When Tristan and Claudia woke up, it was fifteen minutes to midnight. For the first few seconds she was unaware of her exact surroundings, but as her sleep hazy eyes focused on Tristan’s handsome face, she immediately remembered where she was.
Still in the throes of sleep, Tristan looked incredibly peaceful, and reluctant to disturb his slumber, she made an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. This was easier said than done, however, because Tristan’s arms were wrapped fully around her.
Carefully, and with a slowness that she hoped he wouldn’t notice, Claudia loosened his fingers. Yet no sooner had she begun to free herself from his protective embrace, did he suddenly jolt awake.
“Claudia?” His eyes were wild and unfocused, voice shaky with uncertainty as he lifted his head from the pillow.
“Hey sweetie, i’m right here.” Her eyes softened at the worry on his face, palm reaching out to caress his warm cheek. “Everything’s okay, i’m just gonna call my mom so she can pick me up.”
“No need to call her, I can drive you home.”
“You’re tired, honey,” Claudia said. “Just stay in bed and go back to sleep.”
“No, I want to drive you home.” He swung his legs over the mattress, then rose to his feet before grabbing his keys from the nightstand. “What time is anyway?”
“Almost midnight. We slept for more than three hours.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.” Now pulling on her jacket, she gave him a little smile. “Guess we both needed some shut eye, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He stretched, then yawned before slipping into his high top Converse.
“Sorry your visit wasn’t more exciting,” he said while leading the way out of the bedroom. “I thought we’d watch a movie or maybe some TV after we finished talking, but that drowsiness came outta nowehere, didn’t it?”
“Are you kidding me?” She asked as they reached the front door. “Sleeping with you was awesome, way better than TV or watching a movie.”
“Oh yeah?” A wide grin crossed Tristan’s face. “So you liked sleeping with me, huh?”
“Whatever, dork.” She playfully rolled her eyes, but as he captured her in his arms and pulled her up against his body, a familiar warmth began to spread through her crotch.
“In all seriousness though, I liked sleeping with you, too.”
“Yeah?”
“*Yeah.*” His eye contact was strong, expression yearning as he steadily gazed down at her face. “I wish you didn’t have to go home, so we could sleep together all night in my bed.”
“That would be nice,” Claudia said, “but my mom would probably wonder where I was.”
“Well, maybe you could ask her…” A look of hope crossed his face at the idea, but as he noticed that Claudia had looked away, his face went slack with disappointment. “You know what, nevermind. That’s probably a really stupid idea, isn’t it?”
Claudia opened her mouth to respond, but Tristan spoke before she even had the chance.
“I wasn’t trying to suggest anything.” His words came out hasty, cheeks going red with embarrassment. “When I mentioned you staying overnight, I didn’t expect that you would have sex with me, or anything. Just sleep, like we did for those three hours. Because I know you’re not ready for sex, and I totally respect you for being a virgin, so I’d never-“
“Tristan, it’s fine,” she hastily interjected. “I know it was an innocent request, so no need to explain yourself, alright?”
“Okay.”
“I would like to sleep with you again, though,” Claudia said. “I felt really safe in your arms. And you were like, really warm and cozy.”
“Yeah, so were you,” Tristan said, and after shrugging into his green parka jacket, he grabbed her hand and led her out onto the porch.
Upon reaching his Lincoln Continental, Tristan opened the door so that she could slide in, then closed it behind her before heading for the driver’s side. The car chugged a few times before finally starting up, and after backing out of the driveway, Tristan maneuvered the large vehicle down the road.
The drive to Claudia’s house was largely spent in silence, but it was the comfortable kind of stillness between two people who were totally relaxed. Sometime during the drive, Tristan’s right hand reached out to grab Claudia’s, and as his fingers linked with hers, she felt a tingle spread through her digits.
She didn’t know what it was about the way that he touched her, but all it took was the feel of his hand, and a hypersensitivity came over her body. Curious if Tristan felt anything similar, she turned her head to look at his face. But before she had time to broach the subject, he pulled into her driveway and put the Lincoln in park.
“So thanks for coming over,” he said while looking into her eyes. “That talk we had was really good, and of course the sleeping part was nice as well.”
“I agree.” Claudia gave him a smile, then undid her seatbelt before leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Have a good night, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
Tristan nodded, but instead of releasing her hand, he only held onto it tighter.
“Claude?” He asked escort in a voice that was low.
“Yes?” Her eyes were bright with curiosity.
