Luca leaned forward and put out the cigarette before locking eyes with Cory. "I had a bit of an advantage because Shannon was friends with Kate, and Kate was still mortal. I knew the minute I saw Shannon I wanted to be with her. I asked her out, and we went on a double-date with Kate and Shade. So just be happy your first encounter with this girl didn't require Shade as a chaperone."
Luca chuckled at the memory of their first date together. "I can only tell you what Kate told me. Go slow, let her get to know you. Make sure she’s as interested in you as you are in her. I was able to let Kate explain to her what we were. What we all were. But Kate knew Shannon, and knew if she decided to walk away, she wouldn't do anything that would put her in jeopardy. You won't have that advantage, so you’ll need to move slower. You don't have a beast to the same degree as we do. So, you’ll have to figure out if you think she’s the one you want to be with for the rest of your life, Cory, and if she feels the same about you. Until then, I'm afraid you’ll have to keep the truth under wraps. I know it seems deceptive. And in a manner of speaking, it is. But none of us can afford to expose ourselves to a mortal who’s going to freak out when they discover what we are. So, tell me about her. How you met her."
Cory listened intently before he responded. "Slow is how I want to go. This is all new to me too, but I want to get to know everything about her. She wants to see me again."
Cory stood and walked slowly around the room, tugging on his jeans. "I went to a frat party with Marcello. I felt awkward from the beginning. I mean, I just didn’t fit in there. I saw her in the crowd, and she didn’t fit in either. I could see her moving in my direction, toward the front door when some people bumped into her and almost knocked her over. I just reached out, stopped her from falling. We walked outside together, and she asked me to go with her for coffee. We walked to that outdoor mall place in downtown C’ville and we just talked. She’s an art student at the university. She makes pottery, really good, beautiful pieces. She sells her stuff in some of the shops on the mall. We had a drink, food, laughed, it was fun. Anyway, she asked me in when I took her home. She has her own place. It was so different, I love the space. We smoked some weed and fell asleep together on her bed. Nothing happened, I swear. I just felt something come together inside me when I held her in my arms. Like, I don’t know, like... I mean, it felt like she was meant to be there. Fuck, Luca, yeah I could stay with her."
Luca smiled as Cory paced, as he remembered all his own doubts when he first fell in love with Shannon. "Does this mystery girl have a name?"
"Oh yeah, Madison. Awesome, huh? She’s so pretty, long blonde hair, big eyes. She dresses like a hippy, like she’s from another era, lots of rings and jewelry. Oh, and she wants to take me to the shops where she sells her pottery and introduce me, so I can sell some of my leather. I think that would be great."
Cory sat down again across from Luca and punched him on the arm. "You should sell your paintings. Those shops down there are a gold mine. I might get rich, who knows!" Cory laughed. "Seriously, I hope I can pull this off without her finding out too soon. So she can get to know me before she figures out what I am. I’ll have to hold her off from coming here. That might not be easy. You had it easy with Kate knowing Shannon. Kate said I should talk to Shade, like he would get this! I would be dead."
Luca laughed and shook his head. "First of all, little brother, you’re already rich, if you haven't figured that out yet. I’d lay odds there’s a trust fund with your name on it. Shade wouldn't leave anything to chance. And your father fell in love with a mortal himself. Trust me, he’ll understand. He’ll have concerns for you, and for the family. You already know that. We all have to be careful. But he won't keep you from this girl if she’s the one. I can promise you that much."
Cory eyed Luca and thought long and hard about what he was saying. "I won’t compromise my family, ever. I know Dad would understand, but I’m not ready for that confrontation yet. Let’s face it. He’s going to drill me with a million questions. I want to be able to answer whatever he throws at me and right now, I can’t do that. If I need someone to talk to, can I come to you?"
Luca nodded. "Of course, brother. You can keep it under wraps for a while. That will give you a chance to see how she feels, and if this goes anywhere. And you know you can come to me anytime. You'll be fine, little brother. Kate says we all need to have the shit kicked out of us by love. And believe me, there will be times you’ll feel like you’ve had the shit kicked out of you."
"Thanks, Luca." He walked toward the door but turned to look at Luca. "Dad says he knew it was Kate. He knew. Nothing was stopping him from having her for eternity. You knew with Shannon. And you had an ace in the hole with Kate helping pave the way. But I don’t know if she’s the one, and I’m out here alone. I feel like Madison can make me whole, a better person. And I don’t want to screw this up. If she’s the one, I sure hope to hell you’re right about Dad, because I don’t want to have to choose between him and someone I love and can call my own. Thanks for everything, brother."
Luca leveled him with a stare. "He’ll never make you choose, Cory. I grew up with him. I know him better than most. He’d never make you choose."
Cory stared at Luca for a long time. He knew Luca was close to Shade, they were tight, and Luca wasn’t of his blood. Cory was of his blood, but nothing had ever come between him and his dad in the years he’d been living here. He knew deep inside there would come a time when they wouldn’t see eye to eye on things, and he hoped that Madison Barnes wasn’t it. "I hope you’re right, Luca. I want to sell my leather at the shops. Should I ask him first?"
Luca nodded. "Yes, absolutely. It involves you making a business deal with mortals. Anytime our paths cross with the mortal world you want to make sure he is aware."
"That I can handle!" Grinning, he threw up his hand and walked out, closing the door behind him. Instead of going back to his room, he walked down the lane and into the camp, entering his workshop. It was daylight and the activity in the camp was low. It was the perfect time for a phone call to a certain Madison Barnes. He missed her voice already. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he searched for her number and stared at it a long while. Looking around the shop before he hit dial, he decided he’d spend the daylight hours making her a unique gift crafted from his own hands. But first, he needed to hear her voice.
30
Madison made her early class on time, just barely, and was now back home with some time to spare until her afternoon classes. She was preparing to spend some time at the potter's wheel as she got the clay ready. Cory had been on her mind all morning. She liked this boy, but he was sending mixed signals. And although she was glad he hadn’t pressured her to have sex last night, she was surprised. She was wondering again if he might be gay when her cell phone rang. She dug the phone from the bottom of the fabric handbag and didn’t recognize the number. "Hello?"
"Hi Madison, it’s Cory. I hope I’m not bothering you. Just wanted to call and say hello."
"Cory!" She balanced the phone on her shoulder as she wiped the wet clay from her hands, then walked to her bed, and stretched across it. "I'm glad you called. I have a break between classes. Did you get home okay?"