Page 95 of Wallflower
I rolled my eyes.
"You can come over and practice if you want," he added. "My parents won't mind. They're hardly ever here."
"I don't anticipate jumping into any pools in the near future."
He was quiet a moment. Then he said, "You know, you really scared me today."
"Sorry," I said as he helped me to get vertical. When I saw his face, I said it again. "Dare, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
He shook his head, ran a hand over his jaw. "I keep picturing your head going under. I had Snape in my arms at that point, had to put him down before I jumped. It was a scary thing, flower. I was afraid I wouldn't get to you in time."
I put a hand on his forearm.
"But you did," I said softly. "If I forgot to say it, thank you, Dare."
"You're welcome, flower."
After we got out, Dare smiled down at me. We were both dripping wet, but I smiled back.
"That was fun," I said.
"It was." He nodded. "But now, I really need you to take your clothes off."
I choked on air. "Why?"
His lips formed a half-smile. "So I can put them in the drier before you go home. Did you think I meant something else?"
I gave him the stank eye. "Couldn't you have led with that?"
Dare shrugged. "I could've, but that would be less fun."
A few minutes later, we were back in the house. Dare had given me some of his clothes to change into. I came out of the bathroom in a shirt that hit me at mid-thigh and a pair of sweats that were fitted around the hips and butt area. But I'd had to roll up the bottoms to account for our height difference. My hair was still mostly wet, though I dried it as best I could, and I'd forgone shoes because they were drying near the front door.
I was sure Dare would laugh when he saw me. But as I joined him on the couch in the living room, I could've sworn I saw his eyes soften.
"Thanks again," I said. "For the clothes."
"No problem." He laid his head back on the couch, closed his eyes. "You look good in them."
Was he serious?
Outwardly, I scoffed. But inside, I melted.
"The drying cycle takes about forty-five minutes," Dare went on. "So I guess you're stuck with me a little longer."
I shrugged, settling back into the couch.
"I don't mind," I said.
His mouth eased into a smile. "You don't?"
"Nope," I said, hugging one of the pillows to my chest. "This gives us a chance to play one of my favorite games. Truth or truth."
"Ugh, seriously?"
"Yeah," I said, my tone defensive, "it's a good way to pass the time. Plus, we'll get to know each other better. Plus, plus, I have so many questions."
He cracked an eye open. "You know this means I get to ask you, too, right?"
