Lost Girl Ch. 09

"But you know how sensitive he is," Claudia stated. "How could you go off and dance with that guy while leaving Tristan on the couch?"

"He wasn't alone, he was with you."

Claudia's nostrils slightly flared as she eased out a harsh sigh. "All right, I need to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Four months ago, Tristan approached me and asked me to teach him sign language. Guess why he asked me, Kimi."

A long stretch of silence followed during which Kimi seemed reluctant to answer. But Claudia could tell from the look in her eyes that Kimi fully understood why.

"What? So you're saying that it was all because of me?"

"Yeah. You're the whole reason behind him learning it."

"Wow..." Appearing a bit dazed, Kimi lowered her eyes to the floor before finally lifting her gaze so that it once again met with Claudia's. "Okay, this is pretty major."

"So now you understand just how much he likes you," Claudia said. "I mean, this Isn't something that just any guy would do."

"You're right, It's not."

"And I understand that you have a boyfriend now, but please be nice to him. Tristan is special. He's really sweet, Kimi."

"Yeah, I know. And I feel like a total bitch now for the way that I treated him." She fell silent, mulling over what she was going to do next. "I'm going to have a talk with him, but it shouldn't be too long, so just hang out here until I get back, okay?"

"Take your time. I'll catch up with you in a bit," Claudia said.

Having grown thirsty, she retrieved a can of soda from the snack table, then munched on a few chips before taking a handful of M&M's. From where she stood in the kitchen, she had a full view of the deck, and deciding to venture outside, she turned away from the snack table.

Rather than continue forward, she found that her pathway had been effectively blocked. And that was when her eyes came to focus on the person who was standing before her.

* * * *

With all of the bedrooms in the house occupied, the laundry room was the only private place that Kimi could think to take Tristan, and after pulling the door shut and locking it behind them, she focused her eyes on his face.

Rather than gaze steadily at her, Tristan shifted his attention to the small window above the washer, but as Kimi reached out to take his hand in hers, he promptly switched his point of attention to her now smiling face.

"You're a wonderful person, you know that?"

"I am?"

"Yes, you are." As if to confirm this, she lightly squeezed his hand.

"Thanks."

As he smiled, so did she, and for awhile they just stood there looking into each other's eyes.

"The reason I brought you here, is because I wanted to say thank you. And I wanted to do it in a quiet place where we could be one on one."

"Okay." He ran his palm up and down his pant leg a few times before shifting on his feet. "Thank you for what?"

"Claudia told me that she taught you sign language, Tristan."

"Oh." His lips pressed tight before he said, "I didn't want her to tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't you want to think that I was being manipulative."

"I don't think that It's manipulative at all," Kimi said. "I think It's incredibly sweet and totally awesome that you went to such lengths to impress me."

"Really?"

"Yes." Her eyes were soft and filled with an inner glow. "No guy has ever done anything even *remotely* as cool as learning sign language for me."

The beaming expression that lit up Tristan's entire face made Kimi smile even more, and still holding his hand in hers, she maintained steady eye contact.

"Not a lot of people care about me, Tristan. So thank you for that."

"You don't have to thank me," he said. "I was happy to do it."

"Yeah." Still smiling, Kimi gave a gentle nod. "Claudia was right. You really are special."

As she stood there gazing at him, Kimi found herself feeling just a bit regretful that she was already in a relationship. And yet at the same time, she knew that Tristan couldn't have been any more different than she was.

While he was quiet, withdrawn, and preferred to isolate himself from others, she loved nothing more than a good party, and actively sought out ways to meet new people. They couldn't have been any more of complete opposites, but there was something about that stark contrast that made her more than a little curious.

Yes, he was certainly as special as Claudia had been telling her. Because there weren't any other guys on the reservation who accepted her as Tristan did. She knew he'd heard about the rumors of her sleeping around - he must have heard about them, because the rez was far too close-knit for him to be oblivious of her sexual past.

And yet still, he'd liked her enough to go through the trouble of learning sign language, that's what really shocked her the most. He was certainly one of a kind, that much she knew for sure.

