The Perks of Loving You

Chapter 8  

Waiting at the front door, I saw Luca's car pull in our driveway. Sigh, I guess it's time.

"Mom, he's here!" I shouted.

My mom came to the living room and then hugged me and said, "Bye, Love. Let me know when you get there, and if you have any problems along the way, CALL ME."

"'K, Mom, I will," I said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I made my way over to Luca's car and he got out to greet me.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I guess so. Hey, where do I throw this stuff?" I asked as I pointed to my luggage.

"Just put it in the back seat."

I opened the back seat door and threw my stuff in. Hehe, it's not like something's gonna break, just clothes and a few movies. Plus my laptop and other electronics were in my backpack. So I sat in the passenger seat and buckled down. Sigh, I won't be seeing this house for a long time. Instead, I'll be 24/7 with Mr. Bright Smile. Why is Luca so happy anyway, isn't he sad that he's leaving his family? I guess that's just me.

"Hey, cheer up Case!" he said as we drove away from my house.

"It's a 7 hour drive, Luca. Besides, it's early in the morning," I pouted.

"Ah, you poor soul.  Thankfully you're not the one driving," he laughed.

"Well, I wanted to, instead I'm stuck here," I bickered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said as I looked out the window.

The following hour of driving was really quiet. I just stared out and saw the scenery pass by -- cars and trees, that's all I saw. Damn it, this sucks! I guess I'm in a bad mood today.

"I'm sorry," I said, still gazing through the glass.

"For what?"

"For being bratty and mean; I was just in a bad mood. Um...thank you for the ride and for all the future rides that you're going to give me," I said chuckling at the end.

"Casey, don't worry about it."

"Why do you always say that?" I laughed. "Now I'm going to worry about it."

"But you don't have to! I like doing it!" he smiled.

"Well...I like it too," I said softly.

"I thought you hated being stuck here with me?" he teased.

"Hey, I never said that. I said that I hated being stuck here, in a car. I didn't say that I hated being stuck with you."

"Wait...so you like hanging out with me?" he grinned.

"Hmm...do I enjoy spending time with someone who's overly cocky, pretentious, competitive, and who likes to torture me by making me eat seafood...yeah, I really do," I smiled.

He laughed for a few minutes and then said, "Casey, do you remember the day we became friends -- when we were younger, that is?"

"Yeah, I do. You were a big jerk, you know that!" I laughed just at the thought of it.

 "Me? You were the one who started the whole thing!" he chuckled.

"Nope, I was just giving you a helping hand," I smirked.

"Nah ah! You pushed me down the slide and I wasn't even ready!"

"Well, you were taking a long time and I wanted to go down the slide too."  

"I landed face down on the mulch and got it all over my face," he laughed.

I giggled and then said, "Yeah, it was so funny!"

"Jerk!" he teased.

"Jerk, you were the one who destroyed my sand castle!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," he laughed.

"Sure you did."

"Maybe...what is it that I did?"

"I had built the perfect sandcastle in the sandbox. It had two towers, a moat, a defense wall; it was the best! And then you come stomping angry at me for helping you down the slide and you jump on top of my castle. You kicked it around and made sure it was reduced back to just sand."

"Oh, yeah! I did that didn't I?" he laughed.

"Yeah!"

"So that was how we became friends?" he smiled.

"Um...yeah, that and the fact that I pushed you to the ground and stuffed sand down your pants."

"I knew I was forgetting something!" he chuckled.

I laughed and added, "Yeah, and then we both got in trouble for not playing nicely. I think we were friends ever since then."

"That was 12 years ago, right?"

"Yep, we were both 5 at the time."

There were several minutes of silence after that. I just sat beside Luca and looked out the window. It wasn't really an awkward silence, it was just...silence.

"What's it like, Luca?" I asked.

"What is what like?"

"To have a big family."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind," I said and we remained quiet for a few more miles. I looked absently out the window as the cars and trees passed by, the flush green leaves that adorned the branches and the endless procession of cars that seemed to either pass us or get passed.

