Silver Silhouette Page 6

  "What do you mean about his eyes?" Tish asked. "What was weird about them?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I guess they were black. I mean all black, like a deep pool of water at night. And they were huge, too. Or, at least I thought they were. The next day at school I saw him and his eyes looked fine. But that night they freaked me out. And I just can't shake that feeling each time I see him." She turned to her friend who was nodding in agreement. Apparently, she had a similar experience. "Tish? Are you okay? I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

  Tish remembered in a rush of images. It had happened to her, too. That summer day a couple years ago. They had quarreled over something, she couldn't remember what. But she had angered him that day, more so than any other time. And his eyes got weird. How had she forgotten that? It was what had broken up their friendship! And somehow she forgot. Until now. Until hearing it from someone else. Deep pools of water at night. That's exactly what they looked like. The day after she saw that she avoided Aaron. And the next day, too. When they did talk again it was cautiously, like they were never friends. And they weren't. Not anymore.

  She had forgotten. And as shocking as it was to remember, it was silly somehow. It had to be some trick, some optical illusion. How could she have thrown away a great friendship for something like that? At the time, she thought she might be in love with him. Maybe that's why it hit her so hard. But now, it just seemed kind of foolish.

  By the time Tish got home from school she had forgotten all about his eyes once again and returned to being excited about her date. Her parents were not home by the time the girls left the house. Susan had driven over to Tish's house, and the boys would be picking them up there. Tish didn't have a car yet. With Susan as a best friend she didn't really need one. Her parents each had a BMW of their own. She was sure they could afford a car for her, but she never asked for one. And they never surprised her with one, either.

  The girls were standing by the front door watching for the boys to arrive. They were 3 minutes late, so far. Then headlights swept the front of the house as a car pulled into the driveway. Hunter's mustang came to a stop beside the sidewalk. Hunter was proud of his mustang, but it was a quiet pride. They never heard him brag about it to other guys, or girls for that matter. But his friends loved to ride with him to and from the games. They could be seen hanging out the windows going down Market Street late at night on the weekends.

  The car was dark green, and spotless clean. Nothing in the world could reflect more light, it seemed, except those chrome wheels. Aaron stepped out of the passenger side and held the door. He probably would have come to the house door and rung the bell, but the girls were already trotting out the sidewalk by the time he was able to get out. Susan and Tish had coordinated their outfits for the date. Susan wanted to wear a short skirt to show off her legs (big surprise), but Tish said she would be too cold in a skirt herself. They settled on sexy tight jeans with lace, and cute little jackets over slim button down tops. Susan insisted they wear tight clothing to show off the goods. "We want our boys to be proud to be seen in public with us," she said.

  The mustang was a two door car. The seat back of the front seat leaned forward so two people could get in the back. Tish got in the back and slid across the seat to the far side. She was both surprised and delighted to see Aaron get in the back with her and leave the front seat for Susan. After buckling his seatbelt Aaron smiled at his date and told her she looked nice. His eyes shifted quickly, almost unnoticeably across her body. Tish blushed. So far, so good she thought. Then she realized that it was the first time she had ever looked at Aaron as a man. He did not seem the least bit nervous. Maybe he had just enough confidence to put his date at ease. And she began to relax sitting there beside him.

  She had envisioned catching up and reminiscing about old times, but the vibe between them was much different now. And she liked it, very much. Hunter had a rock station playing at low volume, so each couple could talk but it was harder to be heard from one seat to the other. Susan tried to include them in the front seat conversation a few times early before letting them be. They expected the drive to the theaters to be thirty minutes or more. Rush hour wasn't quite over yet, and the heaviest traffic was going in their direction, away from DC. The city of Leesburg Virginia had grown so much each decade that road construction couldn't keep up. But the movie start time was late enough they should have no problem getting seated in time.

  The back seat of the Mustang was much tighter on leg room than the front seat. Tish was comfortable but Aaron's legs were pressed into Susan's seat back. As they talked she turned toward him. He did the same and seemed more comfortable. His knee lightly bumped hers when he shifted, then he shifted again so he was a couple inches from contact with her. The touch was so brief and slight, but Tish found herself missing it instantly. After a moment she shifted her legs to reinstate the contact, and he did not complain. As their conversation expanded Aaron started gesturing with his hands, then letting them drop on his leg. Tish's mind was busy trying to figure out how to grab and hold his hand in a non-awkward way. It caused her to miss part of the conversation. Embarrassed she apologized causing Aaron to laugh.

  "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm nervous, too."

  He didn't look nervous to her. He looked in control, and comfortable. But hearing him say it made her feel good, like she was special enough to be nervous around. She decided to put her hand on his knee, saying "Thank you for asking me out." Aaron rested his hand on hers for a moment when he said, "You're welcome." Then he pulled it away like it was too early for extended contact.

