by Night, H. T.
Josiah wanted to come with us to the cabin, but I really wanted to be alone with Maya. I didn’t let him know that my family actually owned the cabin. I told him I had to be respectful to the people who owned it and could only have one guest. Poor guy didn’t take the news well.
But, nonetheless, Maya and I packed our things and headed up to the San Bernardino Mountains.
Patrick agreed to look after Sasha, and make sure she wouldn’t be let out of her cage during the full moon. The two of them were really getting tight, and I couldn’t tell if it was platonic or something more.
Chapter Five
Maya and I headed to the mountains on Friday afternoon. There was almost no traffic, and I knew this was going to be a very special weekend. The higher we got, the more snow we could see on the side of the road. I knew Running Springs would have lots of good snow even though the sun was out. It takes a few days before the snow melts and as far as I was concerned, it was better when there was sun.
When we got to the cabin, I gave Maya the tour of the place. I showed her the downstairs, which consisted of two bedrooms a living room and a kitchen. Then I gave her the upstairs tour, which consisted of just one gigantic bedroom with a bathroom.
“So, this is my room when I stay here,” I said.
“Where’s my room?” she asked, innocently.
“You can sleep on the floor if you’re good,” I said, teasingly.
“And if I’m bad?”
“Then you can sleep on the bed with me.” I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes. “Please be bad! Please be bad!” Maya smacked my arm and I winked at her.
“Does this place have cable?” she asked.
“Yeah, sort of. It has the Dish Network so when it snows, it runs into problems.”
“Well it’s not snowing any more this weekend, so it should be fine.”
I looked at Maya and asked, “So, you came up to a cabin that is covered in snow and you’re hoping to watch TV?”
“What do you want to do?” Maya asked.
I sat on my bed and took off my shoes. They were wet from the snow outside. “Well, first I’m going to put on a couple pairs of socks and then I thought we could cook dinner together, and who knows…maybe have some wine. We really haven’t had a night like this since our first date.”
Maya nodded. “Remember, you’re the one who likes to come over to my house and hang out with my family.”
“So, what are you saying?” I asked, pretending to be hurt.
“I’m saying that,” Maya hesitated before speaking. “I’m saying that… I have wanted some alone time with you, too, for quite some time.”
I looked up at her standing over me. “Come here,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. I hugged her and rested my head on her stomach. She put her hands around my head and massaged my scalp. “Well, we’re here now.”
“I know,” she said. “What are we to do?”
“First,” I said, “we should go downstairs.”
I got up and led her to the living room and we sat on the couch. She looked exquisite; she seemed to be more beautiful each day that I’d known her. I got up and put on some music on the stereo. I found a station that played slow songs.
I walked over to the lights and turned them off. I then walked around the living room and began lighting every candle. This was a major Don Juan move, and normally, this was my ace in the hole to get laid. But tonight, this maneuver was different. I was going to take whatever came my way, do whatever felt natural. I have had plenty of sex in my time, and tonight was not going to be about that. If it came to that... then hot damn, but my first intention was to show her I’m all about her tonight.
When the entire living room was lit with candles, I walked over and took Maya by the hand. I brought her to the middle of the living room floor. It was nice not having a 2,000-pound cage in the middle of this living room.
I knew that tomorrow’s first full moon was going to cause all types of new conversations between Maya and me. I wanted tonight to be as normal as it could be. I had never been a romantic, and this kind of thing was only in my arsenal as a means to an end. But tonight, it was coming from my heart.
The stereo played Dan Hill’s crooning, “I want to hold you till I die.”
“I love this song,” she said. I pulled her close to me and we began slow dancing. We swayed our bodies and pressed up against each other. Maya looked up at me and said, “I feel so safe with you.”
“You should,” I smiled. “I’m one badass motherfucker.”
“No, I’m serious.”
I looked down at this phenomenal woman and smiled, “I know you are. I know this isn’t going to make much sense, but I feel safe with you, too.
“It makes perfect sense,” she said, holding me tighter. “We have something beyond this room, beyond this mountain. We have found each other, Tommy.” Maya paused and then smiled, shyly. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For assuming.”
“For assuming what?” I said, indignantly.
Maya’s eyes began to water as the music played behind her. “I’m sorry for assuming that you might think about me as much as I think about you.”
Tears began rolling down her face and I wiped them off. I looked deep into her eyes. “Maya, in such a short time, you have become my ‘everything.’ I think about you, and yearn to be with you every waking moment. What you need to understand is that this isn’t what I’m usually about. I have never had a serious girlfriend, or thought for one second that anyone, let alone a female, could understand my very being as you do. You see things in me that I haven’t even discovered about myself. Each moment I’m with you surpasses the previous one. When it comes to you, all bets are off. I throw out every inhibition I have ever had, and I just let you see me.” Maya looked up at me in a way no person ever has. She looked at me in a way I wouldn’t even dare to dream. “Maya,” I said.
“Yes, Tommy.”
For the first time in my life, I was about to utter these words out loud: “Maya, I love you.”
Maya exhaled deeply and said, “I love you, too, Tommy.”
