by H. T. Night
“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 no woman ever had done before. 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 year life, I took a woman in. I saw beyond her looks, I saw past the beauty, the hair, the make-up. I saw her for who she was on the inside; I heard and felt her without a word being said or a touch given.
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 hours earlier, just 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 10 seconds. It was the single greatest kiss of my life. We both opened our eyes, and continue 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 thought.
“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 pm. “We still have enough time to go there and get you back by 1:00 am.”
“You know you don't really have to take me home at 1:00 am.”
“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 life. 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 Fifteen
We left Irvine Spectrum and headed towards Balboa Beach. There was a great spot near some rocks that I had always wanted to bring someone special. And Maya was as special as it gets.
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 make out 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 towards the water and stopped just short of the tide. 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 moon 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 glare.”
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 m
e 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 was 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 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 the whole night in. There were a couple of amazing things I found out tonight. One, I have definitely fallen for this girl. And two, her grandfather definitely was —and or is —a vampire or a werewolf.
Chapter Sixteen
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 piece into the kitchen. It figured the vixen would choose 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 too,” Sasha responded. “It was the fact 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.”
“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,” I said, rolling my eyes to Patrick.
“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 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 were doing 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 Maya and I had very little time alone. Meaning, we haven’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 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 will 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 be in full affect. I thought this might be as good of time as any to let her in on my little secret.
Josiah wanted to come, 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. The two of them were really getting tight, and I couldn't tell if it was platonic or something more.
Chapter Seventeen
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’s better when there is 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 that just consisted of a 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 anymore 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 pair 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.”
