by Night, H. T.
After I finished eating, I looked across the table at my Maya. She has the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. I decided to put aside what that palm reader said and just enjoy Maya’s company. She looked adorable and hot; that wasn’t easy to pull off. She caught me looking at her. I gently nodded my head and winked at her.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“Me? I’m not up to anything.”
“Okay, I’ll believe that for now but I do want to ask you a question.”
“I like questions,” I said, sitting up. “Go for it.”
“What’s your story?”
“My story?”
“Yeah, I can see that waters run deep with you,” she said.
Water’s run deep? I’ve never been told that before. And to be honest, I wasn’t even sure what that meant. “Do you want to know my life story, or my belief system?” I asked.
“I want to know what makes you tick.”
I looked at her and didn’t want to ruin this moment by saying something stupid. I had a hundred stupid responses to her question. I decided to filter them and said, “I’m just a regular guy, wanting to be happy.”
“That’s the generic answer, Tommy. If you read a book on how to answer that question that would be what the author would say is the right thing to say.”
I defended myself by saying, “No one has ever said my waters run deep before, especially after a couple of meetings.”
“Tommy, living in Southern California has taught me a few things. The main one is that people our age don’t show their soul to people right out of the gate.”
“And you think I have. I haven’t really broken down and said too much have I? You think I’m already exposed?”
“Not exposed, Tommy. You’re real. It’s how you act. It’s the way you talk. It isn’t really what you say but how you say it.”
This was starting to freak me out; first, crazy palm reading lady and now Maya. I was starting to feel like I was a guest on the Dr. Phil Show and I was about to be told some horrible news.
Maya pulled back, “I’ve made you uncomfortable, haven’t I?”
“No,” I said. “I’m just not very good at this.”
“At talking?” she laughed.
“No.” I was quiet for a moment, and then I said, “I think the same thing about you.”
“What is that, exactly?” Maya asked.
I looked at her and knew what I wanted to say, but I was afraid to say too much. This was our first date, for heaven’s sake. “When I look at you, I can tell there is a lot going on. You seemed to be connected.”
“Connected?”
“A lot of times people say things and their words aren’t connected to how they feel, or they feel things and aren’t quite sure how to say them. With you, it seems effortless. I barely know you, but at the same time. I feel I know exactly who you are.”
“I feel the same way about you, Tommy.” Maya gazed at me in a way that no woman ever had done. It made me nervous and excited all in the same breath. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest and loved every minute of it.
I stared across the table and I looked into her eyes. I was once again quiet and, for the first time in my twenty-two years of life, I took a woman in. I saw beyond her looks, I saw past the beauty, the hair, the makeup. I saw her for who she was on the inside; I heard and felt her without a word or a touch.
She looked back at me and was also very quiet and very still. If two people ever knew the exact moment they fell in love, this was that moment. At least it was mine. This little fire cracker, a woman I had met just hours earlier, defined me, and stood her ground. She wasn’t running for the hills; instead, she was right here in the moment with me.
I stood up and walked over to her side of the table. I grabbed an empty chair at an empty table beside us and sat next to her. She didn’t seem surprised at the grand gesture I had just made. Instead, she never quit looking at me. I reached out my right hand and she grabbed it with both of hers. I leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. I took my left hand and placed it on the back of her head. Her lips were soft and tender. The kiss lasted about ten seconds. It was the single greatest kiss of my life. We both opened our eyes, and continued to stare at one another. I had never felt anything so intense in my life.
“You’re very handsome,” Maya said rubbing the back of her hand across my face. “But, you know that, don’t you?”
I smiled because it didn’t matter what I thought. The only thing that truly mattered to me at that moment is what she saw in me and what thought of me.
“I think you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
She smiled shyly and said, “Wow, number one?”
I nodded my head and then kissed her again. This time, the kiss was a tad more passionate. By now, we must have been making a little bit of a scene in the restaurant. But I didn’t care.
Maya leaned into me and placed her forehead on my chest. “You’re like a brick wall!” She let go of my hands and put them over my chest and abs.
“Watch it, young lady. This is a family restaurant.” I looked around and there wasn’t anyone watching.
She continued to feel my chest and my stomach. “You’re built like a gymnast.”
I grinned, “If a gymnast could be so lucky.”
“And here is where Tommy’s cocky side comes out,” she laughed.
“Well, I hate to say it, but I’m a pretty confident person.”
Maya looked up at me and said, “I like that, that’s a good thing.”
“Hey, let’s get out of here,” I said. “There’s a place I want to take you.” I looked down at my watch and it was 10:30 p.m. “We still have enough time to go there and get you back by 1:00 a.m.”
“You know you don’t really have to take me home at 1:00 a.m.”
“Oh, I’m taking you home at 1:00. Your dad was very clear to me. And as long as you live under his roof,” I joked, “you’re going to abide by his rules.”
“Oh, great, you’re going to be on his side,” she laughed.
