The Stepbrother // Luke Hemmings

Are You a Vampire

re-edited

9

Are You a Vampire?

The next afternoon, when it's blazing hot outside and not even the air conditioning can keep any of us cool, Andrew suggests that we all go for a swim while he fires up the grill for lunch. 

I'm sprawled out on the living room couch, half of my body hanging off the edge, and fanning myself with a magazine and I perk up and stare at him, "Swim? Like, actually use the pool?"

Andrew is dressed in a pair of shorts that stop too far up his pale knees, and he's wearing a washed out, faded t-shirt that says, 'I LOVE NY'. He looks dorky, no surprise, but the guys got the right idea.

"Yeah, why not?" He shrugs, "Claire can make a picnic and I'll make burgers, while you and Luke swim?"

It's not a bad idea, and even though I'm really in no mood to be bothered by Luke, I nod and hurry upstairs to ransack my room, in search of a bathing suit. I end up putting on a red one piece from when I trained to be a lifeguard at the YMCA back home. It's a little bit fitted, but I shrug and grab a towel before scampering downstairs. 

My mom is in the kitchen, cutting lemons for lemonade and when I pass her, she raises her eyebrows and calls me back, "Honey, don't you think you've grown a little too big for that suit?"

Her eyes pointedly trail down to my boobs, that sit pushed up by the fabric and I roll my eyes and adjust it, "It's fine."

She narrows her eyebrows and before she can say anything, I hurriedly say, "Mom, I'm around my family, it's okay right?" I know my mom, and I know for a fact this will make her relax.

Just as I'd expected, her eyes warm with surprise and she smiles, "Yeah, yeah. Here, do you mind taking the patties to Andy?"

"Sure." 

When I get outside, Andrew is pouring lighter fluid over the coal in the grill. He looks coolly over at me and sets it to fire, not even flinching at the burst of flames that shoot up. Hm, well okay then. I set down the plate and sarcastically quip, "Well, don't you look new to this?"

Andrew smiles, goofy and proud, and shrugs, "I'm a grown man, I'm pretty sure  I can manage a grill, Anastasia."

"I'll leave you to it, then." 

The pool is seriously huge and the bright blue water sparkles in the afternoon sun. Dropping my towel on the side, I carefully dip a toe in. It's surprisingly cool, and I grin before crouching down and plunging in without a beat.

Cool water surrounds me, and I come up for air; immediately swiping my hair back and treading water. I smile and glance over at Andrew, preparing to thank him for suggesting we swim, but he's tasting lemonade from a spoon from my mom and I hurriedly look away from them.

"You didn't even bother to clean the pool out," someone grumbles from above me, "now, I have to do it."

Squinting, I look up into a pair of annoyed blue eyes. Luke bends down, grabs the pool skimmer and he walks over to the edge, playfully pretending like he's gonna hit me with it.

"You wouldn't dare," I snap, before swimming out of his reach.

He's wearing a pair of light blue trunks, that are probably the same color of his eyes, and they look really good against the color of his pale skin; especially with the way, they hang loosely off his narrow hips.

"Surprised you're not one of those tanning brats," he mutters, plucking stray sticks and leaves from the water that I hadn't noticed before.

I float on my back and kick my feet gently in the water. "I could say the same to you. What are you a vampire?"