing, "Sitting sounds nice."
The fire in her eyes was message enough that they wouldn't just be sitting. He decided then and there that anywhere Penelope went, he was more than willing to follow.