Secrets of the Moon

by Kristy Centeno

  “What wrong idea? You don’t even like me, so why would it matter what they think?” I questioned, wanting to know the meaning behind his words.

  “My family’s opinion is the only one that really matters to me, Marjorie. And they wouldn’t like it very much if they found me out here with you.”

  “Why? Are you breaking some kind of curfew?” I meant that question to be a joke, but his answer was serious.

  “You could say that.” His eyes reflected an emotion I couldn’t quite read. “Besides, who said I don’t like you?”

  My eyebrows shot up at his comment. “Your strange attitude toward me does.”

  “I like you more than you think, Marjorie…a lot more than I should.”

  He liked me more than he should? That didn’t have a very flattering ring to it. Nevertheless, I followed Kyran as he began to lead the way back to my house.

  “If you like me so much, how come you seem like you’re always angry at me for some reason?” I asked as I struggled to keep pace with him.

  “I’m not angry with you,” he said as he stopped and turned back to look at me. “Don’t ever think that I’m angry with you over something, because that isn’t the case at all.” He continued walking and I followed him. “I’m angry for many reasons, but never with you.”

  Our walk back to the house was significantly quiet after that. Kyran made very little noise as he stepped over branches, twigs, and leaves, while I made enough noise to wake up the entire neighborhood. He seemed to have no difficulty at all finding his way through the woods, and I began to wonder how he could walk without losing his footing in the pitch darkness. It was extremely black out, making it hard for me to walk without tripping, yet he seemed not to have any difficulties at all. I lost my footing several times and Kyran had to grab me to keep me from falling flat on my face.

  Once we were within view of the house, he stopped and turned to look at me.

  “Marjorie.” His eyes roamed gently over my face, and I found it difficult to breathe then.

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t go out at night by yourself, it’s not safe. And this…” he pointed to the metal bat, “won’t give you much protection.”

  “I disagree. It seemed to protect me pretty well against you.”

  He smiled. “Maybe so, but it could have been someone else out here.”

  “Is there an entire club of night joggers that I need to be aware of?”

  “There’re all types of monsters out there.” He smiled when he said that. “So next time you hear something, stay inside.”

  “What if it’s you?”

  “What if it’s not?”

  “Well, then I’ll just have to come out and find out.” I should’ve been scared or at least still mad after finding him outside my house, but the truth was I was very curious to know more about him, and since he wouldn’t speak to me at school maybe he’d do it out in the woods. He must’ve had similar thoughts because instead of arguing with me some more, he smiled and shook his head.

  “We’ll see, then.” He leaned in to plant a soft peck on my forehead, and I felt the effect of that kiss straight down to my toenails. “Now, go inside where it’s safe. I’ll see you tomorrow, Marjie.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  He shook his head again and turned to face the woods in the direction we’d just come from. In a flash of movement, he was gone, leaving me standing just outside the back door, staring after his retreating form.

  How on earth did he not fall and break his neck while running through the woods in pure darkness?

  Once I was sure he was gone, I trudged back up the steps and into the house, where I proceeded to close and then lock the door. After placing my father’s bat back inside the hallway closet, I sauntered upstairs and into my bedroom. I changed into a clean pair of pajamas and then marched into the bathroom to wash my hands with warm water and soap.

  As I lay in bed, analyzing the events of that night, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about what happened in the woods. The first guy I take a liking to and I nearly smash his head in. However, he was suspiciously roaming around my property half-naked, so maybe I was justified. What a strange man he was, so mysterious and puzzling. Though I hated to admit it, Alexis was right. Kyran was far beyond normal, which, under the circumstances, wasn’t all that bad.

  Those thoughts were still locked in my mind when I fell into a deep sleep.

  ***

  Knowing that a new day brought the possibility of seeing Kyran again, I was more than a little enthusiastic to arrive at campus. The twenty-minute drive to school seemed to drag on forever. The minute I got there, I bolted out of the car and casually scanned the parking lot in search of the red Lexus.

  As usual Rosa, Miguel, and Bobby were waiting for Tracy, Claire, and me at the parking lot. We marched over to greet the other group, but my focus was elsewhere. I continuously observed the lot, waiting in silence for a glimpse of the Rousseau’s car. However, the vehicle was visibly missing and I had no way of knowing whether or not they would show. Disappointed, I continued over to my friends and greeted them.

  A few minutes later Angela joined us, and soon the now completed group started for the campus entrance. Miguel pushed Angela’s wheelchair in front of him while Rosa kept pace next to them. Bobby and Claire followed, holding hands and laughing as they murmured into each other’s ears. Tracy and I were at the end of the line; she was busy texting someone so she completely missed my lack of interest in our conversation.

  I was so distracted by my search that I didn’t notice the tall male figure approaching until his big hand brushed mine.

  “I believe this belongs to you,” Kyran said as he offered me my cell phone.

  I jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice, but grinned when he stepped next to me. I took my cell and quickly pocketed it. “Thank you! I thought it was lost.”

  “I found it on my way back home.” He lowered his voice as if not to be heard.

  Unaware of Kyran’s presence, the rest of the group continued forward and I took advantage of that to stop and face my handsome companion. He came to a halt next to me, his eyes steadily appraising my face.