  Susan exited the car first when they arrived and Aaron held the seat forward for her to exit as well. As they walked through the parking lot discussing the movie they were about to see Aaron occasionally rested his hand in the arch of her back, guiding her between traffic. This was all very new to her. Oh, she had physical contact with boys all the time at school. Handshakes, pats on the back, even hugs. But somehow, this was all different. It seemed to fall into progressive pattern the get them more comfortable with each other's bodies. The slow momentum to eventually lead them to being totally comfortable together, then making love. Tish blushed as she thought about it, and felt a warmth deep inside her soul. She wondered if Aaron was thinking the same thing. And was he getting warm, too? She hoped so.

  The movie wasn't scheduled to start for another ten minutes, so they grabbed popcorn and drinks. The particular film they had chosen had launched two weeks earlier. It was not crowded and they are able to secure some seats in the back row. Hunter selected a chair near the center, then the two girls sat together, then Aaron. As Aaron graciously dropped into his seat he leaned toward Tish. She saw it coming and flinched, hoping it was a kiss, but knowing it probably was not. Instead, he put his lips close to her ear to whisper. She leaned in and felt his breath against her hair, then on her skin. It made her tingle until Aaron coughed. She realized suddenly that the perfume she had placed behind her ear was too strong. She had taken an intimate moment and twisted it into a medical emergency.

  When Aaron pulled back to cover his mouth as he coughed Tish ran two fingers behind her ear to rub out some of the scent. "Sorry," Aaron attempted to say through his hand. When he had settled back down she apologized for the strong perfume and asked him to whisper what it was he was going to say. She leaned toward him keeping her ear to the side. They were eye to eye as he said, "Thanks for going out with me Tish. I've been waiting for an opportunity to ask you out for some time now. I feel like everybody in the theater is wondering how I got such a beautiful girl like you to go out with me."

  Tish blushed once again. She knew that Aaron had never called her beautiful when they were younger. It felt good to know he was as attracted to her as she was to him. And to witness the cool charm that he had developed as a young man. Her elbow slipped on the seat arm causing her face to brush against Aaron's momentarily. When she righted herself they both laughed. Susan tapped her shoulder making her re
alize there were other people in the world after all. The close proximity to her date had tunneled her awareness.

  "Are you guys making out already?" Susan asked her.

  "Oh, no. My goodness. He was whispering and I slipped," she whispered back.

  "You looked like you were diving onto him," Susan said with an ornery grin. Tish gasped and looked around to see if anybody was staring at them. They weren't and neither Aaron nor Hunter were grinning like Susan. She was making stuff up to embarrass her again. She slapped Susan's knee drawing the attention that she was trying to avoid. Everybody smiled as the people in the row before them turned around to see what caused the noise.

  When Susan turned to explain to Hunter what had happened Tish reached and found Aaron's hand before saying, "Thank you Aaron for asking me out. I've missed you. I mean..." She was afraid to sound like she was in love with him already. They had only been friends before. She should be able to say she missed a friend, right? "I mean, I missed our friendship."

  Aaron's smile weakened and she knew instantly she had not said it correctly. So, she tried again. "Sorry, I meant we're not little kids anymore. And you were a good friend to me when we were young. And I've missed that. And now that we are older, there's nobody I'd rather have with me on a date." His smile grew bigger once again. As the previews started to play she leaned toward his seat so she could comfortably hold his hand. Glancing over at Susan she was happy to see her and Hunter were in a similar situation. The date was going quite well so far.

  One of the previews was for a suspense thriller and it changed the mood in the room dramatically. It felt like a cold draft was let in to slide down the wall behind them and under their seats. Everybody tensed up. Tish turned her head during the scary parts and saw Aaron deep in thought, looking distressed.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked. He shrugged and nodded. She didn't mean it to sound like he was scared. "How are your parents?"

  Aaron gathered his reply before he opened his mouth. "Well, they are not doing too good. Their company went under."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that," Tish said, regretting asking the question.

  "It's okay," he said. "We'll be okay. They are out of town taking care of some things. I haven't seen them much lately."

  "Do they call?"

  Aaron nodded, "Oh yeah. Well, when they can. I'm not worried about them. We'll be okay. To be honest, it's kind of nice not to have them around as much. They were so stressed out the last few months."

  Tish let the topic drop as the movie started. Sharing popcorn and holding hands Tish felt comfortable and actually paid some attention to the film. Occasionally she shushed her best friend when she was getting too loud. Apparently, Susan and her date were not as absorbed in the story. But all four of them appeared to have a lot of fun.

  During the ride back to Tish's house a calm had settled over the vehicle. They wanted to spend more time together but Tish aptly conveyed her desire to comply with her imposed curfew. Hunter still applied some pressure on Susan to stay out later, but the fact that her car was sitting in the Hawkins driveway swayed her to call it a night as well. Tish was sure there would be much to talk about tonight.

  The boys walked them to the door holding hands, and pulled them each close at the threshold. The porch light had been switched on by her parents, so Tish didn't want to linger too long. She told Aaron she'd like to do it again soon, and he agreed adamantly. Then everyone got quiet. The guys were definitely expecting a kiss goodnight, but were not quite confident enough to go for it. Susan glanced at Tish asking what to do with her eyes. Tish shrugged. This was definitely not her area of expertise.

