David were quiet.
After the sound of footsteps faded away, Maddy tried to concentrate on stacking up a little pile of stones. David examined a mosquito bite on his toe. A black ant wandered onto the blanket and started trying to carry away a bread crumb. The quiet stretched out until Maddy felt it change into something else. She started feeling a little awkward, like she was overly aware of her hands, and she could tell David felt it too. All of a sudden she realized what it was. We’re alone . It didn’t really make sense—she had been alone with David for days at a time, but for some reason, this felt different. She could sense just how close to her he was sitting, and her skin tingled a little.
He stood up abruptly. “Let’s swim.”
“Okay,” she answered, thankful for the break in the silence.
Without waiting for her, he took off his flip-flops and walked out onto the dock, where he stopped and stripped off his shirt. His broad shoulders were well muscled and deeply tanned, tapering to narrow hips. He turned around and stretched his arms overhead, making his pecs and abs ripple, and executed a perfect backward dive into the gray-green water. A moment later, his dark head appeared, gleaming on the surface of the water. He swam back and forth a few times and then flipped over onto his back. “Come on!” he called to her. “It’s not that cold!”
“I’m not scared of cold water!” she called back.
“Then come on in! Or are you not as tough as you act?”
She couldn’t let him get away with that. “Okay, Superboy, I’m coming!” She pulled her tank top off over her head, feeling a little like she was doing a striptease, even though she was wearing a swimsuit. She wiggled out of her jeans and undid her ponytail, raking her fingers through her hair. She flipped it back over her shoulders, where it hung, tickling the bare skin between her shoulder blades. She could tell David was watching her and it made her nervous. This was dumb. Why should she be nervous? It was just David.
He was treading water as she strode out onto the dock. The gray planks were smooth and hot under her bare feet. She stood at the end and looked down into the green depths. Sunlight filtered through the top of the water, turning it translucent. Below that, it was just dark. A spray of water splashed her feet and calves.
“Stop!” she shrieked, retreating to the other side of the dock.
David grinned and splashed her again. “Come on, chicken girl!”
She stuck her tongue out at him, took a deep breath, and dove into the water. She gasped as she came to the surface. “It’s freezing, you ass!”
David laughed. He turned a somersault and then swam away from her across the water. Maddy struck out after him, pulling at the water with her best summer swim-team strokes. Swimming in the lake felt very different from swimming in the chlorinated crystal-clear blue depths of the Bay Swim Club pool. For one thing, it felt very big. She couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit nervous about the deep, dark water below her. She knew that there weren’t any sharks or anything in a lake, but maybe … snakes? Immersed in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed David disappear from her line of vision. She stopped swimming and treaded water for a minute, looking around. Where was he? She couldn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly, from under the water, something grabbed her ankles and pulled hard, forcing her head under the surface. She tried to scream but inhaled a mouthful of lake water instead. For one terrifying instant, she floundered under the water, still held around the ankles, choking on the water she had swallowed.
Then her ankles were released. Her head broke the surface and she gasped. David was beside her, his arm around her waist, supporting her as he held on to the dock with the other hand. Maddy sputtered a minute, catching her breath, clinging to his strong shoulders.
“Thanks a lot!” she finally managed.
He looked abashed.
After the sound of footsteps faded away, Maddy tried to concentrate on stacking up a little pile of stones. David examined a mosquito bite on his toe. A black ant wandered onto the blanket and started trying to carry away a bread crumb. The quiet stretched out until Maddy felt it change into something else. She started feeling a little awkward, like she was overly aware of her hands, and she could tell David felt it too. All of a sudden she realized what it was. We’re alone . It didn’t really make sense—she had been alone with David for days at a time, but for some reason, this felt different. She could sense just how close to her he was sitting, and her skin tingled a little.
He stood up abruptly. “Let’s swim.”
“Okay,” she answered, thankful for the break in the silence.
Without waiting for her, he took off his flip-flops and walked out onto the dock, where he stopped and stripped off his shirt. His broad shoulders were well muscled and deeply tanned, tapering to narrow hips. He turned around and stretched his arms overhead, making his pecs and abs ripple, and executed a perfect backward dive into the gray-green water. A moment later, his dark head appeared, gleaming on the surface of the water. He swam back and forth a few times and then flipped over onto his back. “Come on!” he called to her. “It’s not that cold!”
“I’m not scared of cold water!” she called back.
“Then come on in! Or are you not as tough as you act?”
She couldn’t let him get away with that. “Okay, Superboy, I’m coming!” She pulled her tank top off over her head, feeling a little like she was doing a striptease, even though she was wearing a swimsuit. She wiggled out of her jeans and undid her ponytail, raking her fingers through her hair. She flipped it back over her shoulders, where it hung, tickling the bare skin between her shoulder blades. She could tell David was watching her and it made her nervous. This was dumb. Why should she be nervous? It was just David.
He was treading water as she strode out onto the dock. The gray planks were smooth and hot under her bare feet. She stood at the end and looked down into the green depths. Sunlight filtered through the top of the water, turning it translucent. Below that, it was just dark. A spray of water splashed her feet and calves.
“Stop!” she shrieked, retreating to the other side of the dock.
David grinned and splashed her again. “Come on, chicken girl!”
She stuck her tongue out at him, took a deep breath, and dove into the water. She gasped as she came to the surface. “It’s freezing, you ass!”
David laughed. He turned a somersault and then swam away from her across the water. Maddy struck out after him, pulling at the water with her best summer swim-team strokes. Swimming in the lake felt very different from swimming in the chlorinated crystal-clear blue depths of the Bay Swim Club pool. For one thing, it felt very big. She couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit nervous about the deep, dark water below her. She knew that there weren’t any sharks or anything in a lake, but maybe … snakes? Immersed in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed David disappear from her line of vision. She stopped swimming and treaded water for a minute, looking around. Where was he? She couldn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly, from under the water, something grabbed her ankles and pulled hard, forcing her head under the surface. She tried to scream but inhaled a mouthful of lake water instead. For one terrifying instant, she floundered under the water, still held around the ankles, choking on the water she had swallowed.
Then her ankles were released. Her head broke the surface and she gasped. David was beside her, his arm around her waist, supporting her as he held on to the dock with the other hand. Maddy sputtered a minute, catching her breath, clinging to his strong shoulders.
“Thanks a lot!” she finally managed.
He looked abashed.
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