“Oh my god! Brooke! I have to tell you about what happened at the mall!” Sandy called and woke Brooke out of her sleep, just to tell her about Mike.
“What! What happened?” Brooke asked, nervously. “Are you all right?”
“Yes! This is about Mike! Remember the hockey player we met?”
“How could I forget? He’s all you’ve been talking about since you met him. You know, I’m starting to think he’s a bit of a creep. How is it that everywhere you go now, he’s always there? That’s a little weird.”
“Oh hush. It’s just a coincidence. But anyway, so, I went to the mall today, and you know how I love to go for shoes at Charlotte Rousse?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m walking around the store and in walks Mike.”
“Coincidentally,” Brooke mocked. “Go on.”
“We start talking, and everyone in the store started to stare.” She paused and made a face. “Well, you know why, and I guess Mike caught on to it, and he put his arm around me like we were, you know, a couple and oh my god! You should have seen the looks on some of those girls’ faces. It made me feel so good, and it wasn’t like he was doing it just to make me feel good, but he genuinely cared about how I might have felt about the looks those people were giving me.”
“Aww!” Brooke sat up. “Maybe he isn’t weird. Maybe he just really likes you! That was really sweet of him, Sandy!”
“I know right?”
After hanging up with Brooke, Sandy let herself drift off to la-la land. She’d never had a guy who was genuinely interested in her, especially not one who looked like Mike. She wanted to believe with all of her heart that he didn’t come with an ulterior motive, but she just didn’t know. With everything that she’d been through with the few men she had dated, it made her question the motives of every man, even the good ones.
“I met this girl the other day, and I don’t know what it is about her, but every time she comes around I can’t keep myself in human form. It’s like, I imprint on her every time I see her.”
“Mike, you know that can cause problems. Get it under control.”
*****
When game night came around, Mike had his section cleared out for Sandy and her friends. Everything was going smoothly for Sandy until Jackie started asking questions about what Mike could possibly see in her and Sandy couldn’t possibly see why Jackie was so jealous of her. Brooke always said it was because of her personality, but Sandy thought she was just bitter because her boyfriend cheated on her with a BBW.
“Is he giving us free beer tonight too? And these seats could have been better. But whatever,” Jackie complained.
Sandy rolled her eyes. She had gotten in free of charge; the beers weren’t that expensive, and the seats were perfectly fine. Unless she wanted to sit on the ice while the puck got shot two inches from her face. Jackie was really starting to become a pain in Sandy’s ass, and if she said one more negative thing about Mike, she would probably get hit upside the head.
“Look,” Mike pointed into the stands at Sandy. “There she is.”
“The big one?”
“Don’t call her that,” he snapped. “But yeah.”
“Hey! Relax dude,” his teammate noticed his eyes flicker and glowing gold. “Try to keep yourself under control.”
“I’ll try,” he said to himself as his partner skated away. “I’ll try.”
Throughout the entire game, Mike could barely keep his eyes on the puck. He was too focused on making flirty, playful gestures up in the stands, at Sandy, whose complexion was tomato red nearly the whole night. She had never had a guy pay so much attention to her. It was a little weird for her, and of course, she had Jackie in her ear trying to make her feel like Mike was only taking her as a joke.
“I’m just saying Sandy, you know how the last guy turned out. They seem really nice and interested in the beginning, then everything changes. Just like the guy who made that bet at your job.” Jackie giggled.
“Oh and just like your boyfriend? Yeah, I guess everything does change huh,” Sandy snapped.
“Easy ladies. Let’s enjoy the game,” Brooke chimed in, although she was happy to see Sandy standing up for herself.
Maybe this Mike character would be a good look for Sandy, Brooke thought. Even if it didn’t work out between them, her friend was growing a set. Finally.
“Make sure you stick around after the game. I owe you that date.”
Mike was sure to come over at halftime and remind Sandy of their deal. He also kissed her hand and thanked her for coming, which Jackie scoffed at. But as of now, Sandy didn’t care. Jackie was a jealous bitch, and she would get nowhere in life with such a negative attitude. So Sandy didn’t waste any more of her time arguing with her. She had a date go on.
“Make sure you tell me all the juicy details!” Brooke exclaimed. “And try to enjoy yourself. Don’t think about Jackie, don’t think about how things turned out with the other guys, just enjoy yourself. Ok?”
“Ok,” Sandy hugged her friend goodnight. “I’m so nervous.”
“I can tell,” Brooke laughed after their hug. “Call me when you get home. Even if it’s late and I’m enjoying my beauty rest, and tell Mike congratulations on the win.”
While she waited for Mike to come outside, she stood in front of the arena trying to keep her anxiety under control. She would always get nervous before a date, but not this nervous. She felt like she had just come off of the ice the way she was sweating.
“Look, a blimp!” She heard a group of guys laughing behind her.
Ignoring their disgusting comments, Sandy kept her back turned and pretended she didn’t hear them. When she heard them getting closer, she turned around to say something. As she turned around, she saw Mike, holding the ringleader by his throat, asking him if he had a problem.