“Now that we’re spending more time together, you might start to see some unusual things, or even have certain experiences that are unexplainable.”
Rather than speak any words, Claudia only blinked.
“You might even have what I like to call, ‘glitch in the matrix moments’, but don’t get freaked out, okay? It just means that we’re spiritually linked and synchronizing to the same wavelength.”
Beyond puzzled, Claudia could only blankly stare at him. But no sooner had her gaze began to cloud, did Tristan tangle his fingers into her soft hair.
“Don’t be scared, alright?” He said after pulling back to look into her eyes. “I know it doesn’t make a whole lotta sense right now, but you’ll see. Things will start happening, and then you’ll understand.”
Meant to provide her with a sense of comfort, the words only caused Claudia’s chest to painfully tighten.
“You’re still frightened,” he said. “Which means you don’t trust me, so that’s definitely going to be a problem.”
“No,” Claudia replied. “That’s not true, I *do* trust you. But springing this on me just before I get out of the car is a bit much to handle, don’t you think? I mean, how exactly am I supposed to take this?”
“You’re fully protected, Claudia,” he said while looking deep into her eyes. “I’m on the sweetgrass path now, so if any dark entities cross your path, I’ll instantly know and bind them from doing you harm.”
“But you don’t expect anything bad to happen, right?” She asked. “If you did sense anything, you would let me know or somehow warn me, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, of course,” Tristan assured her. “And I *don’t* sense any negative energy around us. “I just wanted you to know that a few unusual experiences may happen when you’re around me, or even possibly when you’re alone. But there’s no reason to worry at all, because you’ll always be under my watch.”
“Okay.” No longer worried, she now felt a lightness in her chest, and unconsciously tilted her chin upward so that her mouth was aligned with his.
“I’ll always protect you, Claudia,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “I *promise*.”
Now focusing on the plumpness of her lips, Tristan smoothly moved closer. Without even realizing it, Claudia grabbed the lapels of his jacket, gently pulling him in closer until his mouth pressed flush with hers.
While their previous kisses had been slow and soft, this one was more passionate, not to mention gratifyingly wet. But as the porch light flooded the lawn with yellow light, both Tristan and Claudia immediately broke the kiss.
“It’s late,” Claudia said. “I better get inside.”
“Yeah,” he softly agreed, but his palms remained clasped to her waist, not shifting even an inch.
“So call me sometime,” she said. “Maybe we can hang out and sleep together again.”
This brought a smile to Tristan’s face.
“I’d like that,” he responded. “But I was thinking you might like to go on a date.”
“That’d be nice too,” she responded. “But right now, let’s just take it one day at a time, alright?”
He nodded, and as she reached for the handle to open her car door, so did he. Side by side, they walked up to the porch, where they climbed the steps and came to a stop in front of the door. Having always possessed excellent hearing, Claudia could make out the faint creaking of the hardwood floors in the house, and that was when she realized that she and Tristan were being observed from the peephole.
Wearing an expression of mild amusement, Tristan briefly glanced at the door, then back at Claudia, who gave him a look that said she was aware of their voyeur. But before Claudia could voice her annoyance at them being watched, Tristan was bending down to kiss her.
His lips brushed hers softly, as if afraid to fully indulge, but as Claudia’s lips came flush with his mouth, his inhibitions promptly dissolved. The scent of his being surrounded her, arms encircling her waist as he fed from her mouth.
Although brief, the kiss he gave her was thorough, literally making her weak in the knees. Not wanting to get carried away, they ended the oral embrace far sooner than they wanted, and with identical expressions of adoration, they slowly parted.
“Sleep well,” Tristan said. “And I’ll see you at graduation on Sunday.”
“Yeah, Claudia said. “See you then.”
He started for the steps and began to walk down them, but paused mid-step and turned to face Claudia.
“Just out of curiosity, what time do you usually go to sleep?”
“Kinda hard to say,” Claudia slowly replied. “Usually nine or ten, but now that school is out and I don’t have to wake up early, I’ll probably turn in around midnight.”
“Oh.”
A thoughtful look crossed Tristan’s face, and for a moment Claudia felt a tingling sensation in her brain, but as soon as it had started, it suddenly stopped.
“Well have a good night, and I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, escort bayan you too,” she called out as he headed towards his car, and with a wonderous sort of look on her face she watched him get into his vehicle.
It wasn’t until he was backing out of the driveway that she finally turned her back and entered the house. But the last four words he had spoken reverberated in her mind, making her wonder if there wasn’t a hidden meaning within them.
