Lost Girl Ch. 12

"You'd better get me home," she said to Lucas while typing in her response to Mona. "It's nearly half an hour past my curfew."

"Seriously?" Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he saw that it was. "Wow, that time went quick."

He turned the key in the ignition, and as customary, the engine offered a whiny noise as the starter tried to catch. But instead of easing into a steady grumble, the whine only grew lower before finally dying out. Lucas gave it a second go, and then a third before finally getting out of the car, and after popping the hood of the classic Chevy, he got to work at figuring out the problem.

Several minutes later, and with hands that were black with old motor grease, Lucas slipped behind the wheel. Before turning the key in the ignition, Lucas pumped his foot against the gas a few times, but just as before, the engine only gave a few sorry whines before it promptly died out.

"Well, it looks like we're stuck." Slipping his cell phone out of his pants, he began searching through his list of contacts. "I can call a friend of mine and see if he'll pick us up."

"Why don't I just call my mom?" Claudia asked. "She definitely wouldn't mind giving us a lift."

"Uh, I kinda would rather if she didn't," Lucas said.

"Why not?"

"It's our first date, Claudia. How lame would it be if we ended the night being picked up by your *mother*?"

"Well, I guess you've kind of got a point..."

"And besides, you know she's going to bring Big John with her, and It's pretty clear the guy hates me. So I'd really rather not spend the entire ride to your house being grilled by him."

"All right." Seeing that he was clearly uncomfortable with the idea, Claudia slipped her phone back into her clutch. "Give your friend a call and see if he can come out."

Lucas did, but after several attempts of reaching his friend, he gave up and dialed in another number. This time his call was answered, but from what Claudia could tell by Lucas's end of the conversation, the person on the other end of the line was currently engaged in an activity that involved the opposite sex.

"So, it looks like Joey Isn't answering my calls, and Rob is busy getting laid. I've got a couple of other friends I could try and contact, but I'm pretty sure they're at some house party, which means they're probably drunk. So, It's a no-go for them as well."

Easing out a frustrated sigh, Lucas tapped his fingers against the steering wheel before turning his gaze back on Claudia.

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone that has a car and would be willing to pick us up, would you?"

"Yeah, actually I do." In a quick, fluid movement, she retrieved her mobile from her clutch. "My friend Tristan has a car, and I'm sure he would be totally willing to help us out."

"The weird kid?" The look that Lucas gave her seemed to say, *seriously?*, but he made no attempts at stopping her from putting through the call.

With the receiver against her ear, Claudia anxiously waited, listening to the line ring once, twice, and then a third time before Tristan finally answered.

"Hey Claudia, what's up?"

"Hey you. What you up to?" Happy to hear his voice, her lips curled into a smile.

"Nothing much. Just watching a movie and waiting for your call."

"You knew I was going to call?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how foolish they sounded. "Of *course* you did. That was like the most obvious question ever."

"So, what's up?" Tristan asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly." She briefly paused before saying, "Lucas's car broke down and we don't have a way back home, so I was wondering if you could swing by and pick us up?"

"Sure. Just give me the address, and I'll head right out."

"There isn't an address," she said. "The only info I can give you is that we're parked in front of Two Medicine Lake."

"Did you take the main road that leads all the way to the shoreline?

"Yep. There's a picnic table out here and a couple of large signs that point towards a hiking trail."

"So you're at the eastern side," Tristan affirmed. "I know exactly where that is. Give me fifteen minutes, and I'll pick you guys up."

"Great. Thank you *so much* Tristan. You're a lifesaver."

"No problem. See you in a bit."

She slipped her phone back into her clutch, then looked at Lucas, who was watching her with an unreadable expression.

"He's on his way. Shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes"

"Cool." He reached for her hand so that their fingers were linked together, then focused his eyes on her face in a very intent way. "Any ideas on how we can pass the time?"