She guessed she must have been looking at him pretty darn steadily, because he was nervously tugging at the hem of his Army jacket. Finding his nervousness cute, Kimi allowed another smile to cross her face. She then maneuvered her body so that she was standing on her toes, and with palms resting against his shoulders, she slowly leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

If she hadn't been mistaken, he'd faintly gasped at the touch of her lips. But it wasn't until she pulled away from his face that Kimi noticed his pupils were dilated. She couldn't help feeling a bit of pride at the effect she'd on him, but their moment had come to an end, so she released his hand and stepped back a few paces.

"Well, I guess we should be getting back to the party now."

"Right. The party." His voice was tight with reluctance.

"You gotta loosen up, Tristan. Parties are meant to be fun, you know."

She unlocked the door, then opened it. And with Tristan following behind her, led the way back to the front of the house.

* * * *

Even before she saw the two narrow braids that reached his hipbone, Claudia already knew that Lucas was the one who was blocking her path. The woodsy scent of his cologne had been a dead giveway, and although it may have sounded crazy, something within her had been able to sense that he was hanging around.

Ordinarily, his mere presence would have made her heart work double time, but the memory of the argument they'd had earlier that morning had left her with a rather diminished opinion of him.

"Sean," Lucas said with a haughty sureness in his voice. "Sean DesRosiers. That's the guy you were with last night."

"Who told you that?"

"Nevermind who told me. I want to hear you admit that it was him."

"Okay, I was with Sean," she admitted. "And?"

"And I got the lowdown on everything that the two of you did."

"*Right*. Stop bluffing, Lucas."

"You're pretty good with your hands, I hear."

Claudia's cat-like eyes narrowed to slits.

"So I *am* on the right track." His lips tilted into a smirk.

"Don't you have anything better to do than harass me?"

"You call this harassment?" Grabbing a few pretzels from the bowl, he popped them into his mouth. "We're just having a conversation."

"Well have one with yourself, because I'm not doing this with you anymore."

She turned to walk away, but only got as far as the threshold before Lucas called out to her.

"Why'd you do it, Claudia? Why did you get together with Sean?"

Turning to face him, she said, "Because I wanted to."

"So you got together with a total stranger *just because*. No special reason, you just did it."

"Not that It's any of your business, but I found him attractive and we had good chemistry. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

"You find me attractive, too," Lucas said. "And you know just as well as I do, that we have *great* chemistry, so why Sean, and not me?"

"You really aren't going to let this go, are you?"

The heavy stare that Lucas gave her made it pretty clear that he was not.

"It was a spur of the moment thing, all right? Things just sort of happened."

"Are you going to see him again?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know, maybe..."

"So you enjoyed it." Lucas's eyes searched hers, but the look on his face seemed to implore her to disprove his statement. "You liked being with him."

"Why are you doing this, Lucas?" An almost piteous look came into her eyes. "Why are you asking questions that you really don't want an answer to?"

"Because, I need to know how you feel about him."

"Why?"

Lucas absentmindedly rubbed his jaw, then allowed his eyes to drift to the right before looking back at Claudia. "Because if you plan on hanging out with him again, that's something that I need to know."

"I don't know everyone that *you* hang out with," Claudia said. "So why should I do something that you yourself are not willing to do for me?"

Seemingly stumped, Lucas stared blankly at her for a very long moment. So long, that Claudia decided to break the silence.

"You've done nothing to earn that right, Lucas. And until you do, I will see whoever I want to."

"No."

Louder than his normal speaking voice, Lucas's tone had sliced right through the loud noise that surrounded them, sounding so firm and strong that Claudia lifted her brows in response. There was a tightness in his expression, as if he was resisting the urge to say what was truly on his mind, and as Claudia stared up at him, she noticed that his chest was projected outwards.

"No?" Her expression was incredulous. "You don't get to tell me no, Lucas."

"No, what you're doing is..." His lips pressed together, flattening for a moment as he flexed his jaw. "You're just trying to make me jealous. You're upset because I won't let you string me along, and now you're trying to get back at me for it."

"Seriously...you think this is all about you?"

"Well if it Isn't about me, then what is it about? Because that Isn't the type of thing that you would normally do, Claudia. You're not the type of girl to get together with strange guys."

"We've only known each other four months. How would you know whether I'm the type of girl who would, or wouldn't do something like that?"

"Because, you aren't."

