“I guess n-not,” he says with a kind of half-smile. I grin at him, and he joins in, his dark eyes sparkling. “You w-want to get out of here?” he asks, surprising me.
My dad would kick my ass because I don’t know Thomas, but Dad does think I’m in Kentucky right now. Plus, what Daddy doesn’t know won’t hurt him, I guess.
“Sure,” I respond, not able to hide my excitement. I’m really attracted to Thomas in a way that I never have been to another man ever. I can’t explain it, but it’s worth checking out.
Chapter 13
Thomas
I don’t know why I asked Lyla to go with me. I’m not even sure where we’re going. It’s just that being with her is easy and comfortable. It doesn’t hurt that when she looks at me, I can tell she’s into me. That feels good. Better than I could begin to explain. There’s something about her, and although she looks like Gabby, she’s different.
For one, she likes me.
That thought makes me smile, although it’s a bitter one.
It’s more, though. She’s smiling and happy. She’s clearly having fun. I can’t remember having fun. Probably the only time is when I’m around my sister. Lyla definitely reminds me of Kayden. They’re both full of life.
Fun doesn’t come natural for me. Hell, being around people in general is difficult. It’s harder when my stutter gives me issues. The fact that it hasn’t turned Lyla off is different, too. I’d like to say I’m secure in who I am. My parents have taught me to be proud and most of the time I am. I doubt they realize how hard that can be at times.
“D-Do you have to be back at a cer-certain time?” I ask, feeling a little more at ease away from the bar. I’ve drank a bit but not much. I had plans on getting drunk after the confrontation with Gabby and Dom earlier today but ended up nursing a Jack and Coke. Drinking would have just made me feel worse, and I didn’t need that.
“Nope. I’m all free,” she says, a shy smile playing on her lips. She’s got blonde hair close to the same shade as Gabby’s but softer, more sunshine than ice. I like the difference, appreciate it even more now. Lyla’s eyes are sparkling blue and she’s curvy, too. Although, her breasts are easily double the size of Gabby’s.
It feels wrong to compare them, but I find I’m doing it. I frown, knowing Lyla deserves better.
“I d-don’t know a lot about Virginia. It’s a b-b-bit of a drive, b-but if y-you are up to it, we could g-go to Kentucky.”
The cab of my SUV is dark, but it’s almost as if I can sense her nervousness.
“It’s fine,” she says, but I pull over to the side of the road, wanting to put her at ease.
“I c-can take you b-back or we can grab some food at the drive-in on the st-state line. Maybe drive back on the m-m-mountain and w-watch the stars. I pr-promise you’re s-safe with me.”
She smiles, and her face relaxes. “I like stars.”
I study her face. I want to make sure she feels comfortable. This was probably a bad idea. I’m almost sure it is. I should back out, but I don’t want to. Being with Lyla feels untainted from all the shit that’s surrounded me lately. There might be a slight part of me that is pretending, just for a minute, that this is Gabby that’s so into me. It’s not fair to Lyla, but it’s still the truth.
“D-Do you live in Virginia?” I ask, filling the silence between us.
“Yeah. I’m going to the community college here. Do you know it?”
“N-not really. School has n-never been my thing,” I answer honestly. I wonder if she’ll immediately look down on me.
“What do you do?” she asks.
This is the point I should tell her the truth. I know it, and I even find I want to be honest with her. I stop short, however, and only give her a partial truth. “I d-do a lot of work as a mec-c-chanic. I’m thinking of making some m-m-m-major ch-changes, though.
“What kind of changes?” she asks.
“I’m thinking of m-m-moving.”
“How come, may I ask? Well, okay, I just asked, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” she rambles, and I laugh again. Laughing is the last damn thing I expected tonight. Maybe this Lyla chick is magic.
“Let’s get our food ordered, and I’ll t-tell you.”
“Deal. Can I have a caramel banana shake with my burger?”
“Is that a th-thing?”
“Oh yeah,” she says with so much pleasure that I find myself planning on ordering one myself.
Damn…
Chapter 14
Thomas
I end up skipping the mountain and take Lyla across the state line to Fish Pond Lake. It’s a small, man-made lake and completely empty. It’s peaceful here but that’s not the main reason I picked it. I may not have my club clothes on, but the Demon Chasers rule a lot of the state of this side of Virginia, and I don’t want to risk being recognized and called out for entering the wrong territory. I’m not sure the Chasers are stupid enough to touch me, but if they do, I don’t want Lyla caught in the crossfire. I probably shouldn’t have come to Virginia at all, but I just needed a break from everything. Now, we’re sitting on a wooden dock with our food. The lake is so small you can literally see all the way around it. I thought Lyla might like it. I’ve been here a couple of times before, and almost every trip, you can see deer along the tree line.