"Case, are you okay?" Luca asked with a bit of worry in his voice. Great, now I'm ruining the whole mood.

"Yeah, just thinking," I replied and the silence enveloped us again.

"Do you miss him a lot?" he asked, soothing away the dull silence. Sigh, do I miss him?

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer, Case," he added quickly after realizing that I wasn't talking.

I sighed and then smiled in his direction, "It's okay, Luca."

"You don't have to tell me...you just...you never seem to mention David," he carefully added.

"I don't, do I?" I mused.

"Yes, I miss him and it's getting worse as time goes by," I added after a minute of silence.

"Casey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up...I...I just wanted to know more about it."

"Luca, stop apologizing. I'm not angry because you asked; besides, it's good to know that you care."

"Yeah, I do," he said quietly.

"Thanks, but I don't feel like talking about it now."

"Oh yeah, you don't have to tell me."

"'K...Hey, I'm going to sleep for a while, is that okay with you or do you need me awake?"

"No, you can sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive." 

 I fell asleep in the passenger seat, with my head leaning against the window. I think it was a dream, no it wasn't; it was a memory and it felt so vivid that it was like I was reliving it. I was in a hotel room impatiently sitting on a bed, swinging my legs forward and backward, just waiting. My mom and dad were also in the room, but they were arguing about something. I don't really know what, I just know they told me to sit here and wait. So here I am, waiting...

Suddenly, David who was sitting on the other bed walked towards me and sat next to me.

"Hey buddy! You wanna go to the beach?" he asked me as he tousled my hair.

"Yeah! I wanna make a sandcastle!" I yelped.

"Okay, K.C." he laughed. "What right here, I'll go ask mom and dad." He stood up and walked over to where my mom and dad were discussing things.

"Can I take Casey to the beach?" he told them.

"David, wait for us. We'll be done in a minute," my dad responded.

"Dad, it's just the beach."

"We would feel better if we were with you, just wait for us David," my mom said.

"Aw, Mom, I'm 12. I can take care of Casey and myself and it's right outside the hotel room. You can check on us from the balcony," David said. My mom and dad looked at each other and seemed to be signaling each other.

 "Okay, you can take Casey down to the beach. But you're not allowed to go into the water; for any reason," my mom warned.

"And buddy! You're only twelve," my dad smiled.  

David ran towards me and then said, "Put your swim shorts on, we're going to the beach."

I opened one of the suitcases and rummaged through it until I found my shorts. "Dave, are we swimming?" I asked.

"Nope, not today. We're gonna build a sandcastle," he smiled.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad," we said as we left the room. We walked down the stairs to the lobby and exited the hotel. We were right in front of the beach; I could see the waves crashing against the sand from the hotel entrance. David grabbed my hand and slightly tugged on it, telling me to follow him. We crossed the street and reached the sandy beach.

"You ready to build a sandcastle?" he asked while he smiled.

"Yes! It's gonna be the best one I have ever made!" I shouted, causing him to laugh.

I ran towards the middle of the beach and jumped up and down when I had found the perfect spot to build it.

"Dave, this is the perfect spot!" I shouted, telling him to run towards me.

He came towards me, raised his hand and said, "High-five! This seems like the perfect place all right!" Hehe that only made me more excited.

We sat down on the beach and started to build it. It was one of the best ones I had made, partly because my brother had helped me. After we were done, David asked me, "Hey, you wan' a piggy-back ride?"

"Yeah!!!" I shouted and he laughed.

"Okay, climb aboard!" he instructed me as he squatted so that I could get on.

I jumped on his back and grabbed hold of him.

"Wow Casey, not so fast. You almost knocked me over," he chuckled.

"Sorry."

"So you ready?"

 "Yep," I responded and he stood up straight and started to run along the beach. I laughed in enjoyment as he ran beside the waves. He also laughed as he made turns and shook me just to make me laugh even more. He slowed down until he was just walking and let me down on the sand.

"Hey, what are you gonna get me for my birthday?" I asked him.

He laughed and then said, "Casey, your 7^th birthday was two months ago."

