Dark Moon (10 page)

After my shift, I
went back to the dorm to change into something sexy. When I got there, Maryanne
was lying in bed, her back to the door.

“MA?” I called
tentatively. She didn’t answer.

I walked over and
poked her lightly. “Leave me alone,” came a muffled voice as she buried her
face into her pillow.

“Maryanne, what
happened?” I asked in alarm. Maryanne rarely got upset about, well,
anything
.
The only time I’d ever seen her broken down was when her older brother OD’d on
cocaine and almost died.

“I just want to be
alone. Besides, aren’t you going out with Dr. Wonderful tonight?” she asked, a
hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Ouch.
“Come
on,” I tried again. “Whatever it is, talk to me about it. I’ve told
you
some
pretty personal things,” I pointed out. I sat down on the edge of her bed.

With a big sigh,
Maryanne rolled over to face me. Her eyes were bloodshot. “I’m done with men,”
she declared.

My eyebrows shot
up in surprise.

“That fucking
loser Doug dumped me,” she wailed.

“Huh? I didn’t
think you were dating Doug! You said you weren’t dating anyone.”

“Well, I was
dating him,” Maryanne said defensively. “If you were ever around, you might
have noticed.”

“I’m sorry,” I
said, not knowing what else to say. “Why in the hell would he dump you? Is he
some kind of idiot?”

A brief smile
played on her lips, but her expression quickly turned sullen again. “He said I
wasn’t his type.”

I snorted. “Not
his type? Is he blind? You’re the best thing he’s going to get,
ever.
Seriously.
I predict he’ll be crawling back to you in no time, and I hope like hell you
tell him to go fuck himself.”

Maryanne laughed.
“You’re my best friend; you would say that. The truth is, it’s not so much the
fact that I got dumped, I just can’t believe how stupid I was.”

“What do you
mean?” I asked in confusion.

“Do you think I
like having different guys over? Feeling like they only want me for one thing?”
she shot back. “Well, I don’t,” she said, before I had a chance to answer. “And
Doug might not have been the most handsome of the boys I’ve dated, but he was
nice, and he treated me like a princess, not just his Saturday night
booty-call.”

“I didn’t realize
you liked him so much,” I said softly.

Maryanne sighed.
“I think I liked the idea of someone actually caring about me more than I liked
him,” she admitted. “But that’s it; I’ve learned my lesson. Back to playing the
field. I’m not getting burned again.”

“You can’t say
that,” I argued. “Some guys are just really immature, especially the ones our
age. You just have to be patient and - ”

“And Mr. Perfect
will stumble into my life, just like what happened to you?” Maryanne cut me
off.

“Oh, listen to
me,” she said. “I sound like a bitter bitch. I don’t begrudge you your
relationship with Michael. It’s just hard not to be jealous.” She paused. “You
should go. I know you want to be with him tonight and I’m not good company
anyway. I’ve got a bottle of wine and bad TV to keep me distracted.” She was
trying to make a joke, but all it did was make me feel like more of an ass.

“Come out with us
tonight,” I said impulsively.

“We’ve been
through this, Lana. I’m not tagging along on your date!”

“You wouldn’t be
tagging along,” I argued. “I’ve been wanting you to meet Michael. And we were
just going to a bar, anyway,” I fibbed. “You can flirt with as many guys as you
want, ditch us if you meet someone you like.”

I could tell
Maryanne was considering it. “Michael wants to meet you anyway,” I said, which
was true. “He’s always saying you should come out with us.” Not quite so true.

“If you’re sure I
really wouldn’t be intruding,” Maryanne said skeptically.

“Positive! Now,
please, go get ready! I’ll call Michael and find out what time he’s picking us
up.”

MA stood up and
hugged me. “Thanks, Lana,” she said.

“You don’t have to
thank me. I’d do anything for you,” I replied.

While Maryanne was
in the shower, I called Michael. I didn’t think he’d be mad that I’d invited
her, but he might not be too happy, either.

Fortunately,
Michael was a good sport about it. “I can take you to a fancy restaurant
tomorrow night instead. I know a cool bar. I’ll pick you two up and afterwards
we’ll drop Maryanne off at your dorm. I hope you’ll still come to my apartment
tonight. You don’t need your car; I plan on keeping you captive all weekend,”
he teased.

