The Summer Moon
Chapter 23 -

Malia

I awoke the next morning with Ty's warm arms wrapped around me. I couldn't help but smile and snuggle in a little closer to him. Ty looked so peaceful as he slept. I ran my fingers over his tattoos and muscles and felt him shiver beneath me. "Mm baby it's too early," he groaned, pulling me tighter into his side, which made me giggle. I snuggled in though, Ty's body felt too good against mine. He was only wearing his boxers, and I was only wearing my bra and a pair of boxer shorts that he leant me. I'd never imagined I'd feel so comfortable being this intimate with someone, especially someone I'd met less than a week ago.

"Oh my god!" I shot up suddenly as I remembered we were in the city still. "Ty, I forgot to tell my dad we were staying here, he's going to be so worried!" I shouted as Ty looked up at me with an alarmed look on his face. His expression quickly changed to a smile though, as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me back down.

"Relax, I texted him last night. He was completely okay with it," Ty said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know it's kind of weird that you text my dad," I giggled, but in this moment I was really grateful.

"It's not weird, I've known him like forever. If you came to visit more often you'd know that our families are pretty close," Ty winked at me and I blushed. I wondered if Ty and I would've connected in the same way if we had met earlier. I wondered what Ty was like when he was in high school. I found my mind wandering, then Ty kissed my cheek, bringing me back.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, brushing my hair out of my face.

"What were you like in high school?" I asked him in response and Ty began to laugh.

"Girl, how old do you think I am? That was only two years ago!" I burst out laughing, but 2 years ago seemed like a lifetime away. Even in the past week so much had changed, I felt like a completely different person here than I was in New York. Ty rolled his eyes at me, "I played football, was on the cross country team, spent most of my time with my friends, went to parties, threw parties, maybe got myself in a little bit of trouble," Ty finished with a wink. "Anything else you want to know?"

"I want to know everything about you," I giggled. Ty kissed my cheek.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Now come on, come shower with me." He stood from the bed and my heart picked up in pace.

Showering was officially the most intimate thing I had ever done with someone, and I couldn't wait to do it again. Ty washed my entire body with soap and I did the same to him, which ended with him lifting me against the shower wall and making love to me.

My head was spinning on the drive home, nothing that I was experiencing between Ty and I felt real. It all felt too good to be true. I looked out the window and felt my nerves taking over. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to make myself smaller.

As if Ty knew how I was feeling, he reached over to take my hand, forcing me to unravel myself. With his touch, I instantly felt calmer. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice so gentle.

I looked over to him, planning to just say nothing, but as I met his deep blue eyes I felt compelled to tell the truth. "Honestly, I'm freaking out a little. So much has happened, and it's only been a few days. Everything with you has been so good, but it feels like it's too good to believe or something," I finished lamely.

Ty's eyes softened on mine. He turned back to the road and quickly pulled the car over. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I know things have been moving fast Malia, but I know this is right. We can slow down if that'll make you feel better, but I'm not going anywhere," he squeezed my hand gently and I felt my heart settle. He always knew the right thing to say.

I nodded my head, then leaned over to rest on his shoulder. Ty pulled the car back onto the road and before I knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot of Al's. "Breakfast?" Ty asked, and I nodded my head eagerly.

Breakfast was just as amazing as the food the first time we were here, and I got to try another two kinds of milkshakes. I smiled, knowing that Ty was actually keeping his promise of helping me try all the different kinds of milkshakes before the summer ended.

When Ty walked me back to the patio door of my bedroom, I felt disappointed. Even though I'd just spent nearly 24 hours with him, it still didn't seem like enough. I couldn't get enough of him.

"When can I see you again?" I asked eagerly and Ty grinned widely.

"I actually have to work this evening and tomorrow, but can we go out on Thursday again?" I felt a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see him for a couple of days, but I nodded my head anyway. That would be a good opportunity to spend some time with my dad or maybe Emily if she was free.

"I'll text you though, promise," Ty kissed me gently one more time, then left. I watched him walk back towards the car, admiring him from behind, and reminding myself just how lucky I was to have met him at the airport.

I called Alana once Ty was gone and told her all about my date. There was a lot of squealing and "aw" noises coming from her end of the phone, which made me giggle. I only wished Alana were around to meet Ty. "Maybe you can come visit later this summer?" I suggested to her.

"That would be so fun, maybe I can replace a hot boy too," she said and I rolled my eyes. She was always looking for her next boyfriend, although they never lasted very long. I think her longest relationship was maybe 2 weeks max. "I'll talk to my parents about it though and let you know what they say!" I smiled in excitement and said goodnight to her, hoping her parents would agree to it.

Just as I was settling into bed to sleep that night, I heard more howling coming from the woods. A chill ran down my spine. I jumped from my bed to make sure the door was locked, but immediately felt a little silly. It's not like wolves can open doors.