Sunset Memories

Chapter 7 - The Ghost Of Her Voice

I pushed the front door open gingerly and stepped in, still sopping wet. Curt was watching sports. Mom wasn't in the room at the time, but a second later I heard her footsteps coming down the stairs.

     It must've been a really weird sight. Danielle and I were both cold and wet, she was wrapped in my sweater, and I was carrying her. Bridal style, too.

     But you wouldn't have needed to hear that from the look on my mother's face.  

     ''God, what's happened to you two?'' she gasped, rushing forward and helping Danielle out of my arms. ''And why are you both soaking wet?''

     ''Danielle fell in the lake,'' I explained. ''And I went in to help her out.'' 

     I was going to say saved her, but I didn't want to embarrass Danielle in front of my mother by announcing she couldn't swim. 

     ''Well, that was great of you, Luca, but your shoes are soaking and they have to be dry for school by tomorrow,'' Mom criticized. 

     I shrugged and placed my Vans on the heater.

     Mom told Curt to grab some towels and blankets as she helped Danielle remove her wet layers until she was standing in a thin T-shirt and her jeans. Curt brought down towels and Mom wrapped one around Danielle, tossing another to me.

     Mom asked Danielle, ''Are you sure you're okay?''     

     ''I'm fine,'' she answered with a weak smile. ''Thanks to Luca. I mean, I'm not a very strong swimmer . . . at all, really.'' I saw her give another small grin as she caught my eye briefly. ''And if he hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't be standing here now.'' 

     Mom gave her another towel and she scrunched it around her head to dry her hair off. She sighed, a happy sigh, and looked at me with a smile. ''Really, Luca?''

     I froze, halfway between drying my hair off. ''Um . . . well, the water was really cold, too. Even if you were a good swimmer,'' I looked at Danielle, ''you wouldn't have lasted for more than a few minutes.'' 

     ''But you still saved me,'' she said pointedly. 

     I felt myself blushing, so I pulled my shirt off to hide my face for a second. 

     Mom saw me. ''Luca! Don't take your shirt off!''

     I stood there, confused, blushing, shirtless, and avoiding Danielle's interested gaze. ''Why not? Alexander does it.''

     ''Yes, he does, and that's bad enough! Just go upstairs and change.''

     I hesitated, looking at Danielle. She was biting her lip forcefully, but I didn't know if it was from holding back laughter or just staring at me with wanting. At least, I thought it was wanting. 

     ''Okay,'' I told my mother. ''I'm gonna need some more towels, though, unless you want me to take off my jeans, too.''

     ''No, thank you,'' Mom said curtly and ran upstairs. 

     A few seconds after she left, I heard Danielle say, ''Your hair's kind of brown when it's wet.''

     I turned towards her. She looked delicious wrapped in a towel, her hair dark and dripping. Did everyone look hot when they were soaking wet? 

     ''Is that a good thing?'' I asked.

     ''Sure.'' 

     There was a quiet in the room that gave me shivers. Oh God, how I wanted to just reach over and kiss her hard.