Chapter Six
We arrive at the restaurant and order we talk about music and our likes I tell her about working at the garage for my dad and how we built my car together. She tells me about her father.
"Daddy always used to say when his service was up we'd open a surf and turf restaurant together on the beach somewhere then when I did the festival in La Push I guess I just fell in love with the place." She smiles and I wait for her to continue "You know I..." she starts then stops herself and shakes her head.
"What?" I ask
"No nothing, I was going to say something but I realised how ridiculous it sounded out loud" she says laughing it off, she picks up her chopsticks and skilfully sweeps up a mushroom, I wish I was that smooth with mine.
"Come on tell me?" I ask, she shakes her head and swallows.
"No you'd laugh at me" she says
"I promise I won't, I'll only ever laugh with you" I tell her seriously and she blinks at me for a second before a smile spreads across her face.
"I know it sounds crazy but after the festival on the drive back to LA I felt physically sad and my heart just ached for something. Then once I was back home I felt so gloomy and homesick, how strange is that to miss a place that much, somewhere I'd only spent one weekend?" she frowns and shakes her head at herself.
She can feel it, the imprint it's been affecting her from that very first night she just didn't understand what it was yet. She thought it was La Push pulling her back here but it doesn't matter the imprint brought her back to me and I don't think I've ever been happier.
"It's not crazy" I tell her.
"I told Daddy about La Push and how much I loved it he told me to go a head and start setting up without him. It all just happened so fast I mean everything fell into place so easily like it was meant to be or something. And I don't even believe in fate" she laughs and my head shoots up.
"You don't?" I ask.
"I don't like the thought that I don't control my own destiny" she says and my heart sinks. If that's how she truly feels what is she gonna think when I tell her she was chosen to be my soul mate, she'll hate it she'll feel trapped, I never want that I want Adrian to choose me, I choose her imprint or no imprint. We eat in silence for a few moments before she picks up the conversation again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure sure" I nod and she chuckles.
"I wanted to ask Willow at the bonfire but I was sort of too afraid to" she admits
"Afraid?" I repeat
"Well maybe not afraid but just nervous of what the answer might be" she says
"Ok" I say feeling a little nervous myself
"How come you and all your family and even your friends all have matching tattoos?" she asks and takes a deep breath. As for me I breathe a sigh of relief that that's all it is.
"Oh well it's just the mark of our tribe that's all, why did you think we we're all in some kind of cult or something?" I laugh and she blushes
"I'm sorry I grew up in LA it's the first place my mind jumped, I had to ask" she tells me.
"And you still agreed to go on a date with me?" I ask
"Again I grew up in LA" she jokes and we both laugh "What does it mean?" she asks
"Huh?" I say in confusion
"Your tattoo" she says
"Oh, you know that I'm Quiliette right?" I ask and she nods "What do you know about our legends?"
"Nothing" she admits a beaming smile on her face "Will you tell me? Am I allowed to know I am a... what was the word Trey called me? Oh that's right a pale face" she giggles and as much as the sound it soothing to me I'm pissed that Trey called her a pale face she's an imprint how dare he.
"Trey shouldn't have called you that, I'll deal with him in the morning" I mutter and her eyebrows rise.
"You'll deal with him what does that mean?" she asks narrowing her eyes at me but a smile still playing on her lips.
"It means I won't have that little punk getting away with hurting your feelings. Calling someone a pale face is rude it doesn't just mean someone who isn't Quiliette it means someone who doesn't know much" I tell her and she shrugs her shoulders.
"Well then he used it in the right context considering I know very little about the Quiliette's" she says and I scowl "Now stop being such a macho man and finish what you were saying"
"Some of us believe the Quiliette's are descended from wolves, we believe wolves are spiritual animals that hold power and magic. It's said Quiliette's have magic in our blood and when our enemies are close the magic awakens" I say, she watches me intently hanging on my every word.
"And? What happens when the magic awakens?" she asks and I grin.
"Certain members of the tribe have or are rumoured to have a gene that makes them strong enough to protect the people, in order to do that they become what we call the protectors. And this gene is said to give you the ability to change form, and become the mighty wolf" I say and she laughs a little before pressing her lips together
"I'm sorry, you're playing with me" she states and I shake my head no.
"I'm not"
"You're serious?"
"That's what the legends say" I shrug my shoulders
"What and supposedly this still happens? Quiliette's are out there about to change into a wolf if and when needed?" she asks
"Supposedly" I nod "Who knows, would you tell people if you could burst into a giant wolf at will?" I ask
"I guess not" she agrees.
We finish up our food and I pay then we head pack to La Push it's still early and it's a clear night so when I ask her if she wants to take a walk on the beach before I take her home, she says yes. She kicks her boots off and leaves them in the foot well of my car I decide to do the same and roll my jeans up a little bit. We've made it half the length of the beach by the time I pick up the courage to take her hand, I knot my fingers through hers she glances at me and smiles but doesn't say anything.
We talk about random things but when there's silence between us it's comfortable and nice it's not awkward and uncomfortable, it's a good silence the kind you could sit in comfortably for hours. All too soon the nights over and I'm walking her to the door.
"Did you have a good time?" I ask and she smiles brightly
"I had the best time" she says
"So you'd let me take you out again?" I ask
"I would, my choice next time..." she ponders this for a second "What are you doing Sunday?" she asks I quickly think about my patrol schedule.
"I'm working till afternoon" I say
"Then you're taking me bowling that night" she grins and I laugh
"Ok, bowling" I agree
"Bowling, I haven't been since I was kid" she says then I lean down and kiss her, she immediately wraps her arms around my neck and lets me slip my tongue inside her mouth, after a couple of minuets I get tired of leaning down and with one hand spread across her back and one arm wrapped tightly around her hips I just pick her up until our heads are at the same level. She gasps a little at the movement then continues to kiss me.
When I finally break the kiss and set her down on her feet she's grinning like an idiot and I'm pretty sure I am too. She turns and punches a code into the door unlocking it then steps over the threshold looking at me with a grin. "Well goodnight" I say and she giggles
"Riddoc I'm not holding this door open for the fresh air you know, wouldn't you like to come in?" she asks and I swallow nervously
"Are you sure?" I ask
"I have brownies and beer?" she shrugs her shoulders and I smile, as if she even needs to bribe me.
"Ok" I tell her then follow her inside.