Counterpart (Succubi & Incubi Assn.)

  “You have no reason to be jealous, Mel,” I said, watching as cars pulled into the parking lot. We were waiting for Daniel to turn up. He’d told us that he was going to do something and he'd be back in five minutes but that was over ten minutes ago. I was starting to think he had done a runner.

  “Are you kidding me? Maya, it's rare for our kind to even find love let alone with someone who actually supported it.”

  I couldn't exactly say that Tristan fully supported it, only because of how he was still closed up about the subject. I had noticed in some of his reactions that he was still trying to get used to it. And with him trying, it only made me want to give him more reasons to keep trying. I just didn't know how long it would take before it became too much.

  “It's not as great as you think,” I said, “yeah he seems pretty cool with it now, but it's only been a day, ya know. There will come a time where he probably won't stand the look of me and I honestly wouldn't know how to handle that.”

  I could feel Melinda's eyes on me as she thought about how to answer. She eventually gave up trying to think and nudged her shoulder against mine. “You never know, Maya. The future holds a lot of unexpected routes. You just need to wait for the time to come before you can handle it. Everyone spends their time wondering what's going to happen tomorrow, or the next day, or even next year, but no one realizes that right now—the present—it needs your attention more.”

  “Wow,” I said, staring at her in a whole new light, “has Daniel rubbed off on you lately, or have you taken an inspirational class that I didn't know about?”

  “We're all full of wisdom, Maya.” She rolled her eyes. “You just need to know how to access it.”

  “Touché,” I said. I was grateful for her words though. They actually put a sense of comfort with me. And she was right—again—I needed to focus on right now. Tristan was with me now. If problems start in the future then I'll deal with them then.

  “Speaking of Daniel…” Melinda looked around the parking area. “If he doesn't turn up in the next five minutes I'm going to kill him.”

  I predicted the future pretty closely earlier. Melinda had a go at Daniel, he said sorry, she continued yelling, he... kept saying sorry, and then eventually—after a few pancakes were thrown—she forgave him, only if he promised to stay the hell away from Sophia or else his balls will be coming off—her words, not mine.

  On the subject of human best friends, I called Jamie today. Apparently her phone call wasn't a happy one. The guy—who she was supposed to be going on a date with—stood her up. The way she explained it to me made my heart ache for her. Her voice was so quiet and half the time she was taking ragged breaths. I wanted to just go over to that ship and give that guy a piece of my mind. He didn't realize what he was missing out on.

  I couldn't even tell her about Tristan. I wanted to—only because I knew she would have something to say—but I just couldn't do that to her. It wasn't the right time.

  A familiar low rumble distracted my thoughts and I looked up to see Noah pulling in, parking his car in the car-park next to mine.

  “Maya,” he said as he got out, “just the person I want to see.”

  Uh oh, that never ends well.

  “So, I go home last night expecting to see my best friend home after his little short temper.” He walked to stand in front of me. He was amused. I knew this judging by his attempt at trying to fight a smile. “And what I get is... well nothing, he doesn't come home until just about a couple of hours ago, with maple syrup all over his chest.”

  Now I could see why he was finding this amusing. “I don't know what you're talking about, Noah.”

  “Funny.” His brown eyes bore into mine. “Because when I asked him what happened, he said and I quote 'Maya happened' and hey, I'm not trying to be a dick, all I'm saying is that it's about time you guys got your heads out of your asses. It was starting to get annoying hearing him bitch and moan.”

  “What did he moan about?” I asked curiously.

  “She's so fucking complicated, man,” he replied in a voice that I guessed was supposed to be Tristan's. “I don't understand why girls are so complicating. Fuck, she's stubborn.”

  Melinda snorted a laugh, and I knew why. I nodded. “That sounds like me.”

  “That's what I said.” Noah looked down at his watch. “Fuck I knew I shouldn't have met up with that girl. Ten minutes until his match, you coming?”

