Lost Girl in Transition Ch. 08

Once Claudia was in the passenger's side, Tristan started the car and they took off, driving out of the field and back onto the road. Along the way to Kimi's house, he pulled into the Qwik Stop Gas & Mini Mart, and after positioning the huge Lincoln next to a pump, he put it into park.

"Need anything while I'm inside?" Tristan asked.

"Some water would be nice. And an ice cream bar, strawberry shortcake if they have it."

"Coming right up," he said, lips brushing hers for a gentle kiss, then he was out of the car and heading towards the mini mart just ahead.

Checking her reflection in the rearview mirror, Claudia saw that her hair was voluminous and soft looking, the curls tight but reaching down to below her armpit. Her foundation was still fresh looking and her eye makeup was intact, but her lipstick had been rubbed off by all the kissing she had done with Tristan.

Digging into her small handbag, Claudia retrieved her lipstick, and after applying a new layer, smacked her lips together. She barely had to time to apply a dab of gloss before she noticed movement from the corner of her eye, and turning her head to look, she saw that Lucas was approaching the car.

Surprised to see that it was him, she lifted her brows and watched him come closer, unabashedly studying the way that the sleeveless raglan tee showed off his biceps. Nicely toned, they seemed even more developed than the last time she'd seen him, and on noticing that his shirt was lightly stained with sweat, her heart beat a little quicker.

She didn't know why it turned her on, but for some reason it did. Maybe because it reminded her of physical labor and with physical labor came a hard, toned body, which Lucas so clearly had. Even before he reached the car she was already smiling, and in return he widely grinned, eyes dancing with obvious merriment.

"Hey you," she said as he finally reached the car.

"Hey yourself, girl." He leaned down so his face was at her level. "What's going on?"

"Heading out to university today." She gestured to the mini mart before adding, "Tristan's inside paying for gas, then we'll be on our way over to Kimi's."

"You're leaving today?" Lucas's face went slack with disappointment. "Well why didn't you tell me? I would have showed up at your house to say goodbye."

"I did tell you. Sent you a message last night, but you never responded."

"I never got it," he replied. "My phone can be funny sometimes, though, so It's probably just a glitch in the system or something."

"Yeah, well, good thing I bumped into you here, huh?"

"Most definitely."

Noticing the fine wood chippings that covered his shirt, Claudia decided to inquire. "So where are you on your way from?"

"The sawmill," he replied. "Just getting off an eight hour shift, so I'm pretty beat right now."

"Well for eight hours of hard work, you look pretty good," she said.

"Oh yeah?" Lucas's eyes gleamed at her flirtatious compliment. "Well thanks, you're looking pretty nice yourself."

She inwardly blushed, but maintained steady eye contact with him.

"I always did think you were sexy," Lucas said in a purposely lowered tone. "You know I still have a thing for you, right?"

Her lashes lowered, face growing hot at his blatantly seductive words. Yet as flattered as she was, a part of her also felt guilty. Not even an hour ago she'd been having sex with Tristan, and now here she was, lusting after Lucas and blushing madly at his come on's.

Tristan was her boyfriend, while Lucas was an ex, so why was she sitting here flirting with him when she was already in a committed and loving relationship?

"Yeah, I admitted it," Lucas declared. "I still like you, Claude. But of course you already knew that because girls are good at figuring that stuff out."

"But I didn't know," Claudia said. "To be honest, I thought you'd already moved on."

"I have," he replied. "But just because you let go of one person and start dating others, doesn't mean the feelings completely disappear, you know?"

Claudia nodded, then cleared her throat before lowering her eyes. But as she lifted them again, she could see that Lucas was still studying her face. To her it seemed as if he was waiting for a reply, or perhaps even hoping that she'd share her own feelings with him. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it, at least not here, with Tristan so close.

Perhaps realizing that she wasn't going to give a response, Lucas shifted on his feet, then briefly glanced at the mini mart before gazing back at Claudia.

"But you're with Tristan now and I know you guys are happy. So that's cool and I'm glad for you."

"Thanks," she replied, and on lowering her gaze from his, she saw his left bicep had been tatted up.

"You got a tattoo?" Her eyes went wide.

"Oh yeah, like a couple weeks ago. You're just noticing it right now?"

