“Hey, do you think I could borrow your chemistry notes and how would you like to go out with me sometime?”

Allegra had practiced many much cooler lines but that was the one that that came out. She didn’t even remember saying it. She just remembered how amazed she was when Andy said yes.

They both loved the beach so it seemed the perfect date location. Allegra prepared a cooler with various drinks and vegan snacks. She hoped Andy wouldn’t mind the lack of meat.

Allegra always agonized over what to wear but this was worse than normal. It was her first real date. She opted for her favorite bikini covered by a pair of denim shorts and a white T-shirt that said ‘The Beach Is My Happy Place.’ A pair of sandals and sunglasses completed the ensemble. That was easy.

Calming the butterflies was harder. Allegra had very little dating experience and she had never asked anyone out. Honestly, she was the type that felt the guy should ask the girl but her best friend Emma talked her into just going for it.

Allegra called a limo to take them to their destination. Allegra didn’t want to flaunt her family’s money but she wanted to take them there in style. She was nervous on the way there and just made some small talk. She’d normally talk a mile a minute but around guys she liked, she quieted up and had to force herself to talk. She hoped her nervousness wasn’t making him nervous.

Thankfully they arrived at their destination quickly. Allegra chose this location because it was so close and relatively deserted. It was an unseasonably warm day but there wasn’t anyone else for quite a few yards. Score!

The limo driver got the cooler from the trunk for the couple. “So what do you think?” Allegra asked. 

A girl asked him out on a date. A really pretty girl. A really pretty, popular girl. Any guy at Xavier’s would have said yes at the drop of a hat, without thinking twice or even once. Andy, on the other hand, wasn’t like other guys… But he couldn’t let her know that. No one at Xavier’s could know.

So, to avoid all suspicion, he did everything his heart told him not to do and said yes. It wasn’t all bad, though. Andy had been wanting to go to the beach for awhile now… and now he finally could! Not only that, he’d be going in a fancy limo. How cool was that?

As he stepped out of the long, pristine vehicle, a part of him felt like royalty. So much so that he couldn’t stop smiling. Another part of him, however, felt like the worst person in the world for leading Allegra on. For making her think he liked her as more than a friend.

Maybe, with time, he could come to like her? He certainly liked her limo… and the fact he’d be able to go to the beach whenever he wanted now. Plus, he never kissed a girl before… or dated one… Maybe it wasn’t so bad? He guessed he’d find out soon enough.

>> “So what do you think?”

So lost in his thoughts, Allegra’s question caught him by surprise. “I, uh… of you?” he asked, both eyebrows raised. “I like you,” he quickly assured her, offering her a warm, comforting smile that was meant to calm any doubts she may have about dating him. Andy certainly had a few.

Allegra tried to read Andy's reaction. He was smiling. That was good. She hoped some of that had to do with her.

Her limo driver laid out a blanket and carried the cooler over at Allegra's command. He assured her that all she had to do was call or text and he'd be ready to take them back. For now, he would leave the young couple alone. Yikes! Allegra hoped Andy didn't realize how nervous she was.

“I like you,”

That made Allegra grin from ear to ear. "I was actually talking about the beach spot, but I'm so happy to hear that." She brushed her hand lightly on his arm. "I really like you too." God, he was hot!

"So do you want a quick drink and a small snack before we hit the waves?" she asked. She loved swimming but was actually more into lazing on the beach. She'd be up for whatever Andy was, but she hoped they'd get a little time to talk.

She opened the cooler. "We got a bunch of stuff. Just no alcohol or meat. I'm vegan and I don't really drink." Best to get both those things out in the open. For some people, those might be deal breakers especially the drinking part if Andy happened to be a big partier. Allegra loved to party and socialize, but with an alcoholic mom, beer and booze weren't high on her list. "Please help yourself."

"God it's so beautiful here. It's hard to believe fall and winter will be here soon. I wish it was summer all the time and I could spend every day at the beach. How about you?"

Andy kicked off his flip-flops and sat down on the blanket the limo driver laid out for them, but before he could say thank you the well-dressed, stoic man was already on his way back to the parking lot. Sighing, Andy rested his arms on his knees and leaned forward to admire the beautiful, sunlit ocean for a brief moment, before turning his attention back to the girl who he could potentially call his girlfriend. Whether he wanted to go down that road or not was a different story.

>> "I was actually talking about the beach spot, but I'm so happy to hear that. I really like you, too”

“Oh…” Andy forced a smile and a few chuckles, trying not to appear as guilty as he felt. Sure, he didn’t want to be a bad date, but he also didn’t want to get her hopes up any more than he already had... Not knowing what else to say, Andy bit his lower lip nervously and averted his gaze.

>> "So do you want a quick drink and a small snack before we hit the waves?

“Sure, why not?” So long as it was quick...

>> "We got a bunch of stuff. Just no alcohol or meat. I'm vegan and I don't really drink.”

