Well, was he going to say anything? Or were we going to walk in this dreaded silence. I wasn't the best at conversation, but I started the conversation anyway.
This made it even harder to figure him out. One minute he was this almost too confident guy who never let up, and now he was quiet and broody—like Slade.
"My house is not even a block away. Maybe we could finish this some other time." I suggested.
"I'm gathering my thoughts," he said. "It's not the easiest thing to come out and say. And quite honestly, I worry I could be wrong about you."
"Wrong about me," I raised an eyebrow. If he was thinking I was a neurotic, semi depressed chick he was right on the money. I didn't know what he was trying to say, I wished he would just come out and say it already.
We came to a stop in front of my house. I watched him take in his surroundings. I wondered if his house was average or something like Nona's. Or did he live in an Rv like Slade.
"So this is where you rest your head at night." He gazed all the way up to the roof.
"This is where," I plopped down on the stairs, and patted the spot next to me.
"You're not going to invite me in?" He brought a hand to his chin, stroking his five o'clock shadow. I wondered how many girls offered their homes for him when he wandered around the world. He took a seat giving up on worming his way into my house.
"I hardly know you. And you don't know this, but my father. He's got the temper of a pit-bull. He hates guys." I laid it on thick. It wasn't the truth, but he didn't know it wasn't.
"What about your mother?" He leaned in eager to hear more. I looked off. He drew my face back with a soft tug of my chin. "You like to evade the questions a lot. For once, do me the honor of letting me get to know you?"
He was like a chivalrous knight. His vocabulary nothing I ever heard before. I came from the south and was planted in California. He came from everywhere. It was strange if you asked me.
I blinked, giving a simple shrug to show it really didn't matter one way or another. "She's just...home, in Georgia, with my little brother and her new boyfriend."
"And that makes you feel rejected." He looked at me.
"That's one word to describe it." The other word, and there were a few, was pissed. I was pissed she gave up on me. It didn't matter to her if she heard from me or not, like the old photographs Dad worried so much about, I was just a memory. One you didn't have the balls to throw away, but one you didn't mind shoving under your bed or in your closet so you didn't have to deal with it.
"I didn't have the greatest time as a kid either."
"How old are you anyway?" I asked, glad to change the subject.
"Twenty three, and yourself?"
"Eighteen." Although most days I felt like a forty-year-old with all I been through. I had seen all the grief and heartache of life—thanks to my parents and Slade.
I stared off, concentrating on the massive moon in front of us providing a breathtaking backdrop as it sparkled against the water. I looked back down to find Hutch twirling the ring on his finger. I reached out and grabbed his hand, bringing it closer so I could get a better look at it. He watched me, enjoying the attention I was finally giving him.
I touched the ring. The deep etchings proving there was more to it than just a simple piece of metal adorning his long finger. "What kind of ring is this?" I studied the black stone.
"It's runic." He slid it down his finger, holding it in the palm of his hand. "The x stands for love, the m is trust, the p is joy and the k stands for passion. I leaned in getting a better look at it.
"The circle is the symbol of the wheel of life, of endings and beginnings. Of life and spirit, it's a connection with the infinite, which brings all things together and holds them fast."
I blinked, staring at him confused. None of that made any sense to me. I had rings. I never put much thought into mine. His jewelry seemed to have a rich history. Next I wondered if he was going to tell me it decoded things too, or maybe it transported him to magical worlds. Better yet, maybe one day they would make a movie about it.
"You don't understand." He sighed. I took the ring from him, slipping it over my middle finger. It was way too big.
"You're right I don't." I handed the ring back. He took my wrist, trailing a finger across the black heart again. The heart he pointed out was a part of black magic.
"Your tattoo and my ring have a lot in common." I pulled away from his grip, but he wasn't willing to let me run away again. He didn't let go of my arm like I expected him too.
"I am not going to let you run away this time."
"You're scaring me," I told him, looking back at my house.
He released me. "I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just trying to tell you I understand you. And I know where you're coming from."
"No, you don't. You think your ring is like my tattoo. There is nothing dark and sinister about you," I shook my head, uneasy.
"You're right, I'm not dark and sinister, but your boyfriend is and so are your friends." I stared at him in awe. What was he trying to say?
I was sure he was referring to a select few. I didn't say anything.
"The blonde, the one who upset you, she's using you."
I eyed Hutch skeptically. "I don't get it."
"I know what is going on with you and your friends. I knew the moment I laid eyes on your tattoo. And when I caught you on the beach catching things on fire it all made perfect sense." Hutch watched me, carefully choosing his words.
I felt like he punched me in the gut. I was ashamed he knew what I was.
"What are you saying?"
He sanded his hands together, and placed one against my cheek. My hair fell against his hand. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling.
I opened my eyes. Hutch moved closer, his mouth only inches from mine. I studied his lips, not afraid anymore. I didn't feel anything, but the urge to press my lips to his. What was happening to me? I was trapped in a connection I could not break.
I inched closer; the heat from his breath caressed my face, his scent at my nose. I closed my eyes feeling okay if he tried to kiss me. His eyes darkened as he stared into mine, he dropped his hand, and reality slipped back into the moment between us. A soft ringing in my ears was the after effect. I felt light headed. I twisted away from him.
Hutch raked a hand through his hair. He leaned forward, "I understand what you are because I'm no different than you or your boyfriend."
I slapped him in the arm. "Stop joking with me. And just tell me what is going on." I shook the cloudy fog from my mind. "This game is getting old, Hutch."
Hutch took me by the shoulders and forced me to face him. "Put your hands out."
He offered his palms. I placed mine over his, my hands trembling at the sudden realization. I was afraid to understand what he was trying to tell me. Our palms connected, and his eyes locked with mine. "Tell me why you don't want to talk about your mother."
I scoffed, but I couldn't look away. "Because she broke my dad's heart and left him for the tae Kwan do instructor. She never talks to me anymore, and I feel like she abandoned me." I couldn't believe my ears. I just told him everything I tried so hard to keep on the inside. It wasn't enough, and I was sure he knew that. He gripped my hands, his fingers slipping in between mine.
"Tell me the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you." My mind screamed for my mouth to keep shut.
"My first kiss was awful because I dropped a flaming marshmallow on his foot. I didn't make up for that horrible night until I moved here." I cringed. Hutch held tight.
"One more. Tell me how you feel about me." My eyes filled with shock.
"I think you're hot, and a breath of fresh air compared to my boyfriend. And I really wished you would have kissed me a few minutes ago." I swallowed hard, humiliated. Hutch released my hands. I looked down, staring at my knees.
The heat in my face was scorching at this point.
"You are like us. Well not me, I could only wish to be good enough to get people to confess their innermost thoughts to me." I sighed, a little relieved and a hell of a lot mortified. He pulled things out of me I wanted to keep hidden. Things he didn't need to know. Things nobody needed to know because they were just embarrassing and complicated.
"It takes practice." He stood. "I want you to know I would never reveal your secret. It's safe with me."
I stood up too. "If you did I doubt anyone would believe you."
"If I did it could mean a lot of trouble for you, for me, for all of us. I just wanted you to know I understand you more than you think."
I nodded. I understood.
He said good-bye and headed down the sand and disappeared into the darkness.