“I will until he likes me.”
“He likes you, Tommy. Trust me on that one.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he likes you a lot. He figures you’re two for the price of one.”
“Huh?”
“You can be in both his son’s and daughter’s lives. He sees how much Josiah looks up to you.”
I really liked the idea of her dad liking me. “I think your little brother is pretty cool,” I said.
“He’s not so little.”
“I know, he could probably kick my ass, even at fifteen.”
Maya looked me over and then surprisingly said to me, “No, I think you could keep up with him.” And she was as serious as a heart attack.
Chapter Three
We left Irvine Spectrum and headed toward Balboa Beach. There was a great spot near some rocks where I had always wanted to bring someone special. And Maya was as special as they get.
I parked my Mustang on a side street. I opened Maya’s door and held her hand as we walked up to the beach area.
“Uh-oh,” Maya said. “You’re not taking me to your prime makeout spot are you?”
“Actually,” I said, as I continued to walk.” I have never been up here with another person.”
We approached the sand and we both took off our shoes. We walked out toward the water and stopped just short of the high tide line. We both looked out into the spectacular ocean. I dropped my shoes on the sand and I put my arms around Maya.
“You really have never been at this spot with anyone before?” she asked.
“This is the first time. I promise.” I was telling the truth.
“How did you come across such a beautiful spot?”
“One night when I was sixteen, I decided to drive down to PCH and park and do some jogging by the water. I ran for what seemed like days, and I ended up here. I sat right here and stared off into the deep ocean. The moo
n was directly over the water, much like tonight. I just sat here and had a moment of solitude, a moment of tranquility. And I’ve been coming back two to three times a year ever since.”
“Your special spot. I am honored you shared this with me on our first date.”
“Don’t feel honored,” I said. “Someone that sees the world the way you do deserves to know about places like this that are just around the corner.”
I held Maya close. I could feel her heart beat up against me. She felt so natural in my arms. I was so the unromantic, but on this night you would have thought I was Casanova himself.
“I love how the moon sends a strip of light across the ocean,” Maya said. “It’s amazing that just a half moon could give off so much glow.”
A half moon? Oh shit! In two weeks it will be a full moon again and all that weird shit will start happening. “Maya, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Maya looked up at me and winced, “Oh great, here it comes.”
“Here what comes?”
“The… you have a girlfriend speech, or ‘this is a little too much-too fast’ speech.”
“I love how quickly things are going. But that isn’t what I wanted to tell you. And, no, I don’t have a girlfriend, either.” I paused and began to rethink what I was about to say. I had no idea how to say what I wanted to tell her without sounding like a complete idiot. Or worse yet, someone who is disillusioned.
“Okay, what is it, Tommy?”
I took a moment. I let go of her and sat on the sand. Maya wiped herself off and sat next to me. This was going to be hard to share with her and I sighed heavily, “Maya, there’s something about who I am that cannot really be defined. And I can’t tell you exactly what it is because I am not even sure what it is myself.”
“Are you sick?” Maya asked, extremely concerned.
“No, it’s nothing like that. I have never been healthier.”
“Okay, then what is it?”
“Look, just know that…” I stopped myself from speaking and stared at the moon.
“Look, Tommy. I don’t need to know everything right now. I like you and I want to learn more about you.”
“I like you, too, Maya. That’s why I think you should know.”
“Well, you’re obviously not ready to tell me and I’m okay with that. Let’s just allow things to continue to happen according to the fate of the Triat.”
“Huh?” I nearly fell to the floor.
“What?” she asked, clueless.
“You said ‘fate of the Triat!’”
“It’s just a saying my grandfather used to say to me when I was younger.”
“The fate of the Triat? He used those exact words?”
“Yeah, I asked him what it meant when I was younger and he told me it was the force that allows love to exist in each of us.” Maya smiled at me not knowing how enormous her words were to me.
Holy shit! Her grandfather knew about this world. I needed to know more about her grandfather. “Is he still alive?”
“No, he actually had something awful happen to him.”
“What happened?”
“Well, they never really found his body, all they found were his things. He was one of those older guys that were seventy but looked forty. He was athletic and loved the outdoors and one weekend he went camping by himself and never returned. They found his things torn up and shredded by a campfire. We could only imagine what kind of wild animal got to him.”
“Wow, that’s insane. I’m sorry to hear that. How old were you when this happened?”
“It was about eight years ago.” Maya’s eyes began to water, so I pulled her close to me.
“It’s okay,” I said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I shouldn’t have asked for more.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m glad I told you about my grandfather.”
We continue to stare at the ocean together until the tide reached our feet. We decided to head back to the car. I walked with my arm around Maya to keep her warm and I just took in the whole night. There were a couple of amazing things I found out tonight. One, I had definitely fallen for this girl. And two, her grandfather definitely was—or is—a vampire or a werewolf.
