“Up, lazy girl!” Aunt Danielle called from nearby.
Disoriented and groggy from a horrible night’s sleep, I groaned as I rolled over in bed. Sunlight blinded me the moment I opened my eyes. Blinking, I tried to focus on Aunt Danielle, who watched me from my doorway.
“Morik is in the kitchen, waiting for you.”
Her words acted like a shot of caffeine. My eyes opened wide, and I bolted out of bed in a panic. She grinned at my reaction.
“He’s here?”
“Yes. In the kitchen.”
I glanced at the clock and saw I had to be at work in seven minutes.
“I can’t believe I overslept.” I tugged on clothes at random, grabbing whatever was close.
“I heard you tossing and turning late, and I told your mom to let you sleep when she came to wake you.” She moved aside as I rushed from my room to the bathroom.
I brushed my teeth, tossed my hair up into a messy bun, and flew out of the bathroom sixty seconds later.
Morik sat at the table. I smiled briefly as I ran past him to get my coat.
“I’m really sorry to rush you, but I have to be at work in four minutes.”
He gracefully rose, donned his own jacket, and calmly tucked my scarf around me as he had the day before.
“Are you sure you want to be there in four minutes?” He grinned in response to my nod. “Come on, then.”
I called a farewell to the house and strode determinedly out the door toward his motorcycle.
“Not that I’m ungrateful,” I said over my shoulder, “but wouldn’t a car be better in winter?”
“For humans, maybe.”
“I am human.” When I spun toward him, barely any space separated us, and I had an up-close view of the pointy teeth his teasing grin displayed. Seeing them didn’t bother me as much today, and I rolled my eyes in response to his joking.
The playful smile remained in place as he reached around me and painlessly tugged the hair-tie from my hair. I held still, wondering what he was up to when he held the band out to me.
“Won’t work with the helmet.”
“Ah.”
I twisted the hair-tie around my finger and waited for him to fit the helmet on my head. While he did that, I noticed the snow piled on the ground everywhere except the sidewalk and driveway.
“What’s that face for?” he asked just before tapping the visor into place.
“I’m feeling guilty for oversleeping. I should have been up to help shovel.”
He straddled the bike, started it, and held out his hand. “I didn’t mind.”
“You did this?” I clasped his arm and got on behind him. He nodded as he pulled my arms around his waist. I couldn’t say more because he revved the motorcycle and swiftly pulled away.
Although the plow had been through, a thin layer of snow still coated the road. Fearing what an icy patch could do to us, I tightened my grip around his waist and closed my eyes. The stomach-churning ride lasted a few short minutes before he parked in front of the Coffee Shop. He’d maneuvered the roads expertly, but my legs still felt weak when I climbed off the back. He didn’t wait for me to try to extract myself from the helmet but helped right away. It gave me a chance to calm down.
He’d parked right in front of the picture window, and I caught Mona doing a double-take once the helmet came off. I waved and hurriedly pulled my hair back, securing it once again with the hair tie.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Not a problem. I’ll be back later.” He started the bike again, but I didn’t wait to see him leave. I hurried inside. The fresh brewed aroma of roasted coffee welcomed me as did the few patrons already seated, sipping their morning delight.
“Sorry I’m late, Mona. I overslept.” I moved behind the counter and checked the coffee pots, starting another regular.
“You’re right on time.” She laughed at me as I opened the side door to rid myself of outdoor accessories.
I glanced at the clock in disbelief. He’d really done it. I didn’t have a chance to overthink how fast we’d gone because a wave of customers poured in moments later.
Between rushes, Mona quizzed me on the “hottie with a crazy streak,” proving that I wasn’t the only one who thought a motorcycle in winter was weird. She said it made him dangerous and more compelling. I wondered if Morik had an age limit for companions. Mona sure seemed interested. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was older than he was. While I waited on customers, I tried to think of a tactful way to ask him.
Morik walked in a little before noon. When he said he would see me later, I hadn’t thought it would be a public appearance. However, covered with a cap and dark sunglasses, his differences didn’t send the patrons screaming as he approached the counter. I couldn’t hold back my smile as I thought of the chaos his appearance without the hat and glasses would cause.
Mona recognized him from earlier and stepped aside so I could wait on him. She took the coffee pots around the room for those with the bottomless cup.
“What can I get for you?” I asked.
“The coffee any good?”
“Like the coffee; love the sandwiches.”
His lips twitched, and he ordered the bottomless cup with one of Mona’s specialty sandwiches. He didn’t linger at the counter after he ordered. Instead, he found a table and sat to sip his coffee while Mona made his sandwich.
