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Tenerife 2007
By Ash 8/3/2009December 8, 2007, one day into my holiday and breakfast time, as I walked into the hotel restaurant and was obliviously walking to our table, I looked up as everything seem to stop. As I lifted my head, I saw a Canarian waiter, white shirt, black trousers, waistcoat, short dark hair, bright blue eyes, lightly tanned skin with a smile on his face, looking at me.
The way he stood with his hand directed to what was our table I smiled back and he pulled out my chair, said, "Good morning," and politely walked away.
We had our two meals a day in that very same restaurant, with that very same waiter always smiling when I walked past him. He looked at me when he was talking to others; he bit his lip when he turned away.
December 10, 2007, this particular night when I laid in bed, all I could think about was him; wondering how he was, what he did, who he was as a person. I found out his name was Alexis, I wanted to know more.
December 11, 2007, on my 17th birthday, my mum is welcome to embarrass me as she knew I liked him, "It's her birthday today!" "Really, how old?" "She's 17." He looks at me, "Really? Happy birthday," as he smiled and walked away.
That evening when I was sitting down for dinner, his friend, also a waiter, walked over with a bottle of champagne, popped it, and poured us some. I noticed a bag on the table and looked inside; it was a box of chocolates. Not knowing who they were for, so I just smiled.
After we ate, I saw something glimmer in the corner of my eye, as I looked over I seen Alexis walking holding a birthday cake with lit candles. Embarrassed I held my hand to my face and he placed the cake on the table leaned over kissed my cheek and everyone in close proximity in the restaurant began to sing "Happy Birthday."
My father asked to take a picture of Alexis and me, so I stood up and he put his arm around my shoulders as I slowly privately put my hand underneath his waistcoat and held on to his shirt. I felt him hold onto me a little bit tighter.
As I was leaving that night, I looked over, and I smiled and mouthed goodnight as he was too far to talk to. He ran between the tables and chairs, touched my arm, and asked me to go out with him the next day in between his morning and night shift. I was shaking and my heart was going crazy. I said I would have to think about it and that I would let him know the next morning at breakfast.
December 12, 2007, as I walked into the restaurant I saw him in an instant, but I didn't want to run over and tell him; I waited until I would brush past him and grab his hand to tell him. This opportunity came; I grabbed his hand and said I would go out with him that day. He smiled and nodded, told me he would meet me outside at two.
All morning I was nervous and panicking. At one o'clock, I went up to my hotel room to get changed and ready. Just before two, I went outside and sat on the steps leading into the hotel reception. I didn't know where he would come from and didn't know what he would be wearing. Then I saw him casually walking across the road wearing denim shorts, a basketball jersey, sandals, and a hat.
I made my way down the few steps and he greeted me with a "Hi" and two kisses to each cheek. We began our walk towards the beach.
Our conversation started with, "What's your name?" I already knew his name - I didn't have to ask, so I explained. I asked how old he was and he told me to guess, I said "21?" He laughed, and told me to guess again. After trying to convince him I couldn't he told me he was 25, it was a bit of a shock, but I got over it.
The conversation carried on, all through the 15-minute walk to the beach. We sat on a bench inches away from the sand, I stared out across the miles of blue water. He placed his arm around my back.
As I turned around, he was already looking at me, and he said, "Can I kiss you?" Without an answer I moved my face closer towards his and he kissed me. The most I remember from that moment is the way he smelt and felt, his skin was soft and smelt like cream, his aftershave was sweet.
We laughed, joked, talked, and walked, my hand in his felt small, he isn't that much taller than I am but I felt like no one could hurt me when he was there.
As we walked back up to the hotel, he stopped took the gold linked chain from around his neck and placed it over my head, "Keep this until we see each other again." I thought he was saying it to make me feel better, especially as he knew about my previous relationship with a guy, for 13 months, that wasn't anything compared to Alexis that I had only just met.
The next day we went for another walk as it was the last day of my holiday, spoke, ate, walked, sat, and laughed.
December 14, 2007, I came back home and feeling a million times a better than I felt before I went on holiday. My ex-boyfriend called me and told me I was a pathetic and a liar, yet I wasn't at all bothered by what he was saying or what he felt; all I cared about was talking to Alexis and seeing him again
January 27, 2008, as I walked outside of the automatic doors I was looking across the road at the gates leading to Las Vinas, hoping to see someone, anyone. That's when I saw him; grey t-shirt, baggy jeans, trainers, and that walk that I had joked about so many times in the conversations we had over Christmas time, some until 3am. He turned and looked straight at me. I waved and ran down the stairs and across the road into his arms, he kissed my head and spoke to me in Spanish (that I could only understand because he told me it a million times) "Te quiero." (I love you)
We walked down the same street we went on our first date towards the beach, hand in hand, in silence just enjoying that we were together again.
Present day, July 8, 2009, one year and 7 months later, 3 trips to Liverpool(Him coming to see me) and 6 trips to Tenerife. One difference now is that he doesn't live over 2000 miles away in Tenerife anymore, he lives just over 300 miles away in London.
He makes me feel special, and although its hard sometimes when our plans to see each other don't happen, the time we spend together is the best feeling in the world. Everything he does makes me tingle, I love the way we laugh and share everything. I miss our letters and emails; as we mostly talk using IM now. I have photographs everywhere of our times together. His family is amazing and welcomed me into his home whether it was a surprise visit or planned. My family says our home is his home, it just feels so right.
I admit I've had my doubts, but they were short lived as I could not believe he would do a hurtful thing to anyone.
He is everything I want, sweet, kind, determined, gorgeous, childish, thoughtful.
I love the way he plans things with me,
November 2009 - NYC May/June 2010 - Greece August 2010 - Poland February 2011 - Los Angeles
We have a million things we want to do together, we share our feelings and thoughts and ambitions, he doesn't hold me down and doesn't keep me from things I want to do, as I do for him.
Te quiero Tonta, Un Monton x
Ash
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