As he stared into her eyes, she stared right back. Each seemed to be willing the other to break their gaze first, but neither Claudia nor Lucas gave any signs of resignation. Biting her lip, Claudia waited for Lucas to blink, but astoundingly, he kept up his prolonged gaze. When it finally reached a point that she could hold off no longer, Claudia gave in and allowed her lashes to flutter. But as Lucas reached out to cup her face in his palm, they suddenly went wide again.

Rather than hold her aggressively, he cradled her with a tenderness that she hadn't been expecting at all. The pad of his thumb traced a warm trail against the curve of her cheek, and his deep brown eyes gazed into hers with a softness that made the tension in her body disappear.

She was supposed to be angry at him, and a part of her still was. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep from leaning her body into his.

"Do you really want to be with another guy?" Lucas asked. "Or do you want to be with me?"

Of course she knew the answer to that question, but something within her was hesitant to respond.

"Why would you go to another guy when I'm so willing to please you in any way you choose?" No longer stroking her cheek, Lucas's thumb traveled down to trace the fullness of her bottom lip. "I really wish you would stop being scared and just open up to me."

The pace of Claudia's heart picked up, lashes fluttering against her cheek. Her breath audibly hitched as he placed his left hand on the exposed skin of her lower back, but it was his unique Lucas scent that caused the tremors along her spine to spread to a different area entirely.

"Open up to me, Claudia." As Lucas's lips crept steadily closer to hers, the hum of electricity could be keenly felt between their bodies. "Let me *in*."

As if hypnotized by his low, deep voice, she parted her lips to do just that. But before her mouth could join with Lucas's, a loud cry of alarm was suddenly pushed from her throat.

Something cold and wet was being poured over her head, covering not only her hair but also her face, which immediately pulled back from Lucas's. Thin, with a pudding-like consistency - which Claudia soon came to realize was eggnog - the liquid slowly oozed down the strands of her curly hair before traveling down to her crop top, which promptly became soaked.

With her face effectively slimed, Claudia was temporarily blinded by the gooey muck in her eyes, so she couldn't see what was going on. She could, however, tell from the sounds of struggle which followed that someone was getting into an altercation.

"What the fuck did you do?"

Clearly, Lucas's voice.

"I knew it. I knew you were fucking around with her!"

Misty. More than definitely, Misty.

"Calm the fuck down, Misty," Lucas yelled out. "Stop it. Do not touch her!"

"Let go of me!"

Having finally wiped away all of the slime that had been covering her eyes, Claudia's vision had returned, and she was now able to see that Lucas was restraining Misty by circling his arms around her waist.

"I said let go!" Misty tried to wrestle out of Lucas's grip, but he was far too strong, and only held on tighter.

"Only if you promise to be cool." His brows had lowered and pinched together. "Now are you going to be cool?"

As Misty glared at her, Claudia could see that she was anything *but* cool. Her lips were flattened and her nostrils were flared, as if she was having trouble normalizing the pace of her breaths. But somewhere along the way, she managed to calm herself down, and as the rigidity in her body just slightly lessened, she finally relented and eased out a heavy breath.

"All right, fine. I promise to be cool."

Hesitantly, Lucas released his grip, and as Misty spun around to face him, she slapped him hard in the face.

"*She's* the reason why you couldn't pick me up on your way to the party," Misty said while pointing at Claudia. "Because you were busy fucking her in your truck."

"What are you talking about? I came alone."

"You're a liar. I just went out to your car and found her curly hairs all over the passenger seat. And while I was out there searching, I found these." She procured a couple of condoms from the pocket of her jeans, and after throwing them at Lucas's face, she asked, "Why do you have condoms, Lucas? I went on birth control three months ago."

"We're in an open relationship, Misty. You know that."

"You told me that you would be truthful about the people that you sleep with. I asked you if you were having sex with her, and you said that you weren't."

"Because I'm not," Lucas said.

"Then why did I find strands of her hair in your truck?" Misty asked. "They're obviously hers. I can tell by how curly they are."

"Because I gave her a ride home," Lucas said. "But it was days ago, and we didn't have sex."

"You're a liar."

"No, I'm telling you the truth."