Maya hugged me tightly, and we slow danced a little longer, holding, loving and kissing each other. Song after song, we just held our bodies close. This was an intimacy I had not yet experienced before tonight. This was a closeness that I didn’t know could exist. Time was waning and I asked Maya if she like to go up to my bedroom. She nodded her head, and I led her up the stairs into my room.
My bedroom was simple considering that I only spent a few days out of the year here. We reclined on the bed next to one another and continued kissing. I had never felt this way before. For the first time in my life, I was sharing passion with a woman, and sex was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to consume her. I wanted to inhale her essence and exhale her being.
“Tommy?” Maya said.
“Yes,” I answered.
“I’m not ready,” she said softly, an apologetic tone in her voice.
I knew what she meant and it was okay with me. “It’s okay, Maya. All I want is to be with you.” I meant every word. We continued to kiss and cuddle and eventually we fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was the most perfect night I had ever shared with a woman.
Chapter Six
The next day, we got up early and went to breakfast in a quaint little cafe along the highway. It catered to locals, and had an atmosphere that was about as enchanting as a place could be.
Maya and I talked and shared every detail about our lives. I told her every bit about me, except the whole paranormal thing. Tonight, there would be a full moon; I was anticipating some weird shit happening again. My hearing was already off the charts when there wasn’t a full moon, but I’d been ignoring it. Tonight, however, she’d be there to witness for herself whatever happened to me. Hopefully, I could properly explain what I knew, and that wasn’t a whole lot. It would be a very short “just the facts, ma’am” explanation.
We l
eft after breakfast and went back to the cabin around ten in the morning. We decided to bundle up and go outside and make a snowman and do some sledding. We rolled snowballs as big as we could, but they weren’t even close to the humungous ones you see on TV, when they make a snowman on some Christmas special. Who knew that making a snowman was a science.
When we were done, we did a little bit of sledding on the driveway. That ended up being a sad display, just as well. We eventually went inside to get cleaned up and put on a change of clothes. I had gone into the shower first, and I put on a warm set of clothes and went downstairs and layered a couple of blankets on the couch.
Maya took her shower and came down about a half hour later. “So, what’s on the agenda, mountain man?”
I was all cuddled up on the couch and was feeling really, comfy, cozy. “Well,” I said, “I thought we could go ice skating later on. There’s a rink in Arrowhead.”
“Ice skating? How fun! I’ve never ice skated before!”
“Well, you’re in for a treat. It takes a few times to get the hang of it, but if you can roller-skate…you can ice skate.”
“That sounds like so much fun!” Maya was really excited.
“Until then, I thought we could hang out at the cabin. I have every board game known to man and I’m itching to beat your butt.”
“As long as we don’t play Scrabble, we’ll be okay.”
“Noooo… you don’t like Scrabble!” I literally, stood up.
“Don’t tell me you like it.”
“Like it? I love it! It’s chess with words, but even better.”
“Oh no, you fit in so much with my family. I’m surprised Josiah and my dad haven’t brought out the big board yet and played with you. They have marathon matches that last for weeks on end.”
“Josiah plays?”
“Josiah is sick at the game.”
“Oh, it’s on, I will take little brother down. When I’m done with him, I’m going after Pops.”
“Don’t get too cocky, Tommy. They’re both pretty good.”
“So, let me get this straight, you think your fifteen-year-old brother can kick my ass in a fight, and beat me at Scrabble?”
Maya was quiet, and smiled sweetly at me.
“You do understand I’m an undefeated professional fighter? And, I’m practically undefeated at Scrabble.”
“I believe you’re really tough at fighting and can win against a lot of people at Scrabble. You need to understand, sweetie. My brother has beaten the best boxers in the world, and he’s almost as good at Scrabble as good as he is at fighting.”
“Everyone he fought was his age!”
“My brother will fight anyone at any time. He beats up grown men all the time.”
“So do I! And I get paid for it!”
Maya seemed amused that this bothered me. But I was getting a little annoyed by all of it. I mean the kid just turned sixteen for God’s sake. And now she wanted to throw Scrabble into the mix. Those were fighting words.
One thing for sure, Maya was loyal as hell to her brother. Even though it perturbed me that my girlfriend thought her little brother, who was six years younger than me, could beat me up and hand me my ass in a game of Scrabble, I had to live with that.
Josiah and I would never truly know about the fighting aspect, and I’ve seen him in the gym. He was a beast; his hands were quicker than anyone I had ever seen. It was just damn humbling to hear it from the girl I cared about. One thing was for damn sure; I was going to whip his ass at Scrabble. I must have shown my irritation in my face, because Maya said to me, “Tommy, you know I think you’re amazing.”
“Just not as amazing as your brother,” I said, like a spoiled child.
“So competitive! Does it really bother you that much?”
It didn’t bother me the way she thought. I looked at Maya and said, “I just want you to know that you’re safe with me. That no one will ever harm you.”