Since plans had
changed, I decided to go casual that night. I put on my skinny black jeans and
a low cut black tank top. I’d been experimenting with makeup more lately, and
tonight I applied a thick layer of mascara and dark purple eye shadow. I looked
older than twenty, which was good, because I didn’t want anyone questioning my
age at the bar.

Maryanne wore her
leather pants and a see through flowered top with a red tank underneath. She
looked hot and I was happy to see she seemed a lot more cheerful.

Michael texted
that he was there to pick us up, so we grabbed our bags and stepped outside. He
was standing next to his BMW, hands in his pockets. When he saw us, his face
lit up and he gave a slight wave.

“You must be
Maryanne. I’ve heard so much about you I feel like I already know you,” Michael
said with a smile.

“Likewise,”
Maryanne replied.

Michael opened the
back door of the car for her. Before she got in she looked at me and mouthed
the words
he’s hot.

On the way to the
bar, we chatted casually. It was strange to be spending time with them
together, but strange in a good way.

I had never been
to the bar Michael took us to. It was dark but not too noisy, even though it
was packed. We grabbed a high top square table, and Maryanne sat down across
from us.

“What would you
lovely ladies like to drink?” Michael asked us.

“Rum and diet Coke
for me,” Maryanne answered.

“That sounds good
for a change,” I agreed. “Make it two.”

“Coming right up.”
Michael got off the stool and headed to the bar to place our order.

“Damn, Lana!”
Maryanne exclaimed when he was out of earshot. “You told me he was hot, but you
didn’t do him justice!”

“I know.” I
grinned.

“And he’s such a
gentleman, too. Maybe I really do need to expand my dating pool,” Maryanne
mused. “You know, find someone a little older, more mature.”

“I can ask Michael
if he knows anyone to set you up with,” I offered.

Her fact lit up.
“That would be cool. Have you met any of his friends yet?”

“No. He said he
doesn’t have any close friends. But he still may know someone single and worthy
of your company,” I said, grinning.

Michael returned
and set down our drinks. He had a beer bottle tucked under his arm, which he
put down in front of his seat. Michael casually draped his arm around the back
of my chair.

“So how did you
two become friends?” he asked us.

“We didn’t know
each other before we were roommates,” I said. “At first I was so pissed that I
had to share a room with someone, but now I like it.”

“Yeah, Lana tried
her best to ignore me the first month, but I was persistent.” Maryanne laughed.
“Most people would have taken the hint, but I was determined to crack her icy
exterior.”

“That’s the same
thing she did to me when we first met,” Michael told Maryanne. “I thought I was
going to have to beg her to go out with me. Hell, I practically did.”

“Hey, I didn’t
introduce you guys so that you could compare notes about me,” I said playfully.

So much of my time
with Michael was spent kissing and making love, I had almost forgotten how
charming he was. He talked about work, told funny stories about the nurses and
his colleagues. I was having a great time, and I could tell Maryanne was
enjoying herself too.

Michael was just
about to go get us a third round of drinks when a waitress set down a glass in
front of Maryanne. “Wait, I didn’t order anything,” she said in confusion.

The waitress
motioned towards the bar. “Courtesy of the gentleman over there.”

We all turned to
see who had sent Maryanne the drink. A man with dark hair smiled and waved at
her. Maryanne waved back, looking pleased.

“What should I
do?” she asked us. “He’s really cute!”

“Go talk to him!”
I exclaimed. “The stool next to him is free.”

“Do I look okay?”
she asked, smoothing down her already perfectly styled blond hair.

“You look
fabulous,” I said, laughing.

Maryanne stood up,
grabbed her drink, and walked over to the bar. In almost no time, she was
laughing and flirting with the guy who had bought her the drink.

“Alone at last,”
Michael whispered in my ear. He leaned forward and kissed me. “I’ve been dying
to do that all night.”

“Me too,” I
replied. “I’m having a great time, but I want to get you home soon…have you all
to myself,” I said suggestively.

“You read my
mind.” Michael glanced over to where Maryanne was sitting at the bar. “But I’m
not sure Maryanne will want to leave her new friend yet. I’ll get us each
another drink and maybe after that we can pry her away.”

“Sounds like a
plan.” While Michael was at the bar, I surveyed the crowded room. There was a
group of people playing darts on one side, and the pool tables on the other
side were all being used.

