Beyond Sight Ch. 01

"Well, that's very generous of you guys! Thank you!" Tomas enthused as stood behind the curtain.

"Yeah, well, here's your present!" Joel cackled as he flushed the toilet. The water in the shower suddenly turned cold, causing Tomas to squawk in alarm as he rushed to divert the water from hitting him. Joel bolted out of the bathroom, laughing maniacally as he closed the door behind himself.

Tomas couldn't help but smile himself, as both he and Joel had been pranking each other since they met in freshman year. They were silly, harmless pranks, that each one played on the other, to keep them on each other's toes. It had been a fun game they had played over the years. They occasionally kept score and recorded the best pranks played.

Though the cold water thing in the shower was happening a lot lately. It shouldn't have been, with the dorms being fairly new. He would have to go have a word with maintenance about this issue. His mind wandered back to the fun pranks he had played on Joel.

Grinning at the good times he remembered, Tomas stepped back under the water once it warmed. He then washed himself up, as he wanted to smell good and look good for his day. Michael, another friend of his, who had organized the party, had informed him that there would be a healthy number of single ladies in attendance. It wasn't long before Tomas was done and stepped out of the shower.

As he wrapped himself in a towel, Tomas felt at his face for any trace of stubble. He had shaved the previous day and though he was blessed with the ability to grow a full manly man beard, the facial hair grew slowly. So Tomas didn't need to shave for at least another day or two. He hopped over to his room and got dressed.

A pair of night blue board shorts, along with a white polo shirt, went with his black flip-flops. He decided against any jewelry or watches, as Michael's house was equipped with a pool, so it was obviously a swim party. In mid-spring, the weather was surprisingly warm, which merited the pool being cleaned and ready.

Excitement coursed through him as he finished his ensemble and stepped out the door with his wallet and keys. Tomas passed by his roomies, but they were so engrossed in their game they didn't see or hear him leave. It was just as well, since he wanted to avoid any further birthday pranks.

Traversing down the elevator, Tomas crossed the campus without incident, for which he was thankful. He had put that snot-nosed punk in his place and revealed something he was sure would bruise his ego. Tomas smirked at the thought of what he did, nodding to himself that it was well past time that Rick got what he deserved.

As he was musing on the ramifications of what he had done, Tomas noticed he had arrived at the bus stop. Shaking himself, he had to constantly remind himself to mind his surroundings whenever he went somewhere. He could have walked into a wall and never seen it coming. Primarily because he would lose himself so deep in his thoughts.

Tomas was a thinking man, through and through, and that was one of the attributes that had allowed him to maintain his marks at the university. Finals were coming up within the next two to three weeks and he had been studying hard. Sometimes, he'd lose himself in his work, often falling asleep on an opened textbook or project.

The bus arrived in short order, hissing as it stopped before its doors opened. Tomas stepped aboard, taking an empty seat somewhere in the bus's center. At this hour on a Saturday, the bus routes were empty. Though they had been full the week before, during the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

He remembered how rowdy and crazy the entire campus had been. Almost everyone turned out wearing something that was green, a t-shirt, pants, coats. Some guys had even worn those large silly hats that wouldn't have looked out of place on a leprechaun. In fact, the entire uni basketball team had showed up wearing those oversized hats, speaking with horrible Irish accents.

Tomas chuckled to himself as he shook his head before peering out the window. He also remembered many ladies on campus showing up in skimpy green numbers, some even opting for bikinis. His blood raced at the memory of watching those ladies prance around half naked. Some of them were even in thongs, given the warm weather.

Shaking his head, Tomas peered out the window. His stop was coming up soon, so he stood and made his way to the central door, waiting for the vehicle to slow down. Less than a minute later, it did so before coming to a complete stop. Once the doors split apart to allow passage through it, Tomas stepped through it and onto the street below. He was the only one who got off the bus, from what he could tell.

'Everyone else must have gotten a lift to the party,' he mused. Tomas now stood at least a good six to seven kilometers from the university campus, in a newer section of town. Most of the houses in the area had gone up in the last five years, so the neighborhood hadn't really gone through the ruin of time yet.