  He wore a black T-shirt that left most of his muscled arms exposed, and as I casually admired them, I noticed that his forearm had no bruising nor did it present any evidence of coming in contact with a metal bat. Confused by what I saw, I grabbed his arm and searched for the bruise I was so sure should have been there. His forearm showed no signs of trauma at all.

  What the hell?

  “If you tell me what you are looking for, I might be able to help you,” he informed me with a lazy grin.

  “I thought for sure I left a mark. I mean, I did hit you pretty hard.” Hard enough for him to rub his arm soon after contact.

  “I’m fine. Besides, you didn’t hit me that hard.” He grabbed my hands in his.

  “I didn’t?” I started to pull away, but then his moon-shaped tattoo caught my eye, so I gripped his wrist to keep his hand steady and skimmed the outer rim with my fingers. “I thought I’d hit you hard enough to leave at least a mark.” The body ink almost had a hypnotic effect on me and I found it hard not to look at it.

  Kyran’s quick intake of breath, however, forced my attention back to his face. I immediately noticed the sudden change in eye color.

  How did they do that? They transformed in a flash, shifting colors from one instant to the next. That alteration had me in a state of complete awe and I watched as they became such a dark shade of gray they appeared almost black. Before I could ask him how his eyes could do that, he brought his body closer to mine so that our foreheads touched.

  “This tattoo of yours is very…interesting.” Just like you.

  The surface of the tattoo was smooth and soft, not at all like I expected it to feel. The body art could have passed for being part of his skin. My index finger circled around the rim with deliberate precision and as it did so, I could feel his skin grow considera
bly warmer. Due to the obvious tension in his body, which I noted because of his stiff posture, I debated whether or not I should stop my explorations. But when Kyran didn’t pull away and instead pressed further in, I decided to keep going.

  Being in such close proximity to Kyran was mindboggling, and because of the intense reaction I was having due to it, I forgot about those around us. At that moment, it was just Kyran and me. And I enjoyed the way our bodies reacted to each other’s.

  Kyran Rousseau was the type of person you don’t easily get over. He was that boy that could love you today and break your heart tomorrow. He was just the type of bad boy your mother warned you against, and the same one you still end up falling head over heels for despite her warnings.

  Gripping his hand firmly with mine, I pulled it closer to my face so that I could see the tattoo more clearly. I noticed how the distinctive body art seemed to come alive, as if I was watching a 3D movie up close. Its outer rim appeared to darken and contrast against Kyran’s skin. Were tattoos supposed to come to life like that? Somehow I didn’t think so.

  “You are playing with fire, mademoiselle.” His whisper came out raspy, and I couldn’t help my body’s reaction to his words. I shivered.

  Kyran’s head began lowering closer to mine, his lips dangerously inching toward mine. Just a few millimeters separated our eager lips—

  “Ahem!” A deep male voice intruded, forcing us immediately apart. We turned to the side to find the Rousseau’s’ standing there, staring at us.

  “Are we interrupting something?” Alexis’s voice was full of amusement as he stood there grinning. Kyran pulled away from me immediately, leaving my body aching for his.

  “No, we were just…” Nice timing, Alexis.

  “We have a class to get to.” Kyran began moving away. Mortified by the Rousseau’s’ sudden intrusion on what might’ve been our first kiss, I could only watch as he began to walk away from me. However, my bashfulness didn’t end there. When I turned to follow Kyran, I noticed my group of friends, all standing next to the doors, looking at me and smiling. The grins on their faces told me they had seen everything.

  I began to walk to the doors when Kyran turned to look at me. “Are you coming?”

  I nodded and he took me by the elbow and led me inside.

  Passing by my friends was one of the most embarrassing things I’d ever had to do. The looks they gave me clearly spoke of how much they were going to bust my chops when they got a chance. However, at that moment I had no time to stop and worry about that. With Kyran by my side, I found that I didn’t worry about the rest of the world as much. Getting the new guy in town to like me was a harder job than anticipated; at least, that’s what I’d previously thought. With our latest encounters, however, I was beginning to take his words to heart. Maybe he did like me more than I thought he did.

  As we strolled down the hall, the awkward silence between us suddenly became too much and, not wanting him to completely alienate me like the day before, I turned to him and struck up a conversation.

  “Your brother is—”

  “Very annoying,” he supplied in a hurry.

  I was thinking more along the lines of being time impaired, but annoying worked well too. “Ah, he’s kind of…how do I put this? Very interesting, I guess…”

  Kyran furrowed his brow. “My brother? Interesting? How so?”

  By the sound of his voice I didn’t think he appreciated the fact that we were talking about his twin. “He’s the total opposite of you, Kyran.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I agree with that.”

  “I don’t know him that well, but from what I’ve observed, he seems like he’s white while you’re black.” That was the best way to describe a pair of twins that appeared to be as different as night and day.

  “I’m the runt of the litter,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “But you enthrall me in a way that he doesn’t,” I quickly added, changing the subject to something less awkward.

