LUNA, LIES AND AWKWARD HOWLS

Chapter 6: The First Date Project

"So, Liam," Maya started with way too much excitement in her voice, "what's it like being a supernatural thriller writer in a tiny town that's supposedly crawling with actual supernatural creatures?"

Liam choked on his pasta so hard that Ava had to slide her water glass across the table to him. She rolled her eyes at Maya's dramatics.

"Maya, stop torturing Liam with your crazy conspiracy theories about Oakwood," Ava said, but she was fighting back a smile.

The four of them were squeezed around a tiny table at Bella Luna, this Italian café that had made Noah snort with laughter when he first saw the name. Liam had given his younger brother the coldest look for that reaction.

"They're not conspiracy theories!" Maya protested, her eyes practically sparkling with mischief. "Oakwood really does have tons of unexplained stuff happening here. Right, Noah?"

Noah grinned like he was having the time of his life. "Oh, absolutely. My big brother has done crazy amounts of research on local legends for his books."

"Really?" Ava raised an eyebrow and studied Liam, who was now glaring at his fettuccine like it had personally offended him.

"Just normal research," Liam mumbled, finally looking up. "But yeah, Oakwood has some... interesting stories."

"Like what?" Ava challenged him.

Liam went quiet for a moment, like he was carefully choosing his words. "There's this legend about two groups that have lived together since the 1700s in the forests around Oakwood. Forest guardians who were like wolves, and healers who knew everything about plants."

Ava blinked. "That sounds like..."

"Werewolves and witches," Maya finished with the biggest grin, which earned her a death glare from Liam.

"It's just metaphor," Liam said quickly. "I mean, guardians who were as strong and fierce as wolves, and herbal healers who were good with remedies. Just... folklore."

Noah snorted into his pasta, then yelped when Liam kicked him under the table.

"Well, I'm more interested in what's happening in Oakwood right now," Ava said, swirling her wine. "Like why are there so many new people in this tiny town?"

"New people?" Liam suddenly looked alert.

"Yeah. You, Noah, me, Maya... Why did we all decide to move to a town that's barely on the map?" Ava tilted her head. "Isn't that weird?"

"Destiny," Maya said simply.

"Important business," Noah chimed in.

"Looking for peace," Liam said at the same time.

Ava burst out laughing at their three completely different answers coming out at once. "Wow, you guys are really in sync."

"Anyway," Ava continued, still grinning, "I'm glad you're all here. Including you, Mysterious Neighbor." She looked right at Liam.

Liam looked up, startled by how direct she was being. For the first time since she'd met him, his serious expression softened into a small, genuine smile.

"I'm glad you're here too," he said quietly.

Something about the way Liam said it made Ava's heart skip. His voice was so sincere it felt like he meant way more than just being glad about a new neighbor. The whole table went quiet for a few seconds, and the air between them felt charged with something she couldn't name.

"Aww," Noah teased, breaking the moment. "Is this the start of something beautiful?"

Maya kicked Noah's shin under the table hard enough to shut him up.

"Anyway," Ava cleared her throat, trying to get back to normal conversation, "we should get dessert. That tiramisu looks incredible."

"And after that," Maya said in a tone that was trying way too hard to sound casual, "maybe you three could help me move some boxes at the store? I got a new shipment of books this afternoon."

"Sorry, Maya," Noah suddenly snapped his fingers dramatically. "I just remembered I have an appointment with... um, the dentist! Yeah, the dentist. Just a routine checkup."

Maya stared at him. "You literally got to town yesterday. When did you make a dentist appointment?"

"The internet," Noah grinned, showing off his perfect teeth. "Super efficient, right? But don't worry, Liam doesn't have plans today. He'll be happy to help you. Right, Liam?"

"I—"

"Actually," Maya interrupted with the sweetest fake smile, "I just remembered most of those boxes have heavy reference books for the local history section. Maybe you could help Ava organize the light fiction section instead, Liam? Ava knows books, and you're a writer, so you two should work great together."

Ava narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Maya, didn't you tell me yesterday that no new books were coming in?"

"Oh?" Maya blinked innocently. "Did I say that? Maybe I forgot. But the shipment really did come this afternoon. Very last minute."

"Super last minute," Noah agreed with way too much enthusiasm. "What a lucky coincidence."

Liam and Ava looked at each other, finally realizing they were being set up.

---

"So," Liam said awkwardly, standing next to Ava in front of the romance section in Maya's store, "looks like we got played."

"Looks like it," Ava laughed softly, pulling novels out of a box. "Maya's usually not this obvious about her matchmaking. She's usually way more... sneaky."