"I know, but I just want to know," I said.

"Ah ha, so what I gave you wasn't good enough?" he grinned.

"No, I loved it! You know I wore the necklace you gave me for 30 days straight!" I quickly responded.  

 "Do you really mean it?" he asked.

"Yeah! I mean it," I said.

"I know, Casey. Mom got angry at me because you wouldn't take it off, even when showering," he added with a contented smile.

"So what are you gonna get me?" 

"I don't know. What will my little brother want a year from now?" he said while pretending to be thinking really hard and pacing in front of me.

"A PlayStation!" I yelled.

 "A PlayStation? Will I get to use it too?" he asked.

I smiled and said, "Maybe."

"Maybe? Are you sure about that?" he said and began to tickle me.

"Okay...ye...yeah...yo..you...ca...can..use it!" I said in between bursts of laughter, but David continued to tickle me while laughing too. I remember that everything went white as I continued to laugh and then suddenly I was back home. 

It felt different, somewhat colder and 6 years had passed since our trip to the beach. I walked down the hallway towards David's room and I had a math book in my hands. I opened his door and then asked, "Dave, can you help me with this math problem?"

"Don't you fucking knock?" he shouted and his friend laughed.

"I was just..." I said.

"Get the fuck out, Casey!" he said as he walked over and slammed the door in my face. Sigh, he's so...why is he... 

The sensation of someone's hand against my cheeks woke me up. My eyes felt moist and my cheeks were dampened. I shifted in my seat and began to open my eyes. It was Luca who was leaning over and wiping something from my cheeks. As I began to come to, I realized that those were tears that he was wiping.

"Casey," he whispered as he saw me become aware.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked, trying to remove the tears from my face.

"I noticed you were crying and I thought that we should stop," he said softly.

"Oh...thanks, but I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?'

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Okay."

The rest of the trip wasn't that long. We didn't really talk much, but it wasn't an awkward "I wanna get out of here" silence; in fact, it was never that kind of silence. I listened to the radio as we made our way up the coast. Hehe, I even shouted in excitement when we passed over the state line into Maine. And let's just say I was very happy when we arrived at the camp grounds. Coach wasn't there, but he had told us that he would show up later than us because he had to take care of some things.

As we were approaching camp, I called my mom to let her know that I was still alive and kicking. She showered me with questions and I laughed telling her that I wasn't even there yet. I said that I would call her every night before going to bed.

"We're here!" Luca said as we actually arrived.

"Wow, it's definitely...a camp," I laughed.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he chuckled.

"Look around, woods everywhere," I teased.

"Someone's in a better mood."

"Yeah, I am! So let's go check out the cabin," I said.

Luca took out the map on which the location was marked. After he examined it for a moment he said, "Okay, we're in the wrong place."

"What? This is Skykes!" I said

"Yeah, but this is the main camp.  Our cabin is over there," he said, pointing to the bank on the other side of the river.

"Across the river?" I asked, puzzled.

"Um...yeah," he said.

"I guess we better get going, but how are we going to get there?"

"Hey, don't worry. There's a bridge to the other side about two miles from here," he reassured me.

"Aw, two miles from camp," I moaned.

"What, someone wants to quit now?" he grinned.

"Jerk." I playfully shoved him and made my way back to the car.

We drove up the two miles alongside the river. From the window, I could see that there were several houses scattered along the riverfront. After crossing the bridge and traveling two miles back, we finally arrived at the "location". We entered a long driveway and then drove all the way down to a parking space made out of gravel. The cabin was a few yards away from the patch of gravel.

"Ready to see it?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," I said as we walked towards it. The first things that I noticed was that it faced the river and had its own dock.  So I guess we can dock and undock from here. The cabin was medium size, not really that big or small. Since it'll be for just the two of us, it shouldn't be that bad. We opened the door and peered inside.

