A Winter Moon

by S. J. Smith

  At that moment, she saw him look in her direction. He was too far away to see if he had seen her gawking. But nonetheless, she turned around and hurried back to the house.

  In a few minutes, she had forgotten about him and was animatedly chatting with Courtney while enjoying a glass of the fresh orange juice she’d brought along. Before going over to the house, she had stopped at the grocery store to buy food, toiletries, and other stuff she thought she might need throughout the month and a half of her self-declared vacation. She was a freelance writer, after all, with no actual boss. However, she’d had to inform her regular clients.

  “So how beautiful is it there?” Courtney was asking.

  “So damn beautiful and relaxing,” Erin replied.

  “Ooh, I sooo envy you!” Courtney exclaimed. “I’m actually pleading with Chad to take me there next weekend. Or maybe the weekend after that.”

  “That would be great!” Erin said.

  “It depends on his erratic work schedule… and mine too…” Courtney said. “But we’ll definitely visit before the summer’s over. In the meantime, enjoy your quiet, alone time. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks, Courtney,” Erin said, grateful to have a wonderful friend like her. She didn’t tell her about Kale, though.

  After she put down the phone, she got a paperback novel and a bag of chips before heading out to the porch. She positioned herself lazily on the hammock, relishing the afternoon breeze while she read her book and munched on the chips.

  About an hour had passed when she heard loud banging inside the house. At first, she ignored it because she knew Kale was probably back and was working again in the second bedroom. She hadn’t even noticed he was already back.

  She tried to pay no attention to the noise, but it was impossible. Frowning, she climbed down from the hammock and went inside.

  “Can you please keep it down?” she said from the doorway. His back was turned and thank God he had his shirt back on.

  He glanced at her wordlessly, then suddenly put away his tools. He straightened up and walked past her. She followed him with her eyes as he stretched out on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes. He was longer than the couch, so his feet dangled over one end.

  She went back to the porch, but could no longer focus on what she was reading. The sun was already setting, so she put her book down and decided to watch the spectacular play of colors in the sky and on the surface of the water. When it darkened around her, she yawned and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep on the hammock.

  *****

  It was nighttime when her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the hammock on the porch, but was surprised to find that a blanket had been strewn over her body. She did not remember getting up to grab a blanket.

  A shadow in front of the house caught her eye. The figure appeared to be Kale, so she did not panic. Besides, the remote area was not frequented by people and the nearest neighbor they had lived miles away. She watched him surreptitiously as he walked toward the lake. Then to her shock, he suddenly vanished into thin air.

  She rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight.

  With her heart pounding and her curiosity growing, she went inside the house to make sure he really wasn’t there. Perhaps her eyes had been playing tricks on her, or maybe she’d somehow still been dreaming. But he wasn’t in the house.

  She went to the lake but did not see him anywhere. It was quite dark, except for the illumination coming from the porch lights. And when that hit her, a shiver ran down her spine. She turned around tersely and almost crashed into the bulky chest of a tall man. Looking up, she found herself standing very close to her stepbrother and gazing into his profound green eyes.

  “What are you doing out here at this time?” he asked. “It might not be safe.”

  She wanted to ask him where he had been but she did not want to sound like she was interested in his activities. Without any answer, she trudged back to the house. He followed her and she hurriedly locked herself in the bedroom. He was certainly too creepy to hang out with.

  The week passed by quickly. So far, Erin and Kale had managed to stay out of each other’s way. They cooked their own food and hardly ate at the same time. If they happened to be in the kitchen or dining room together, they ate with minimal conversation.

  One evening, Erin was preparing dinner in the kitchen while watching Kale intriguingly from the corner of her eye. She could see him quietly sitting on the couch, lost in his thoughts. He had a menacing expression on his otherwise good-looking face.

  His weird silence and seemingly brooding nature were getting to her, so she decided to play some music on her phone to distract herself.

  To her surprise, he went into the kitchen after a few seconds. “What song is that?” he asked as he sat on the stool by the granite counter.

  She glanced at him, stunned that he was making conversation. “Uh, it’s called ‘My Eternal Goodbye’. It’s an old song that my dad had composed.”

  “I see,” he said thoughtfully. “Must have been a talented fellow.”

  “He was,” Erin said. She then placed the chicken alfredo pasta on the counter, which was more than enough for the two of them. “You haven’t eaten, right? Want some?”

  He shrugged. “Sure.”

  It was puzzling how he was suddenly showing interest in her, asking questions and listening attentively. Maybe he realized it was high time they became friends somehow. After all, they were now family. Or maybe he was just plain bored already.

  Perhaps she was bored too, or was eager for company. She found herself eventually sharing more about her life as they enjoyed their dinner. He was certainly a good listener, but she could feel that he had a lot on his mind, and that he wasn’t ready to open up to her. Nevertheless, she could not help feeling a connection with him as the night wore on. She could not explain it, but spending time with him made her feel more secure.

  *****

  There was something about jogging through the quiet countryside near the lake while the sun rose and draped the entire sky with vivid colors.

