The Endangered Luna

Chapter 2 : Matters of the heart.

Alisha's POV

Our eyes met and locked on each other. How big he had become since the last time I saw him. Well, what did I expect? That had been years ago, before I left Yellowstone for New Bayou. How coincidental it was that I crossed paths with him just a few hours after I returned to Yellowstone. Our eyes were still on each other and none of us were moving. I could feel my heart racing and I knew the only way to get it to stop was to look away but I found that I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried. It was as if his gaze had me in a steel grip and my heart seemed to be content with that. The door of the car opened and I heard Hayley talking as she stepped out of it. Her fingers snapped in front of me and the jingling of keys forced me out of my thoughts.

“Where did you go?” She asked. She had her laptop in one hand and her key in another.

“Nowhere,” I replied. “Let's go.”

She raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. She was about to start walking when I glanced in the direction of my heartstopper again and her gaze followed mine. When she turned back to face me, she had a frown on her face and she gave me a weird look. The type you gave your friend when you think they had suddenly gone crazy or did something very stupid.

“What?” I asked, innocently. Instead of replying, she took my hand and dragged me towards the entrance of the cafe. I took a few glances backward as we went and each time I did, I found that he was still staring at me. He hadn't moved an inch since our eyes met and I was sure that anyone that saw him like that would think he was a statue. Hayley opened the door of the cafe and shoved me inside. I thought I saw him move a little when I stole one last glance at him but Hayley shut the door before I could confirm it.

The table at the corner of the cafe that afforded one a clear view of the car park and the street was unoccupied and I was thankful for that. It was the only table I could sit at with comfort, which was something I shared with Hayley.

“Here.” She handed me her laptop. “Head to the table while I get something for us. What do you want?”

My mind dances back and forth but I am unable to make a decision. “Uh, I don't really know,” I replied. “Anything you get for me is fine.”

“Come on,” She said, “you've been away for years. Surely, you have a lot of things you feel like tasting again.”

“Alright, alright, I'll start with a strawberry doughnut and a milkshake first,” I said. Both of us moved to one side to allow a customer through and I tripped on an outstretched leg as I did. Hayley's hands saved me and the customer and the owner of the leg apologized immediately. I nod in acceptance and adjust my skirt.

“Is that all?” Hayley asked in surprise. “There are a lot of new treats with different flavors you can try out, instead of sticking to the basics.”

“We have enough time, don't we?” I asked.

“Fair enough. Strawberry doughnut and a milkshake coming up,” she said and started walking towards the counter. I carried her laptop to the corner table and settled into it. From where I sat, I could see where Hayley was parked outside and Jackson was no longer standing there. I didn't know how I managed to remember his name after all those years but I did, as if it was an integral part of my memory. He'd really gotten so big and he looked more handsome. His blond hair was now longer and it fell gracefully to his shoulders. His eyes color fell somewhere between brown and yellow and they had a kind of mesmerizing hold if you looked at them for too long. I couldn't even begin to imagine the number of women in the pack that would want him, especially since he had money and power to go with the looks. I noticed Hayley coming with our snacks and milkshakes on a tray and I forced thoughts of Jackson out of my mind. Hayley got to the table and she set the tray down. I took the doughnut and milkshake from it but I didn't make any attempt to eat it. Hayley immediately dug into hers and I watched as she ruthlessly attacked her chocolate cake.

“Why are you not eating?” She asked in between mouthfuls of cake. The slice she had ordered was bigger than what anyone was supposed to take in one sitting but that was Hayley for you.

“I told you,” I answered, “I'm not hungry.”

“Bullshit.” She slid the plate containing the doughnut closer to me with her free hand and made stabbing motions at it.

I knew Hayley very well and arguing with her wouldn't do me any good. I don't know of anyone that had won an argument against her and I didn't think that was going to change today. Reluctantly, I took the doughnut and bit a little part of it. As it turned out, I found myself taking another bite, and another, until I had almost eaten half of the doughnut at once.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Hayley's face and she said, “you know, you would be wise to stay away from him.”

“Excuse me?” I said, then I understood what she was talking about.

“I'm talking about Jackson,” she said.

“Yeah. I figured. Why are you telling me that, though? There's nothing between us and we don't even know each other,” I defended.

Hayley stared at me like I was a child that was caught in an offense but was still trying to deny it. “I saw the way y'all were staring at each other. That's how it starts, Alisha. Trust me, Jackson is not the kind of guy to be trusted with matters of the heart,” she adviced.

“Hayley,” I said, “there's nothing going on between Jackson and I, and I don't think there will be. What happened outside was just a passing thing. Nothing will happen.”

The look on her face made it obvious that she didn't believe a word of what I said and to be honest, I didn't believe it either. The small bell above the door of the cafe rang and when I looked up, my heart fluttered a bit. The person standing there was none other than Jackson and as if drawn by magnetic force, his eyes fell immediately on me. How was I supposed to keep him away from my thoughts if things like this kept happening between us?

“You see what I was talking about?” Hayley asked. She had also noticed Jackson's entrance and she was staring at me like I was lost and helpless.

“Sorry. I couldn't help it,” I said. Someone called Jackson's name and he turned away in that direction. He gave the person a thumbs up when he saw him and started walking towards the person. I couldn't see the person that called him from where I was sitting but I knew the person was at the counter.

“Not as long as I am here,” Hayley promised. I didn't understand why she was hell bent on making sure I had nothing to do with him and I made up my mind to find out why, but not from her. I would seek someone else's opinion or even more than one person and compare results. But one thing I knew for sure was that I wouldn't be able to stay away from the blonde haired man whose presence nearly dominated the entire cafe.