touch (20 page)

Standing, I pointed the cue at her with a pretend scowl. 
“Play nice.”

Nodding, she came over and attempted to show me again how to
stand and how to use my hand to create a bridge.  As I listened to her, I
noticed that the conversation and fun taunting in the room had come to a stop.

Beatriz noticed the same thing because she turned and glared
at her brother. “What?  I’m showing her something wrong, aren’t I?”  She said
the last as an angry statement, not a question.

Brad laughingly held up his hands.  “Not going to
interfere.  Just watching.”

“Back to your own game.”

She stood with her arms crossed waiting for them to comply. 
When they did, she leaned close to me, showing me what to do.  “I’m probably
showing you wrong,” she whispered.  “Just try to hit the white ball without
tearing the cloth and it’ll be a good try.”

I nodded while she moved away and tried again, looking up at
her for confirmation that I was doing it right.  She smiled widely, clearly
amused by my efforts, but nodded anyway.

Using my right hand, I firmly gripped the butt of the cue
and jabbed it forward in a parody of what she’d shown me.  The tip missed the
cue ball completely, but it also missed the cloth.  She encouraged me to try
again.  Patiently, I kept trying until I made contact.  The ball the cue ball
hit didn’t go far, which was good since I accidentally hit it further from the
pocket.

Beatriz expertly studied the table before moving into
position.  She sunk her targeted ball into a side pocket.

Counting the number of balls on the table and estimating how
long each turn took me, I decided our pool game would take forever.

Tommy swore and Brad laughed, interrupting my
concentration.  “Morik.  Jay.  Your turn,” Brad said setting the mallet down. 
Tommy moved behind the bar to get himself a soda while Brad took a seat to watch
both games.

I paused in my turn to watch Morik and Jay begin.  Jay
watched Morik closely.  Morik watched the puck.  He unerringly caught it and
sent it sailing back to Jay’s goal without hesitating.  Jay deflected, but to
me, it’s looked like luck more than skill.  Morik caught the rebounding puck
and immediately shot it back to Jay’s goal.

Suddenly playing pool with Beatriz didn’t seem so bad… or as
competitive.  Looking at the table, I spotted another ball close to a pocket
and bent down to take aim.

“Nope, not that one,” Beatriz said standing near the table,
leaning on her cue watching me.  “The first kind of ball you sink is the one
you aim for the rest of the game.  I have solids.  You have stripes.”

I glanced on the table again focusing on the stripped
balls.  Nothing else on the table looked remotely possible.

“Here, let me help,” Brad offered.

He moved over to the table, directly across from me,
ignoring his sister’s cry of ‘no fair’ to point out how to aim at the cue ball
to make it veer in different directions.  I paid close attention to his
instruction.

He moved back from the table as I prepared to shoot. 
Previously, the ball I’d hit barely moved.  So this time, I put some extra
force behind it.

The cue ball flew but didn’t go in the direction I wanted.

“Please Bea,” Brad coaxed his sister, “just let me help her
for a few minutes so it’s fairer.”

“You make me sound like a shark,” she complained with a fake
pout.  “Fine.  Help her.”  She sat down next to Tommy, sipped her soda and
watched.

Brad walked up to me turning me slightly away from the table
and then stood right behind me.  From there he showed me how to hold the cue,
make the bridge, line up the cue stick with the cue ball and use a smooth
stroke to better control the outcome.  It amazed me when I pocketed a ball with
his help.

Behind us, Jay let out a yelp.  “Dammit!  That hit my
knuckle!”  I turned in time to see him rub his hand for a moment before he
grabbed the mallet again.

I looked over at Morik, who eyed Brad... the same Brad, who
stood inches from me, having just assisted me with my last shot.  Morik’s eyes
swirled with color, but no one seemed to notice over Jay’s loud complaints.

Okay.  No more help from Brad.  “I think I got it now,
Brad.  Thanks for the help.”

He winked at me, assured me it wasn’t a problem and turned
to sit back down.

Jay cried out again.  “I think I’m bleeding!  Man, you hit
hard.”

Tommy started laughing.  “How many times do we need to tell
you to keep your fingers out of the way?  You want Brad to show you how to hold
the mallet?”

Jay told Tommy to piss off, which earned him a dark look
from Brad, and then gripped the mallet again.

