The Summer Moon
Chapter 10 -

Malia

Ty came to a stop in front of a small old-fashioned diner with a big sign that said "Al's Diner" in neon red letters. He let my hips slide down his back gently, until my feet were on the ground once again. "You okay?" He asked, turning to me and I smiled.

"Yeah," I took his hand as we walked in together. He led us over to a booth and pulled me in beside him, leaving the other seat empty.

"Um, I could sit over there," I giggled, gesturing towards the empty seat.

"Don't be ridiculous," he rolled his eyes at me, but I wasn't about to argue. I love being this close to him, with my thigh brushing against his under the table. The waitress came over and set two glasses of water and some menus on the table. "What's good here?", I asked as Ty opened a single menu in front of us. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me tighter into his side.

"Everything, this is honestly the best place in town," he smiled a goofy grin at me and my heart beat a little faster. I couldn't help but smile back at him, he was contagious. "You have to get a milkshake though, they're to die for," I looked through the menu and ended up ordering a chocolate raspberry milkshake and grilled cheese. Ty got a chicken burger and a banana milkshake, then the waitress scurried off, leaving the two of us alone. "Malia, can I ask you something?" Ty leaned his elbow on the table and turned to me. He had a serious look on his face, but still his eyes were so gentle. I nodded slowly. "Your dad has lived in that house for as long as I can remember and I've never seen you around before. How come you're just visiting now?"

"I-I don't know," I whispered, surprised by his question. Ty looked at me curiously. "Honestly, my dad just showed up in New York last week and asked me to come. He had this big speech about how I'd never visited him and I'm turning 18 this summer, so I deserve to know this place as a home too," I began and Ty's eyes went a little wider, as if that meant something to him. He didn't speak though, and I found myself confessing more than I meant to, "It made my mom pretty angry, but he was right. We lived here until I was 4. This place was once where I called home. Then we left and never came back, and that's kind of sad. And my dad's a good dad, he tries as much as my mom lets him. I want to spend time with him too, even if my mom doesn't like it." I rambled on, but Ty listened intently to every word.

"So couldn't you just tell your mom you're coming here instead of lying?" Ty questioned me and I was surprised he remembered what I said at the airport. This boy really does pay attention.

"My mom hates my dad, she would never let me come. Honestly, up until now, I've never gone against her. But this time, I just knew I had to do it. I just had to come," I finished lamely.

"Like something was calling you here?" Ty raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded. Ty grinned then leaned in and kissed me. It was short but his lips were so sweet.

"I'm really glad you came, even if your mom is gonna be pissed" he chuckled and that was an understatement.

"Let's not think about that, I hope she never has to replace out" I laughed.

"Uh, won't she notice you're gone?" Ty asked. The waiter came over and set our milkshakes and food on the table and I smiled down to it. Everything looked so good.

"My mom travels a lot for work, she's actually gone for the whole summer. I'm planning on flying home the day before she does." I began to pick at my fries. Ty didn't say anything but nodded. I took a sip of my milkshake. "Oh my god this is so good," I said to Ty and he smiled.

"I told you! Here, try mine," I took a sip from his and nodded my head.

"Okay, by the end of summer I want to try all the flavors," I decided and Ty laughed at me.

"Deal," he said, leaning in and kissing me gently. When he pulled back, I looked into his blue eyes and began to lose myself. I felt the blush creep up on my cheeks and bit my lip. I found myself a little surprised. Would Ty and I still be hanging out at the end of the summer? I hoped so. I was really enjoying my time with him. When we finished our food, we stood from the booth and Ty threw some money on the table.

"I can pay-" I tried to say, but Ty cut me off by pressing his lips against mine. His arm snaked around my waist and held me tight against his body.

"No way, my treat" he smiled at me, then grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. "Night's not over yet baby," I looked down at my watch to see it was already nearly 3:30am, but somehow, I still didn't feel tired.

"Ah!" I cried out as Ty suddenly was lifting me into his arms and pushing my back against the brick wall of the building behind us. His lips were on mine and his tongue began ravishing me. Instinctively, I pulled him into me, enjoying every second of it. When he pulled away, we were both breathing heavily.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist," he winked at me and I laughed. Although I knew how he felt, kissing Ty was definitely becoming one of my favourite things to do.

"Where to now?" I looked up at him curiously. I so wasn't ready for this night to end.

"It's a surprise," Ty grinned at me and I groaned dramatically. Ty held me against the wall and turned his body around, then grabbed my legs so I was on his back once more. I marvelled at his strength and kissed his neck gently. "Don't you start," he laughed at me, then began walking across the street.

"Ty," I pushed myself up a bit on his back and leaned over his shoulder. He looked over to me curiously. "Tell me more about yourself." While I felt comfortable with Ty, it still felt like I hardly knew anything about him.

"What do you want to know? Ask away," he grinned, then began walking up towards the trees.

"Um, where are we going?" My body tensed up as we passed the tree line and entered the forest.

"Relax baby, you're safe with me. I want to take you somewhere," Ty assured me, and I believed him. "Let's talk about something to distract you. What's your favourite colour?"

"Purple. What's your favourite food?" I asked him.