  “Yeah, we're just waiting for our friend,” Melinda said, just as I spotted Daniel... and Ethan walking across the road.

  “Looks like we were waiting for two friends,” I murmured, hopping off the boot of my car. “I didn't know Ethan was coming.” I looked to Melinda, but she wasn't staring at what I was staring at. Instead her eyes were plastered to her nails, a red tinge crawling on her cheeks. “Are you blushing? Why are you blushing?”

  “No reason,” she replied fast.

  “Don't make me ask Daniel,” I warned, “He’ll tell me.” Actually, after I spilled his secret I'd be lucky if he told me.

  “I have a feeling this is a girl conversation.” I had almost forgotten that Noah was here. “I'll see you guys in there.”

  Melinda watched as he walked inside and I knew she was trying to avoid telling me something. The fact that Daniel and Ethan were almost here just made me impatient. “Melinda Jane Jacobs, you better tell me or else.”

  “You really had to bring my middle name into it?” She cringed then glared towards me. “I don't go running your middle name out there, Bernadette.”

  Now it was my turn to cringe. I hated my middle name, only because it really didn't go with my personality, and it was my mother's name. Seriously, it was probably the only thing I got from her.

  “Just tell me,” I sighed.

  “Okay, but don't laugh—”

  “I'm so going to laugh now.”

  “Maya!”

  “Okay, okay, just hurry.” Daniel and Ethan were entering the parking lot, and I actually wanted to get inside before Tristan came out.

  “I told Ethan...” the rest of her words were mumbled and I kicked her roughly until she repeated her words. “I told Ethan that we were perfect for each other. I was drunk, okay!”

  I know she told me not to laugh. A good friend wouldn't laugh... “Oh my God.” I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stop it from bursting out with laughter. It wasn't going well.

  “Go on, laugh it up,” she said, “You’re going to anyway.”

  That was the opening I needed. I laughed. I laughed so hard that I was starting to see tears in my eyes. “Oh God, that is the best thing I've ever heard. How did he take it?”

  “As every other male does—with a clueless expression.”

  No wonder she was so embarrassed about it. She felt rejected. “Aw, Mel.” I leaned my chin on her shoulder and her own words crawled into my head. “Your future holds many unexpected routes, babe. Give him some time.”

  “Whatever.” She waved me off her shoulder, just as Daniel and Ethan walked up to the car.

  “Maya, can we talk?” Ethan asked.

  I looked down at the clock on my phone. “Uh, not at the moment, we've got to get inside before they close the doors.” I pulled my handbag over my shoulder.

  “But, Maya—”

  “After the match, Ethan,” I said, “we can talk all you want, but right now we have to get inside.”

  “Maya—”

  I quickly turned as I was walking towards the entrance, holding a finger up. “After.”

  ****

  Due to the fact that we'd come in late—thanks to Daniel and Ethan—I was stuck at the bar, watching the ring from afar. I was slightly pissed at that because I wanted to be at the front, but I guess I'll live. Ethan still wanted to talk to me too but it was too loud in here that he eventually gave up and settled on glaring at the crowd that apparently wouldn't 'shut up'.

  There were no previous matches on tonight, so it was just Tristan's match along with this Preston guy.
It would probably explain why there weren't that many people here either as there would be on a normal night—that and because people would've left for summer. It was still a decent crowd though.

  Melinda was also distracting herself from looking at Ethan too. I could tell. The way she was trying to make conversation after conversation with Stuart behind the counter was the give away. Half of the things she was saying didn't even have any interest to him. He obviously caught on quick, and played along just because he knew what it was like to be around a guy you crushed on.

  I can't wait until he gets a boyfriend.

  “Bets, bets, make your bets. Last call!” The same guy who always took the bets stopped in front of me. Hat out, grin plastered on his adorable boyish face. “Maya.”

  Something about this confused me. “You still have my money from the last match.”

  This caught him off guard. “Oh right, yes, I remember, Maya. It’s in here.” He shook the hat which rattled with coins and notes. “I got you and Melinda covered.”

