Hour of the Moon

Chapter 22: Ignition

As the darkness of the night enveloped us, the cold air pierced my skin, awakening my senses.

Ahiga lit his cigarette, the smoke obscuring his face.  There was an unspoken tension between us. The silence stretched on as Ahiga narrowed his eyes on me, angry but concerned.

" What was that back there? What's going on with you?"

" Out of all the women in Cherokee, why Keiran?"

" Keiran?" He scoffed in disbelief as realization dawned on him.

"For the love of Elders, this is unbelievable."

Reasoning with him I say, "You know the Elders will not be pleased-"

"The Elders or you?" Ahiga spat with contempt.

" Me?"

"You command the tribe and are the next in line to become the leader of the clan. Is it not enough for you to have Nani?"

"I don't know," I muttered, struggling to find the right words.

He sighed as he exhaled smoke through his nostrils. "If you had told me to, I would have back off from pursuing her but it's not your place. You don't deserve her it. To be honest, neither of us deserves her."

The tension between us dissipated once we realized the truth. It wasn't my place to get involved in Ahiga's relationship with Keiran or to judge her for seeing him. Ahiga was like a brother to me, so being angry with him seemed absurd.

"I'm sorry," I say casually as Ahiga shrugs, though he no longer appears angry.

"Having said that, I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat my date as if she were something you wanted to devour alive."

" It's that bad," I grimaced.

I must keep my distance from her for the sake of my sanity and logic.

"At the very least, I should talk to Nanye-hi and apologize."

When I followed Ahiga out of the restaurant, perplexed by our actions, I happened to notice Nani's worried expression. By the time we returned inside, the girls were laughing at something while drinking wine.

"You guys started the party without us," Ahiga exclaimed, and they both laughed, their cheeks flushed with alcoholic revelry.

How many glasses of wine did they have?

"We couldn't help it, we didn't know what was going on," Keiran said, relaxingly leaning against the window.

"I was concerned about you," Nani said in my ear, her lips tinged with sweet red wine.

"There is nothing to be concerned about." Her mischievous eyes twinkle as she runs her hand across my chest, battling her big green eyes at me.

"How do you feel about going out dancing after this?" She turns to face Ahiga and Keiran, who are conversing quietly.

"We're in," Ahiga said, looking at Keiran. They were a cute couple, and I ignored the huge lump in my throat. I made my choice, and I should stick to it.

The club Lava wasn't far from the restaurant, however, I was worried about Nani's sobriety.

"How long has it been since you and I went dancing?"The cold Fall breeze whipped her hair around her face as she rolled down the window and stuck her head out like a child.

It was unusual to see Nani this carefree and relaxed, not since Wohali's death.

The cold air had to have jolted her back into the passenger seat."Do you believe Ahiga harbors romantic feelings for Keiran?