I delivered his food but couldn’t stay. We were in the middle of our lunch rush. Within thirty minutes, most of the tables would empty. Until they did, Mona and I took turns at the counter and running refills.
Mona caught me behind the counter during a breather. “Black nail polish? I would have never pictured you with a bad boy.”
My eyes shot to Morik, but with those sunglasses on, I couldn’t tell if we held his attention or not.
“We’re friends,” I said quietly.
She smiled knowingly but wisely said nothing more. There wasn’t time. We faced the last rush together. Morik never moved. When the clock struck one, Mona didn’t comment on his presence, just flipped the sign to “closed” and took the tip jar to the back. Taking the washcloth and sanitizer, I started the process of closing down.
“You like working here.” His voice carried in the now quiet shop. It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact. I nodded anyway. “Why?”
I moved to wipe down his table, and he surrendered his empty cup.
“What’s not to like? I love the smells, the people are nice, and Mona’s a great boss. Plus, I get paid.”
Mona walked into the room saying, “Of course I’m a great boss! I can’t afford to lose another employee to crappy wages.”
She handed me a few folded bills, the outer one a single. I tucked it into my pocket and finished wiping the table.
“Get her out of here now. She’s worked enough for today.” She smiled at Morik, not commenting on his hat or glasses.
He smiled in return and stood. “Yes, ma’am.”
I left Mona to chat with Morik while I grabbed my things. If only she knew what those glasses hid. Would she still talk to him?
Outside, the sun had melted the snow from the roads. Relieved, I willingly ducked into the helmet and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. I still didn’t like how cold I got, but at least our chances of crashing were lower.
On our way to my house, I thought of my plans for the rest of the day. I wasn’t yet sure what we’d do for our time together, but no matter what we settled on, I’d ask Morik to help me sleep tonight. Another night tossing and turning didn’t appeal to me.
Morik slowed as we approached the house, and I noted the garage’s bay door stood open, its dim cavern empty. Puzzled, I wondered who had left. Usually, we spent Saturdays together. Last Saturday had been a welcomed oddity, but two Saturdays in a row? It didn’t make sense.
I managed to tug the helmet off without hurting myself as Morik kicked the stand into place. “Do you want to come in? I’m not sure who is home.”
“Just your Aunt Danielle.” He placed the helmet on the seat then joined me on the sidewalk.
“I was wondering…if Aunt Danielle died at seventeen, why does she look Gran’s age?” We slowly walked to the front door.
“The same reason she’s still here. They’re linked. One soul in two bodies. When your Gran passes, so will Danielle.”
It made me sad just thinking about it. I couldn’t imagine my life without all of them. Mom had once told me that she and Dad had lived on their own for a bit with me. It was only after he’d passed away that she’d brought me back to Gran’s house. Aunt Grace had already moved in with her by then, her own husband already gone. That was just what my family did when a husband died. They banded together to protect their children as best they could.
Lost in thought, I opened the door. Morik followed me in.
“‘Bout time someone came home. It’s boring without company,” Aunt Danielle called from her chair, more animated now that she’d exposed her secret.
“Where is everyone?” My fingers warmed marginally when I tugged my mittens off.
“Your mom went to the office. Grace and your Gran walked to the store a little while ago.”
“I’m going to change real quick,” I said to Morik.
He nodded and looked at my . “If you’d like, I can join you.”
She nodded with a grin. Removing his cap and glasses, he went to sit by her.
I walked to my room and put the twenty-six dollars from my pocket with the rest of the tip money I saved. I’d been honest with Morik. I couldn’t have asked for a better job. If things didn’t go as I hoped, at least I’d have a job after my nameless husband died.
Annoyed with my turn of thoughts, I focused on the present. Thanks to Morik, I was temporarily no longer bound to the “home by dusk” rule, and I planned to take advantage of that.
After changing, I used the phone in my mom’s room to call Beatriz.
“Sorry I didn’t call sooner. I have free time tonight if you still want to do something.” I spoke quietly, not yet sure where Morik fit into my plans.
“Sure. With my parents gone, my brother’s making some calls to his friends. There will be a lot of people here. You’ll have a blast.” She rattled off directions to her house and suggested I show up after dark.
I hung up the phone and glanced at the directions I’d written down. It didn’t take a genius to point out what I’d be in for if I went. With a college-aged brother and no parents at home, the party would be large and a lot of people would be drinking.
