Dark One- The Khiara Banning Series Book 1

Six

Both Chris and Janie come from a strict religious background, and while Chris is ready for everything, Janie wears a purity ring. They've been together for four years, that's a long time for any sex crazed seventeen-year-old boy to abstain from doing the deed; especially when his girlfriend is as good looking as Janie.

We walk to a table where Cara's latest boy toy is sitting reading a book that I've already read. Five times. It's one of my favourites, 'Pride and Prejudice' so I decide to actually try to like this boy.

"Tristan!" Cara yells as we walk into the food court. 

Cara gestures to Chris and Janie, "The other couple I was talking about. This is Chris and Janie." Then she grabs my arm and pulls me forward, "This is my best friend in the whole world, better than ice cream with cherries and chocolate sauce on top, Khiara. She gets me out of trouble and I get her into it, but she somehow keeps coming back for more." She smiles at me, to see my reaction. I awkwardly smile back and she just looks thrilled.

"Everybody, this is Tristan. He's nice, he's gorgeous and he's smart. Also, he's super tall, it'll freak you out when he stands up."

Tristan gets up and shakes my hand. Cara's right, he is quite tall. He goes to shake Janie's hand, but Chris who reaches out his hand instead, pulls her away as if to communicate, back off.

Tristan's got dark brown hair that's been cropped pretty short, and he's got large muscles on his arms. He's pretty skinny in contrast to Cara, but she looks so happy. Maybe this is for real; maybe she's stopped being so damn-I won't say it. She is after all, my friend.

"So, this is Khiara," he says in a voice that I can only describe as velvety smooth. "It's very nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you." In the past twenty-four hours Cara and I have known each other, I think.

I nervously smile up at him, "Yeah? Well I've not heard anything about you, so it's really nice to meet you, and I hope we'll get to know each other better today. You seem like a really good catch for Cara. You see, she's a bit promiscuous and I'm hoping this is going to be a long term relationship for you guys," Oh no, I'm rambling. "So it's just really great to meet you, I already said that didn't I, and uhh..."

Cara pats me on the back a little too hard. "She does that when she's nervous. She just runs her mouth, if I were as promiscuous as she says I think you'd have already known that, seeing as we've been together for a whole month already." I guess she's still the Cara I know and love; though I wish she'd just quit hurting innocent guys like him. And she kept him from me...I wonder what that's all about?

"I guess Cara told me about you before, but I have a hard time listening, always in my own little world... and such..." I say, trying to salvage the mess I'm sure I've created.

Seemingly unaware of what's just gone down, Tristan simply smiles. "Cara's changed a lot since we first met. I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me." Oh contraire good sir...she was making out with a guy just a day ago.

"Well then let's get moving already!" says Janie, rather impatiently.

We walk around the mall looking for dresses, and I nod nonchalantly at everything Cara and Janie pick out for me. Tristan seems to disappear at times, but always returns when I least expect it. Chris just stands there with that same expression on his face, and again I wonder what his problem is.

At one point, I decide to ask because it's just pissing me off not knowing. "Chris, what's up with the miserable face? Do you not enjoy seeing your girlfriend in revealing dresses? Or is my loser presence starting to give you a headache?"

Shaking his head he says, "That's not it, Janie's a babe, don't get me wrong here. I just can't stand Cara. I can't be around her, but she's Janie's friend so I have to act like I enjoy her company. It's not you that I hate even though most of the time I act like I do for Janie's sake, but for some reason Janie hates your guts."