Leopard Moon

Chapter Nine

Cormac walked down Queen Street, backpack slung over one shoulder. It was a Saturday and actually sunny for once. Autumn tended to be rainy in the mountains but when you got a clear day, it was like nothing else in the world. He'd just finished with his Bio study group--it  was a cram session for the last test before the final exam--and now he planned to hit the Parkway for some hiking.

He looked into the store windows as he passed them: art supplies, bookstore, head shop, laundromat. He slowed as he walked by the laundromat, the windows half fogged from the heat of the dryers. He saw a familiar dark head bent over a book.

Should he go in? The last time they'd been together had been a little strange. He'd been doing alright, he'd thought, making her laugh, getting her to open up a little bit. He hadn't expected that part to be so hard--all the girls he had dated loved to talk about themselves. It was getting them to stop talking that was usually the problem. But Kess, well with her it was like chopping down a tree with a spork. He had no idea what he'd done wrong besides telling her that he was interested in her.

Still, one good thing had come out of their talk—out in the fresh air he'd gotten a good chance to smell Kess' scent. To wolves every human had a signature scent: Kess' was spicy, like cinnamon and something else he couldn't name, mixed with the heady aroma of sunshine--not the mountain sunshine that dappled the trees in the woods where he and his pack ran. No, she was deep tropical sunshine, the blinding heat that made your limbs heavy and slow until the relief of nighttime. It was intoxicating to him, so different from anything he'd smelled before.

Remembering her scent decided him. He’d been honest with her that night—he did want to get to know her. He still did.

Pushing open the door, Cormac felt like he was being beaten with a wet washcloth. Way too hot. He was glad he never had a reason to spend a lot of time in laundromats. He shucked off his overshirt and walked over to Kess. She was wearing a tattered sweatshirt and sweatpants and looked like any other college student down to their last set of clean clothes. He realized he hadn't even asked if she was a student here.

She was reading Pride and Prejudice. He cleared his throat, but she didn't hear him. "Kess?"

She startled, eyes flashing up. He stared, struck again by their unusual color. "I, um, saw you through the window." Man, that was deeply lame. Maybe he should ask Finn for some pointers.

"Hi Cormac." She pulled her feet down off the bench. He sat down. And had no idea what to say. Great. The lameness was in full effect.

"That for class?" He pointed at the book.

She looked down at the book spread in her hand. "No. I'm not in school."

"You're not? I kind of assumed you were." She shook her head, eyes distant. "So what are you doing here if you're not a student, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Working. Today, I'm doing my laundry. It's a thrill-a-minute life I lead, let me tell you." Her voice was dry.

Cormac laughed. "Yeah, you're not really missing anything."

He'd just said it to have something to say, but the look on her face made him wish he'd kept his mouth shut. She looked so wistful for just a second and then the expression was gone from her face. He wished Burke was here to slap him upside the head.

"You headed to campus?" She gestured to his backpack. Cormac was grateful for the subject change.

"Study group. Just finished up. I was going to head to the Parkway." She looked confused. "Blue Ridge Parkway--you can drive it just to look at the mountains, but there are lots of places to hike and walk and commune with nature if you're into that sort of thing. Get away from everything that's bothering you." He smiled at her, struck with an idea. "You wouldn't want to come with me, would you?"