Gavin meets an old friend

"Oh my gosh, Gavin!"

Gavin would have jumped out of his shoes at the shock of hearing his name if the person saying it hadn't jumped into his arms giving him a big hug.

"Lisa! What are you doing here?"

"Oh my dad had to come up for some work. My mom and I came along to have some fun. You?"

"Yeah the gang's all here," His eyes met Lisa's inquisitive look, "Zack too."

Lisa's eyes dropped for a moment.

"Everyone doing well?"

"Mostly..."

Now it was Gavin's eyes that dropped.

"What's wrong Gav? Here let's sit and talk."

They sat down on a log together.

"It's a girl isn't?"

Gavin kicked at the dirt.

"Chloe?"

Gavin Looked up.

"You got to get on that Gav!"

" I... It's...."

"What?"

"She swam today."

"In a swimming suit?"

"Yeah," Gavin said grinning.

"Good for her," Lisa said, seeing his grin. "You liked what you saw, didn't you?" she added, playfully smacking his arm.

"So did Heather's cousin," Gavin replied, suddenly somber.

They both sat awkwardly for a moment.

"Hey Gav, you remember that Saturday last summer when we were so bored we decided to check out garage sales and we found that old Nintendo?"

"Oh yeah, they'd bought it years ago for the grandkids who never really played it. It was practically new."

"Yup, and we spent all afternoon playing Mario Bros."

"Yeah, I'm kind of a nerd like that."

"No Gav, we were all nerds like that. But do you remember what happened later?"

"You and Zack went to his room to ummm... do stuff and I kept playing."

"And, Chloe?"

"She just hung out."

"See that's the problem, while you had your focus on the game, Zack and I were focused on each other and Chloe was focused on you."

"Focused on me?"

"I mean, she was making sure you were having fun, since Zack and I were... doing stuff. But what do you think she would have done if you had put down the game, walked right over, pushed her down on the couch and..."

"Lisa!"

"Come on Gav. Do you think she's messing around with Heather's cousin because he's better than you? No, it's because unlike you, he told her how he felt. Or at least what he's pretending to feel to..."

She stopped as Gavin looked at her hurt.

"Just tell her. I promise you, she won't reject you."

"But what do I even say? 'Princess Chloe, it is I Gavino, here to rescue you from the evil Kurt Koopa!'"

Lisa laughed.

"You joke, but I bet she'd go for it. Anything is better than silence."

Lisa's mind temporarily drifted to thinking about Zack's unspoken crush on Vicky that had torn them apart.

"Here, why don't you practice on me. Sit real close, That's it. Now put your arm around me like this. Now, pretend I'm Chloe and tell me how you feel."

"Okay. Chloe I.... I can't do this."

"C'mon Gav. I know you've said the words 1000 times in your head. Say them out loud."

Gavin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then placed his hand on Lisa's cheek, his thumb just to the side of her lips. Lisa almost gasped at the touch and the look in his eyes.

"Chloe, I've always known you were beautiful, long before you figured it out. I only wish I wasn't so shy or I would've told you sooner. But I can't keep it in any longer and I really hope you will give me, us a chance. You're just the most beautiful woman..."

Gavin leaned in and kissed Lisa tenderly. Lisa saw it coming and her heart raced as their lips met. She enjoyed it for a few moments, but then she pushed him away.

"Woah Mario, I think your princess is in another castle."

"I'm so sorry, Lisa."

Gavin started to run away but Lisa grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Oh no, you aren't running away. No more running away or hiding, Gav. You did nothing wrong, I was just surprised. Plus, it was a damn good kiss."

"I guess I got into it a little much."

"Why don't we practice some more."

"You mean..."

"Kiss me."

Gavin leaned in and kissed her again. Lisa placed his hand on her hip and he pulled her tighter to him. Gavin felt a twinge of guilt for making out with someone other than Chloe but he realized she was probably doing the same with Kurt. Plus, Lisa was a girl he'd never thought he'd have a chance at... just that thought was making his confidence grow. That confidence felt good. He wondered if this was the same good feeling Chloe had felt when she had stripped down and jumped in the lake.

Lisa was enjoying making out with Gavin. She hadn't dated much since Zack. For the briefest moment she thought about the idea of dating Gavin, but realized a relationship with another guy who had his eyes set on another girl was not what she needed. What she did need, was to enjoy his kisses. She reached around and grabbed his butt with one hand, her other hand played with his hair as they continued to kiss.