Chapter Four
I got Maya home at fifteen minutes before one. I was pretty pleased with myself getting her home by the time her father asked. I walked her up to the door and then we stopped in front of it.
“I had an amazing time tonight, Tommy,” Maya said, grabbing my hands.
“So did I, Maya.”
“You’re going to call me, right!”
I looked down at this confident, young lady and she was showing me a bit of vulnerability that I’m sure most girls feel after a first date. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “We don’t need to ever talk like that. Games are out the door, when it comes to us.”
Maya pulled back, “Are they?”
“They never started.”
Maya looked deep into my eyes. “I believe you.”
I leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips and again on her cheek.
“You’re a great guy, Tommy.”
“And you’re an amazing girl, Maya.” I winked at her and trotted off to my car. She waved me off and went inside. I looked up at the moon and said out loud, “I’m in deep.”
When I got back to my apartment, Patrick and Sasha were up playing a game of Clue at the kitchen table.
“Seriously,” I said, as I entered my apartment. “A vampire and a werewolf are trying to figure out if Colonel Mustard killed someone in the conservatory with the candlestick?”
“Hey, don’t give it away, Tommy. I’m crushing Patrick. This is the first time he has ever played.” Sasha rolled her dice and moved her red game piece into the kitchen. It figured the vixen would choose Miss Scarlet.
“So, how did your date go, player?” Patrick asked.
“Date? I didn’t write on the note I was going on a date.”
“You didn’t have to,” Sasha responded. “It was the fact that you even wrote a note. You were lining up your ducks in a row, my friend. Leaving a note definitely meant you had the night under control. Therefore, I could only conclude you were on a date.”
“Wow, Sherlock, you’re off the charts. You better watch out Patrick, you’re playing Clue with Matlock.”
“So, it was a date!” Sasha said.
“Yeah, it was a date,” I said. “Probably the best date I ever had.”
“Ever had?” Sasha laughed out loud. “Wow, you are a putz!” Now, her claws were out.
“A putz? What is that supposed to mean?” I walked over and poured myself a glass of milk from the refrigerator.
“It means you’re a sap, and you are probably getting played,” Sasha stated, as if she had the entire world figured out.
“Look, Sasha, not every girl has a boyfriend when they have a date with me.” I was obviously referring to the night we first met.
“To be fair, Tommy, we weren’t exactly on an official date. It was more of a hook-up.”
“Exactly, and you played me like a fiddle. Just because that is something you’re capable of doing, doesn’t mean everyone else is like that.”
“Ouch!” Patrick chimed in, loudly.
“Wow,” Sasha continued. “You must have gone on a date with Mother Teresa.”
“Don’t act like this, Sasha. When I came home earlier, you and Patrick were all cuddled up on my bed.”
They both looked at each other, shocked.
“No, we weren’t,” Patrick said.
“Trust me! Your lips were inches apart. You were inhaling each other’s exhales.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Look, Sasha, I like this girl and I don’t want you to mess it up.”
“Why would I mess it up?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Ever since I met you, my life has sort have been in disarray.” I looked at the cage in my living room and pointed at it. “Case in point.”
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“Tommy, you have been real good to me, and if you need to have a girl or two break your heart along the way, that’s your business. I’m just here to warn you about them because we’re friends.”
“Thanks for looking out for me,” I said, rolling my eyes to Patrick.
“What are friends for?” Sasha replied.
“You two go and figure out who killed Mr. Body, and I’m going to go to bed,” I said, and began to walk down the hall. I stopped and turned around. “Unless you two need my bed for later, and finish up where you left off?”
“Please, just go to bed, lover boy,” Sasha mocked.
Patrick seemed to like the fact I was implied he had a shot with Sasha. He had a silly grin on his face. I saluted my friends and went to my room and fell asleep in matter of minutes.
The next couple of weeks were pretty amazing. I spent every day with Maya, and we did everything from going to the mall to having picnics in the park. Josiah and I started training three times a week. I took him down to my gym, and all the trainers were floored at his ability, for being as young as he is. I was having the time of my life; I was a part of two different families. I had my vampire and werewolf dysfunctional threesome family, but even better, I was being accepted by the Reign household. They had invited me over for family night, and I had been spending a lot of quality time with Daniel. He was very wise and I had never had a father figure in my life. He was always throwing out little nuggets of wisdom, and he had no idea how much it meant to me.
The interesting part about everything was that Maya and I had very little time alone. Meaning, we hadn’t slept together yet. We actually hadn’t even gotten close to doing the horizontal Rumba, and I totally didn’t care. She had become an extension of me, and I had never felt this way about anyone in my life.
It had rained during the week, and I invited Maya to spend the night at my grandmother’s cabin in Running Springs. She didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes.’ We knew we would have the whole weekend to be close. Because it had rained, that meant there will be a lot of good snow. Also, this was the weekend that the full moon would invoke its full effect on my supernatural chemistry. I thought this might be as good of time as any to let her in on my little secret.