Let's just say, it would be a "decent" place to live after we picked up all the trash lying around. There were empty beer bottles and bags of chips lying everywhere; there was even a box full of stale pizza. Great, we get the leftovers of a party! I mean, I didn't even attend it and now I'm left cleaning it up! Argh! This is gonna take forever to clean up! Hehe, well at least I wasn't the only one that looked pissed. Luca looked as if he was ready to punch someone.

"Now, what was that thing you always tell me? Oh yeah...Luca, 'don't worry about it,'" I teased.

"Oh shut up!" he laughed.

"Aw, come on, at least we know this is a party cabin!"

"Oh yeah!" he said as he lifted an empty bottle of vodka from the coffee table.

"Let's go check out the bedrooms!" I said as I dropped what I was carrying on one of the couches. As I walked around, I noticed that there was only one bedroom, so having my own room was out of the question. The layout of the cabin was simple -- a huge room that acted as a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and had what appeared to be a single bedroom with two beds. Haha, the bedroom was basically three walls separating it from the rest of the cabin; it didn't even have a door.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as I checked it out.

"What are you so happy about?" Luca asked.

"No cum stains or condoms to be found!"

He laughed and then said, "At least it wasn't a free for all!"

The room was not that big--one closet and two full-sized beds. The beds were separated by a small table and covered with blue sheets.

"I call this one!" I said as I sat on the left one.

"I choose this one, then," Luca smiled.

"Hey, let's clean this place up! I bet it might look decent. Plus, I'm kinda getting tired of the stale pizza smell."

"Sure!" he said.

We started to clean up the cabin; thankfully there were spare garbage bags in the cabin. After a while picking up bottles, cans, cardboard boxes, and trash, we were done. I was right, the place did look nice after it was all cleaned up.

"We're done," I exhaled.

"Yeah, now we can get our stuff out of the car."

"'K."

We walked over to the jeep and grabbed our suitcases. Hehe, I thought I had an excess amount of suitcases, but Luca had the same amount -- three. I started laughing when I saw him carry them!

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," I smiled.

We reached the cabin and I just dumped my suitcases in the living room. I walked over to the bedroom closet and looked at the small space. Sh'ya there isn't room in there. All my stuff can barely fit in, not even including Luca's stuff. Damn it! Why am I thinking about closet space!!!

"What's wrong?" Luca asked as he came into the bedroom.

"Oh nothing, I'm just noticing that my closet is here and yours is all the way in the living room," I said nonchalantly.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," I hummed.

 "I don't think so," he smiled.

"You're keeping your stuff in your suitcases?"

"Nope, I'm putting my stuff in that closet and you are putting your stuff over there," he grinned as he pointed to the living room closet.

"Na ah, finders keepers," I smirked.

"Really?"

"Yeah, glad you can see it my way. Now, I'm going for a dip in the river," I said as I headed out of the cabin and towards the river. 

The river was perfect for rowing and having fun. This section of the river was calm, yet it still had movement. The water was clear enough to see the bottom of the shallow edges of the river. The dock was long enough for our boat, and the water was deep enough to dive in. I took my clothes off, leaving only my boxers on, walked over to the edge of the dock and dove in. The water was a bit cool, but it felt nice. After I swam around for a while I returned to the shore and sat on the beach for a few minutes before deciding to go back inside. My boxer-briefs were still dripping wet. Argh! It feels so gross! The fabric was sticking to my legs and crotch. I ran towards the cabin and into the living room. I got a towel and pulled them off as soon as I could.  That feels so much better!

I decided to wash away the river water with a quick shower. The bathroom was an okay size and at least there was hot water. After I was done, I walked to the bedroom -- with a towel on! I looked around but Luca was nowhere to be seen. I guess he must've wanted to go off exploring. His suitcases were also nowhere to be seen. Sigh, he put his clothes in the closet didn't he?

I opened the bedroom closet, and yep--half of it was filled with his stuff. I guess I will have to share it then. Shit! But what if I get confused and put on something that belongs to him. I'm not very aware when I wake up and we're the same size too! Oh well, I'm just gonna have to be more careful.