Something in his tone must have convinced Misty that he was being truthful, because there was a change in her eyes. For a moment she only stared at Lucas, but on shifting her gaze in Claudia's direction, a pinched expression took over her face.

"I hope you know that everything he tells you is a lie," Misty said. "He doesn't care about you. He just wants to use you for sex."

"Maybe so," Claudia said. "But if that's the truth, then why are you so threatened?"

Misty blinked, and for a moment her eyes seemed to go distant, as if she were struggling to come up with a response. Several moments passed, and then a few more before she finally stepped closer to Claudia.

"Why would I be threatened by you?" Her tone was laced with bitterness. "The only reason he's paying you any attention at all is because you're a virgin. That's *all* you have to offer him."

"I think we both know that Isn't true," Claudia said in a self-assured tone. "But if it makes you feel better, then hey, go with that."

Uncertainty flashed in Misty's eyes, and there was something in her demeanor that had grown just a little less certain. But clearly desperate to keep the upper hand, she tilted her chin upward and pulled her posture as straight as it would go.

"Oh, and by the way, I heard you got together with Sean DesRosiers." Her lips pulled into a nasty smirk as she added, "Congratulations on completely living up to that Senior Top Forty List. You really are the type of girl to get with a guy on the first date."

With a turn on her heel, Misty headed away from Claudia and back toward the throng of dancing teens in the living room, but not before throwing Lucas a fierce glare.

"Have fun with your little slut."

As soon as Misty was gone, Lucas grabbed a few napkins from the snack table, and with tenderness, began wiping the goopy eggnog off of Claudia's face

"I'm sorry about Misty," he said. "I don't know why she gets so damn crazy."

"She's clearly in love with you, can't you see that?"

"In love?" Lucas chuckled faintly before saying, "Naw, I don't think so."

"She acts like someone who's in love."

"Misty has been like this for as long as I can remember," Lucas said. "She's extremely clingy. Not to mention, overly paranoid and completely vindictive."

"She sounds lovely to be with," Claudia said while closing her eyes so that he could clean the remaining gunk from her eyelashes. "If she has so many undesirable qualities, why are you still with her?"

"Because if I leave her right now, I'll feel like an absolute jerk." Now wiping the eggy liquid from her hair, he continued, "And I'd really rather not be a completely heartless asshole."

Her curiosity now piqued, Claudia found herself wanting to find out more behind Lucas's hesitancy to leave Misty. But she never got the chance to ask, because Kimi and Tristan suddenly walked into the kitchen.

"Oh my God, what happened to you?" Kimi's mouth fell open as she saw that Claudia's previously voluminous curls had been reduced to wet, goopy strings that hung limply down her back.

"Got a cup of eggnog dumped over my head," she said with an almost air of nonchalance.

Rather than continue to stare in shock, Kimi's gaze drifted downward to take in Claudia's crop top, and as she noticed that it was also coated with the thick, pudding-like drink, her eyes went hard and cold. Zeroing in on the bowl of eggnog, Kimi hastily made her way towards it, and after retrieving one of the red plastic cups, she ladled it full of the beverage. Her attention then shifted to Claudia's face, and in a voice that had an edge to it, she made a firm request.

"Point me in the direction of that bitch, and I'll get her back for you."

"Forget it, Kimi. I don't want you to retaliate."

"Why?"

"Because we don't need to stoop to her level."

"Oh hell no! She needs to be taught a lesson."

Claudia opened her mouth to voice some words in disagreement, but it was too late. Kimi was already walking away from her and heading out of the kitchen.

"Kimi, no." Tristan tried to grab her hand, but she effectively dodged him, then continued along her way into the living room.

Turning her head to look at Lucas, Claudia saw that he was rubbing the bridge of his nose. The heavy sigh he let out told Claudia that he was preparing for the worst, but rather than stick around and watch his anxiety heighten, she hurried out of the kitchen, tracing the path that Kimi had taken into the living room.

Following close on her heels was Tristan, but they barely made it into the pot scented living room before an enraged scream filled the air. Loud enough to cut through the blaring music like a fin through a wave, Misty's wail had arrested the attention of everyone in the living room, and after squeezing their way to the front of the crowd, Claudia and Tristan were finally granted the opportunity of seeing what everyone else was staring at.