"Well the last few times we saw one another you were wearing long sleeved shirts, so yeah, It's my first time noticing it."

"You know who it is, right?" Lucas shifted his stance so she could fully view the inked portrait.

"Sitting Bull?" Claudia asked.

"Yes, that's right," he said with a smile. "So you do know a bit about Native history."

"Sure, I read," Claudia responded, and as Lucas lightly chuckled, she gave him a wide grin. "So how long have you been on the job?"

"A week. The hours are early and the work can be pretty laborious, but the pay is good so I'm not complaining, you know?"

She offered a nod. "I'm glad you're employed. Did you register for community college yet?"

"Oh yeah, I did that like four weeks ago," he said. "Matter of fact, classes are starting next week."

"Nice. You excited?"

"More nervous than anything else, but I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting on the path to university."

"That's awesome, Lucas. I'm glad that things are working out for you."

"Same to you, Claude."

They both grew quiet, and for a few moments just listened to the sounds of cars pulling in and out of the station. But as Claudia's gaze flitted to the mini mart, she began to wonder about her boyfriend.

"I should probably go check on Tristan," she said. "He's been gone awhile, and I'm starting to wonder why he hasn't shown back up."

"Oh, right. Yeah guess you should go see what he's up to."

As Lucas backed away from the car Claudia opened the door, but instead of leaving the path open Tristan, Lucas stood directly in front of her.

"So do I get a goodbye hug, or what?" He asked.

"Oh, sure. I mean yeah, of course you do." She leaned toward him so that he could embrace her, and as his arms wrapped around her smaller form, she tightly hugged him back.

"Seems like we're always saying goodbye," Lucas said. "This makes the third one in the past three months."

"First one was when you broke up with me, then the second was before I went on the road trip."

"Yeah." Pulling back to look at her face, Lucas offered her a gentle smile. "And now you're going off for good, becoming a city girl and leaving the rez behind."

"I'll be back," she said. "This is my home, so I'll return for visits."

"Good," Lucas said, and after glancing around the tiny gas station, directed his gaze back at Claudia. "You know, It's kind funny that we're saying our goodbyes right here. You do remember this is where we first met, right?"

"Yep. First day I arrived on the rez, my mom and I stopped off here. I think I was

heading into the convenience store and you were driving behind me, staring at me from your car."

"I was checking out your body," Lucas replied. "You were wearing these cutoffs that showed off your long legs."

Claudia lightly smiled before continuing. "You asked me if I was lost."

"Because you were the only black girl around," he said with a grin.

"It really annoyed me when you said that. I remember thinking you were a total ass."

"Well I couldn't just drive by without saying anything. I had to know, I was really curious."

Her lips peeled back to reveal white teeth. "Well guess I can't blame you for being curious."

"Or attracted," he said with a smile, and as she dipped her lashes so that her eyes were briefly hidden, he released a soft chuckle.

"So I've gotta go now," she hastily said. "It was great seeing you again, though, and I'm glad we had a chance to say goodbye."

"Yeah me too," Lucas replied. "Take care and be safe out there in the city, okay? And send me a text every now and again to let me know you're allright."

"I will," Claudia said, and after giving a little wave, turned on her heel and headed for the mini mart.

It hurt to walk away from Lucas. Not only a little, but a whole lot. Yet still she kept on forward, and although she could feel his eyes on her back she continued along, heading into the mini mart and disappearing behind the door.

* * * *

As soon as Claudia entered the convenience store, Tristan hastily grabbed a magazine. Hoping to make it seem as if he was engrossed, he flipped through the pages quickly. Eventually he came upon an article, some write-up titled: the unexpected consequences of selfies, and feigning acute interest, pretended to read the words that were on the page.

Even before Claudia reached him he could smell her perfume. It was a light and carefree fragrance, not too unlike her own personality, and as she came to a stop in front of him, he slowly lifted his gaze to her face.

"Oh, hi." Rather than sound nonchalant, his tone came off as slightly uneasy.

"You're reading magazines?" More amused than annoyed, she lifted one of her arched brows. "This is what was making you take so long to return?"

"Yeah, well I saw this on the shelf and I thought it looked really interesting. Sorry I took so long, didn't even realize how long I was in here."

"But It's a magazine," Claudia stated. "I mean, how fascinating could it be?"

