'We dug a hole under the sea

But nobody knows how to stop the bleed

There's 999 channels on my TV

And I still have no idea what to believe'

~Hidden Ones, Missy Higgins

...

Elena couldn't help but feel a little strange at having to work with Kyle. There was something about him that caused all her Spidey-Senses to tingle in alert.

He was friendly and smart and was doing well with working with their group. He was quick-witted and a bit sarcastic but not in a mean sort of way.

Yet... there was something that made Elena feel slightly off. Maybe it was the fact that he kept watching her, not in a lewd way, but still. She didn't like it.

"Alright everyone! Listen up!" The class turned to look at their instructor at the front of the room. "Tomorrow is Presentation Day. Be sure to wear clean attires, not too stuffy, but something you'd wear to an interview. I will be picking groups randomly. Please make sure that you're prepared."

"Yes, ma'am."

They all turned back to their conversations.

"Hey, I was thinking! We should go out for dinner after our presentations are over," Kyle told them excitedly. "Maybe some drinks, something fun."

"I don't drink," Ruby stated, "Sorry. I'm seventeen."

"I can't drink either," Elena stated. "Not legal yet."

"Well, bud, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm actually not legal either," Carlos stated as he shrugged. "I just look old."

"Ah, hell. Okay, that's fine. We can all just go out for a pizza or something." Kyle insisted with a wide smile. "In celebration of our hard work."

"Yeah, I suppose we can. I'm in, what about you guys?" Carlos asked the girls. They looked at each other for a moment.

"Sure, I'd like some pizza." Ruby stated. "Wanna go, Elena?"

"Ah, I suppose so. That'll be fine."

"Cool. I can pick you guys up-"

"Oh, no. It's okay. We can drive there. Just tell us where," Elena cut in quickly. She didn't want him knowing where they lived.  Ruby looked at her, but didn't say anything regarding that.

"O-okay. Yeah, that's fine."

They decided on a place and went back to finishing the last couple of details on their assignment.... 

...

"Elena...?"

She slowly opened her eyes, startled at the blond head leaning over him. With the sun hitting from behind, the face was darkened, and Elena jumped thinking it was Kyle for a moment.

She screamed and threw a punch out.

"Oof!"

She sat up and turned on her seat to stare at Benjamin holding his stomach trying to breathe. She'd punched Benjamin. It wasn't Kyle. It was the doctor.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, the situation was far too ridiculous to think about. She simply gaped at Ben, slightly wheezing.

"Holy... Shoot. Remind me... To not piss you off in the future." He told her between gasps. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at her. "What was that for?"

"I was having a bad dream and you startled me," she explained, trying to keep a poker face and not start crying. "I'm sorry."

"Okay. Wow! You sure pack a punch!" He exclaimed, then grinned after the surprise was gone. "I was going to tell you that we're here. We can go have some lunch and then maybe walk around?"

She glanced around, perking up at the sound of the open ocean, the waves crashing against land. Even if she was deathly afraid of being out on open water, there was something... romantic about the ocean. Just the sound of seagulls and the cool breeze made her feel at ease.

Quite the strange contrast, to be scared of being on the open water, but still able to soothe her nerves. Weird.

"What are we going to eat?"

"There's a good Mexican food place in town. We can do that. Unless you want something else?"

"No, no. I'm good with Mexican food. I like it." She eyed him, seeing that he was trying to act relaxed but he still rubbed the spot where she'd punched him. "Let me brush my hair really quick, throw some moisturizer on my face or something, I probably look half dead right now."

"I think your hair is fine. It looks nice down." He commented as he got Kevin's leash.

"I feel half dead right now," she murmured to herself, trying to ignore Ben's comment. She loosely French braided her hair and threw some moisturizer on her face. With that completed, she grabbed her bag and stepped out to find Ben.

"Buddy, buddy, you have to be nice or I won't take you with me," Ben told his dog who was wagging his tail so hard that his whole backside and back legs were swinging as well.

Arf!

"If you don't behave, you're not going," Ben warned him again. Kevin looked at him, a little glare through squinted eyes, and sat down. He wanted to go with them, he was a good boy.

They both glanced at Elena when she came around the side of the car to where they were standing. For Ben, he probably stared for far too long, but he hadn't actually noticed what she was wearing earlier when he helped with her panic attack. Now, from his spot where he was kneeling next to Kevin, he was able to notice exactly what she was wearing-- a pair of jeans, a green Sacramento State baggy hoodie and black Birkenstocks. He had never seen her in jeans outside of her baggy scrubs and he couldn't help but appreciate the way she looked.