  “I do?” His body pressed closer to mine then, the heat from his body warming mine. I wanted to close my eyes, lean into him, and forget that the world even existed. The only thing that stopped me from doing just that was the fact that we weren’t alone in the college’s busy hallways which were buzzing with activity.

  My breath hitched as the same electrifying sensation coursed through me. “Yes.”

  “And you call for my attention in ways you can’t even begin to imagine,” he admitted.

  “Me?” I bit my lower lip, trying to contain the idiotic grin threatening to split my face in two.

  “Yes.” As we entered the classroom and sat next to each other, he looked at me and gave me the faintest of smiles. His silver-colored eyes quietly assessed me, scrutinizing me in a way I’d never been scrutinized before. It literally felt as if I was being inspected under a microscope.

  “What about me captivates you?” I had to ask.

  “Everything.”

  For some reason, I felt there was more to that answer. “That’s not very specific.”

  “Well, some things are better left unsaid.” He tapped his lips with a wicked glint in his eyes. It was obvious he was having a good time leaving me hanging, with just a few vague details, to make my own conclusions.

  “That’s not fair. I asked a direct question and I expect a direct answer.”

  He shook his head and smiled.

  If I expected Kyran to be easygoing and let his guard down, I was wrong. The man had no intention of being laidback with any aspect of his life that I wanted to know about.

  “You can ask all the questions you want, as directly as you feel fit…” Just as I was getting ready to assault him with a barrage of questions, he raised his index finger to stop me. “But I warn you, I might not answer them as directly as you wish.”

  “I see. Now we’re getting somewhere. Last night was one of those times, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you didn’t tell me the complete truth about your nightly activities, did you?”

  “I do run around naked sometimes, that’s the truth.”

  Despite the seriousness of the conversation, I had to laugh. “I meant the jogging part.”

  His smile was big and full of mischief. “I run around the woods some nights to clear my head. The fact that I found your house was just a coincidence, I swear.”

  A very good one, too. “Okay, you jog through the woods at night naked. As creepy as that sounds, I think I can handle that fact. But why the need to do it nude?”

  “Clothing is very constrictive most times. Naked is better. Many things done naked are a lot better than with clothing.”

  The insinuation in that made me blush considerably.

  “Okay, I think I get it.”

  “Really?” he asked skeptically.

  “No, not really. But hey, if that’s your thing, then who am I to say it’s wrong and you’re probably going to get yourself arrested if someone sees you.”

  He scoffed. “Trust me. No one is going to see me.”

  “I saw you, remember?”

  “You didn’t see me naked,” he argued as he leaned back against the chair, crossing both arms over his chest.

  Seriously, I could feel the burn in my cheeks as they filled up with color. “No, I didn’t, thank goodness.”

  “You see, mademoiselle, I put my pants back on before I walked over to you. I didn’t think you would take it well if I appeared before you wearing nothing but my own skin.”

  My eyes widened. “You run around with your pants in your hand?”

  His eyes sparkled with an emotion I couldn’t quite read. “Something like that. I have to be prepared in case I run into a pretty girl out in the woods.”

  “How many pretty girls have you run into while running half naked?” I lowered my voice so Irene—who was apparently eavesdropping on our conversation— wouldn’t hear me.

  “So far, I’ve only encountered one. But who’s to say I won’t encounter
another.” He looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

  “You better hope none of those pretty girls’ fathers see you. You wouldn’t want to end up with a belly full of lead, would you?”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t care much for guns. But no one is going to see me, and even if they did, no one would recognize me.”

  It seemed like a pretty lame argument to me but he appeared sure of himself.

  “How can you be so sure?” I questioned.

  Kyran’s expression change from amusement to seriousness then back again. “Because it’s dark out in the woods.”

  I didn’t think that was the answer he should’ve given me, but I knew that was the only one I was going to get. “So do you have any immediate plans to go out jogging tonight?” Yes, that question was bold, since it could be interpreted as an invitation, but it was out before I could stop myself from asking it.

  “Perhaps.” He arched his eyebrows. “You’ve been warned, though.”

  “So if I see you out in the woods, I should assume you’re running around naked?”

  “Yes.” His lips curved up into a half smile.

  “Should I cover my eyes then?”

  “Only if you want to.”

  Given the chance, would I cover my eyes? I guessed I would have to cross that bridge when I came to it.

  “Let’s just say that you’ll do the right thing, again.”

  He remained quiet for a little while, just listening to the English teacher speaking. His pensive expression gave me the impression that he was in deep thought about something, and I wished that I could read his mind just so that I could understand what went on in that complicated head of his. When at last he spoke, it was in a low, soft voice.

  “There’s a local rock band that’s having a concert tonight, you want to go?”

  Oh God, a chance to go on a date with him! “Sure.”

  “Then I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “It’s a date.”

  The day couldn’t go by fast enough as far as I was concerned. All I wanted was to get home and get ready for my date. As expected, my groupies harassed me for information on what was going on between Kyran and me. Not wanting to spoil a perfectly good day, I avoided the topic altogether. By doing so, I had an entire army of teenaged girls and boys pissed off at me. Boys were as much gossipers as girls, and Bobby and Miguel were no exception; they always wanted to know what was going on.