While I’d liked the idea of spending one-on-one time with Beatriz, a party could work better for me and for Morik; no one would find a guy with a cap and sunglasses out of place. They probably wouldn’t even notice his horns or eyes without the cover if they had enough to drink. We could mingle with other people, and I could watch him. Not only would I be able to get to know him better, but I’d also be close if he showed interest in someone. My mom couldn’t object because it presented me an opportunity to search out my choice.
Decided, I looked at the clock. Now, what would we do for the next few hours?
As soon as I walked back into the living room, the quiet conversation between Morik and Danielle stopped. They both turned to look at me even though I hadn’t made a sound, and I felt as though I’d interrupted something.
Morik stood and joined me, watching me expectantly. I wondered if he’d somehow heard my end of the phone conversation.
“I was invited to a party tonight. Would you like to come with me? We could watch a movie here until it’s time to go.”
“I’ll stay for the movie and give you a ride to the party, but I don’t think I’ll join you.”
“All right,” I said, hiding my disappointment. How would I match him up with a companion if he didn’t mingle with people?
Aunt Danielle suggested a movie that we had. Morik obligingly started it for us while I settled on the couch. I had a whole movie to come up with a plan.
Two hours later, I scowled at the rolling credits. The stupid movie had distracted me from my plotting. Gran and Aunt Grace, who’d arrived home mid-movie, had quietly put away groceries then joined us in the living room.
I looked over at Morik, who reclined on the other end of the couch. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? There’s going to be a lot of people there. You’ll blend in fine.”
“What are you up to?” Gran asked from a nearby chair.
Aunt Grace turned off the movie, and I had the room’s attention.
“Beatriz from school invited me to her house. Her brother’s home from college and is inviting a bunch of his friends over.” Gran said nothing, but I could tell by her expression that she didn’t think my going was a good idea. “Where’s Mom? Isn’t it a little late to be working?”
“She should be home soon. We’ll start dinner. You two go find something to do.” Gran shooed Morik and me away with her hands.
Smiling, I motioned for Morik to follow me to my room. Though he moved to join me, his expression was neutral.
At times, I could easily read his thoughts or feelings. Why did he sometimes mask them? Or maybe it wasn’t masking. Maybe when he showed emotion, he made an effort to do so. After all, he did say he didn’t interact with humans much.
In my room, I went straight for the desk and the incomplete puzzle. “You must see pretty well in the dark, huh?”
Focused on the puzzle, I half-listened to him follow me in. The snick of the closing door caught my attention, and I looked back at him. He ignored my look and joined me at the puzzle. Without hesitating, he started to place pieces.
“Have you done this one before?” I asked.
“Yes, I can see in the dark. No, I haven’t done this one before,” he said, answering my questions in order.
“How are you finding the right pieces so fast?” I leaned close to watch him and study his eyes as he searched for then placed the pieces together.
Tiny bits of bright green flared in his irises each time he found the piece he wanted. When he placed the piece, the green faded into silver, the primary color of his iris. Other colors danced in the silver pools, but the green caught my attention because it happened consistently. I wondered what it meant.
A sudden swirl of violet took me by surprise. I couldn’t help but watch it flow around in the liquid silver background. Before it could fade, green and brown strands joined it. It took a moment for me to realize Morik had stopped looking at the puzzle and, instead, faced me with an amused expression. I couldn’t look away.
“Your eyes are amazing to watch,” I said without thinking. A blush immediately infused my cheeks, and I hoped he wouldn’t read anything into what I’d said. “What do the different colors mean?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me when they change.” He went back to finding puzzle pieces, still looking amused by my attention.
After a while, my mom called out a hello from the kitchen. Not wanting Gran to tell Mom about my plans before I could, I hurried from the room and left Morik to follow me if he wanted.
Mom stood near the door in the process of removing her jacket when I found her. She didn’t look like she’d been working all day. Her hair was still neat. Usually after work, her hair had little twisty spirals in it. She curled it around her fingers when lost in thought.
“Hey, Mom. Where were you?” I asked idly.
“Don’t be nosy, Tessa.” Her tone was a bit more abrupt than I thought the question warranted.
“Sorry. Beatriz invited me to her house tonight. I planned to head over there after dinner and to be back by ten. Her brother’s home, so there should be a lot of people there.” More people meant more guys, which meant more options—something my mom would like.
However, my mom didn’t answer me. Instead, she looked past me to Morik.
“Morik, I don’t want to subject you to a conversation that might lead to an argument.”
He nodded respectfully to my mom then looked at me.