* * * *
At just past three on Sunday afternoon, Big john’s Chevy Blazer pulled up to the curb of Browning High School. Directly next to him in the passenger’s seat was Mona, and seated in the rear was Claudia, who throughout the entire drive had been checking her makeup in a compact mirror.
Having specially purchased makeup just for graduation, she was wearing cream eyeliner and a bit of mascara to extend her already naturally long lashes. Sporting a velvety matte lipstick that had been topped with a bit of gloss, she was skillfully made up, but that didn’t stop her from eyeing herself critically in the reflection of her compact mirror.
“Please don’t mess with your makeup, Claude,” Mona said from the front seat. “It took me nearly forty minutes just to get it exactly right.”
“I’m not messing with it,” Claudia said. “I’m just wondering how well this cream eyeliner will hold up beneath the sun.”
“Makeup primer,” Mona stated. “I applied plenty of it, so you don’t have to worry about melting in the sun.”
“Okay.” Although her response was agreeable, Claudia snapped her compact shut with reluctance.
“Well, sugarplum, John and I are going to search for a parking spot, so I guess we’d better let you out now, and we’ll meet up again after the commencement ceremony.”
“Alrighty,” Claudia said, and after opening the door and stepping out onto the curb, she offered a wave to Big John and Mona. “See you guys in a bit.”
“Break a leg, kiddo,” Big John stated with a smile.
“We’re both very proud of you, Claude.” Mona’s green eyes lit up with her smile. “We can’t wait to see you walk out on that field, and remember, don’t be nervous.”
“I’ll be fine,” Claudia coolly responded, but as she turned and headed into the crowd that was teeming with soon-to-be-graduates, a fluttery feeling began to spread throughout her stomach.
Everywhere she looked, there were royal blue gowns and square academia caps, so it was a bit difficult to figure out just exactly who was who. But as a strong pair of arms captured her waist from behind, a light gasp fell from her lips.
“Hey, beautiful,” a voice spoke low and seductively into her ear.
“Lucas?” Of course she already knew it was him, but that didn’t stop her eagerness in turning around.
“Hey, there.” Wearing a grin that would melt any girls heart, Lucas dipped his gaze to below her head. “You got anything on beneath your graduation gown?”
“Of course.” A gentle snort escaped her lips before she added, “What, you actually think I’d go buck naked beneath it?”
“You did in the dream I had last night.”
“Shut up, I did not!”
“Did too. And when the graduation ceremony was over, you took me beneath the bleachers and had your way with me.”
“You need to stop,” she said with a grin.
“I swear, that’s exactly how the dream went down. Hand on my heart.”
“Sounds pretty pervy to me,” Claudia stated. “But then again, considering who you are, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.”
“Wait a minute, what do you mean by, ‘considering who I am’?” Just faintly, Lucas’s brows drew together. “
“I meant it in a good way,” she assured him. “I’ve always loved your naughtyness, and you *know* that.”
“Oh yeah, I know.” A come hither look came into his eyes, and he moved in a little closer.
“You look handsome, by the way.” She reached out to touch the leather hair ties that were woven around his two long braids.
“Thanks, babe. You’re looking pretty hot, yourself.”
She smiled, then lowered her gaze before once again meeting his firm eye contact.
“I noticed your mom and Big John dropping you off at the curb. It’s good to see they’re still together.”
“Yeah, they’re like, ridiculously in love,” Claudia proclaimed, “So I pretty much expect them to be a couple forever.”
“Well good for Big John,” Lucas stated. “He’s got a nice looking lady, there.”
“You think my mom’s attractive?” Claudia lifted a brow playfully.
“Oh yeah,” he said a little too enthusiastically, and with a suddenness that Claudia found utterly amusing, he tried to downplay his response. “I mean for her age, she’s pretty good looking. What is she, like thirty, thirty-one?”
“She’s thirty-six years old,” Claudia said. “And very happily taken, so you can forget about trying to work your charms on her.”
“Come on,” Lucas said with a grin. “You can’t honestly think I’m trying to get with your mom.”
“Well no, I don’t,” Claudia responded. “But you’ve probably checked her out at least once or twice before, right?”
With a clear bayan escort of his throat, Lucas nervously shifted his stance.
“Oh my God, you *have* checked her out. You’ve totally done it, haven’t you?”
“What?”
“What my ass,” she said through a smirk. “You heard what I said.”
“You set me up for this.” Lucas’s tone was playfully accusing. “You asked if I thought your mom was attractive, and now you’re trying to make me feel like a perv.”