  “Uh huh.” Smirking at his attempt at getting extra money, I watched as he walked along, getting last minute bets. I didn’t really care about the money. This guy looked like he could use with a new pair of jeans, so if it was going towards that then whatever.

  “Alright ladies and gentleman, it may have been an unfortunate event a few weeks ago but here we are again.” I swear I felt eyes on me.

  Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll stay in my seat. I won't use my seduction to detach people from blondes. I get it, sheesh.

  Music started playing and the announcer introduced Preston.

  A scent hit my nose then and I found myself scanning the crowd. It was a cross between corn-chips and cologne but there was something within this scent that really caught my attention. It was lust.

  I apparently wasn't the only one who smelt this. Daniel, Melinda and Ethan were all scanning the crowd for the new-found scent. Neither of us could come up with anything though, being in a crowd really fucked up things sometimes, I should know.

  There were too much people for either of us to investigate but Ethan didn't seem at all bothered by the new scent. Maybe it was one of the ones from last night. I actually felt excited over a new succubus and incubus in the area. Hopefully I get to meet them.

  The crowd started to scream louder and I heard Tristan's name coming from the announcer’s mouth. And at that moment, it was like no one was there.

  Shirtless as always, Tristan entered from across the room, grinning away as he walked through the make-shift pathway that the crowd created. I saw him high five people as he walked by, ignoring the fact that most of them were girls. There was even a small exchange between him and Noah where it involved their ‘bro-shake’—which consisted of them hitting each others hands three times before chest bumping. It was half weird, yet half... bromantic.

  It was the same entrance every time he fought. He would stop at the bottom of the stairs, close his eyes and take a few breaths while rolling his neck, and then he would run up the stairs and into the ring. This time it was slightly different. He stopped at the stairs, closed his eyes, took deep breaths, rolled his neck and before he went inside the ring, he leaned his head back, kissing two fingers before pointing them to the sky.

  He was paying tribute to Geoff.

  I had to smile at the way he was. The kindness of his heart was something I adored so much. And just that he was doing this for Geoff was not only a step for him at getting closure, but a lot of other people would find inspiration just by that.

  Tristan ran his glove-covered hands through his hair a few times, earning—I was sure—a squeal from a group of girls nearby. Apparently word of mouth had gone around quick. The story was Tori had stayed in Hawaii, not bothering to tell anyone about it. It was a lie if I said that some people found this sad. I think the only one who was devastated by it was her hairdresser. Not even her friends were bothered. Once the word went around that Tristan was on the market—apparently—it started a frenzy.

  Now that annoyed me.

  Our eyes connected momentarily and I felt that electrical charge surge through me when he winked my way. It wasn't obvious but it happened. He was subtle about it, I noticed. Something about that and the new rumor about him being single triggered an assumption within me.

  Maybe we are still friends with benefits... and complications.

  Knowing I wasn't fully allowed, I lifted myself onto the counter of the bar, wanting to get a full view of everything. I don't know why I didn't clap along with everyone and cheer as the men in the ring sized each other up. I was really concerned for Tristan's knuckles. I knew they were still tender. I just hoped they didn't get in the way of his fight.

  The first bell rang, starting off the first round. This was when it really started. Preston and Tristan were evenly matched—same height and practically the same body shape. It was really all going to come down to who was faster than the other.

  They were quick to get into each others face and exchange right hooks. Preston was the first to move back and he swung his leg out, narrowly missing Tristan's head. Tristan used this time to take Preston down to the ground, connecting his fist with Preston as he attempted to defend each blow.

  Melinda was yelling loudly beside me, surely threatening Tristan if he didn't win. She always thought that if she yelled loud enough, he would win. Apparently she was the good luck charm.

  I looked beside me quickly to Daniel and Ethan, and I noticed they both were quiet, their eyes watching the fight closely. It looked like they were studying the moves of the two males, their heads occasionally moving in the direction of Tristan's hand.