“I will be outside if you decide to go.” He grabbed his jacket and was out the door before I could say anything.
I stared at my mom, appalled by her rudeness.
“He’s standing outside in the snow. How could you do that? You didn’t even ask him if he’d be cold!”
Gran and Aunt Grace drifted from the room. No doubt, they sensed a battle brewing.
“Will he be?” Mom asked as she took plates from the cabinet to set the table.
I thought back to when I’d touched him. He’d felt nicely warm to me despite the temperature of the house. No, he probably wouldn’t be cold.
“That’s beside the point! You were rude.”
“I didn’t want to argue in front of him.” She didn’t look at me but focused on counting out the forks we needed from the drawer.
“Argue about what? All I did was ask where you were.”
“And you tried to tell me you’re going to a party tonight.”
“Tried?”
“You’re not going.” She said it casually as she took glasses from the drying rack next to the sink.
She’d been fine with the idea of my going out at night the day before. Since this was the first time I’d even spoken with her today, I didn’t think her current snit related to me even though I felt the brunt of it.
“You’ve set one too many settings,” I said quietly.
She looked up, surprised. Probably because I wasn’t yelling but mostly because I’d contradicted her.
“You don’t want me to choose Morik, but when I’m invited to a party where there’ll be enough drinking that no one will notice the weird girl discreetly touching an arm here or a hand there, you want me to stay home. So what you’re telling me is that you don’t want me to choose at all.”
I looked over at Aunt Danielle for a moment. She sat quietly in her chair, her eyes closed, but I knew she listened. Turning back to my mom, I said what needed saying.
“How’d that work out for Aunt Danielle again?”
Mom paled, and her eyes grew watery. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Then you shouldn’t have had me,” I said sadly, the words harsher than my tone. “Our choices are limited, but they’re still there. Don’t limit mine further. This is hard enough.”
She set the stack of plates on the table and walked out of the room. I stared after her for a moment, feeling like crying myself.
“Don’t cry, girl,” Aunt Danielle said from beside me, making me jump a little. “The truth can be as hard to say as it is to hear, but it’s always important.”
I nodded and grabbed my jacket. Before opening the door, I looked back at Aunt Danielle. “Remind her I love her, okay?”
“I will, honey.”
Shutting the door quickly to prevent a cold draft, I paused outside on the step and looked up at the indigo sky.
I hated when I argued with Mom. Knowingly saying something that would hurt her sucked. But she was being unreasonable. Nothing in this whole deal was easy or simple. So far, I’d voluntarily touched boys that I’d thought I might feel even the slightest interest in.
Granted, in cases like Brian and Clavin, it wasn’t always voluntary. Regardless, I had been selective up until this point. Knowing that I’d die if I didn’t choose soon helped lower my standards a bit to…oh, just about anyone being a possibility. I didn’t want to go to a drinking party. But I’d spoken the truth. The possible benefits outweighed the risks.
With a sigh, I stepped off the stoop and headed toward Morik, who waited with my helmet tucked under his arm.
Seeing him distracted me from my musings.
“Why do you bother with a motorcycle if you can pop in and out of places?”
“Popping draws too much attention and scares people.” He handed me the helmet.
“So does riding a motorcycle in the snow,” I said under my breath, making him laugh as I settled the helmet on my head. “Are you sure you won’t come to the party with me?”
“I’m sure.” He got on the motorcycle and started it.
I climbed on and wrapped my arms around him without his prompting. Shouting her address to him over the noise, I wondered how long I’d last before my legs went numb.
Five minutes.
Piercing needles of pain danced over my thighs. Carefully, I removed one arm from his waist and laid it over my right leg for additional protection. It didn’t help.
Morik took his hand from the throttle and reached back. I thought he was going to pull my arm around him again. Instead, he laid his hand on the coldest part of my leg. Heat seeped through the denim immediately. When he slowed too much, he switched hands to the other leg. I couldn’t believe he rode without gloves and didn’t have cold hands.
Warmed, I rode the final few minutes in relative comfort.
Beatriz stood at the door when we pulled up to the sprawling two-story home. Several cars already lined the long driveway, and music pumped from the house. Since she lived outside of town, there weren’t any nearby neighbors to complain.
Unstrapping the helmet, I handed it back to Morik. His expression was hard to read, and the glasses hid the color of his eyes.
“If you change your mind, just come in. Looks like the door will be open.”
He nodded, hesitated a moment, then pulled away. Somehow, I felt as if I’d just disappointed him.