"Movie theatre popcorn, but anything at Al's is a close second. Favourite movie?"

"I like RomComs to be honest," I giggled. "I think my favourite is probably How to lose a guy in 10 days." Ty shook his head.

"Sorry that sounds incredibly lame, but with you, I'd watch it." I leaned up and kissed him on his cheek and he smiled but kept his eyes forward.

"Where do you work?" I asked him, thinking back to that phone call at work.

"Uh, it's a family business, kind of complicated, but I'll tell you about it another time? I don't really feel like thinking about work now," Ty chuckled, and I couldn't really argue with that. Tonight was about having fun. Work was probably the last thing on his mind right now. "What's your favourite animal?"

"A wolf" I answered and Ty suddenly stopped walking, my answer clearly surprising him.

"What?" He asked, so I repeated myself, and suddenly he was pulling me around his body again to face him. My legs slid down to stand in front of him and Ty was giving me a blank stare.

"Got something against wolves?" I gave him a nervous laugh and Ty shook his head, obviously snapping himself out of whatever was going through his head.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that. Why a wolf?" He took my hand and we continued to walk forwards.

"Um, honestly, my dad used to tell me a lot of stories about wolves when I was little. I guess I just fell in love with the stories. Although I've never actually seen a wolf and I imagine if I did I would be pretty terrified," I explained, and Ty looked at me with a smile.

"What's your favourite thing to do?" I asked next, and Ty burst out laughing. I looked at him with ruffled eyebrows, what's so funny?

"You," he turned to say to me and winked. I felt my cheeks burn bright red and my eyes fell to the ground as I shook my head. Ty laughed again and I laughed along with him. He was definitely right about that though. Even if I wouldn't say it out loud, my answer probably would have been him as well. Ty's laughter calmed down as he came to stop at an opening in the trees. I walked forward into the clearing and looked around at the river in front of us and the beautiful white flowers growing along the edge. A waterfall was flowing just down from us with large stone rocks surrounding it. I looked up at the sky and admired the moon and the thousands of stars that shone above us.

"This place is beautiful," I turned to him and smiled. The moonlight twinkled in his eyes as he smiled back at me.

"I come here a lot, it helps me relax, kind of like an escape," he walked over to the river's edge and sat on one of the large rocks. I continued to look around, then went to sit next to him. I cuddled into his chest, replaceing a place in his arms once again, while his warmth surrounded me..

"How are you not cold?" I asked, looking at his bare arms.

"Warm blooded I guess," Ty shrugged. We sat in silence for a minute and I looked up to admire the stars. The moon was only a sliver tonight but it was so beautiful.

"Amazing, huh? The moon is always brighter in the summers here," Ty rubbed my back as I leaned into him. I nodded my head, it really was gorgeous.

"So what do you actually like to do?" I looked up at him.

"Oh I was serious, nothing compares to making out with you," he smirked at me. Gosh, he must be such a player with lines like that.

"Besides that," I mumbled into his chest, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well, I used to spend most of my time with my friends. I workout a lot, I like to run, video games, watch movies, the normal stuff," Ty shrugged. I didn't look up at him though. My mind was racing as I thought about all the other girls Ty probably brought here and how I was sure I was going to end up just another notch on his bedpost if I had ended up sleeping with him tonight. A guy as good looking as Ty was definitely a player. He could have any girl he wanted. A pit started to form in my stomach and as much as I tried to shake the thoughts away, I couldn't let it go.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?" Ty looked down at me curiously. I leaned back away from him but shook my head. I crossed my legs and placed my hands in my lap. While I was grateful for his sweater to keep me warm, I wondered how many other girls had worn this same one. "Malia," Ty's voice was stern again, "Why won't you look at me?"

"I think I'm just getting a little tired," I gave him my best fake smile.

Ty searched my eyes and just as I thought he was going to buy it he said "You're lying, tell me what's wrong." My eyes went a little wide, I had been a master liar growing up thanks to my mom. How could he possibly have known? Ty reached out and grabbed my hand. "What are you thinking about so hard?" Ty's voice got softer. He leaned over to cup my cheek and I couldn't break my eyes away from his.

"I was uh-" I started but didn't know how to say this. Ty tilted his head waiting for me to continue. "Um, thinking about how many other girls you must bring here for your hook ups," I bit my lip, this was so uncomfortable now. Ty seemed to jump back a little.

"Malia, I've never brought anyone here before. Not even my friends know about this place," he looked at me so sincerely that I wanted to believe him, but I didn't know if I could. Ty began pulling me into his lap again. As I sat facing him, I stared at his chest. I couldn't meet his eyes, but damn, his touch felt so good. "You can trust me, you know, I wouldn't lie to you. I definitely have made out with a few girls at parties before, but I've never brought anyone here." "So why show it to me?" I finally looked up to meet his eyes.

He paused for a moment then finally replied, "This town can be a lot sometimes, and it seems like you have a lot going on. I thought you'd like a place to go to just relax and let everything go." My heart melted at his answer, he was so sweet. Suddenly, I felt a little crazy for accusing him of bringing me to a hook-up spot. So instead of replying, I wrapped my arms around him and cuddled into his chest.