"Well it might not be fascinating but It's definitely interesting."

Gently grabbing the item from his hand, she closed the publication and checked out the front cover.

"Tristan, you're reading a copy of *Vogue*."

With a hastiness, Tristan took the magazine from her hands, then placed it back on the shelf before resting his eyes on Claudia. "Alright, so maybe I wasn't reading magazines. I was spying on you, okay?" He gestured to the oversized window located next to the magazine rack.

"Spying, but why? You don't trust me with Lucas, or what?"

"I trust you," Tristan replied. "But I wanted to see how he would act if I wasn't around to provide a buffer."

He waited for a response, but when she didn't say anything he continued on.

"This is Lucas is we're talking about here, Claude. He like seduces girls as a pastime."

"We were just saying goodbye," she said.

"He was flirting with you," Tristan replied. "I could tell by the way he was smiling and showing off his tattoo."

"Maybe he was flirting a little," Claudia admitted. "But it was harmless and he didn't cross any lines."

"Yeah, well I still didn't like it." A slight pout touched his lips. "I know this sounds stupid and completely insecure, but I wish you wouldn't look at him that way."

"What way?" Claudia asked.

"The way you were looking at him when he was walking towards the car. It was like you were imagining him naked."

"Oh, like you don't check girls out?"

Feeling as if he was being baited, Tristan kept his mouth shut.

"You've checked Kimi out before," Claudia declared. "I've seen it with my own eyes."

"What?"

"Don't play stupid, Tristan. When we were at the hot springs during our road trip, I noticed you check her out in her bikini."

"I may have looked for a few moments," Tristan replied in a fluster. "But I wasn't fantasizing. It was just a quick glance, nothing more."

"Exactly," Claudia responded. "And I only quickly checked Lucas out as well, so you know what that means? That we're normal people with functioning libidos. We're not blind or anything, so sometimes we're going to look. And that's perfectly okay."

Realizing that she was right, Tristan allowed his muscles to go loose. The jealousy that he'd felt began to slowly disappear, and suddenly he felt foolish for allowing his insecurities to get the best of him.

"You're right," he admitted. "I was being silly, and I'm sorry for spying. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

"It's fine," Claudia said, and pulling him toward her, looped her arms around his neck. "We both have our moments of insecurity, but at the end of the day we know who we're with."

"That's right." Looking into her eyes, Tristan noticed how brown and endlessly deep they were. "We belong to each other, Claude. It's like we share this special connection."

"Uh-huh." Sliding her fingers into his shoulder length hair, she gave him a deeply intense look. "Plus we're amazing in bed together. Doesn't matter if we're fucking or making love, It's always intense."

"Ditto on that," Tristan replied, and as he leaned in to kiss her, her mouth was already ready for him.

Their tongues brushed together, moans releasing as they softly kissed. His hands came to rest on her waist and for a moment he considered copping a quick feel of her butt, but they were in public and he didn't want to go overboard on the PDA.

As their lips disentangled, their hands joined, and they headed for the door. Minutes later they were in the car and pulling out of the gas station, but for some reason Claudia's eyes were drawn to the rearview mirror.

As her eyes focused on the glass, she caught sight of Lucas's reflection. Leaned against one of the gas pumps, he was watching Claudia and Tristan drive off. A sad look was on his face as he observed them, but still he rose a hand, offering a little wave to Claudia as Tristan began to accelerate.

She rose her own hand to say goodbye, then lowered it to her lap. And only once the gas station was in the distance and Lucas no longer visible, did she focus on the road before her. But the tug on her heart remained, leaving her with a pang of sadness.

* * * *

An aging mobile home with a cream body and brown trim, the trailer where Kimi lived was set on a plot of land with patchy grass. Eager to to hit the road, Kimi was already on the porch, and as Tristan's Lincoln Continental pulled onto the grass, she made a rush for the car.

Following alongside her was Tyler, who held a skull print duffel bag in one hand and her makeup trunk in the other. As soon as they reached the car, Kimi opened the back door and threw her backpack inside, then stepped aside so that Tyler could load her duffel bag and makeup kit. While he was situating it in the back seat, she bent down to greet Tristan and Claudia.

"So you finally decided to show up." A large grin crossed her face as she looked from Tristan to Claudia, and then back again. "Yep, just as I suspected, you guys were totally doing it."