This time, I watched Morik’s play instead of Beatriz.  When
he bent aggressively over the table, I got a little worried for Jay.  When I
noticed the red glint in his eyes, I knew I needed to do something to prevent
Jay from losing a finger.

“Is anyone else hungry?” I asked, overly loud.

Jay straightened, willing to take a break.  Tommy perked up
and nodded.  Brad looked at Beatriz.  “What do you think pipsqueak?  Delivery
or create our own master piece?”

“Delivery,” she said emphatically and then squealed,
“Chinese!”  She laughed when the other three groaned.  “Fine.  Pizza.  What do
you guys like on your pizza?” she asked looking at me then Morik.

I hoped she wouldn’t notice his eyes since she was standing
further away.  I had no idea how Jay hadn’t noticed.  Maybe he’d been too busy
watching the puck.

I answered for us both.  “Anything is fine.  We’re not
picky.”

Everyone moved to go upstairs.  Beatriz led the charge to
make sure they ordered what she wanted as well.  Tommy gave Jay a hard time
about his injured fingers.  I stayed behind with Morik, who still gripped the
mallet.

Once everyone was upstairs, I set my cue on the pool table and
went over to him.  Sliding down his glasses, I saw the same swirling red with a
vivid orange center.

“I think I know what red and orange mean,” I said softly to
him feeling the weight of his angry gaze.  His closed his eyes and breathed
deeply for a moment.  I laid my hand over his, taking the mallet out from
underneath it.  Fine fractures lined the high top of the mallet.  “Do you want
to go home?”  He shook his head.  “Brad won’t help me anymore,” I promised him
quietly, hearing feet on the stairs.

Patting his hand and pushing his glasses back into place, I
stepped back before Beatriz rounded the corner.

“Three extra larges on the way,” Beatriz announced holding a
bag of cheese coated chips.  “This will have to hold you over for now.”

We stayed through the rest of the games, where Morik
eventually powned Brad.  After seeing Brad leave me alone for the rest of the
evening, Morik made an effort to be nice to Brad.  Brad laughed and called
Morik “yoda” before asking if he’d come back Friday night for his next party. 
Morik studied Brad for a heartbeat and must have sensed his sincerity because
he said he’d let him know.

Beatriz tried talking me into staying for a movie.  I knew
she wanted an opportunity to get closer to Morik, but a movie would put me past
nine when I promised to be home.  Reluctantly, she let me change back into my
layered outfit.  We were delayed leaving, however, when I couldn’t find my
gloves.  Everyone helped me look, but I noticed that Morik didn’t seem very
motivated.

After a few minutes, Beatriz gave up looking.  “Do you want
to borrow a pair of mine?  I’ll keep looking for yours and bring them to school
when I find them.”

Morik answered before I could.  “I have something she can
use on the bike.  We’ll be fine.”

All that he had was a helmet.  I looked at him, puzzled. 
His steady liquid silver gaze had me agreeing.  He was up to something, but I
didn’t know what.

We stepped outside, and I took a moment to enjoy the stars
while keeping my hands in my thin coat pockets.  He stood by me waiting. 
Missing the stars was the reason for our deal after all.  Since the sun had
set, the temperature dropped.  I worried that I’d be cold again, but didn’t say
anything.  With my already limited freedom, I wasn’t about to stay home just to
avoid being cold.

He helped me with the helmet so I could keep my hands in my
pockets.  Getting on the bike did require me to remove them briefly.  When I
settled behind him, I tucked my hands in his pockets.  He didn’t offer me
anything else.

The motorcycle snarled to life and we left Beatriz’s house
behind.  I’d enjoyed our time there and hoped that Morik would consider going
back on Friday.

Within minutes, the cold penetrated my hands numbing my
fingers.  He hadn’t seemed to mind me warming them on the way to Beatriz’s, so
I didn’t hesitate to use the same method.  This time, I went for his sides just
below the pockets.

When I touched his skin, my stomach did another crazy flip,
unsettling me.  I resisted moving my fingers and instead rested them against his
skin.  In just a few short days, I’d done what no other in my family could do
before me.  I’d spoken with Morik, faced him without fear and willingly touched
him.  None of it
bothered
me.  In fact, I liked spending time with him.

