Leticia (8 page)

“So, when are you going to move in with me and stop living in that stupid hotel room
,
” he asked
.

“It’s not like I plan on staying there, but I’m still waiting for the money to come through from the insurance
;
believe it or not, paying for a week there works out cheaper than if I started renting somewhere around here
.
”

“Who said anything about renting, I said when are you moving in with
me
?
What is it Leticia, I’ve asked you so many times to stay with me, to move in, what’s stopping you really? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Luke
,
” I sighed
.
“
There
are things you don’t know about me…”

“So you keep saying, but until you tell me…”

“I will, I will, it’s just hard
.
”

“Nothing you could say would change how I feel about you, nothing at all. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you
.
I want to spend the rest of my life showing you what you mean to me
.
”

“Come back to the hotel with me later, I’ll tell you
.
”

“Finally
,
” he smiled
.

We had our meal and didn’t bring the matter up again. He told me how business was blooming and the plans he had to boost it even further. It was nice to see him so enthusiastic about
it;
he had so much passion in his voice. His father had died a few years back, and since then he seemed to lose confidence in himself. He
started
looking after his disabled mother, he became her
caregiver
and provided for her in every way he could until her death eighteen months ago. It was through his mother that we met
.
I had a beauty salon a
round the corner from her house
and he used to bring her in every week to have her hair washed and styled, and for a manicure. She seemed to take to me
right
away and wouldn’t ever let anyone else touch her. Even the girls who had worked there a long time were pushed away from her.

I would talk to Luke
while
she was under the hair-dryer, and in time we became friends. We would go out for a drink after I’d finished work a couple of nights a week, and sometimes I would go around to his
house
for coffee and to chat with his
mom
. After
she
passed away we spent more and more time together, he told me about his dreams and I helped him as best I could to achieve them. One night he took me out for a bite to eat, and wh
en he walked me home afterwards
we ended up kissing. We’d been together ever since.

We left the restaurant at around 9
:
30p
.
m
.
and
went straight to my hotel room
. He poured us both a rather large glass of red wine
while
I
put some music on
, then we both cuddled up on the sofa.

“So come on then
,
” he said as he stroked the side of my face
.
“
Tell
me this big bad secret of your
s
that’s going to apparently stop
my
loving you
.
”

“Do I have
to;
we’re having such a lovely night
.
”

“You said you would, please
darling
, stop being so worried
.
I know you, I want you and I love you
.
”

“I don’t know how to tell you, I’ve never told anyone before, not a normal person anyway
.
”

“I’m far from normal Leticia, moody, deep, anx...”

“
That’s
not what I mean by
normal
. I mean normal compared to me
.
”

“You are normal,
you’re
...”

“Luke stop
,
” I said standing
.
“Just listen, this is so far from easy and straight forward it’s unbelievable
.
”

“
OK
,
” he sat forward, a slight look of worry appearing on his face
.

“What I’m about to tell you is seriously between us, you cannot tell anyone else... ever!”

“I won’t
.
”

“I mean it Luke
.
”

“I said I won’t
.
”

“I’m not...
I’m not your normal everyday person and I’m not twenty-four years old either
.”

“What!” he choked
.
“If you tell me you’re sixteen I swear
!
”

“Actually I’m seventy-three
.
”

“Yeah
very funny, nice try.
Now
tell me the truth
,
” he smirked
.

“That
is
the truth
.
”

“Hmm...”

“I was born in Cornwall, in 1928, in May I will be seventy-
three
.
”

“Leticia look...”

“And I’m a werewolf
,
” I blurted out
.

He burst out laughing which actually really annoyed me.

“I should buy you wine more often
,
” he told me, still laughing
.

“Luke I’m serious
.
”

“Come and sit down
.
”

“Fine, if you don’t believe me...”

“Prove it
,
” he giggled
.
“
This
should be fun
.
”

“Be careful what you ask for Luke
.
”

“No really, do it, go on
.
”

“Luke...”

“Come on, give me a good giggle
.
”

“Fine
,
” as I spoke I felt my fingernails grow
.
“
As
you wish
,
” a moment later my eyes changed. That seem
ed
to get his attention, he looked at his wine for a moment before putting it on the table. “It’s not the wine Luke
,
” I said as my teeth became jagged
.
“This is what I am
.
”

“.... what... that....”

“Luke...”

“How... what the...”

“Look
,
” I said, returning to normal and walking over to him
.

He jumped up off the sofa and nearly fell over the coffee table.
“Stay away
!
” he shouted
.

“Luke...” I choked
.

“You
freak!
Things
like you shouldn’t exist
!
”

“How can you say that, you said...
?”

“I don’t care what I
said;
I thought you
were
going to s
ay you’d killed someone’s cat
or that you were in an institution at the
worst!
”

“I’m still me
.
”

“You
are not
, you’re not even human
.
”

I
started
towards him again, tears running down my cheeks, but he backed away from me quickly.

“You stay the hell away from me, god I feel disgusting, I touched you.... I kissed you... oh my god, what...”

He didn’t finish his
sentence;
he grabbed his coat and ran out of the door shouting all
sorts of nasty things at me. When the door closed behind him, my legs buckled and I fell to the floor in tears.

“Are you
OK
?
” Nancy asked me
.

“Yeah, I’m fine
.
”

“I’m so sorry for what happened
.
”

“That’s only the first part
.
”

“Then carry on
.
”

“I can’t, not now
.
” I sighed
.

“I understand
.
When
you’re ready to talk, I’ll be listening
.
”

“Thanks
.
”

“Look, do you mind if I tell Jackson and Tristan?” she asked
.
“I know they really want to know what’s happened to you, and they would never tell anyone
.
”

“Yeah it’s
OK
;
it’ll save me going through it all again
.
”

“So you went into isolation because of that?”

“What! No, course not
.
It’s
what happened over the days that followed that made me leave, but I’m not going into that tonight
.
”

“O
K
,
” she nodded
.
“
D
o you want to come
by
again tomorrow night, or during the day, either way is fine by me”

“Yeah, I’m work...”

I was interrupted by the house phone ringing
.
I excused myself and answered it.

“Oh you’re going to talk
now
are you
?
” His voice sounded different
.

“What do you want?” I asked
.

“To talk, why else would I call
?
”

“I don’t know, maybe to wind me up, try and scare me...”

“Me, ha, I wouldn’t do that
,
” he mocked
.

Nancy walked
in
and put her head next to mine so she could hear the
caller’s
voice.

“I’m busy, so get on with it
,
” I snapped
.

“Leticia I’m saddened by your tone...”

“HA!”

“I am
. It
saddens me to know how mad you are these days
.
You
used to be so relaxed
.
”

“Piss off
.
”

“Who’s the girl stood next to you?”

Nancy and I glared
at each other for a moment
.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the floor so we were hidden behind the cupboards. ‘
Stay
down
.
’ I mouthed silently to her, she didn’t reply, she just nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She
dialled
Jackson’s number but didn’t
speak;
she just motioned for me to talk. If Jackson heard what I was saying, surely he would
realize
something was wrong and him and Tristan would come.

“There is nobody next to me, you must be seeing things
,
” I looked awkwardly at
Nancy;
I didn’t know what else to say to him, she just motioned for me to keep talking
.
Jackson had answered the phone
.

“I hardly think so Leticia
,
” the voice said
.

“So what, you’re
standing
outside my house watching
us? Coward
, why not come in, I’m sure we would treat you very well
.
”