"Noah too," Liam sighed, lifting a heavy box like it weighed nothing, which was weird for someone who was tall but didn't look super muscular.

Ava noticed that, adding it to her growing mental list of 'Weird Things About Liam Cross.'

"How did they manage to plan this so fast?" Ava asked, arranging books alphabetically on the shelf. "Noah just got here yesterday, right?"

"My brother... makes friends fast," Liam said carefully. "He's always been good at that. Unlike me."

"You're not that bad," Ava said, still focused on the books. "Just... different."

"Different," Liam repeated the word like he was testing how it sounded. "That's a nice way to put it."

They worked in comfortable silence for a while, organizing book after book. Ava kept stealing glances at Liam, watching how he moved with this weird grace that reminded her of an athlete or... something wilder.

"So," Ava tried to break the silence, "you're a writer. Does that mean you work from home?"

"Yeah," Liam nodded. "I'm more productive in... my own territory."

"Your territory?" Ava raised an eyebrow, smiling at his weird choice of words.

Liam seemed to realize what he'd said. "I mean, my workspace. I have this small office that looks out at the forest."

"Sounds peaceful," Ava said.

"What are you working on now?" she asked, gesturing to the stack of novels in her hands.

Liam's smile got a little bigger. "I'm writing the next book in my Dark Moon Rising series. Book four."

"What's it about?" Ava asked, actually curious.

Liam hesitated before answering. "In book three, the detective finally finds out he has werewolf blood. Book four is about him struggling to accept this new part of himself while trying to be with the woman he loves without telling her what he really is."

"Hmm," Ava thought about it. "So there's this moral dilemma. He loves her but he's hiding this huge part of who he is."

"Exactly," Liam nodded, looking uncomfortable. "Do you think... I mean, in fiction, is the character doing something wrong?"

Ava put the last book on the shelf and turned to face him completely. "That's a good question. I guess it depends on why he's hiding it. Is he scared of being rejected, or is he trying to protect her?"

"Both," Liam said quietly. "He's terrified she'll run away if she knows the truth. But he also knows the supernatural world is dangerous for normal people who get mixed up in it."

"Then he's in an impossible situation," Ava said, stepping closer to him without really thinking about it. "But if she really loves him... maybe she'd accept all of him, including the supernatural stuff."

Liam's eyes went wide, like Ava had just given him hope he didn't dare believe in. "You think so? Even if it would change her whole life?"

"Real love should be able to handle stuff like that," Ava said with a small smile. "At least, that's what I'd write if I was a writer like you."

"Real love," Liam repeated like he was trying to understand a foreign concept. "Do you believe in that, Ava? Soulmates who are meant to be together?"

The question felt so personal that Ava was surprised she was actually thinking about it seriously instead of just brushing it off.

"I didn't used to," she finally said honestly. "After my last relationship crashed and burned, I started thinking love was just chemistry and practical decisions, not destiny or magic."

"And now?" Liam asked, never taking his eyes off her face.

"Now..." Ava shrugged, feeling vulnerable under his intense stare. "I'm still skeptical. But maybe... someone could convince me to consider it."

The smile that spread across Liam's face was so genuine and bright that it completely transformed him from serious and mysterious to absolutely breathtaking. Ava felt her heart skip.

"That's a good start," he said softly.

Ava cleared her throat, suddenly needing to step back from this unexpected moment. "So, um, you seem to know a lot about Oakwood's history. Maya mentioned legends?"

Liam looked disappointed by the subject change, but rolled with it. "Yeah, local history is actually one of the reasons I chose to live here."

"Tell me," Ava said, walking toward the local reference section with Liam following. "What's the most interesting thing about Oakwood?"

Liam hesitated before speaking, but then his voice got more animated. "Oakwood was founded in 1762 by two different families—the Cross family and the Rodriguez family."

"Cross? Like your last name?" Ava raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Liam nodded. "They were my ancestors. And Rodriguez were Maya's ancestors."

"That explains why you're both so into local history," Ava said. "So what happened?"

"These two families were completely different in their traditions and beliefs, but they formed this really strong alliance," Liam continued, his eyes lighting up with rare enthusiasm. "The Cross family were known as fierce hunters and protectors, while the Rodriguez were famous for knowing everything about medicinal plants and traditional healing."

"Werewolves and witches," Ava said teasingly.

Liam seemed to choke for a second before laughing awkwardly. "That's... yeah, that's the popular folklore version."

"So what made their alliance so strong? Don't really different groups usually fight?"

"They needed each other," Liam said simply. "Cross protected, Rodriguez healed. But more than that, there was this incident in the winter of 1789 that made their bond even stronger."

