last a while, so the car could be
buried for hours.”
The mere thought of her classmates walking
out to move their cars and seeing her deplorable condition made her
wince. “Can’t we just wait it out until the car is free?”
“You mean…sit out in the hot,
mosquito-infested woods for a couple hours?”
“Okay, okay. Let me think.” She frowned and
looked around. “Geez, this kind of thing is harder than I thought.
What does it look like we’ve been doing? Maybe we can build on
that.”
Raising an eyebrow, he said neutrally, “I can
think of one or two things.”
She looked at him expectantly.
After staring at her for a moment and seeing
her blank look, he shook his head and grinned. “Never mind,” he
said, patting her on the arm. “I have another idea.”
Chapter Six
Gabriel’s plan to rinse themselves off with
the Brewers’ garden hose and sneak into the party from the poolside
ended up working like a charm. Michelle and Cynthia had been so
freaked by their encounter with Amber that they gave her a wide
berth for the rest of the party. It was midnight by the time Amber
and Gabriel got home.
Although she should have been exhausted after
the incident at the pond and having to socialize for hours on end,
her energy was at full-throttle. She took a shower and donned her
PJs (the Led Zeppelin T-shirt and boxers, of course) in an effort
to wind down. It didn’t help much.
While Gabriel took his turn in the shower,
she headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. After she heard
the shower shut off followed by the telltale sound of the pipes
running indicating that Gabriel was brushing his teeth, she set her
glass down on the counter and reached into the cabinet for a second
one.
A minute later, Gabriel appeared in the
kitchen’s doorway wearing his usual night ensemble of a well-worn
gray T-shirt and navy blue cotton shorts. His dark, wavy hair was
still damp from his shower.
Spotting the glass in her hand, he gave her a
shocked look. “Is that for me?”
Rather than answer, she held his glass up for
him and nodded her head toward the front door. He moved ahead of
her and opened the door followed by the screen door, holding them
so she could walk past with both glasses. They settled on the
wooden porch swing, much as they had many other nights. Only this
time, Gabriel lifted up his arm to encourage her to sit against
him. She did so, once again waiting for a feeling of weirdness that
never came.
“Why does this feel so…I don’t know?
Natural?”
He swallowed some water and gave her shoulder
a squeeze. Since she had settled on the swing with her legs
half-curled under her, he started them moving with one push of his
leg. “Well, for me, I’ve had lots of time to get used to the
idea.”
“Hmm.”
Her brow wrinkled in thought. She supposed
his obvious welcome of her attentions might have something to do
with her own ease with the sudden change in their relationship. She
had been thinking all afternoon of the many signs she had ignored
over the years regarding his true feelings for her. There were all
the times she had caught his gaze slipping almost guiltily from her
face when she looked at him, for example, as well as his irrational
annoyance whenever someone referred to her as his sister, among
other things. If she was being honest with herself, she knew she
had harbored the same feelings for him for quite some time and had
purposefully minimized them. It had been easier than expressing
them and risking losing his friendship.
She sighed. She certainly wasn’t someone who
had to overanalyze something, especially when it made her happy.
Very few things had that distinction.
After sipping her water, she asked, “When did
you first start thinking of me…”
“As more than a friend?” he offered.
“Yeah.”
He sat quietly for a minute. Very used to him
gathering his thoughts before speaking, she remained silent and
gazed out at the front yard. A light, warm breeze and the
buried for hours.”
The mere thought of her classmates walking
out to move their cars and seeing her deplorable condition made her
wince. “Can’t we just wait it out until the car is free?”
“You mean…sit out in the hot,
mosquito-infested woods for a couple hours?”
“Okay, okay. Let me think.” She frowned and
looked around. “Geez, this kind of thing is harder than I thought.
What does it look like we’ve been doing? Maybe we can build on
that.”
Raising an eyebrow, he said neutrally, “I can
think of one or two things.”
She looked at him expectantly.
After staring at her for a moment and seeing
her blank look, he shook his head and grinned. “Never mind,” he
said, patting her on the arm. “I have another idea.”
Chapter Six
Gabriel’s plan to rinse themselves off with
the Brewers’ garden hose and sneak into the party from the poolside
ended up working like a charm. Michelle and Cynthia had been so
freaked by their encounter with Amber that they gave her a wide
berth for the rest of the party. It was midnight by the time Amber
and Gabriel got home.
Although she should have been exhausted after
the incident at the pond and having to socialize for hours on end,
her energy was at full-throttle. She took a shower and donned her
PJs (the Led Zeppelin T-shirt and boxers, of course) in an effort
to wind down. It didn’t help much.
While Gabriel took his turn in the shower,
she headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. After she heard
the shower shut off followed by the telltale sound of the pipes
running indicating that Gabriel was brushing his teeth, she set her
glass down on the counter and reached into the cabinet for a second
one.
A minute later, Gabriel appeared in the
kitchen’s doorway wearing his usual night ensemble of a well-worn
gray T-shirt and navy blue cotton shorts. His dark, wavy hair was
still damp from his shower.
Spotting the glass in her hand, he gave her a
shocked look. “Is that for me?”
Rather than answer, she held his glass up for
him and nodded her head toward the front door. He moved ahead of
her and opened the door followed by the screen door, holding them
so she could walk past with both glasses. They settled on the
wooden porch swing, much as they had many other nights. Only this
time, Gabriel lifted up his arm to encourage her to sit against
him. She did so, once again waiting for a feeling of weirdness that
never came.
“Why does this feel so…I don’t know?
Natural?”
He swallowed some water and gave her shoulder
a squeeze. Since she had settled on the swing with her legs
half-curled under her, he started them moving with one push of his
leg. “Well, for me, I’ve had lots of time to get used to the
idea.”
“Hmm.”
Her brow wrinkled in thought. She supposed
his obvious welcome of her attentions might have something to do
with her own ease with the sudden change in their relationship. She
had been thinking all afternoon of the many signs she had ignored
over the years regarding his true feelings for her. There were all
the times she had caught his gaze slipping almost guiltily from her
face when she looked at him, for example, as well as his irrational
annoyance whenever someone referred to her as his sister, among
other things. If she was being honest with herself, she knew she
had harbored the same feelings for him for quite some time and had
purposefully minimized them. It had been easier than expressing
them and risking losing his friendship.
She sighed. She certainly wasn’t someone who
had to overanalyze something, especially when it made her happy.
Very few things had that distinction.
After sipping her water, she asked, “When did
you first start thinking of me…”
“As more than a friend?” he offered.
“Yeah.”
He sat quietly for a minute. Very used to him
gathering his thoughts before speaking, she remained silent and
gazed out at the front yard. A light, warm breeze and the
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