“Not a problem,” Andy assured her. After all, he was a swimmer. Not only did his parents forbid him from drinking even the tiniest amounts of alcohol, so did his coach. Meat, on the other hand, was something he didn't think he could ever live without. “So how long have you been vegan?” he asked, curious, as he leaned over to see what was in the cooler. Suddenly thirsty, he pulled out the first bottle of water he saw and started drinking it.

>> "God it's so beautiful here. It's hard to believe fall and winter will be here soon. I wish it was summer all the time and I could spend every day at the beach. How about you?"

Andy continued chugging down his water until there was none left, just in time to hear Allegra say something about wanting to spend every day at the beach. “Yeah, who wouldn’t? Ready to go in the water now?”

Allegra grabbed a water as well and dug into the bag of tiny carrot. "Oh, I think I've been vegan for about three or four years," she said. "I started on it to lose weight but I can't see any reason to make animals suffer if there's plenty of other stuff to eat that's yummy." She was relieved that Andy didn't have a problem with her veganism or her not drinking.

She turned towards Andy so she could ask him a question to learn more about him but he had other ideas.

 “Yeah, who wouldn’t? Ready to go in the water now?”

"Sure, why not?" Allegra said. Oh god! Had she said something wrong? She was hoping for more of a chance to just talk but he seemed eager to jump in the water. Or maybe he just wanted to get away from her. This was her first real date and she felt like she was blowing it.

Her best friend, Emma, would tell her to act confident even if you didn't feel it. That was the best way to get rid of self defeating thoughts that might not even be true. So Allegra stood up and slowly pulled her shirt over her head hoping to tease Andy. She then slowly slid her shorts off  then slid her shorts off revealing her skimp turquoise bikini underneath. It was an exact copy of one she had seen Kendall Jenner wear and Allegra hoped it looked halfway as good on her as it did on the model.

"So what do you think?" she asked while flashing a smile and a flirting wink.

Andy’s eyes widened when Allegra stood up and stripped down to her revealing bikini, but not for the reasons she expected. Was he turned on? Not in the slightest. Was he scared? Slightly. Did he feel guilty? Very much so. She seemed to be trying so hard to impress him, and he was one hundred percent certain any other one of his male peers would have been drooling right now.

But he couldn’t drool, at least not over her, and he felt really bad about it. A small voice in the back of his head told him it was still possible for him to like Allegra in the same way she liked him, but it was a very small, insignificant voice that he knew would always be overpowered by the first cute guy that came into view. That wouldn’t fair to Allegra, that was, if they ever did become a couple.

But he also didn’t want anyone at the Mansion to know he was gay. And so, when she asked him what he thought about her appearance, he slapped a wide, toothy smile on his face and pretended as though nothing was wrong. “You’re the prettiest girl here,” he replied, choosing his words carefully. If he said she was the prettiest person here, he’d be lying. He tried not to think about any of the shirtless men walking around the beach, though... or the lifeguard.

Shit! Quickly, he stood up for fear of becoming too aroused by the idea of pretending to drown so the ridiculously hot, curly-haired lifeguard could give him mouth-to-mouth and pulled off his shirt. Taking a deep, calming breath, he glanced down at his board shorts, thanked God he chose not to wear his Speedos, and made a beeline for the ocean--the only real reason he had actually been looking forward to their date. If Allegra had wanted to go anywhere else, he probably would have dreaded it completely.

Without even checking the temperature of the water or caring whether or not Allegra joined him, Andy broke into a sprint and dove into a fairly large wave headfirst. The water, of course, bended around his head because of his mutation, protecting him from the impact and allowing him to continue breathing normally as he swam happily under the oh-so-refreshing salt water. By force of habit, he started using his powers to propel himself far out into the ocean before remembering he was on a date... with a girl.

With a reluctant sigh, Andy swam back up towards the sunlit surface and poked his head out of the water to check on Allegra. "The water's great!" he shouted, waving her over.

The problem with taking risks and just going for it was that you might just fail miserably. The idea of seizing the day was terribly romantic but acting all sexy and flirty while the guy just laughs at you isn't.

Allegra had so many body image issues that she immediately regretted her soft strip tease. Thankfully he seemed to be truly turned on. At least that's what Allegra thought.

 “You’re the prettiest girl here,”

"Really?" Allegra blushed. "Thank you." God, he was really into her! Allegra was near breathless. She had worried so long about being rejected and here was this truly nice (not to mention incredibly sexy hot) guy that liked her.

She wondered why he was glancing over at the lifeguard. Then she got what she thought was the answer. Without warning, he turned and ran for the ocean.

What was up with that? Maybe she turned him on so much that he just couldn't control it. Yes, that had to be it. Allegra thought it was actually kind of cute.

She ran after him but he was lost in the sea. She was a good swimmer but she certainly couldn't keep up with him.

She stood there and soon he returned. "Hey show off!" she said.

"The water's great!"

Allegra dipped her toe in the water. It was a little cold but she didn't want him to think she was a wimp or anything so she walked right in.

"You know that was really impressive," she said. She walked over to him and put her arms around his back. "You think you could take me out there too?" she asked.