"What happened?" Ava asked, genuinely interested now.

"This mysterious plague hit the town and a bunch of people got really sick with high fevers. The Rodriguez family's plant knowledge and the Cross family's extraordinary—I mean, physical strength helped them save the town. Legend says that from then on, people believed the bond between these two families brought balance and protection to Oakwood."

"That's actually a beautiful story," Ava said sincerely.

"And now," Liam continued in a quieter voice, "after all these generations, their descendants have come back to Oakwood... like they were drawn here by some invisible force."

"You, Noah, and Maya," Ava observed. "But I don't have any connection to the founding families."

"Maybe your role is different," Liam looked at her with an intensity that made her nervous. "Maybe you're here for another equally important reason."

"Like what?"

"Like..." Liam seemed to search for the right words, "being a bridge between the old world and the new. A fresh perspective that sees Oakwood without all the baggage of long history and... secrets."

There was something about the way Liam talked about local history—this intimacy and ownership in his voice—that made Ava feel like he wasn't just telling legends, but sharing part of himself.

"You talk like all these legends are real," Ava said gently.

"All legends have some truth in them," Liam said carefully. "The question is, how much are you ready to believe?"

Their eyes met in this meaningful silence. Ava felt this weird urge to trust Liam completely, to believe there was more to this world than she'd ever known.

"I think I'm starting to open up to the idea that Oakwood really is a special place," Ava finally said, reaching for a reference book on the shelf near Liam's shoulder.

Her fingers accidentally brushed the back of Liam's hand, which was reaching for the same book. The simple contact sent this electric shock through both of them. Ava gasped softly while Liam froze, his eyes going wide.

"What was that?" Ava whispered, not pulling her hand away.

"A bond," Liam said without thinking, then quickly corrected himself, "I mean, static electricity. The carpet... the store's carpet probably causes static."

Ava slowly pulled her hand back, still feeling this strange warm sensation where their skin had touched. "That was pretty intense static electricity."

"Yeah," Liam nodded stiffly, looking like he was struggling to control himself. "Very... unusual."

An awkward silence settled over them until the store door opened.

"Hello, hard workers!" Maya called cheerfully, coming in with Noah carrying a paper bag from the café. "We brought snacks!"

"So, how's the book organizing going? Everything smooth?"

Ava and Liam exchanged a quick glance, something unspoken passing between them.

"Very interesting," Ava finally said. "Liam was telling me about the history of Oakwood's founders—the Cross and Rodriguez families."

Maya almost tripped over her own feet while Noah choked on his coffee.

"Oh?" Maya blinked rapidly. "Liam's always... really enthusiastic about local history."

"Especially versions with supernatural creatures," Noah added with a mischievous grin, earning a hard elbow from Maya.

"What Noah means," Maya quickly explained, "is that the folklore version of that history often has supernatural elements that make it more appealing."

"Of course," Ava agreed with amusement. "Because werewolves and witches can't actually be real, right?"

The awkward silence that followed lasted way too long before Noah laughed way too loudly.

"Of course not! That's ridiculous! Right, Liam?"

"Absolutely," Liam said flatly. "Completely ridiculous."

Ava watched carefully as Noah, Maya, and Liam all exchanged nervous looks. Her gut told her they were hiding something big. And somehow, instead of being scared, that just made her more curious.

"Well," Ava finally said, taking the snack Maya brought, "I think I'm starting to see Oakwood's appeal. A small town with big history, quirky residents, and... interesting surprises."

Her eyes met Liam's, and he smiled—a small smile that felt like a promise of adventures just beginning.

"And one more thing," Ava added while sipping her coffee, "it feels like I just made some really interesting new friends."

"Friends," Liam repeated quietly, with just a hint of bitterness that only Maya and Noah caught.

"For now," Ava added with a mysterious smile that made Liam's eyes widen in surprise.

Noah nudged Maya gently. "I think our first date project worked," he whispered.

"Phase one," Maya corrected in a whisper. "We still have tons of work to do before the next full moon."

Liam, with his sharp werewolf hearing, definitely heard their whispered conversation. He turned to give them both a warning look, only to find Ava watching him with curious eyes.

"What is it?" Ava asked.

"Nothing," Liam shook his head quickly. "Just... thinking that I'm happy to have made new friends too."

And maybe more than friends, he thought to himself, feeling new hope growing inside him. Maybe, just maybe, finding his Luna wouldn't be as impossible as he'd thought.

What he didn't know was that Ava was getting more and more determined to figure out the mystery behind Liam Cross and Oakwood's secrets—a search that might lead her to a truth way wilder than she could ever imagine.