  Clothed in plain old running shorts and a sporty tank top, Erin made her way across the nearby meadows and then back into the cluster of trees beside the glistening lake. She had not felt as peaceful as she did at that moment since her toxic relationship with her ex-boyfriend Arnold had started and finally ended.

  As she went through the front door of her stepdad’s vacation home, the delicious aroma of coffee and French toast immediately caught her attention and made her stomach grumble. To her surprise, she found Kale preparing breakfast.

  “You’re up early,” she commented as she joined him in the kitchen.

  Kale was wearing an apron over his usual black shirt and jeans. His sandy hair was still damp, and Erin could actually smell his aftershave. That’s when she noticed his newly shaved face. The fresh look and clean cut made him seem less intimidating.

  “You’re up earlier…” he said with a grin as he placed some French toast on two plates and piled them with cheese, eggs, and bacon.

  Erin was still a bit sweaty from her morning jog, but she couldn’t help staring at the mouthwatering breakfast plates, eager to devour hers. She quickly grabbed her towel and started wiping off her perspiration. As she did, she caught sight of Kale watching her intensely. All of a sudden, her heart beat faster. She turned her back awkwardly, muttering, “I think I’ll go change first.”

  “Sure, go ahead,” he said. “I’ll wait for you.”

  When she came back after a minute, she was dressed more conservatively in an oversized shirt and navy leggings.

  “Shall we eat now?” Kale asked, positioning himself at the breakfast nook.

  Erin smiled. “Thanks for waiting.”

  As they enjoyed breakfast together, he told her how his mom had taught him how to cook and how his dad was the one who’d taught him how to make things such as wooden furniture.

  “That’s nice,” Erin said,
surprised yet happy that he was sharing something personal with her. By this time, they’d had more conversations since that first night they had begun talking. He wasn’t so bad, after all. He was perhaps just an introvert. And it was good that she was getting to know him better, which allowed her to feel more at ease with him.

  “By the way, how was your jog?” Kale asked after taking another sip of his coffee.

  “Great!” Erin said cheerfully. “I think I’ll be doing it daily now. Being away from the city has somehow transformed me into an early morning person. And besides, I vowed to myself that I will try to develop healthier habits this summer.”

  “Good for you.”

  “I know. It’s a lot better than jogging in the city park back home.” Erin had almost finished off her food. She looked up and found herself gazing into Kale’s deep green eyes which were fixed on her. She averted her eyes at once, feeling self-conscious. “What about you? What kind of activities were you into in San Francisco?”

  “I worked out in the gym and ran a lot whenever I wasn’t busy,” he answered.

  “What kind of work did you do there, anyway?”

  “I was… in the IT industry…” he explained. “Carpentry is just a hobby.”

  “Oh, I see. I think I remember my mom mentioning that Winston was in the same kind of business. Did you know that they actually met online?”

  He chuckled, seeming as if he was really loosening up. “Yeah, I heard. My dad and I had our own apartments and we lived our own lives too since Mom passed away… But yeah, we still got together once a week and we got along pretty well…”

  Erin suddenly remembered her own dad, whom she terribly missed. With a wistful look, she whispered, “I wish my dad was still here.”

  Suddenly, Kale’s face darkened. His aura seemed to shift from light to heavy, from relaxed to gloomy. “Uh, excuse me for a while… I have to get back to working on the bedroom…”

  Erin was startled when he abruptly got up and left without even helping her with the dishes. What did I say? she wondered anxiously. He’s really weird.

  Throughout the day, Kale could not be disturbed from his work. He was actually able to finish making the bed and cabinets in the room, while Erin wrote a blog post on her laptop. When he was done, he just left the house without a word.

  In the evening, she ate dinner by herself, silently wondering where Kale had gone. But then, she tried to remind herself that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. She shouldn’t care at all.

  She heard the front door swing open just as she was getting ready for bed. Dressed in her pajamas, she peeked into the living room.

  “Hi, Erin.”

  The blood drained from her face when she saw the very familiar figure of her ex-boyfriend, sneering at her. “What are you doing here, Arnold?” she demanded angrily. She couldn’t believe he’d come all the way to Willow Stone to ruin her summer.

  He strode toward her in several long steps. “I’ve missed you,” he told her, his expression changing into one of desperation and longing. “I want you back, Erin. You know I do.”

  Erin stepped backward, but he took two steps forward and grabbed her shoulders. “Please come back to the city with me. We can work it out, I promise.”

  She took another step back but found herself backing toward the wall beside her bedroom door. “I’ve had enough of your promises, Arnold,” she said firmly. She didn’t want to fall victim to his pleas and promises again. She wanted to love herself more this time. “Just go back to Brenda. Leave me alone.”

  “I don’t love Brenda,” he explained in a wretched voice. “I got tempted. She seduced me! But it’s you that I want to be with forever!”

  “I don’t care!” Erin said in a louder voice, wanting to stand up for herself. “You’ve already ruined everything we had, over and over again. So please, just go!”

  When she tried to duck under his arm to get further away from him, he suddenly grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. Without any warning, he planted his lips on hers and kissed her angrily and hungrily at the same time. She attempted to push him away, but he was too strong. He kept kissing her lips then her neck, even as she whimpered.