She may have noticed the way he was looking at her because she blushed slightly and looked away, hugging her bag to herself.

"Ready?"

"Uh. Yeah! I was just telling Kevin that he needed to behave himself." He gave Kevin a pointed look which the big puppy ignored, standing and going over to Elena, butt a-wiggling excitedly again.

"He's a good boy, though. Aren't you, Kevin? Who's a good boy?" She crooned at the dog who stood on his hind legs to cuddle her face. He slobbered over her face in dog kisses and Ben was in awe at how much she didn't care that dog slobber was all over her. Sherry would've freaked out if Kevin had tried to stand up over her. He didn't think she liked dogs that much. Elena on the other hand...

She threw her head back in a hearty laugh when Kevin decided to backward dive to the floor and lay there, paws up so she could rub his belly.

Ben felt his heart clench and he frowned. Placing a hand over his chest, he looked away in confusion.

What the ...?

 "Come on, Kevin. We're going to go eat." She told the dog who jumped to his feet quickly. They waited for Ben to lock the car and made their way to the restaurant.

There is something about the sound of the ocean, Elena thought as she listened to the waves crashing on the shore. Always crashing, same spots, never the same sound, same but not really. She rested her chin on her hand, staring off into space while Ben returned from walking Kevin. They were glad that the establishment actually had outdoor tables since that way they were able to keep Kevin with them without having to bother the other patrons inside.

She still couldn't believe she was out here with none other than Ben, the doctor she worked with. She was debating whether she could get in trouble for being here, but part of her told her that this was her free time, her days off, and she could do whatever she felt like.

It wasn't as if they were here doing other things together, or if they have some sort of clandestine relationship going on. Why had she agreed to come with him, specially since she was always refusing to go places with Ruby and Mary Anne? She tried to tell herself that she wasn't stupid, that he was a friend. He didn't have any weird motives towards her and he had even helped her twice! Nevertheless, she also felt slightly guilty that she was here with him while Sherry was off with family. Would he tell her that he had been here with her? Or would he hide it just to keep peace between them? He was probably out here with her because he felt bad that Elena was all crazy...

Ugh.

Ever since Kyle, she'd shut herself off from the world as she tried to figure out what was going on inside her. Her nerves got the best of her, and she'd turned down men before who wanted to take her out to dinner or movies. She didn't drink, not because she couldn't afford it, but because she'd seen what it'd done to Kyle's personality and she absolutely loathed feeling without control, helpless.

She sighed and turned to take a sip of her horchata, the rice milk cold drink making her sigh in content.

"I should've probably ordered one of those if it's that good."

She glanced up, her eyes meeting with the brown ones of some guy sitting on the table across from hers. He was smiling broadly, had black hair and tan skin. She'd bet anything that he was at least six feet tall when standing. He leaned nonchalantly on his chair, resting one arm over the back rest.

"Excuse me?"

"You seemed to be enjoying that drink. Maybe I should have ordered one as well." He had a slight accent, and she couldn't help but remember the Spanish soaps --telenovelas--  her mother would watch. She had literally grown up with the sound of Spanish drama in the background of her life.

She could feel her face heat up.

"It's one of my favorite drinks," she told him with a slight smile. She tried to not notice that he reminded her of a young Antonio Banderas, the dark locks of hair, the dark bedroom eyes. His five o'clock shadow making him looking roguish...And sexy, Elena concluded as she studied him.

Whoa there!

"What is a beautiful lady like yourself doing eating alone?" he asked her and she shrugged.

"I'm with someone. I'm just waiting for them to come back." Not that it was the guy's business, she told herself. She raised her hand to put a loose strand of her behind her ear nervously.

"I was just thinking about coming to your rescue," the man joked and Elena raised her eyebrows. She touched her cheek, feeling it burning. Despite herself, she let out a chuckle at his response.

"Who's coming to whose rescue?"

They turned to Benjamin who had returned with Kevin. He eyed the other man with confusion and slight apprehension.

"This beautiful lady over here," the man replied with a nod towards Elena.

"Well, I'm here, so..." Ben didn't finish his sentence but the tone clearly told the other man that he didn't want, and didn't like, the attention he was giving her. Elena frowned at Ben slightly.

“Usted habla Español, verdad?” You speak Spanish, don't you?

Elena turned back to the man who was still smiling at her despite Ben's curt reply. 