"I should have known that was coming." She crookedly smiled before saying, "We keep up all this kissing, and we're both going to have some pretty chapped lips."

"Can't blame me for wanting more." His broad palm tenderly cupped her face, thumb gliding over the plumpness of her lips. "You're a very good kisser."

Deep, dark, and seeming to hold very naughty intentions, his eyes had a hypnotizing effect. The way he penetrated her with his gaze was enough to make her pulse speed up, and for a moment she thought of trying to look away. Not because she wanted, but just to see if it was possible. She did try. But like a snake that was charmed by the sound of a flute, she was unable to extract herself from his seductive stare.

"What else can these pretty lips do?" Still caressing her mouth, Lucas eased the tip of his thumb between the seal of her lips.

"I don't know..." She swiped her tongue against his finger, then lightly sucked the very tip of it before pulling her head back. "Maybe you'll find out one day."

"Mmm..." Lucas's gaze swept across the exposed skin of her chest before once again lifting to her face. "Girl, you don't know what you do to me."

"Oh, I think I have an idea." Her eyes shifted to his crotch, as if urging him to check out his own erection.

"I want you to be mine," he said while keeping his eyes straight on her. "You know that, right?"

"I don't know...I guess." Flustered and hot, she found herself wishing that she could take off her jacket.

"I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to have you." His eyes didn't stray from hers, not even for a second. "I don't want you with any other guys, Claudia. I want to be the only one."

And she knew what that meant. Gazing into his eyes, she could see that there was a seriousness in them, which was almost comical, because she didn't understand why he was still so obsessed with being the first guy to lay claim to taking her virginity. It almost seemed as if he were convinced that there were diamonds hidden inside of her, because he was just as intensely into her as the first day that they had spoken.

Yet although he still clearly lusted after her, there was a visible difference in the way he looked at her now, versus four months ago. His eyes held a certain softness, and there was a gentleness in his tone that she hadn't noticed before. She could have gone on looking at him for a whole lot longer, but as the headlights of a car shined right through the windshield, the spell that Lucas had cast over her was promptly broken.

"Oh cool, Tristan made it." Grasping her clutch, Claudia reached for the door handle, but Lucas beat her to it and forced it open instead.

Joining her side, Lucas walked with her towards Tristan's car, and on reaching the 70's-era Lincoln Continental, he pulled opened the rear passenger door.

"Uh, babe..." Claudia's own hand was touching the front passenger door which would allow her to ride shotgun. "I think we should sit up front with Tristan. Just so he doesn't feel like a chauffer."

"Is there room for the both of us?"

"Oh yeah, there's plenty of room. It's almost as large as the backseat."

Lucas's lips pressed flat at the sound of her words, and for a reason she couldn't understand, his face took on a sullen look. But she didn't have to notice the way his jaw tensed up because she was already climbing into the car and greeting Tristan. As soon as Lucas was seated beside her, he slammed the door, and they took off down the path that lead back to the main road.

"Thanks again for picking us up, Tristan," Claudia said. "We really appreciate it."

"No problem." Stealing a glance at Lucas, Tristan saw that he was staring straight ahead. "I'm going to your house, right, Claude?"

"Yep. And if you don't mind, could you drop Lucas off at his place, as well?"

"Sure."

For several long moments, they all sat in silence, staring at the dark, country road which was devoid of any streetlights. Claudia thought of turning the radio so that it would ease the awkwardness which was steadily mounting, but as Lucas slipped an arm around her shoulder, she shifted her attention to his face. Rather than smile he only watched her curiously, but as he allowed his eyes to drift in Tristan's direction, she noticed his face become every bit as hard as his gaze.

"So Tristan," she said while turning her gaze back on him. "You doing anything fun these last few days before going back to school?"

"Not really. Probably just work on my art portfolio so I can start sending it off to colleges."

"Nice. Which schools are you sending it off to?"

"Montana State, University of Montana, Boston University...a few more I can't even remember."