“Fucking punks,” he said as the guys ran off. “Are you ok? They didn’t hurt you did they?”
“No. I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You sure? Because I’ll go find those little assholes.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m used to it by now.”
That stabbed Mike’s heart a little. He wanted to go after those guys and make them feel the same pain he knew Sandy must have been feeling inside. As he stared off in the direction the guys ran off in, Sandy could have sworn she saw his eyes flicker a golden yellow and when he blinked, she thought she saw them flash over like he had an extra eyelid or something.
When Mike noticed, he quickly detoured her attention to getting on with their night. Brooke had driven her to the arena, so he could drive her to the restaurant and drop her off at home, which she hadn’t experienced often. She’d never had a man cater to her every need, making sure she didn’t have to lift a finger. If she hadn’t pinched her own leg when Mike wasn’t looking, she would’ve thought she was dreaming.
“Where are we going?”
“I made reservations at the cheesecake factory. Unless you wanna go somewhere else?”
“No, that’s fine,” she said. “I’ve actually never been there before. How’d you know?” She joked.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything huh?” he smiled.
His smile was gorgeous. Perfect, pearly white teeth. A slight dimple in his right cheek. Sandy was in awe, and he was so nice and such a gentleman. She could get used to spending time with him, as long as he didn’t change on her like the other guys.
So far, she didn’t see that happening. If he was going to, he would have done it by now. They’d run into each other almost every day since the first day they met, and his attitude was still the same. If he was going to make a move on her as far as getting her into bed, he would have done that too. By now, he could tell that Sandy would give him anything he might have asked for, so what did he see in her if he didn’t want anything?
*****
“Wow! Look at this place!” Sandy exclaimed, admiring the setup of the Cheesecake Factory.
“You weren’t kidding when yo
u said you’ve never been?” he chuckled. “Well, that just made this date ten times better. Come on,” he said, opening her door and taking her hand to help her out of the car.
He was genuinely excited to spend time with Sandy, and that made her heart flutter. Once they were inside and seated, he threw drink suggestions at her, ordered nearly ten appetizers so she could try them all and even set aside what they would try for desert. If he kept this up, she wouldn’t have room for her meal.
She didn’t mind. His excitement was so cute, like a child who had just gotten a new toy and wanted to show it off to all his friends.
“How’d you like the appetizers?”
“They were good. I didn’t really like the fried pickles too much, though.” She laughed.
“No? Those are my favorite. Especially right before a game. I don’t know, it’s like, they make me play better or something.”
Sandy laughed. How a fried pickle could make him play hockey better, she didn’t know, but it was a funny thought.
“So Sandy, tell me a little about yourself. Boyfriend? Children? Family? You know. The works.”
“It’s a little late to ask if I have a boyfriend don’t ya think?”
“I mean, not necessarily,” he laughed. “If we were to get caught, we’d just say it was a friendly outing. Not that I would want to, but you know.”
That gave her butterflies. He didn’t want to lie about what their outing actually was — a date — and she believed every word of it.
“Well, no I don’t have a boyfriend, or children. I’m not even sure if I want any children. My last boyfriend, well the guy I thought was my boyfriend, ended up being a complete jerk and just used me to fund his get rich quick schemes. That was a long time ago, and I haven’t dated anyone exclusively since. I just think relationships are too much of a hassle, and no one ever takes me seriously.”
Mike could understand where she was coming from. He had a few flaws that always ended up scaring people away, no matter how good he tried being to them.
“As for family, they all live down south. Got tired of the cold and decided to give up on it. They still visit from time to time and try to make me move down south with them, but I’m content with my life here. It’s not much, but it’s mine.”
Sandy kept babbling on, and Mike listened with a smile on his face, just staring at her. He thought she was absolutely beautiful and charming. Something about her had him on edge in a good way, and he had every intention of finding out what that was.
By the time it was Mike’s turn to tell her about himself, Sandy was tipsy. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but the drinks were so good, she just couldn’t stop drinking them down. She asked him all kinds of questions that she would have never asked him if she were sober. He didn’t mind. He figured if he was going to be spending time with her, they might as well get better acquainted.
“You ok?” he laughed, noticing she’d gotten slightly drunk and started to slur her words.
“Yes. I’m fine. This is an amazing date,” she smiled. “We should do this again. Tomorrow and every day after.”
Sandy was a funny drunk. It was like her inner girl came out and took control. She was no longer self-conscious about her weight, she didn’t care if anyone was staring at them, she just let herself go and have fun. It Mike feel extremely good about himself and her as well. By the time they had finished their dessert, he nearly had to carry her from the restaurant.
When they got in the car, just before he pulled off, she stuck her head out the door and threw up. That sobered her up a little bit, and she started apologizing for her behavior. Mike said it was his fault; he shouldn’t have ordered her so many drinks, and she agreed, jokingly, but she still apologized for being a slob.
“I’m sorry again,” she said once they pulled into her driveway. “If you’re free tomorrow night, I’ll make this up to you. I promise.”