After I was dressed, I emptied my suitcases and placed all my stuff in the cramped closet. When I was finished, I took a few steps back to look at it. My shirts were hung, my shorts and sweatpants were folded, well more like cramped in a shelf above the hangers, and my underwear filled half of the only drawer in the closet. Oh crap! I can't tell where his clothes end and mine begin. It's all going to look like a really full closet. Sigh, I just know one of these days I'm going to end up wearing some of his underwear.

I heard the door open and close again and looked around to see that it was Luca loaded down with shopping bags.

"Where did you go?" I asked him.

"To the supermarket to buy something for us to eat," he responded as he opened the fridge and placed his purchases in it.

"Wait, there's a supermarket here? In this place?"

"Yeah! Along with a town and a few restaurants...and even a movie theater! And it's only a few miles from here," he teased.

"If you say so," I grinned. "The river is perfect for rowing, by the way."

"That's good to hear," he said as he started to get some pots out of the cabinets in the kitchen area.

I walked over, curious, and asked, "What are you up to?"

"I'm going to make spaghetti and meat balls, why?"

"You cook?" I said, surprised at the idea of him cooking.

"Yes, I cook. Well, I can cook basic things just to survive," he laughed.

"Wait, I'm not gonna die if I eat it, am I?" I asked, skeptical.

"Jerk! You won't!" he laughed as he sprinkled water on my face.

The food was done and in about an hour just as I was starting to get hungry. We sat down at a small island in the kitchen, big enough for the two of us. The food was good...okay, it was delicious. This is going to be great if I have someone to cook me meals every day. Oh I can just imagine it now, breakfast, lunch and dinner, yay!!!

 "What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"Um, nothing. How did you learn to cook?"

"My mom. She thinks that I should learn how to cook and be a `productive' husband. So she forced me to cook with her," he laughed.

"You're on your way there. The food is really good."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, you'll make someone very happy with your cooking someday," I said as I looked at the plate of spaghetti.

"I hope so," he smiled. 

 After the meal, I helped him clean everything up and store it away. I thanked him once more and then we both headed toward the bedroom.

I got ready for bed -- brushing my teeth and removing my shoes. Hehe, it was different having to get ready for bed with someone else. Usually I have my room and my own bathroom to myself and I think Luca is the same way. I even bumped into him a few times while we were brushing our teeth.

"Um...Casey!" I heard him shout while I was taking a piss. Hehe, I guess he saw the closet.

"Yeah?" I asked as I walked towards him.

"Which is which?" he asked pointing to the clothes in the closet.

"Yeah...I don't really know either. You're the one who wanted to share!"

 "I thought you would take the other closet!"

"You thought wrong! So if I happen...to end up wearing your underwear," I said quietly, "remember it's all your fault!"

"My underwear?" he said and started laughing.

"What?"

"Can't you recognize them?" he chuckled.

"Just you wait. Morning practice, 5 am, rushing to be on the water. We'll see who will be able to recognize their underwear."

"Nah, I think I'll still be able to tell yours from mine," he giggled.

I grabbed a pair of comfortable shorts and tee shirt from the closet and walked over to my bed. I changed in front of Luca and then lay on my bed. I got to see glimpses of Luca changing besides his bed before he turned the lights off and lay down on his bed.

"Good-night, Lucas St. Knit."

"Good-night, Casey Lock."  

I slept pretty well and woke up rested around 5:30 a.m. with the sun already shining. Hehe, I could even hear the birds chirping because everything in the cabin was silent. Time for me to change that! I jumped out of bed and started to stretch. I yawned and looked around, focusing on Luca, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed. I walked over to his bed and squatted so that I was at eye level with him. I guess I should wake him, he always wakes me, and besides, we need to get all the rowing stuff ready. He looks so peaceful and the sun is illuminating his face making him look so beau...but we need to practice!!! I slowly placed my hand on his shoulder and lightly shook him. He seemed to be responding and slowly shifted, yet he still had his eyes closed.

"Hey wake up," I whispered and gently shook him once more.

He yawned and then slowly opened his eyes. He looked at me, smiled, and then said, "Good morning."