Moving with purpose, Tomas walked down the street until he found the numbered house he was looking for. Truth be told, he didn't need to know the number as he recognized several vehicles that sat in its driveway. One of which stood out to him, as he knew it all too well. A bright yellow jeep with black trim lay parked up near the garage door. The jeep belonged to his once good friend and longtime crush, Olivia Kristensen.

Knowing Olivia though, she likely had her current boyfriend with her, but Tomas forgot who it was that she was seeing at the moment. The young man walked up the driveway, climbed the steps to the porch, and knocked on the door. Moments later, it opened, displaying his good friend, Michael Thorinsen.

Michael was a solidly built young man, with long blond hair and blue eyes. Combined with handsome facial features, made him look like the classical version of the Norse thunder god Thor. Despite his good looks, Michael was a total metal head, as evidenced by the black swim shorts and Dethklok T-shirt he wore. A smile cracked his face as he saw Tomas standing there.

"Tom! Glad you that came man! Hey everyone, the birthday boy is here!" Michael shouted over the rock music that was playing in the background.

Several people that Tomas knew crowded the entryway as he shut the door behind himself. He received a good deal of hugs from the various women in attendance and some from the men. Though they were what could be called 'man-hugs', which often came with fist bumps. After he had greeted everyone who had come to see him, Tomas let himself be steered towards the backyard where the pool lay.

Though the pool dominated more than half the space, there was still room to move around. A small patio sat off to the right, where another friend of Tomas', Peter, was busy minding the barbecue. The smell of hot dogs, burgers, and fire grilled chicken permeated the air, along with that of kebabs and fire roasted potatoes.

A pair of coolers sat by the edge of the patio, one filled to the brim with soda pop, while the other was full to bursting with beer. Michael was bent over the beer cooler, fishing out a couple of beverages. Straightening, he extended his right hand to Tomas, handing him and Alexander Keith's Pale Ale, Tomas' favorite beer. Michael held a Heineken in his left hand and cracked it open once Tomas had taken his beer.

"Everyone, a toast! To the birthday boy!" Michael cried out, raising his beer so that everyone could see. "Happy birthday Tom!"

"Happy birthday!!" everyone chorused, each of them raising their own glasses or drinks. Tomas looked around as he took a swig from the bottle, enjoying the fermented drink. His eyes finally found Olivia, and he was pleased to see, from what he could tell, she was only here with some girlfriends. His eyes darted about, thinking he had missed the boyfriend somewhere among the throng of people.

"You know Livi is single, right?" Michael whispered conspiratorially into his ear. That comment caused Tomas to stop breathing for a moment, then he choked and coughed on his beer. A couple of people nearby looked at him in concern, but he recovered quickly, waving them off.

"I'm OK. Just drank it a little fast, and some beer went down the wrong tube," Tomas stated as he caught his breath. The partygoers nodded and turned away after seeing that Tomas would indeed be all right. As he got his breathing under control, he noticed Olivia had spotted him and was excusing herself from her friends to come over.

Tomas' heart raced, yet he made no show of it. He had always been friendly with Olivia, and he would not stop now. She stood shorter than Tomas did, at around five foot eight, with short black hair and gray eyes so bright they almost seemed blue. Her features were a mix of her father's Danish and her mother's Ethiopian heritage, marking her as a truly exotic woman. She had been gifted with an air of positivity as she carried herself with all the confidence of an aware woman.

Olivia was a fit woman, being a relentless cross fitter, and she had the physique without the hardness that usually came with it. Despite her apparent fitness, she was chesty, a small C cup by the looks of it, along with hips that were round and full. Even after all this time, she could still enrapture Tomas, though she didn't know just how much pull she had over his attention. Though she wore a white V-neck shirt and cargo shorts, she still drew his eyes like a fish to water.

"Hey Tom!" she said, before wrapping her arms around the man in a friendly hug. Tomas hugged her back, glad she was there.

"It's always good to see you Livi. How have you been?" he asked.

"Things have been good. Finally kicked Simon out, though to tell you the truth; I don't even know what I saw in that jackass, anyway. I should listen to my friends more," the shorter woman replied.

"Hmph. I could have told you he was a dirtbag," Tomas scoffed as he took another pull from his beer.