I used to hate
places like this.
I really had changed. Before, I would have been
miserable, uncomfortable and worried that I looked as out of place as I felt.
But now was the first time in my life I actually felt normal, the first time I
could truly forget that conversation with my fake parents two years ago. The
one that I had thought, until I met Michael, had ruined my life.

Michael returned
with the drinks. He scooted his chair closer to mine and placed his hand on my
thigh. “I’m really glad to finally meet your friend, but God I want to get out
of here,” he said, a devilish smile on his face.

“Soon.” I paused.
“Thanks for being so cool about Maryanne coming out with us tonight.”

“I did want to
meet her, but I can’t say I was thrilled to find out I had to share you this
evening,” Michael admitted.

“Do you know any
guys you could set her up with?” I asked.

“I think she’s
doing an okay job of finding guys herself,” Michael said wryly, motioning
towards the bar.

When we finished
our drinks, Michael went to the bar to settle the tab and I walked over to talk
to Maryanne.

“Lana,” she said,
“this is Toby.”

We exchanged
hellos and I turned to Maryanne. “Sorry to do this,” I said apologetically, “but
we need to head out.”

“So soon?” Toby
looked disappointed. He was older than I’d initially thought, probably in his
early thirties. But he was definitely cute, and Maryanne seemed into him.

“Sorry,” Maryanne
said.

“What’s your
number?” Toby asked. “I’d love to take you out tomorrow.”

Maryanne gave Toby
her number, which he punched into his phone. He stood up and hugged her as we
were leaving. “It’s been a pleasure,” he said, looking only at Maryanne.

“Likewise,” she
replied, smiling demurely.

We headed for the
door, where Michael was standing, waiting for us. “Toby’s really good looking!”
I said enthusiastically.

“Definitely!”
Maryanne exclaimed. “I know I just met him, but he seems
so
nice. And
mature. Not like Doug.” Her face clouded momentarily, but she shook her head
and waved her hand dismissively. “Not going to think about that prick.”

“Good idea.” I
squeezed her hand.

“How did it go
with your admirer?” Michael asked once we were outside.

“Oh, not too bad,”
she said breezily. “His name is Toby. He’s thirty-four and he’s a lawyer.”

“Do you think he
might be too old for you?” I asked skeptically.

“Hey!” Michael
slapped my arm playfully. “Watch it.”

I laughed. “I made
an exception for you, old man.”

Michael and I
slipped our arms around each other’s waists.

“Okay, lovebirds.”
Maryanne groaned. “Take me home and then you can ravage each other like you so
obviously want.”

I just grinned.
Nothing could shake my good mood.

That’s what I
thought at least. Now, looking back, I have no idea how I could have been so
incredibly stupid.

The next few weeks
went by in a blur. I went to the school nurse and got on birth control pills so
we wouldn’t have to use condoms anymore, and Michael gave me a key to his
apartment.

I tried my best to
balance life between school, Maryanne and Michael. Luckily, after she got over
feeling like a third wheel, Maryanne actually enjoyed hanging out with Michael
and me. When we went to bars, Michael always ordered drinks for us, and no one
ever questioned our ages.

Maryanne was
dating Toby, and although she wasn’t madly in love with him like I was with
Michael, she seemed to be having a good time. He took her to nice restaurants,
and the four of us had gotten together a couple of times. Our lives were
working out perfectly.

For our one-month
anniversary, Michael bought me a pair of platinum pearl teardrop earrings. They
were beautiful, classy and obviously expensive. In the past, it would have
seemed extravagant. But I was a different person now, and I loved the earrings
so much that I never took them off, except when I was sleeping.

A week after he
had given me the earrings, Michael told me that Rose was coming to visit Becky,
and he wanted me to go to dinner with them on Saturday night. I was hesitant at
first. “What if they don’t like me?” I asked Michael.

“How could they
not like you?” He shook his head as if I’d just said the most absurd thing in
the world.

I agreed to go,
although I couldn’t shake my nerves. I was his niece’s age, for heaven’s sake.
Sure, it was only a nine-year age difference between Michael and me, but to
some people that was a lot. And what if Rose thought I was immature, a bad
match for her brother? She was always so worried about Becky, and she and
Michael had lost their mother way too young. It was probably in her nature to
be fiercely protective of her family.