  “Don’t do this, Arnold…” she begged.

  He did not listen to her. Instead, he seized her hands and dragged her toward the bedroom door before she could argue or escape. She started to scream, but he slapped her hard on the cheek, the impact making her drop onto the bed.

  “I want you, Erin,” he kept repeating as he climbed on top of her and pinned her body under him so she could not move. “I’ll make you realize how much you want me too.”

  “No!” she shouted. She started to scream again, but he covered her mouth with his hand to muffle the sound.

  Kale, where are you?! she silently screamed in panic and fright. Kale!

  At that moment, she heard the bedroom door open and saw a huge fist punch Arnold’s jaw, making him shout in pain. It was immediately followed by another punch, which threw him off balance and had him rolling off the bed.

  Erin sat up quickly just in time to see Kale’s flashing eyes and scary expression as he punched Arnold repeatedly. Arnold’s face was bleeding, and his nose was probably broken. He tried to punch back, but he wasn’t any good against her bulky, menacing stepbrother.

  “Stop! Stop!” Erin screamed. That was the only thing to make Kale stop.

  Arnold had his hands up as he cowered on the floor.

  “Get out of here before I kill you,” Kale said gruffly. “And don’t ever come near Erin again, or you’re dead.”

  For the first time ever, Erin saw immense fear in Arnold’s eyes as he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the house.

  She was so relieved and overwhelmed that she simply crumbled on the bed, sobbing. Kale was breathing heavily, just standing there and watching her. After a few seconds, he climbed on the bed with her and took her in his arms, cuddling her in his protective embrace.

  *****

  The following days went by without any mention of the incident. But somehow, that night had allowed another wall around Kale to collapse, letting Erin in completely.

  “I can’t believe mom and Winston are in Venice now!” Erin exclaimed, showing Kale the Facebook photo from her phone before they left the lake house.

  “Ah, cool,” was all he said. “I didn’t know they planned to tour the whole of Europe.”

  “Don’t you have Facebook?” Erin suddenly asked.

  He shook his head as they began jogging away from the house. It was still dark, probably around five in the morning, when they went out in their sweats just as they had been doing together for the past week.

  “That’s crazy!” Erin said, laughing. “You’re the only person I know who’s not on Facebook! To think you’re in IT!”

  “Yeah, well…” he said, grinning. “Not everybody’s into social media. I honestly don’t give a damn about other people’s lives.”

  “Well, you have a point,” Erin agreed.

  They jogged quietly for some time, before stopping to rest amid some tall trees and thick shrubs.

  “I’m so tired!” Erin said, turning around to face Kale whom she knew was just standing behind her. But to her astonishment, he wasn’t there.

  When she whipped back to the front, she stumbled backward in surprise upon finding Kale standing so close to her. “What-?”

  “Ssshhh…” he said, his eyes darting toward the nearby tree branch above his head. Erin’s eyes shifted upward, following his gaze. She gasped when she saw a big, fat snake sliding toward them. Apparently, he’d blocked it from reaching her. She wanted to yank him out of the way but he mouthed, Quiet.

  She watched the snake wide-eyed, trying to stifle the scream that was rising in her throat. It slithered to his shoulders and wrapped itself around his neck. He did not appear to be worried though, and he actually seemed to know how to deal with it.

  The minute that passed felt like an hour. But finally, the snake went
back to the branch and left them alone. Erin was so relieved, yet very much shocked. “Why’d it leave?” she whispered.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s just be grateful.”

  That whole day, Erin could not get the incident out of her head. It did not seem logical that the snake had almost bitten him or crushed his neck, but had ended up just going away. Nevertheless, she dismissed it as one of those strange things about him.

  In the afternoon, Kale was busy painting the other room. Meanwhile, Erin tried to shake off her doubts about her stepbrother, reminding herself that it was best that the two of them became friends.

  It was much hotter that day than the others. Hence she decided to head over to the lake for a quick swim. It was certainly a calming experience to take a dip in the shallow water near the shore, amid the astounding natural landscape. She soon forgot about her qualms and worries.

  The sun had already set when she came out of the water, which had gotten colder. She was wearing her favorite blue bikini, which was not really skimpy but still very revealing. The night breeze was already blowing, making her shiver.

  “Erin,” a familiar male voice said. She turned toward it and saw Kale approaching with a bathrobe.

  She accepted it and put it on consciously, covering her exposed body. He didn’t seem to be ogling, although she suddenly felt uncomfortable that she was half-naked beside this strikingly handsome man who had saved her life twice already.

  “Done painting?” she asked as they walked together along the side of the lake.

  “Yep,” he said with a smile. “You’ll see it soon enough. But of course it can’t be used yet.”

  Erin frowned. “You know, you can sleep in the master bedroom too. I mean, you can set up a mattress on the floor, ‘coz I know you’re too tall for the sofa.”

  “Oh, it’s alright,” he said quickly.

  “Don’t your back and legs ache in the mornings?” she wondered with concern.

  “Don’t worry, I can handle it,” he assured her, placing a friendly arm around her shoulders and slightly squeezing them before dropping down again. “I’ve gotten used to it.”