"Well, why didn't you?" Olivia asked as she punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"Not my place. Besides, you probably would have kicked my ass if I was to say anything bad about the guy while you still had googly eyes for him," Tomas stated cheerfully.

It was always a good time poking fun at his friend, as she had done as much to him over the years. Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it as she thought about what Tomas was saying. His logic forced her to concede that piece of truth, but her face was a bit sour at this admission.

"Point taken," she said grudgingly. "Anyway, enough about me. How about you? Any lucky ladies in your life?" she asked impishly.

"No, nothing yet. Still working up the courage to ask one particular girl out, but I won't say who. Pestering me will not yield any answers and I'm pulling the Birthday Boy card on you!" Tomas chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an imaginary card.

"Aw! You're no fun!" Olivia pouted.

Another loud greeting by Michael rose as more guests arrived at the front door. It seemed like Michael had pulled out all the stops to make this a wonderful party. Olivia went to see who was arriving, leaving Tomas alone for the moment. He kept his eyes on that woman as she left, getting a good eyeful of her ass as she walked away. Allowing himself a small smirk, Tomas took another drink from his bottle of Keith's before turning back to the rest of the party.

As he turned, Tomas was suddenly face to face with another young woman, who, unlike Olivia, had a scowl on her face. Inwardly, Tomas groaned, as he knew this woman and was in no mood to want to deal with her. He only knew her first name, which was Jessica, and he wished it was the only thing he knew about her.

Jessica was a short red-haired woman, who stood all of maybe five foot six. Like many redheads, she was gorgeous; her face was like that of the Celtic matron goddess Eriu. Dressed in a white halter top and black stretch skirt, she was shaped in a way that would drive any red-blooded man mad with desire. Jessica possessed the alabaster skin typical of many redheads but was rather small in the chest, barely a proper B cup.

Whatever she lacked in attributes up topside, Jess more than made up for it in her bottom half. Fit, toned and shapely were just a few words that could describe the contours of her legs. The true masterpiece, though was her ass; high, heart-shaped, and it stuck out like the ass of a pigeon, practically begging to be slapped. She moved with a dancer's grace, and Tomas wouldn't be surprised if he learned that she had taken dancing lessons at one point in her life.

Her eyes were icy blue and with the stare she had directed at Tomas was enough to freeze anyone cold. She breathed slowly, rhythmically, as though she was trying to calm herself. Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts and anyone who didn't have Tomas' abilities knew that was a bad sign. Tomas looked down on Jessica with disinterest, coming across as unfazed that she was here, though he wished she wasn't.

"Hello Jessica. Fancy meeting you here at my party. Enjoying yourself?" Tomas asked nonchalantly.

"Not as much as you it would seem," Jessica said, her voice laced with venom. "You men can't go anywhere without turning into the oinkers you truly are."

"Truly? Are us guys supposed to get offended whenever any of you ladies give us a hungry stare, like you want to devour us whole?" Tomas carried on, unfazed by her stinging remark. Several people had stopped to look at the two of them, trading insults. Peter, who was busy minding the food on the grill, chuckled at Tomas' jibe. He smiled to himself as he kept the food from burning.

"You need to keep your eyes to yourself, unless you want someone to think you're a crazy stalker or something," Jessica insinuated warningly.

"Honestly, it's because of women like you why there are such few good men left in the world. You ruin all the good and innocent ones by destroying their souls with your hatred. Those who aren't destroyed, are turned into cynical assholes, like House!" Tomas shot back, his patience wearing thin.

"You should really watch your tongue, unless you want it tied in a knot!" Jess rebuked angrily, a couple of her cronies stepping into place behind her. Several of Tomas' friends stepped behind him, backing him up, which had a couple of girls back down. Noting this, Tomas pressed on.

"Oh really? You and what army?" Tomas wondered in a faux Scottish accent. Peter couldn't help but guffaw at that remark, being a big fan of the Shrek movies. Olivia had come back and stood watching the two of them have it out. She looked to be torn as to who she would support in their argument.

Neither Tomas nor Jessica had noticed, but most of the folks at the party stopped what they were doing to watch them. They appeared to be locked in their own little world, where they were set in a duel which only one could walk away from.