"How could you possibly know that?" Claudia asked. "For all you know, we just stopped off for gas and to grab a few snacks."

"Oh, I know you stopped off for gas..." Her gaze shifted to the foil wrapped hot dog in Tristan's hand, which was covered in the Quik Mart logo. "But that condom wrapping in the backseat tells me you two also made time for a quickie."

With a smirk on their lips, Claudia and Tristan looked at one another, then set their eyes back on Kimi who was grinning widely at them.

"So do you two mind me hanging out in the car with you for awhile? Ethan got a flat tire while driving on the highway, so he's gonna be at least another half hour."

"Not all," Claudia responded. "Hop on in. And you too, Tyler."

He smiled at Claudia, then waved at Tristan before climbing into the backseat. But just as Kimi began to follow him in, she suddenly paused and got out of the car.

"Shoot, I totally forgot this thing I bought for our dorm room, Claude. Just give me a minute and I'll go get it."

"What thing?" Thoroughly curious, Claudia poked her head out of the passenger window.

"Something special. You'll see." And with a smile on her face, Kimi was running to the porch so she could go back inside.

Hurriedly, Tyler got out of the car as well, and just as Kimi reached the door and was going inside, he followed closely behind her.

"Why'd Tyler go with her?" Tristan asked.

"For protection," Claudia responded. "You know how her dad is..."

Nodding his head, Tristan stared at the trailer. "You think they'll be okay in there?"

"They should be." Yet even as Claudia spoke the words, she found herself feeling slightly on edge. "I mean they were okay before we arrived, so they should be fine now too, right?"

Tristan didn't respond, only gazed expectantly at the trailer.

"Tristan?" Turning her head to look at him, Claudia saw he was unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I think I should go in, Claude."

"I'll go with you too," she worriedly said, and after opening the door and stepping outside, she followed Tristan to the mobile home.

Rickety with age, the homemade steps creaked as they climbed them, slightly shifting beneath their weight as they reached the front door. Rather than knock, Tristan walked right in, and with Claudia trailing behind him, led the way into the living room.

Eerily quiet, the trailer had off-white walls that had yellowed with age, and furniture that had gone out of style at least three decades ago. Not liking how silent it was, Claudia held onto Tristan's shoulder, and as he wrapped an arm around her waist, she instantly knew he felt the tenseness as well.

Slowly moving forward, they made cautious steps towards the hallway, but just as they were heading for Kimi's bedroom, the sound of soft crying drifted from a room at the end of the hall.

Just briefly Claudia and Tristan shared a look, but it was long for enough for them to see the worry in each other's eyes. No longer walking slowly, they hurried into the bedroom, and on seeing that Kimi and Tyler were sharing a tearful three-way hug with their mother, they stopped at the threshold and watched on with softened eyes.

Feeling as if she were an intruder, Claudia tugged on Tristan's hand, and together they headed out of the room so that Kimi and her family could say their goodbyes in privacy.

They had just started to cross the threshold when the sound of a toilet flushing reached their ears. Seconds later, Andy appeared from the bathroom, and when he saw that Tristan and Claudia were present, his face took on a pinched expression.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked while staring them down.

"They're here with me," Kimi answered, and after joining her friends, she stared Andy straight in the eyes. "So leave them alone and fuck off."

"Trying to play tough, huh?" He lightly chuckled, then took a step towards her. "Let's see how tough you are if I give you a smack right across the face."

Hastily, Tyler stepped forward to protect his sister, positioning his body so it created a buffer between her and Andy.

"You fucking dummy," Andy jeered while looking at his son. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to play hero?"

Staying rooted to the spot, Tyler only stared his father down.

"When you tried to protect your mother, I knocked you on your ass and bloodied your nose." Taking a step forward, Andy clenched his fists, erasing more of the distance between them. "I could do a lot worse right now if you don't get out of my way."

"Leave them alone."

Turning his head in the direction of the deep voice which had just spoken, Andy saw that Tristan had stepped forward and was attempting to intervene. For a moment he regarded Tristan with a look of annoyance, but as Tristan stood his ground and just glared, Andy's lips curled into a half-sneer half-smirk.

"You too?" A gruff chuckle left Andy's lips. "Well since It's two against one, I guess I should be scared."