  Susan being the boldest one of the group decided to speak up. "You know," she said to Hunter with her signature charm, "the perfect end to a perfect date is a discreet kiss on the lips." Hunter smiled as Susan put her arms around his neck and pulled him close. And they kissed briefly. Staring into his eyes she pulled him in again for something a little more substantial.

  Tish turned to Aaron just as he reached up and gently lifted her chin toward his mouth. Tish watched as he closed his eyes and planted a passionate, tongueless kiss firmly on her lips. His hand slid behind her neck to keep their mouths locked together as he slowly moved his mouth around and varied his pressure against her. Tish couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. It was like a great kiss from a movie. Perhaps Aaron had studied movie kisses, because he nailed it perfectly as far as Tish was concerned. She felt like she was slowly falling, the ground had disappeared from below her feet. Her knees melted and all consciousness of her surroundings were gone. When Aaron's arm pressed hard against the small of her back she realized that she was actually falling, and her charming knight saved her.

  Their eyes met as the kiss ended and Tish regained her balance. "Thank you," she whispered as the door opened behind them. The date was officially over. The girls giggled and shared their experience with each other in her room until Susan's mother finally called inquiring about her daughter's whereabouts. Tish slept well that night, with one pillow in her embrace. And she dreamed. It was wonderful at first, she and Aaron had become a steady couple. She even dreamed a long, detailed evening of making love on a bed of flowers. In her dream she had fallen asleep and woke up beside Aaron in the dark. They were still outside and his body was cold to the touch. She pulled on his shoulder causing him to roll over toward her. His face had gone pale and his enlarged eyes were all black, like deep pools of water at night. She screamed herself awake.

  Lying there in her bed Tish struggled to remember what had happened. She was left with just a wary feeling of a nightmare and eventually fell back asleep without any memory of Aaron's eyes.

  10 - Lonesome Bell

  Nick Bell sat on the hotel bed, has back aching from leaning over his scattered notes. French fries and a chicken sandwich wrapper were mixed into the mess as well. Nick reached for his beer on the night stand to find the can empty. He had finished the whole six pack and the alarm clock read three forty two in the morning. He needed to get some sleep.

  The heater ran full force all night, combating the freezing temperatures outside. Canada was a good bit colder than Virginia, he thought. As a thin man it was hard for him to keep his body warm. He had been chilled to the bone since getting off the plane. The local police laughed at him as he shook and his teeth chattered. No matter. They were of no use to him anyway. The chances of him finding any clues in the wilderness of the great white north was pretty much nil. Tomorrow afternoon he would fly back to his office.

  He needed to arrange a meeting with his supervisor to catch her up on his progress. She would expect it, then show very little interest in what he had to say. He couldn't rationalize why he stayed so passionate about his job when nobody else seemed to care. And after three years on the same case he still didn't know what to believe.

  He was reasonably confident that vampires did not exist. At least not as depicted in the movies and books he was familiar with. But he had come to believe that there were creatures of the night that spurned those exaggerated tales of fiction. There was some base of experience that the fantasy writers embellished. He had seen too much evidence to believe otherwise. Something non-human lurks out there that does not want to be discovered.

  With no coworkers and the inability to share his work with his family, he felt so alone. The fact that he was rarely home only magnified the issue. His wife and children didn't even know that he was a detective. At least not a police detective. They were convinced that he was an investigator for a fictional insurance company. Supposedly, he flew all over the place to investigate fraudulent claims that he was not allowed to talk about. It kept him away from home too much.

  His daughters were growing up fast, and his wife was no longer the woman that he married. Chelsea had struggled with the loneliness over the years. He assumed that she had been having affairs, but made no attempt to confirm it. He could hardly blame her. He was never there for her. And when he was actually there, they did no
t feel like a married couple anymore. She had turned to drinking more recently. Her days of keeping up appearances and flaunting her fashion sense had faded away. He earned enough money that she didn't need to work a job, so she had been very active in a few charities for a while. He wasn't sure if she still did that or not. But the change of wardrobe was noticeable. She had stopped wearing the latest and greatest fashion, opting for the soccer mom look instead. Though neither daughter actually played soccer.

  Nick scooped up his notes as neatly as he could, and slid them into his bag. The trash went to the floor as he pulled aside the covers and laid down still fully dressed. He closed his eyes to sleep, then remembered his cell phone was not on the charger yet. He found it on the floor with the trash. Plugging it in he set two alarms, for nine and nine-fifteen. Before turning off the screen he scrolled over the gallery app and looked for a photo of his wife. There had to be one in there somewhere. Better yet, he found a five year old photo of all four of them before they moved to Leesburg. They had asked the waiter to take it as they crowded around the restaurant table with a small lake in the background. They looked reasonably happy, smiling for the camera. He had one arm around his wife Chelsea, and the other around his oldest daughter, Susan. Their youngest daughter, Jenny, was front and center showing her braces.