"Si, un poco. Como supo?" Yes, a little. How did you know?, Elena asked him with a surprised look. She knew he had an accent, but hadn't expected a Spanish accent to come out from him at all. Oh dear lord. If there was any accent that Elena found attractive it would have to be either British or Spanish. 

"Estabas tarareando una cancion en Español hace unos minutos." You were humming a Spanish song a couple minutes ago.

"Si. Mi madre es de Argentina," she told the man. My mother is Argentinian. 

"Ah, vale. Que lindo! Ay, disculpa! Dejame me introduzco. Soy Alonzo Fernando Gutierrez," the dark haired man stood up, and much to Elena's delight, she had been right. He was a tall man. He came over, stretched his hand out, and when she gave him her hand, she gaped as he kissed the top of it. "Para servirle."

"Mucho gusto. Elena O'Sullivan Toledo." She gasped as she tried to calm her stupid pattering heart. Nice to meet you. 

Not only did was he tall, reminded her of Antonio Banderas, but had a Spanish accent? Swoon. She would swoon.

"Apellido Irlandes? Es de el?" Alonzo nodded towards Ben who was openly glaring at him. "Disculpa la indiscrecion, pero es tu esposo?"

Elena shook her head, glancing briefly at Ben with a horrified look. "No! No! El es mi amigo. Ay no, yo no estoy casada!" No, no! He's my friend. Oh no, I'm not married!

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but can we like...enjoy our time alone?" Ben asked Alonzo who nodded at him, but continued to smile at Elena. Elena rolled her eyes at him. She knew that he had definitely meant to sound rude. She apologized for Ben in Spanish and the man laughed.

"No se preocupe, parece que el la considera mas que solo una amiga." Elena gasped, glancing at Ben quickly. "No se sorprenda, es una mujer hermosa. Pero mejor me hago como el viento y me desaparezco antes que se enoje mas el hombre." Don't worry. It looks like he considers you more than just a friend. Don't look surprised, you're a beautiful woman. But I'd better do like the wind and disappear before he gets even angrier.

"Yo no lo creo. Somos solos amigos." I doubt it. We're just friends, she assured Alonzo but he shook his head. 

"It was nice to meet you, Miss Elena," he told her, switching back to English for Ben's sake since he looked like he was about to pop a vein. "If you ever visit Spain, call me. I'd be glad to give you a tour." He handed her a card with writing on it. Elena stood because she knew a bit of Spanish customs, and wasn't surprised when Alonzo leaned down and kissed both her cheeks. He nodded towards Ben who had turned an even darker shade of red, "Nice to meet you two. Have fun. Beautiful dog," he added towards Kevin who wagged his tail happily. With that, he turned, grabbed his coat from his chair and left to go pay at the front.

Elena sat back down, smiling to herself until she turned to Ben, and her smile disappeared.

Ben tried to calm himself down. He kept telling himself that it wasn't any of his business and that he shouldn't be upset over Alonzo being all over Elena. She wasn't his. She was his nurse. She was his coworker.

But when the man had leaned down and kissed her cheeks, he'd seen red. What the fuck. And Elena had been enthralled by the man. It had taken Ben a whole year for Elena to finally be nice to him, but it had taken Alonzo a few minutes for her to be head over heels over him. He watched Elena take her seat, hands over her cheeks and if she was still feeling the lingering effects of the man's lips on them.

She was smiling until she looked up at him, and her smile faded.

"Ben?"

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," he grumbled and stopped. Whatever he was going to say on hold because the waitress brought them their food. When she'd left, he turned back to Elena. "What other secrets do you keep, Miss Elena? You're just a whole tomb of them, aren't you?" He was referring to what he had found out about her and art, her cooking skills, and now her bilingual abilities but she glared at him.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Like a tomb. Lots of secrets which I plan to take with me when I die." She muttered as she chugged down her drink. She frowned, studying him, trying to figure out why he would be acting like such a jerk. Almost as if he was jealous.

Don't be ridiculous, Elena!

"That man was all over you," he pointed out watching her scowl at him. Her cheeks flamed pink. "When that other guy called you, you freaked. But this one here, which you didn't even know by the way, was okay?"

Her scowl turned into a hard glare. "Kyle is an asshole."

"How do you know Alonzo is not an asshole?"

"He didn't act like one. Doesn't look like one."

"Looks aren't everything."

"Exactly. You look good, but are an asshole."

Ben spit out his drink, gaping at her.