"Good morning, sleepy-head. Wake up, we need to prepare the dock and meet up with Coach," I told him while smiling back.

"Okay," he said and stood up from the bed. I also straightened as he was getting up. Hehe, he had such a bad case of pillow hair, I couldn't help but start laughing.

"What are you laughing at now?" he smiled again.

"Your hair," I said while pointing at it.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's all messed up and you look like a very frizzy mop," I laughed. He also laughed and then attempted to fix it, but only made it look worse.

"Here, I'll do it," I said as I ran my fingers through his hair. Although it looked messy, it felt soft, full, and silky. It was longer than usual, causing me to brush it away from his face. With one final run through, I arranged his hair back off his face and looked at him.

"There, all done," I said, my eyes meeting his, my hands still entangled in his locks, and our faces a few inches apart.

"Men, wake up! Time to get going!" I heard Coach yell as he rapped against the door. I immediately removed my hands and stepped backwards.

"Guess he's here," I laughed apologetically.

 "Yeah...I'll answer the door then."

When Luca opened the door, Coach came in with a bunch of papers that he placed on the coffee table before he began to greet us.

"How are you men?" he asked.

"We're doing well. It's a nice cabin," I answered for the both of us.

"Isn't she nice?" he beamed with pride.

"Oh, she sure is," Luca reassured him.

"Men, take a seat. We have to go over some rules and fill out some paper work," Coach said as he guided us toward the couch.

The talk was basically Coach telling us to take care of the cabin, work together, and remember that Camp Skykes was not open until the rowing program actually began. Oh and the best part, Coach's cabin is located 3 miles from here, on the other side of the river, hehe in the opposite direction of the bridge. We basically have to fend for ourselves or, as Coach puts it, "Men, you were given the opportunity to demonstrate your skills not only as rowers, but as self-sufficient individuals who can live in harmony and survive together."

Coach then told us that our shell was at his cabin and that he will drive us down there and we will row back up to our cabin. It seems simple, 3 miles is about 7K so that's not too much. He then told us that would be our "warm up" every day. We would have to get ready on our own and row down to his cabin; once there, the practice would actually begin.

Coach's cabin was pretty nice compared to ours; it was way bigger and it had three bedrooms. Plus, it was not in the middle of the woods like ours - he had neighbors.

"Wow, Coach! Nice place!" I told him as we arrived at his cabin.

"Well Casey, in the summers I live here, so I thought I should get a nice place," he explained.

"So you come up here every summer?" Luca asked.

"Yes, I grew up here and every summer I work at the community center as a personal trainer, and then when rowing camp begins I work as one of the councilors."

"Are you doing it this summer too?" I asked.

"Yeah, so that's why I want you boys to become responsible for your own training. I will coach you in the morning every day and in the afternoon three times a week until camp begins. But I need you men to train on your own every day," Coach added as we got out of the car.

"Don't worry about it, Coach, I'll make sure he works his butt off," I said and playfully slapped Luca's ass.  

"That's what I'm hoping for," Coach chortled.

Coach guided us toward the shell and told us to get it set up since it was de-rigged and loaded on his truck. We unloaded it, rigged it, and adjusted our riggers once more. After it was all set and we'd carried it to the dock, we said good-bye to Coach and pushed off.

"You were right Case, this is a good river!" Luca exclaimed.

When we finished our row and were at the dock, we lifted the shell out of the water and stored it in a small rack next to our cabin. We had nothing else to do for the day; no wait, I do have something to do!

"Hey, do you think we could go to the town?" I asked him as we were entering the cabin.

"Sure, let me just shower and change."

I went into our room and sat on the bed. I think I'll shower too. I looked at the time and realized it was 3:45. Shit! I need to hurry! I don't have much time before the post office closes, plus I have to look for the postcards!

"Luca, hurry!" I shouted at him getting his towel.

"Why the rush?" he asked as he entered the bathroom.

"Just shower quickly!"      