Maya sat me back down on the couch, “Honey, look at you. You’re built like a pit bull. You’re muscular, and strong, and I wouldn’t doubt for one second you could protect me against anyone in the world. You don’t need to feel like you’re any less, just because my brother is a freak of nature and can anyone down in boxing or in Scrabble.”
I nodded, “I guess you’re right. About the Scrabble part.”
Maya stared at me and took my hand. “There’s something you need to know about my brother. When Josiah was seven years old, he kicked the neighborhood bully’s ass. The guy was fourteen years old and terrorized everyone, big or small, in the neighborhood. He used to pick on us on the way home from school every day, and one day, Josiah just had enough, and he fought back. That guy never knew what hit him. Josiah threw five punches and every single one of them landed cleanly. The bully was bleeding all over the sidewalk. He tried to grab Josiah, but my little brother was like a ball of energy, and the guy couldn’t even keep him down. If the older boys hadn’t stop Josiah, I’m pretty sure he would have killed that kid. He did this in front of the whole block. At age seven. After that, we all knew one thing was for sure. Little brother could fight. My dad has done everything he can so that Josiah doesn’t use his abilities the wrong way and become a bully himself.”
I took in Maya’s story and truth be told, after learning those details about Josiah, it made me respect the little shit even more. “You’re lucky, Maya.”
“Why is that?”
“You have the most awesome family ever.”
“I do, don’t I?”
“Not to mention your mom is pretty hot, too,” I said, for good measure.
“I know! Right!” Maya laughed.
I know I couldn’t piggy-back on my previous comment about her mom without sounding like a big pervert, so I reeled it in.
“I’ll let my mom know that twenty-two-year-old guys are checking her out. Maybe it would make my dad pay more attention to her.”
“Please don’t tell her I said anything.”
“You’re right. My dad would kick your ass!” Maya laughed.
“I know he would. Your dad is in great shape.”
“Okay, Tommy. Are we going to spend all day talking about how hot my parents are, or are we going play some Connect Four?”
“Connect Four? Oh! That is my specialty. You’re going down!” I said, and went over to my game closet. I pulled out a boatload of board games with Connect Four on the top of the pile.
“Wow, you do know there is a thing called video games?” Maya joked at the sight of all the board games I dropped in front of her.
“I am highly aware of video games, but that isn’t the biggest turn-on to a girl when you first start dating her. Board games are interactive and sexy. They are hands-on and engaging in a way that video games cannot compare to, for a game for two.”
“Oh, you plan on waiting till were married to whip out that little detail of your life?”
“Married?” I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Maya realized what she said and put her hand over her mouth. “Easy there, Tommy. It was just a joke.”
I looked at Maya and couldn’t believe what I was thinking. I was thinking if I could be so lucky. “Didn’t someone challenge me in a game of Connect Four?”
“I sure did, lover boy.”
Maya and I played six games of Connect Four and we split them 3-3. We went through nearly every game in my stack and had a blast playing each one. She even taught me how to play Texas Hold’em poker toward the end. I had seen it on TV, but had never fully understood the rules.
It being winter and, knowing that it gets dark around 6:00 at night, I decided we should hit the ice skating rink around 5:00, figuring it might be less weird for her if some of my issues happened in public.
We drove down the mountain to Arrowhead. Arrowhead was the next city below Running Springs. We passed a high school named Rim of the World before we got to the rink. That had to be the all-time, most unusual name ever for a high school. It sounded more like an a
musement park or a landmark.
We got to the ice skating rink and it was pretty packed. What did I expect; it was winter and a Saturday night. There wasn’t a whole lot to do out here and the locals must love this joint. We got our skates and went over to the chairs to lace them up.
“So, you’ve done this before, right?” Maya asked me. She was having trouble lacing up her skates. So, I leaned over and helped her get her skates tightened.
“They need to be on tighter than anything you have ever put on your feet before; you don’t want to twist your ankle, which is really easy to do,” I said. I got on my skates and then we were off to the rink.
I hit the ice and showed off a little by speed skating around the rink a couple of times. The second time around, I whipped in and went over to Maya.
“Done impressing all the girls in this place?” Maya asked; she obviously wasn’t too pleased at my display of my testosterone.
“I wasn’t trying to impress girls, plural,” I assured her, “I was just hoping to impress you.”
She winked at me. “You sure did, Apolo Ohno! Could you be a dear and help a newbie get started?”
I took her hand and she hobbled onto the ice. We went slowly around the ice. I told her to just glide her feet like roller skating.
Eventually, she got the hang of it and was doing pretty damn good. We skated around for about an hour and I knew the full moon was going to be out any moment. Then, it happened right on cue. The music DJ guy put on a slow song.
“Couples’ skate!” He announced, over the speaker.
“Wanna skate?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said, “Unless you were hoping to ask one of these teenagers to skate with you?”
“I just want to skate with you,” I assured her. “Teenage girls have nothing on you.” They really didn’t. Maya was the prettiest girl in here.
I decided to turn my body around and so I could face my girlfriend while we skated. I skated backwards slowly while holding both of Maya’s hands. Maya skated in front of me tentatively. She started out rough, but after a lap around, she was getting the hang of it.