"Oh, I have my army," Jessica gestured to her friends behind her, those who were still there. "You may have your 'buddies' but I'd hardly call that an army. The true testament of loyalty is someone's family. Where is your family? Oh, that's right, you have none. Your family up and left you behind because they couldn't stand you."

Tomas would have brushed the insult off, but it was far too close to home. Tightening his jaw and clenching his fists, he turned on his heel and stormed into the house. As he passed some of his friends, he muttered, "Too far bitch!" in a voice too quiet to carry or be heard past anyone who was next to him.

Jessica's voice carried in a cruel, high-pitched laugh, which almost sounded like the laugh of an evil queen. Everyone stared at her with pure murder in their eyes, ready to tear her apart at a moment's notice. Once she stopped, Jessica looked around, taking stock of the situation before saying her piece.

"What? He had that coming. The arrogant shit thinks he can insult me and get away with it?" she said haughtily. "It seems like we've overstayed our welcome ladies. Let's go."

Gesturing to her cronies behind her and the pair that was sitting by the pool, it startled Jessica when they didn't move. She motioned to them again and again; they sat and stood right where they were. Confusion crossed her features, as Jessica couldn't understand why they weren't following her lead.

"The only one leaving here is you, you cold-hearted bitch!"

Those words shook Jessica out of her little queenly bubble she was languishing in, jarring her back to reality. The words themselves cut at her like a razor, but not because they had come from Michael or any of Tomas' other friends. They cut because they had come from Olivia.

"Livi, come on now, we talked about this. This is how it is and needs to be..." Jessica started, before Olivia cut her off.

"No! Tom is my friend! He and I grew up together and I won't have some arrogant twat insult him like that and get away with it! I only joined your group out of anger and rage I felt towards my ex because I thought it would help me get through the shit I was dealing with. I was wrong. Hate cannot heal. All hate does is foster more hate until that's all you are! We are done! Get out!"

Chin quivering, Jessica held herself upright and trudged out of the yard, using the side gate to let herself out. She kept staring at the girls who came with her, hoping for some sense of solidarity, but received nothing but icy stares. Once she had left the yard, the music started back up again and the lively atmosphere returned.

Huffing in anger, Olivia turned on her heel and went to go look for Tomas. As she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, Michael caught her attention. Craning her head, Olivia wondered what he had to say. She hoped for his own sake that his concern would be for Tomas.

"Try the garage. He'll be in there for sure, blowing off steam," Michael stated, before taking another pull from his beer.

"How do you know?"

"It's how Tom deals with shit. He does something physical, either running or weightlifting, to deal with any negative emotion. I just hung up a punching bag in the garage. He's likely beating the shit out of it," Michael explained. "If you want to find him, follow the music."

Face dawning in realization, Olivia thanked Michael for the information and headed straight for the garage. As she drew near, she could hear music playing that was definitely different from the tunes playing on the patio. Once Olivia found the door, she opened it and found Tomas, beating on the punching bag that hung in the middle of the garage like there was no tomorrow.

There was a small device dock that was linked to his smartphone, which was playing Indestructible by Disturbed. If he noticed the door had opened, Tomas made no sign. The music was loud, loud enough to drown out any sounds from outside, which she assumed was the point. Olivia walked over and turned down the music, which cause the raven-haired man to turn around.

"Why did you turn down my music? I was working through some shit!" Tomas growled angrily.

"I could see that, but I wanted to talk to you," Olivia stated defiantly, almost daring Tomas to go off on her.

"About what?" Tomas rumbled, wondering if she was going to defend Jessica.

"About how I believe Jessica went too fucking far with what she said! It's one thing to trade barbs with someone in disagreement or an outright fight. But you never, ever, speak ill of the dead!! Especially when said people were wonderful human beings, like your parents were!" Olivia told her friend.

"Thank you. It's good to hear that Jessica's... outlook hasn't changed you for the worse," Tomas said, smiling at the woman. Olivia smiled back, feeling herself warm up a little under Tomas' gaze.

"Honestly Tom, I've been having my doubts about Jessica and her crazy bitch ways for the last bit," Olivia told Tomas. "I've seen and heard about a lot of shit she's pulled, and today was the last straw. No one insults my childhood friend and walks away unscathed. I'm done with her and her nonsense."