Okay, I need to get all my clothes ready! I scrambled through the closet...not mine, not mine, okay this one is mine. I grabbed the t-shirt, a pair of boxers, shorts and threw them on the bed. Then I grabbed my towel and started to strip. Once I was completely naked, I ran to the bathroom with my towel in hand. Luckily the door was unlocked so I just stormed into the bathroom.

"Luca, hurry up!" I shouted.

"I've just got wet! I'm not done!" he chuckled.

"Well, hurry!" I whined and he laughed. He even started to sing some out of tune song while I waited outside. You know what; he's doing this on purpose!

"You asked for it!"

"For wha..." I interrupted him by pushing aside the shower curtain and making my way into the shower.

"Move over!" I told him as I pushed him away from the flowing water.

"CASEY!!!" he yelled in surprise.

"What???" I said as I turned around and faced him, water flowing down my face and body.  Luca's hair was still full of suds and, well, I didn't look below his face, but I'm sure his body was also covered with suds.

"What the fuck?" he asked

"Your turn!" I told him. I stepped my way around him, my body grazing against his, and then lightly shoved him towards the stream of water.

"Shower while I lather!" I told him as I poured soap into my hand. I gave my body a cursory scrub and then shampooed my hair.

"Hey, since you're already here, scrub my back, please?" I asked.

He sighed and then said, "Fine, but you have to scrub mine too."

"'K, just do it quickly!" I told him and turned my back towards him so that he could scrub it. Yeah, I think the water was too hot, `cause my body was burning in that shower. Whenever his hands made contact with my skin, I would shudder at the sensation; it felt really hot and soothing. Hmm, I guess the water in Maine must be different.

"My turn!" I told him and turned around. I squeezed my way around him so that the stream of water was washing away the suds. Damn it! This shower isn't as big as I thought!

I got a handful of soap, rubbed it on my hands, and then placed them on Luca's back. Sigh, pure muscle...I guess in a way he was right. I moved the palms of my hands around his shoulders, lower back and then right back up to his neck muscles. I slowly lowered my gaze as I followed the suds that crawled down his back. Dammit Casey! Keep your eyes straight ahead! I quickly looked up and then removed my hands from his back.

"Done!" I hollered as I looked down and saw that I had an erection. FUCKING MAINE WATER!  

I ripped open the shower curtain and ran out of the shower into the bathroom, grabbing my towel and covering myself. This never happens when I shower in the locker room.

I turned around to tell Luca to hurry up when I saw him standing there naked, surprised at my outburst. His eyes kept on scanning me from top to bottom as I tried to wrap the towel around my waist. I looked at him and water was flowing down his body. Sigh, damn he's hot! Shit! ARGH! I can't deal with this right now, I need to get to the post office before it closes.

"Ju...jus...just hurry!" I shouted and ran into the bedroom. I put on my clothes as fast as I could and waited for Luca to finish up; he came out of the shower about a minute later. 

"I'll wait for you outside," I told him and grabbed my backpack and laptop.

While Luca got dressed, I double checked to make sure. Fuck! Today is the last day! He was ready to go in about 2 more minutes and we both hopped into his car.

"Can I please know why you're in such a hurry!" he asked as we drove towards town.

"No! Not yet! You'll see!" I told him and kept on typing on my laptop looking at the various addresses and times estimates. Ahh! It takes three days! That's exactly when it needs to arrive. I'm going to cry if I get there and it's closed.

We finally arrived at the town and then I guided him as I looked at the directions on my laptop to this tourist center in town. As soon as we parked, I ran into the store to look for postcards. When I got to the postcard section I grabbed two of each. I really don't have time to pick and choose right now. I made my way to the cashier and dumped the pile of postcards on the counter.

"Got a lot of friends, sweetheart?" the old woman asked me with a big smile.

"Nope, these are all going to one person," I smirked.

"Really?" she asked, puzzled as she started to scan the cards.

"Yeah, it's a special occasion!' I told her, handing over three $20 bills. 

"Good luck, sweetie," she giggled as she handed me the change.

I was in such a hurry that I just dumped it into the tip box and grabbed the bag and left.