Still, Michael and
I were serious – really serious. It made sense to meet his family.
And
someday you’re going to have to take him to meet yours.
I pushed the
thought of my fake family aside.

Saturday night I
took extra care with my clothing. I wanted to look mature, for Rose and Becky
to see me and think I was years older than Becky, that I barely looked like a
college girl. So I chose my black dress, the same one I had worn on my first
date with Michael. I worried about the slit up the side, but decided it would
be fine as long as I covered my shoulders.

I paired the dress
with a creamy white sweater that Maryanne lent me. I kept my hair simple, soft
and wavy around my shoulders. With the clothes, my hairstyle and the pearl
earrings, I looked sophisticated.
Sophisticated
, I mused. In the past,
that was never a word I could have imagined using to describe myself.

Michael picked me
up at a quarter to seven for our reservation. He let out a low whistle when he
saw me. “Now I feel underdressed,” he joked. But Michael looked fantastic as
usual in khaki pants and an un-tucked blue button down shirt with the sleeves
rolled up.

We arrived at the
restaurant before Rose and Becky and were led to a table in the back. We sat
down on one side, facing the door. Michael ordered a bottle of wine. I tried to
relax.

“Just be yourself.
There’s no way they won’t love you instantly, the way I did.” He squeezed my
hand reassuringly.

Rose and Becky
arrived a few minutes later. I recognized them immediately. Rose was slender,
with dark brown hair and high cheekbones. She was thirty-seven, but looked
closer to thirty.

Becky was shorter
than her mom, with light brown hair that had hints of red in it.

Michael stood up
to greet them when they arrived at the table, kissing them both on the cheek. I
stood up too, not wanting to look rude.

“And you must be
Lana,” Rose said, shaking my hand. She was warm, friendly. Happy that Michael
had found someone and willing to accept me without even knowing me.

“It’s so nice to
meet you,” I said sincerely.

Becky shook my
hand too, but she was frowning, clearly unhappy to be dragged to this dinner.
Michael poured them each a glass of wine.

“So Michael tells
me you’re going to be a pediatrician. How far along are you in med school?”
Rose asked me.

I glanced at
Michael out of the corner of my eye. Had he told his sister I was older than
20? Was he ashamed of my age?

Michael laughed.
“I said Lana was
going
to med school. After she finishes her undergrad
degree.”

I smiled and
relaxed. Michael hadn’t lied to them. “I’m working towards my degree in
Economics right now.” I turned to Becky, who hadn’t said a word. “What about
you?” I prompted.

“Nothing as fancy
as a pediatrician.”

Ouch
.

“Becky!” Michael
sounded embarrassed.

“English,” she
said flatly.

I waited for Becky
to elaborate, but she didn’t. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I
finally said, “That’s cool.”

“What about you,
Rose?” I turned to Michael’s sister. I wasn’t going to force Becky to talk. It
was obvious she had a chip on her shoulder about me, which made absolutely no
sense, considering we’d just met.

Rose and I chatted
easily. She talked about her job as a physical therapist and her love of
tennis. “Michael and I used to play, when we were a lot younger.”

“You never told me
that,” I said, smiling at Michael. He would look good on a tennis court. Then
again, he’d look good doing just about anything.

“We should play
sometime,” Michael suggested.

“I don’t know the
first thing about tennis,” I confessed.

“I can teach you;
it would be fun.”

I caught Becky
rolling her eyes.
What the hell is her problem?

Oh well. I wasn’t
going to worry about her. I took another sip of wine.

The rest of the
dinner was pleasant, despite Becky’s obvious dislike of me and her sullen mood.

It’s too bad
Rose doesn’t live near here.
I wouldn’t mind spending more time with her.

“It was so nice to
meet you, Lana,” Rose said once we had left the table and were outside of the
restaurant. She gave me a hug as though we were good friends and hadn’t just
met.

“You, too,” I
replied, smiling.

Becky, of course,
didn’t say a word.

“You can go on to
the car,” Michael said, handing me the keys.

I gave him an odd look.
“Just want to finalize my plans with Rose for the rest of the weekend,” he
explained.

“Okay.” Why didn’t
Michael want me there? What did he have to say to his family that I wasn’t
supposed to hear?

Stop being so
paranoid, Lana
.

