Under the Crescent Moon

Chapter three

*Tara’s POV*

OMG, I can’t believe I’m sitting across the table from the most incredible looking guy! And he actually seems interested in me. ME! Act cool, Tara. Maybe he just wants to be friends? He did allow my stupid brothers to come along, and no one said it was a date or anything. Plus his friends are here as well. But the way he’s looking at me and smiling, it seems like he might be attracted to me. I just wish I could tell for sure. I’m not gonna just straight out ask, though. I mean, who does that?

“So… tell me about yourself.” Devon asked. He seems pretty sincere. But, like, that’s kind of a broad topic. Where the heck do I even start? So I tell him about living in Seattle, and that I’m about to start my Senior year of high school. Then I intend to go to college to become a teacher. And I have a black cat named Cocoa. That seems to amuse him. I also mention that I’m really into kickboxing, which he seems super impressed by.

After a while the guys brought over some of the pizza, but set the rest at another table for them and my brothers. Gavin and Jayden managed to leave the arcade games long enough to inhale several slices each and then compete over who could quickly guzzle a bunch of root beer and belch the loudest. I decide to pretend they don’t even exist. It’s just me and this hot guy and hot pizza, nothing else even matters in the entire universe.

“Oh my god, the pizza here is SO GOOD! I’d almost forgot what real food tastes like!” I say, actually moaning in pleasure at the amazing pizza. Devon has the biggest grin on his face when I say that. As if he weren’t handsome enough with those chocolate brown eyes and hair that was so dark it was almost black, but put a smile on his face and he is panty dropping gorgeous.

“I love a girl who enjoys her food,” Devon told her, sounding almost sultry. Then he leaned in closer and lowered his voice to the point that I almost didn’t hear him in the loud restaurant. “Moan like that again, and I’ll start thinking of even better ways to make you moan!”

I very nearly choked on my pizza! Ok, then. He’s definitely interested in me! I grab my soda and took a long drink. Be cool, be cool, be cool!

“So, uh, you said you live around here?”

“There’s a small town near Crescent Lake where my family is from. I’m home for the summer after just finishing my freshman year at the university of Washington in Seattle. Maybe we could hang out together once school starts up again?” Devon suggests, and I agree that sounds like a great idea. “So how long are you going to be in the area?”

“Tomorrow is our last day.” I say. “I can’t wait to be back in civilization! My mom wanted us to have an “unplugged” vacation as she called it. No phones, no computers, no televisions or anything! Secretly, I think even my dad is missing technology and is regretting going along with this camping trip idea of mom’s.”

We continue to chat and learn about each other for more than an hour, until my stupid brothers run out of money for the arcade games and want to go back to the campground. On the car ride home, Devon asked me to sit on his lap, rather than Jayden. Im just a little bit bigger than my youngest brother at 5’-6”, but Devon didn’t complain about it at all. He even placed his arms around me, and had me snuggled in close. I could almost swear he was breathing in my scent the whole ride, and it made me a little worried that I smelled bad from camping, until he whispered in my ear that he liked my smell. So weird!

Sitting on his lap turned out to be surprisingly relaxing, and I found myself almost dozing off by the time we reached my families tent site. Must have been a combination of the poor sleep I got last night combined with eating myself into a carb coma from all the pizza, I guess.

My folks invited Devon, Troy, and Lucas to stick around for some family games, and a dinner consisting of veggie burgers, salad, and s’mores. I was quite surprised when they agreed to stay, but they did and appeared to enjoy themselves spending the afternoon playing different card and dice games. They seemed wary of eating veggie burgers because apparently none of them had ever eaten one before, but they eventually gobbled them down without complaint, and everyone enjoyed the s’mores. S’mores were the one indulgence my mother would allow during this healthy diet thing she had forced on the family.

The evening was then spent relaxing at the hot springs. Luckily the young men all had swim trunks stashed in the back of their Land Rover. Apparently they always keep a stash of clothing back there just in case. In case of what, I wondered, but didn’t ask.

I felt a little bit shy at being seen in my bathing suit, but when I came out of the changing room in my shiny lilac one piece swimsuit, Devon looked at me like he wanted to eat me up on the spot! And he looked so hot with his rippling muscles and washboard abs that I could barely keep myself from drooling like an i***t.

