From what I could tell, Danielle and I were closer than ever before. We skipped the rest of the dance and hid in a janitor's closet to escape the rest of the crowd, and to keep Simon from killing me.
Both of us were injured, mentally and physically. Danielle told me how Simon had stripped off his shirt and was starting to take off her dress when I interrupted. Then she whispered, even though it was only the two of us in here, that she was only wearing her bra and underwear beneath the dress. The information should have shocked me out of my skin, but I just grinned calmly at her while she dabbed at the blood on my face and wrapped my injuries up in bandages. We left the school early, because it was possibly the most shocking Valentine's Day we'd ever experienced.
''Well, there was one where Mylan and Aidan kidnapped their girlfriends at our place when they woke up,'' Danielle admitted as I lay with her on the bed before we went to sleep.
''Really?'' I said. ''What were their reactions?''
She giggled. ''Well, Haley broke up with Mylan, but Georgia just didn't talk to Aidan for a week . . . I mean, all the girls think Aidan's amazing, so it's hard to stay mad at him, I guess.''
The next morning--a Saturday, thank goodness--had a sun to wake me up. I lay on the mess of blankets, feeling the warmth of the light spread over my face. There was a small package of Valentine's Day chocolates from my mother that I'd fallen asleep next to. I opened one of the mini Mars bars and ate it quietly.
Danielle's eyes opened around five minutes later.
''Guten Morgen,'' I whispered.
She turned and grinned at me. ''Guten Morgen,'' she replied, her German a little crooked.
I sat up. The sun shifted positions on my back. My shoulder had lines on it from where the blankets had creased.
''How're you feeling?'' Danielle asked.
My injuries. I'd totally forgotten about them until now.
''Fine,'' I answered. ''Nothing really hurts.''
But when I stood up, my answer changed. My calf was sore, my head throbbed, and, worst of all, my groin pulsed painfully.
''Never mind,'' I gasped.
Danielle bit her lip and got out of bed. She was dressed in a white tank-top and blue bottoms. Her hands created a messy ponytail at the back of her head and she walked over until she stood behind me. Then I felt her hands on my shoulder blades, rubbing them in what was possibly the best massage ever.
''Ohhh,'' I sighed as she pressed on my muscles, easing the pain out of me. ''Oh, God, that feels good . . . can you go left a bit?''
She massaged my back until all the tension and soreness was released from me. I pulled on a shirt and went downstairs.
The rest of the day went casually, with me sketching and stretching, Danielle watching me and gently picking the strings of my guitar. I eased myself in a sitting position so that I could play it myself.
We were singing Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball when the phone rang.
Curt, who had been playing on his tablet and was nearest to it, answered. ''Hallo? Oh, you're English, sorry. Canadian? Cool. Yeah, this is the place of the Brauns. Uh-huh. Sure, she's right here.''
He walked over and handed the phone to Danielle. ''For you.''
She glanced at me nervously and said, ''Hello?''
YOU ARE READING
Sunset Memories
Romance[Book no. 1] In which Luca meets Danielle for the first time, and love dribbles through German promises, protection from the bad boy, and lullabies whispered as the sun dips into the horizon.