I was almost to
the car when I realized I had left my sweater – Maryanne’s sweater
– in the restaurant. I turned around to go get it. I started to say
something as I was approaching Michael, but stopped when I heard the tone of
his voice. I stepped back into the shadows.

“What the hell was
that all about?” Michael was saying.

“I don’t know what
you mean.” That sounded like Becky.

“Why were you so
rude to Lana? You didn’t even give her a chance! You decided you didn’t like
her before you ever met her.”

“That’s not true,
Uncle Mike,” Becky argued. “She was in my History class last year, and she
didn’t even recognize me. She was such a snob. Not friendly at all.”

Because I try
not to talk to anyone
, I wanted to scream. Had she not noticed that I sat
in the back row and didn’t socialize with any of the students?

Michael sighed. “I
find that hard to believe. Either way, you’ve got to forget about it. Lana is a
sweet girl, and she wants to get to know my family. Like it or not, she’s here
to stay.”

Rose hadn’t said
anything up until this point. “He’s right, Becky.” I strained to hear her soft
voice. “Lana seems very nice. You have to trust your uncle’s judgment.”

“You know she’s my
age, right? Isn’t that a little bit young for you? And I still don’t understand
what happened with Abigail,” Becky said angrily. “At least
she
was
almost your age.”

That must be
the girlfriend who cheated on him.

“Jesus Christ,
you’re still bringing up Abigail?” Michael snapped. He took a deep breath and
lowered his voice. “I know you liked her a lot, but that was over two years
ago. I’ve never looked back, and I never will.”

They stood there
in silence, obviously at an impasse. Heart racing, I started walking forward.
“Hey!” I called loudly in a fake, cheery voice. “I forgot my sweater. Be right
back.” I stepped around Michael and walked into the restaurant.

When I got back
outside, Rose and Becky were gone. “Finalize your plans for the weekend?” I
asked, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

“What did you
hear?” Michael said.

“I guess pretty
much everything,” I admitted. My voice sounded angry, but I wasn’t mad at
Michael. I wasn’t even mad at Becky. No, I was furious at the universe. The
universe that was against me, because of what I was. The universe that would
never allow anything to go right in my life, not for any length of time at
least.

Michael took my
hand and we started walking towards the car. “Ignore Becky,” he said. “I’m sure
she’ll warm up to you.” But even Michael didn’t sound convinced.

“Who’s Abigail?” I
asked, feeling red-hot jealousy wash over my entire body.

“She’s the one I
mentioned. My last serious girlfriend before you. I didn’t want to talk about
her – not because it’s a painful memory – but because there’s just
no point. I don’t even think about her anymore. I haven’t in a long time. When
I found out she was cheating on me with my best friend, that was it. The
relationship was over. I can’t handle betrayal.”

Betrayal
. I
hadn’t been completely honest with Michael. What would he think, if he ever
found out the truth about me?

I took my hand
that wasn’t in Michael’s and reached up to touch my earrings, my beautiful
pearl earrings. It was a habit I had started the moment he gave them to me.

“What are you
thinking?” We had stopped in front of the car now.

“I believe you,” I
said slowly. “I don’t want to talk about Abigail either. I’m just sorry that
Becky thinks I’m a snob.” I paused. “For what it’s worth, I doubt I could tell
you anyone who was in that class. I’ve changed since I met you – for the
better. I didn’t let anyone in, didn’t want to know anyone or for anyone to
know me.”

Michael shook his
head. “I know you were standoffish with me at first, but I find that hard to
believe. You’re so warm and caring, and I see how much your friendship with
Maryanne means to you.”

“She was the only
person I let myself care about,” I admitted. “Until you.” I stood on my tiptoes
and kissed Michael lightly on the lips.

Michael opened the
passenger door for me and I slid into the sleek leather seat. “Don’t worry
about Becky,” he said. “She’s always been overprotective. She never knew her
father, and I was the only consistent male figure in her life. Becky just
doesn’t want to see me get hurt.”

I didn’t answer,
and Michael and I didn’t talk anymore about it. We went back to his apartment,
made love and fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was wonderful, as usual, but
somehow I couldn’t shake my sadness. Because I knew that I was living on
borrowed time, that someday I was going to lose Michael Reynolds, and there
wouldn’t be a damn thing I could do about it.