  Finding it weird, I moved my eyes back and I had missed a few hits apparently because it was Tristan on the ground, defending himself from Preston's punches. There was blood already trickling from Preston's nose and I figured Tristan got him good at some point when I wasn't looking.

  I hadn't realized it until now, but I was gripping tightly on the counter top, trying not to fall off the bar while I watched the fight closely. It was unbelievable at first, watching the whole crowd go crazy as they rooted on for the one they wanted to win. I used to be one of those people. It's not until you're outside of the craze that you realize just how frantic it was.

  Out of the blue, the crowd changed their tone and half of the room's cheers had died down. Feeling the adrenaline run through me instantly, I looked back to the ring to see Preston standing and staring down at the ground. The support that my hands were supposed to give slipped from the counter and I was quickly making my way to stand on the bar.

  Oh God. Oh God.

  Tristan was kneeling with his back towards me, and a doctor was quickly walking inside the ring. Just with that, I was thinking the worse.

  He's concussed. OMG, he's going to be covered in blood. Really, in conclusion, I was over-dramatizing.

  The doctor knelt down in front of Tristan, lifting his face to examine whatever the fuck he had. It better not be bad. I noticed blood on the mat but it wasn't a lot, and I wasn't exactly sure if it was all Tristan's. The doctor was talking to Tristan and I could see Tristan nodding. After patting his cheek, the doctor then nodded his head towards the ref and walked back out of the ring. That was a good thing. If the doctor called the fight off then I'd probably think the world had just ended with the way my mind was starting to think.

  The fight was back on and I could finally see what all the fuss was about. There was fairly long cut running underneath Tristan's left eye. “What the hell happened?” I asked anyone who was listening.

  “The other human boy seems to rely on kicking,” Ethan answered, his eyes not leaving the ring. “Landed one right under Tristan's eye.”

  I returned to my space on the counter and watched as Tristan and Preston were back to their right hook exchanges.

  “Tristan realizes that Preston is better on his feet, so he needs to bring him to the ground, hopefully go for a submission hold.”

  I arched a brow at E
than, not knowing where all this came from. “You're suddenly an expert on MMA now?”

  “Nope.” He shrugged. “It's just what I'd do.”

  Surely enough, they were both on the ground, and with Preston on top Tristan wrapped his arm around the back of his head, bringing him closer while his legs wrapped around his waist. I knew what this hold was. A lot of the guys that trained with Tristan learned and practiced this a lot. I just never could say the name right, which is why I can't even remember what it's called.

  “Guillotine choke,” Ethan muttered, “good man.”

  Noticing my confused look at his knowledge, he shrugged again. “Way of the Dragon. Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris. 1972. Except in that movie, he killed him with it.”

  “I wasn't even born then,” I muttered. My parent’s probably hadn’t even reached puberty.

  Hearing the bell ring, the crowd roared to life. I switched my gaze back to Tristan's match and watched him release the hold on Preston. He took his mouth guard out and let the referee lift his hand. He won. Grinning widely, he punched his fist in the air. There was still blood trailing down the side of his face but it was easily dismissed just by the fact that he was happy. Next thing I knew, I was cheering and clapping along with the crowd.

  Preston was still kneeling on the ground, obviously disappointed that he lost. Tristan then took this time to walk over to him, holding his hand out in which he accepted. They hugged and Preston patted Tristan on the back. I could see his mouth moving, but as always, I couldn't lip read.

  We all know who did though.

  “’Yeah, man,” Melinda started, “that was a good fight. Next time though, less pressure on my balls, yeah?’ Then Tristan would be all like, 'Don't worry, man. Next time you kick me in the face, I won't just make you submit, I will make you beg for fucking mercy.'” The awkward silence that followed made her look to me. “Too much?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “I seem to go that step too far. Oh well, I'm hungry and I just scored myself some mon-ay. I'm up for In 'N' Out. Anyone else?”