Silently, warming my hands on his sided, I acknowledged what
I’d known since he’d told me Belinda’s story.  I didn’t need to plot to find
someone else for Morik.  I just needed to do what Belinda hadn’t.  For my sake
and the sake of my family.

Monday morning, Morik sat in the kitchen waiting for me, as
usual, as I raced to get ready.  When I tried to race past him to get my jacket
on, he caught me by the hand, stopping me.  Mom and Aunt Grace had both left
already.  I hadn’t had a chance to talk to them last night about their dates,
but it didn’t really matter.  Not if I could make it work with Morik.

“I have something for you,” he nodded to the pile of leather
draped over the chair next to him.  I’d thought it was his coat.  When I looked
at it closer, I saw two.  He lifted the one on top and handed it to me.  The
weight of it surprised me and it almost hit the floor.  He smiled and took it
from me, helping me into it.  I felt the difference as soon as it settled on my
shoulders.  Reaching I tapped an elbow.

“Are their plates in there?”  It felt like there was one on
my back as well.

“You worry about falling.  I thought it might make you feel
safer.  This jacket will keep you warmer too.”  He unzipped the side pockets
and pulled out new black leather gloves.  “These will keep your hands warm.” He
paused, met my eyes briefly and smiled, “Not that I minded cold hands.”

I felt the blood rush to my face as I tugged the gloves on. 
They matched the black riding jacket.

He picked up his jacket, shrugging into it.  Underneath it,
a red fleece scarf still hung over the back of the chair.  It matched the
zipper material running down the front of my new jacket, along with the pockets
on the front and the arms.  He looped it around my neck and carefully tucked it
in.  My upper body wouldn’t get cold, but I didn’t think my legs would be any
better off.

He stepped back to eye his work.  “For the longer rides, I
have insulated jeans too, but didn’t think you needed them to get to school.”

“Thank you.”  His consideration meant more to me than the
jacket did.

Gran whistled low.  “That’s a sharp sight,” she complemented
me.

I grinned at her and gave her a quick hug good-bye.  Morik
held the door for me when we left.

“Don’t you ever get cold?” I asked as we walked outside. 
The jacket and gloves were amazingly warm, but the cold air chilled my face.

“Rarely.  If I do, something’s usually wrong with me.”

“What do you mean?  You get sick?”

“Or hurt.  It’s happened a time or two.”

The thought of him hurt or sick made him seem more human. 
And it worried me.  “You should be wearing a helmet too then,” I said settling
behind him.  He laughed and took off with my hands tightly circling his waist.

Arriving in school decked out in form fitting leather drew
more attention than I anticipated.  When I handed the helmet to Morik, his eyes
swirled with orange.  No red.

“Will I see you after school?”

He nodded before he took off again weaving through the
morning school traffic.

“You are smoke’n hot in that,” Beatriz quipped, coming up
behind me.  I smiled self-consciously.  “Friends share, right?” she prodded.

“Any time,” I said hoping Morik wouldn’t mind if I loaned
out the jacket when I didn’t need it.

“Good.  I’ll take him tomorrow,” she sighed staring in the
direction he’d disappeared.

That made me laugh.  “You’re on your own there.  I don’t
control him.”

“Shows what you know.  I saw the way he watched you
yesterday.  And how he got annoyed when Brad helped you.”  We walked into the
school together making it to our lockers by the first bell.  “Brad noticed
too.  He thinks Morik might be a little too old for you.”

She had no idea.  “We’re not together.  Just friends.”

“Right,” she agreed sarcastically.  “You and I both know
that Morik would like more than just friends.”

Yes, I knew what he wanted, and it still scared me.  I
didn’t even know what it would mean to be with him.  Not wanting to think about
it anymore, I asked, “Did your parents come back?”

“Nope.  They’re away until next Monday.  Friday should be
fun.  What time are you coming?  Say noon so you can help set up.”

Winter break started Friday.  “It’ll depend on when Morik’s
available,” I hedged.  Though we didn’t do a big gift exchange at my house, we
still had a family dinner.  “So your parents won’t be home for Christmas?”

“No, but Brad and I are okay with it.  They had a chance to
visit with my Dad’s side of the family who live in England.  We could have gone
with, but we would have missed too much school.  They’ve been calling every
morning.”