“Because you *are* a perv,” she said.
“Takes one to know one,” he shot back.
“Oh that’s *really* mature.”
With the mood now playful, Claudia and Lucas took a moment to just stand there smiling. But with her curiosity thoroughly piqued, Claudia found herself posing another question.
“Who else?” She asked.
“Who else, *what*?”
“Who else do you like? I mean, as far as older women on the rez, who else do you think is attractive?”
“What kind of a question is that?”
“Just come out with it,” she said with a smirk. “We’re not going out any longer, so it’s not like you have to spare my feelings or anything.”
Slipping his hands into the pockets of his graduation gown, Lucas pressed his shoe against a discarded cigarette. He glanced off to his left, and then to his right before gazing back at Claudia, but it was several more seconds before he finally gave a response.
“Alright,” he reluctantly stated. “I’ve always kinda had this thing for Winona.”
“Seriously?” Claudia’s mouth came unhinged. “Tristan’s mother, *Winona*? Oh wow, I never would have guessed.”
“Why not? She’s real pretty.”
“I know she is,” Claudia said. “But she’s Tristan’s *mom*.”
“Yeah, well don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially not Tristan, because I don’t want that weirdo sending a *sta-au* to attack me.”
“Sta-au?” Claudia’s brows pressed together. “What’s a sta-au?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
*No, now*, Claudia wanted to say, but the uneasiness in Lucas’s stance kept her from pressing the subject.
“Hey, It’s cool,” she said assuringly. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“What secret?” A voice suspiciously called out to them, and as Claudia turned her head, she noticed Tristan slowly approaching them.
“Hey freak, we were just talking about you,” Lucas said.
“Freak?” Tristan’s face visibly tightened. “Isn’t it time for you to get a new put down, Lucas? You’ve been calling me that since the *seventh grade*.”
“Still fits, doesn’t it?”
Tristan narrowed his eyes, but instead of accepting Lucas’s bait, he shifted his attention to Claudia.
“Hey,” he said with a warm smile.
“Hey yourself,” she responded.
“Kimi’s been looking all over for you. She says you haven’t been answering her texts, and wants to know if you have any cotton pony’s. Not sure what that is, but…”
“Oh.”
Surprised to hear Tristan speak the last two words, Claudia rose her brows. Lucas, however, saw the chance to get in some mean-spirited ribbing and happily tore into him.
“Dude,” Lucas said while grinning at Tristan, “you just let a chick send you on a tampon run.”
“What?” A blank look took over his features.
“Kimi’s on her rag,” Lucas stated, “and she sent you on a mission to find the cork.”
“No.” Tristan’s tone was firm, stance going rigid as he prepared his rebuttal. “That’s not what a cotton pony is.”
“No? Then what is it?”
Shifting his attention from Lucas, Tristan looked at Claudia for her own input. But struck with second-hand embarrassment, she purposed lowered her gaze, and that was when Tristan’s face turned red hot with humiliation.
“I can’t believe you didn’t figure that out,” Lucas said through a chuckle. “She totally emasculated you, man.”
“Well I hardly think that asking for a tampon puts me at risk of losing my manhood, but it’s good to see you’re shedding that immaturity.”
Still thoroughly amused, Lucas’s chest shook with laughter, but Tristan ignored him and chose to look at Claudia instead.
“Sorry to say I don’t have any on me,” she told him. “But if you point me in Kimi’s direction, I’d be glad to see if I can help her out in any way.”
“She’s out on the patio with Natalie and a couple of other people,” Tristan said.
“Oh, okay.” Averting her gaze to Lucas, she said, “Come with us, so we can all hang out.”
“Thanks for the offer, Claude, but I think I’ll hang tight right here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to be meeting Rob and Joey pretty soon, so it’d probably be best if I stuck around.”
“Okay,” Claudia responded and she began to turn away, but on noting that Tristan was rooted to the spot and staring at Lucas, she began to wonder what was going through his mind.
“You coming along, Tristan?”
“In a minute,” he responded. “I need to talk to Lucas about something.”
Shifting her eyes to Lucas’s face, Claudia silently implored him as to what was going on, but after only receiving a shrug of the shoulders in response, she took a step back so she was out of their space.
“Okay. I’ll catch you in a bit, Tristan, and I’ll see you out on the field later on, Lucas.”
“Alright, “Lucas replied, which was followed by a nod of the head from Tristan, and with a turn on her heel, Claudia was off.