“It’s ok,” he laughed.
“Right,” she sighed. “You probably never wanna see me again after this.”
“Hey!” he grabbed her hand before she was all the way out of the car. “Tomorrow night. It’s a date,” He smiled.
“Ok,” Sandy blushed, and she could have sworn she saw that golden glow in his eyes once more, but she was too flattered to really wrap her mind around it.
“Matt! It’s happening again!” Mike yelled into his phone.
“Try to keep calm! Pull over to the side of the road and take your mind off of whatever it is you’re thinking about. What were you doing just before it triggered?”
“On a date! Ahh!” Mike yelled, trying to fight off the pleasurable pain he was feeling.
“With the Sandy girl? Mike! I thought I told you to stay away from her? Are you trying to make yourself obvious?”
It took all of Mike’s strength to contain his inner beast. So much so, he fell asleep on the side of the road, thinking about Sandy.
Sandy forgot all about calling Brooke to fill her in about her date. In all honesty, she was just too tired. She could already feel the hangover she was going to have in the morning, which was the main reason she didn’t like to drink. Mike just made her comfortable, so she let herself go. She had an amazing time too, aside from throwing up. She couldn’t wait for Saturday night.
*****
“What happened to you calling me when you got home?”
“Brooke,” Sandy paused, covering her headache with her pillow. “What time is it?”
“It's past noon. Why are you still sleeping?”
“I have the worst hangover.”
“Well!” Brooke laughed. “That explains a lot. Did you have sex too?”
“No!” Sandy laughed. “Don’t make me laugh, my head hurts.”
“So, tell me what happened! Don’t hold out. Did you have a good time?”
“Amazing. He’s such a sweet guy and yeah, he got me drunk,” She said. “But he was so nice about it. I told him I would take him out tonight to make it up to him. I shouldn’t have drunk so much.”
“Aww. Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself.”
“I really did,” Sandy sighed and smiled. “He’s such a nice guy.”
She really did have a great time, and although she was hung over, she couldn’t wait to take him out tonight.
“You’re not thinking of going out with her again tonight are you?”
“I am,” Mike smiled.
“Mike. Are you kidding me? You know what’ll happen if anyone finds out about you right? They’ll lock you away and treat you like some sort of freak show!” Matt lectured.
“It’ll be fine. I’ve got it under control now.”
Matt threw his hands up in defeat. If his friend says he has it under control, he must have it under control. All he could do was wait for the call he was more than certain he would be getting later that night.
“You ready to go?”
Tonight, the roles were reversed. Sandy played Mike’s role, and he played hers. It was her idea since she was the one who got drunk on their first date and had the making up to do.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” She smiled.
Sandy set up a date for them on the beach. Just to thank him for being so nice and sweet to her. She really appreciated his time and honesty and who knows, maybe they might get lucky tonight. If he wanted to, of course.
Pulling up to the beach, Mike could see the candles and cabana set up on the sand. For a minute, he almost felt like a woman for real. He’d never had anyone do something like this for him; he would always do it for other people.
“Wow. This is beautiful Sandy. Thank you.”
Already, Mike felt that tingle inside. As soon as they sat down, he had to gulp his glass of wine and try to relax. Looking at him, Sandy thought she saw black spots, sort of like the spots on a leopard, sprouting out over his face. But maybe it was just the candles flickering in the night.
“Is everything OK?” she asked when he went for his s
econd glass of wine.
“Yea. Just, a little anxiety. I love the beach,” he lied.
Mike was getting turned on by this romantic dinner she had set up, and he wasn’t so sure he would be able to control himself, after all. The more she spoke, the more aroused he became and pretty soon, he had his hand under the table, trying to press his erection into his pocket.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” she asked again. “If you weren’t feeling like yourself, we could have rescheduled tonight.”
“No.” His voice came out almost like a leopards roar. “I mean, I’m ok. I’m having a great time.”
“You must really love the beach!” she laughed, noticing his roar and his erection.
“Sorry,” he laughed, embarrassed. “I’m not sure what’s going on with me tonight. The beach, you, this amazing setup. It’s perfect.”
By now, Mike was so turned on his eyes were glowing and his pupils were dilated. He wasn’t even aware of it until Sandy asked him if he was having sort of allergic reaction to the food or something.
“Excuse me for a second.”
Mike rushed from the table to the bathroom. Just as he fell inside the door, his shift started from his feet, up. His jagged nails ripped right through both of his shoes; his pants tore off his body straight down the seams, and his shirt slipped right over his head. Before he knew it, he was staring at himself in the mirror, a full grown leopard with the most beautiful spots and golden eyes. How was he going to explain this to Sandy, whom he’d just left waiting for him to return to dinner?
“Mike?”
After about a half-hour of waiting, Sandy went to the bathroom to check on him. She didn’t know what was going on with him tonight, but she knew he wasn’t himself. When she didn’t find him, she didn’t want to believe he had just disappeared on her, so she walked around the parking lot to see if he’d passed out anywhere.
Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) Page 14