"All of my applications are already sent off," Claudia said. Now I just have to wait and see if I got in."

"Did you apply to Montana State?"

"Sure did."

"I wonder if Kimi did, too." A thoughtful silence intercepted Tristan's words. "Next time we talk, I'm gonna ask her."

"How cool would it be if we all got into the same school?"

"That'd be awesome," Tristan said. "I wouldn't feel so weird about going off to college if I knew you guys would be there to hang out with me."

"Keep your fingers crossed."

Quicker than she'd expected, they arrived at her house, and after pulling into the driveway, Tristan put the car in park.

"So I'll see you at school on Monday," he said to Claudia.

"Yep, see you then. And thanks again for the ride."

Since Lucas was seated next to the door, she had to wait for him to get out. Once they were both on their feet, Claudia turned to give Tristan a wave, and after receiving one in return, she was accompanied by Lucas to her door. As soon as they reached the porch, the front door opened to reveal Mona, who offered both Claudia and Lucas a less than enthused expression.

"Good to see you finally made it home." Opening the door wider, she invited Claudia to step in.

"Sorry we're late," she said. "Lucas's car broke down so we had to get a ride home with Tristan."

Shifting her gaze to the driveway, Mona spotted Tristan's idling vehicle, and after offering a wave, she turned her eyes back on Claudia.

"That was very nice of him," she said. "But you could have called me to pick you up."

"I know. We just didn't want to bother you, so..."

"It wouldn't have been a bother, Claudia." She allowed her eyes to then settle on Lucas, who was watching on with what seemed to be slight nervousness. "Thank you for making sure that she got home safe, Lucas. But I really wish you would have called to let us know what was going on."

"Yeah, sorry about that. It was totally my fault that we lost track of time."

"Not a huge deal, just something to remember for next time." She thinly smiled before once again addressing her daughter. "It's late, sugar plum."

"Right." She nodded her head, and with a shift of her eyes to Lucas, gave him a look that expressed her desire to kiss him.

Clearly less than eager to do it with Claudia's mother watching, he shifted on his feet, then stole a glance at her before looking back at Claudia. Instantly picking up on their desires, Mona faintly smiled. She took a step back from the doorway and started to retreat into the house, but not before leaving her daughter with some parting words.

"Sixty seconds, Claudia. Then you call it a night and come inside."

"Right."

As soon as Mona was gone, she and Lucas stepped closer to each other. As her hands lifted to his shoulders, Lucas's came to rest on the curve of her waist. He leaned down so that his lips could join with hers, and with a skill that took her breath away, he gave her a soft, yet tender kiss. Somewhere along the way, he attempted to deepen it so that they were using tongues, but knowing that Tristan was sitting in his car watching the entire thing made Claudia feel more than a little awkward, so she pulled back before he could take it any further.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to get carried away."

"It's fine." She shifted from one foot to the other before saying, "Thanks for dinner. I had a wonderful time."

"Good. So did I." He smiled before saying, "I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"Cool." As she backed away, so did he, but neither attempted to take their eyes off of each other. "See you at school on Monday."

"Yep. See you then." He continued to watch her until she drifted into the house and disappeared behind the barrier of the door.

He then turned and headed back towards the Lincoln Continental, where Tristan was seated behind the wheel with an unreadable expression on his face. As soon as he was buckled into the passengers seat, Tristan backed out of the driveway and steered the car onto the main road.

"So, where am I going?" Tristan asked.

"Just keep going straight until you hit Merriweather, then make a right on Bear Paw road."

Although his house was only a ten minute drive from Claudia's, it felt more like half an hour to Lucas, who was just as reluctant to make small talk as Tristan was. But as the car traveled further along the road, Lucas found that he could no longer remain silent.

"What is this thing that you and Claudia have together?"

Although barely visible in the darkness of the car, Lucas noticed a slight crease form between Tristan's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You hang out together," Lucas said. "And from what she told me, you're pretty close."