"Thank you, dear!" she called as I left the store and climbed into the car.

"What did you buy?" Luca asked.

"You'll see. Now drive to the post office!" I told him.

We arrived there 5 minutes later; five minutes before closing time. Phew! They can't kick us out if we're already inside! Once inside I slowed down and walked to one of the tables, where I put down my laptop and the bag, and then looked at Luca. I rummaged through the bag and pulled out one card.  

"This is why I rushed to get here," I told him as I held up the postcard.

He started to laugh uncontrollably and then said, "You did all that just to send a postcard?"

"Nope, I did all that to send 30 postcards," I smiled. "So come and help me!"

"Wait...what?"

"Just help me copy what's on my laptop onto the cards," I told him as I opened it. "Here, copy a reason onto each card. You do numbers 15 to 30 and make sure to write my home address."

I grabbed the first card and started to write, "Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you are having a great day. I know you miss me, so to make it better; here are 30 reasons why I love you so much! Oh and Luca also helped."

"Did you write all of these?" Luca asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "I've been writing them for a while now. Like this one, `I love you because you support whatever I do', I wrote after winning the swim meet, or this one, `I love you because you let me walk around naked', I wrote a few weeks ago."

"Wow," he said quietly.

We were done 6 minutes later and walked over to the counter to mail them. When I counted them there were 33 cards.

"Hey, we have two more than I wrote. Did you repeat any?" I asked him.

"Nope, I wrote your mother two more cards," he smiled.

"Really! Can I see?" I asked surprised.

"They're for your mom's eyes only," he smirked.

"Okay," I smiled.

The clerk stamped all the cards, all 33 of them, and afterwards she looked very tired. She was young, in her early twenties.

"Finally," she sighed.

"Yeah...sorry about that," I smiled apologetically.

"It's okay, I've never had to stamp so many postcards at once. Mind me asking why so many?" she giggled.

"They're all for my mom," I chuckled.

"Really?" she asked as her eyes widened with interest.

"Yeah, her birthday is in three days and it takes three days for them to arrive in Connecticut. So I kinda had to send them today," I laughed.

"Mind if I read one?" she asked.

"Nope, go ahead," I told her with a warm smile on my face.

She smiled and then looked at one of the cards and read out loud, "Reason # 12: I love you because you always tell me the truth even when I don't want to hear it."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you to do!" she said in dreamy tone and I smiled.

"I need a man like you. You're not only really handsome, but you're caring and sensitive," she said, looking longingly at me. I smiled in return and thanked her.

"Casey, we need to go now!" Luca said, bringing her out of her dazed look.

"Okay, that'll be 15 dollars," she said.

After I paid her, we left the post office and climbed into the jeep. I breathed in relief and then said "Yes! They'll get there in time for her birthday."

"I sure hope so," Luca added.

"Sorry about the whole shower thing, it's just that you were taking too long and we needed to leave as soon as possible," I told him.

"No problem at all. Besides, we saved water and energy that way, plus we got here on time!" he smiled.

"Yep!" I laughed.

We stopped at the local strip mall, which had a super market and video store. Luca decided to go buy something for us to eat and I went into the video store. I looked through their stock and finally picked this mockumentary/horror movie. I really don't like that kind of movie, but Luca does and the cover seemed interesting too, so I bought it.

We arrived home and I helped Luca prepare whatever he was making. Sigh, I only make food to feed myself, and that's just when I can't buy something to eat.  Half the stuff I eat at home is made by someone other than my mom. It was an enjoyable experience to watch him cook. Hehe, he's a good cook, but he still needs to learn a lot. I bet yesterday was just a fluke and now he's pretending to be a master chef!

"Um...don't you add the tomato sauce to the chicken? It is chicken parmesan after all, or are you creating a sauce-less entrée?" I teased him.

"Shit! I almost forgot!" he said as he placed the chicken on the countertop and rummaged to look for the tomato sauce.

For all my teasing, the chicken was delicious. He really is a great cook! After the meal, we watched the movie and just as I thought, he was so into it. I guess it was all worth it.