There were a couple of hot spring pools to choose from, plus an Olympic sized swimming pool. My brothers and Lucas ran off to the swimming pool. Devon and I choose one hot spring, while my folks and Troy go to another. Too bad there were a bunch of other people vacationing at the hot springs, so we couldn’t be completely alone, but we could still manage to enjoy each other’s company as best as we could.

“This is all so weird, don’t you think? 24 hours ago we hadn’t even met yet, but now it’s starting to feel as if I’ve always known you somehow.”

“I don’t think it’s weird at all.” Devon stated. “I believe in fate. Some things are just meant to be.”

“Like it’s written in the stars or something?”

“Exactly!” Devon confirmed. “I believe there is someone destined out there for everyone, someone who is your soul mate. Someone who completes you, makes you whole. Makes you a better person, even.”

“Not everyone is patient, though,” he continued. “Most people don’t wait for the one person who is truly meant to be with them. They settle for someone else. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be happy or have a good life, but if they do come across their fated mate down the road they may end up having many regrets. And sometimes that fated soul mate is never found at all for some unknown reason. Which is sad.”

“So do you think we might be soul mates?”

Devon nodded his head. “I know we are.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Devon made a strange face, then looked around to see how many people were nearby. They certainly were not alone in the hot springs, as it was a popular place in the summertime. There were at least 6 people close enough to overhear anything he might say.

“That is a topic for another time and another place.” He tells me. “Once we’ve gotten to know each other, and built up trust.”

I was a little disappointed, but then Devon picked me up and set me on his lap. I snuggled up to him in the warm water of the sulphur hot spring, throwing my arms around him and laying my head against his strong chest. It felt so safe and comfortable here with Devon, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to leave his embrace.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” I ask, looking up into his beautiful chocolate eyes. “We leave for home the next day.”

Before he could answer, Troy showed up with news that he had invited the whole family to spend the day with them at the lake tomorrow.

“Perfect!” We say in unison. Then we laugh and both say. “jinx!”

So then we talk about all the potential activities we could do at his place. Apparently the options include canoeing, water skiing, horseback riding, and they have a huge obstacle course that even has a zip line. Or if the weather is bad, they have a huge recreational center with a pool table and air hockey, as well as all sorts of games.

After an hour or so had gone by, dad comes by to say that it was time to head back to the tent. “Tell your boyfriend goodnight! You’ll be seeing him again around eleven in the morning at his house.”

We look at each other when dad says the word boyfriend. I’m shocked at the term, but Devon seems nonplussed about it. Happy, even. Have I gotten myself a boyfriend and not even realized it?

“How can you be my boyfriend?” I say, indignantly. “We’ve never even kissed!”

Devon looks startled for a moment, then I see him glance at my lips, and lean in closer. Oh. My. God!!! I’m about to get my first ever kiss! I nervously lick my lips, and that seems to be all the encouragement he needs. And we kiss! Briefly.

And… that’s it? I look at him, puzzled. While Devon suddenly looks bashful.

“Sorry… I’m uh, not very practiced at this…” Devon says, which I believe due to how *ahem* insubstantial the kiss had been. I’ve gotten better kisses than that from my great aunt Jeanie. But surely with looks like his, he’s been in plenty of relationships, right? “This was my first kiss, from someone that wasn’t a relative that is.”

“Mine, too!” I say, shocking myself at my confession. Which honestly wasn’t quite as shocking as his.

“No way! A pretty girl like you, never been kissed before?” Devon says, which shocked me even more! “I don’t believe it!”

“Well, what about you?” I say, almost ready to accuse him of lying. “You’re 20 years old! I don’t believe you’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Never,” Devon says stubbornly. “Not one! I’ve been saving myself for the right person. My soul mate.”

“It’s true,” Troy confirms, walking up to us. “Girls are constantly throwing themselves at Devon, but he isn’t interested in anyone except “the one”.”

Devon gives me one more little peck of a kiss, and then he and the other guys head towards their vehicle, while I join my family for the walk back to the tent.

What a weird day, I think, as I settle down to sleep. I haven’t even known Devon for a full 24 hours yet, and I feel as if the entire course of my life has suddenly shifted.