"Yeah..." His voice trailed off just briefly. "Of course we hang out. We're friends."

"Just friends, and nothing else?" An edge came into Lucas's voice, and he made no attempt whatsoever to restrain it.

"We don't have anything going on," Tristan said. "It's a platonic relationship."

"I thought it was a friendship," Lucas said. "Now you're calling it a relationship?"

"It's the same thing," he said. "A friendship is a just a different form of a relationship."

"No, a relationship is between two people who have romantic feelings for each other," Lucas corrected. "A friendship is very casual, and completely non-sexual."

"I have a relationship with my mother," Tristan said. "I also have one with my father and grandparents. Does that mean I have romantic feelings for them?"

"What?" Lucas's brows knitted together. "What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Look, just forget it, okay? Can we not talk at all?"

Far beyond awkward, the silence that settled between them was undeniably thick, and filled with a tension that made the air heavy. As the Lincoln continued down the road, Lucas took not so sly glances at Tristan's face.

He didn't know what he was looking for exactly, nor did he fully understand the reason why his stomach was beginning to harden. But as he found that his attention was repeatedly drawn in the loner kid's direction, Lucas came to the realization that he was jealous.

Which was completely ridiculous, because what did Tristan Whitefeather have that he didn't? Lucas couldn't answer that question, but he did know that Tristan was as socially inept as they came. And if his suspicions were correct, which he was pretty darn certain they were, then Tristan was a virgin, and probably didn't have the faintest clue of what it took to get a woman off. So why would he be jealous of someone like that?

"I'm not in competition with you," Tristan said in a deep voice that cut right through Lucas's thoughts. "I just want Claudia to be happy. As long as she's in a good place, then so am I."

"Who said anything about competition?" Lucas's brows slightly knitted. "And I want her to be happy, too."

"Do you really?"

"Of course."

"Then why do you have sex with other girls?"

Although he should have been able to immediately answer, Lucas found himself stumped, and gave Tristan a long, heavy look that was filled with intensity.

"That's none of your business."

"Maybe not," Tristan said, "But she wants a commitment from you. And until you give it to her, she's not going to trust you."

"Thanks, but I don't need advice from a guy who's never had a girlfriend."

Although it was barely noticeable, Tristan's posture slackened. His jaw set firmly and his lips pulled tight. Even in the dimness of the car, Lucas could see that a light flush had spread across his lower neck, but it was the way that Tristan's body seemed to be pulling inward that made Lucas realize he was trying to disappear.

For a moment Lucas felt bad about the harshness of his words, but as he recalled the way that the loner kid had brazenly questioned him about his sex life, any shred of sympathy he'd felt immediately dissipated. Five minutes later, and with a tension that hovered over them like a thick, poisonous fog, Tristan pulled up in front of Lucas's house.

"Thanks for the ride," Lucas uttered before opening the passenger door, then stepped out onto the sidewalk before closing it behind him. He never got the chance to walk away from the curb, however, because Tristan suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, Lucas."

Turning his head, Lucas saw that Tristan was watching him. For a moment it almost felt as if his very soul was being probed, but that was way too weird of a thought to even fathom, let alone wrap his mind around. Yet still, he couldn't deny the fact that Tristan's powerfully steady gaze was definitely doing *something* to him, and this was the thing that made Lucas's posture go rigid with uneasiness.

"Yeah, what is it?" He stood a little taller, as if hoping that it would somehow ward off the strange energy he was receiving from Tristan.

"Don't hurt Claudia."

Three simple words, straight to the point, and perfectly understandable. But Lucas continued to stand there on the sidewalk with a blank expression on his face.

"What?"

"Just don't hurt her."

Tristan held Lucas's gaze for several more moments before finally putting the Lincoln into drive, and with a visible tightness still in his jaw, he took off down the street, leaving Lucas to stand there all alone.