Trinity (Moonstone Book 1) (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Luke

“What do you know about Trinity?” I asked Toby two days later.

I had spent the past couple of days brooding like a pathetic broken hearted schoolboy. One date. We’d had one date, a couple of kisses, and I couldn’t get that girl out of my fucking head.

Toby commented a few times on my sullenness and tried to get me to go out and pick up but that wasn’t what I needed.

I needed to know about Trinity. On our date she’d given little away about herself. I had her cell number but no idea where she lived. I knew she played in the band and knew her friends but knew nothing about her family.

Now, it was Friday and I had finally given in and gone with Toby and the guys to Houdini’s, the local bar that we’d been frequenting for years. It wasn’t like The Silver Den. It was on the other side of town, near campus, and was popular with most of the college crowd.

“I know she’s one fucked up chick,” Toby said and then sipped his beer.

He’d said that before and I’d warned him not to talk about her like that. I didn’t want to hear that about her, but now… I just wanted to know.

“Tell me what you know.” I asked, taking my own long swig of beer to ready myself.

“Well for one, it’s just her and her mom,” he told me, “they live across town on Gloria Street.”

I knew Gloria Street. It wasn’t that far from The Silver Den. I also knew it wasn’t one of the better streets in town. But I’d also known that Trinity wasn’t living down the road from the mayor and his family either.

“What about her dad?” I asked.

Toby pursed his lips. “Not around. Never been around as far as I know. Her mom is a bit of a skank though—she definitely
has
been around.”

I nodded, growing thoughtful. “She doesn’t want to see me anymore.” I said after a while.

“Tough.”

“What about boyfriends?” I asked over the lump in my throat.

Toby eyed me square. “None. As far as I know, and I don’t know much. But I’ve known Gwen for years, before she and Trinity were in the band, and Gwen told me Trinity doesn’t date. Like ever. She’s as pure as snow according to Gwen, although by the way she dances and performs on stage you’d never pick it.”

I’d picked it. But I didn’t share that with Toby.

The other guys arrived and we got busy drinking. They all asked me about my date with Trinity, seeing as they were there the other night when I left, but I managed to brush off their interest with casual comments. We had a date, it was fun, probably won’t see her again. Even then the words stuck in my throat.

The evening wore on and the guys started chatting up girls. Troy ended up leaving at about ten o’clock with two girls draped over each arm. A blonde and a brunette. I shook my head at him as he wandered out the door. Troy had girls gagging for him. But like Toby he’d never spent more than a few hours with any girl.

Toby’s phone lay on the table and at almost midnight it beeped with a text. I glimpsed at it before he snatch it up and noted that it was Gwen. Interesting.

Without looking at me Toby read the text before quickly texting her back. Pulling my phone out of my back pocket I checked it. A couple from Melissa, which was disappointing. I was seriously going to have to do something about that but I wasn’t quite sure what. I’d been pretty clear the other day but she was still texting and calling. I shoved the phone back in my pocket, not even bothering to read Melissa’s messages, trying not to feel disappointed that Trinity hadn’t text. Not that I had expected to hear from her; she’d made herself perfectly clear the other day.

“So I’m outta here,” Toby said abruptly, standing up and scraping his chair back.

We all looked up at in surprise. “Booty call?” Dylan asked.

“Nah,” he told us, “not quite. Gwen’s at a party said I should come check it out. They’re playing.”

He had my interest. “Where?”

Toby snickered, reading my thoughts. “Across town. You can come if you want. I’m guessing she’ll be there.”

I was already on my feet. Trinity had pushed me away but I wasn’t giving in that easy. The other guys were on their feet too.

“None of you can drive,” Dylan said, “so I guess I’ll go too.”

We slapped him on the back, although I would’ve crawled on my belly if it meant I got to see Trinity again.

****

The party was at a house and there were only a few cars out the front. It was dark, right across town near the industrial area and there were few streetlights that worked. Dylan parked the car out the front and we all clambered out following Toby up the path.

“Whose party is this again?” Harry asked, eying the house warily.

“She didn’t say,” Toby shrugged, “but said it was okay to just show up.”

I hoped Trinity didn’t mind me just showing up. Already my skin prickled at the idea of seeing her again.

We didn’t go through the front door but instead followed the sound of music around to the back yard. The lawn was scrappy and there were no plants in the garden. A discarded kid’s bike lay sprawled on the front lawn. Out back there were a group of people all sitting around on blankets and drinking. It was mellow and chilled out, hardly what I would describe as a party although there were quite a lot of people there.

My eyes scanned the crowd until they found Trinity. She caught my breath away.
Fuck
, she was making me poetic.

She sat on a stool in front of the crowd and someone had lit about a hundred candles and they were scattered around her, flickering in the slight breeze. She wore denim cut off shorts and a floral blouse knotted at her stomach. On her feet were thick, black boots. The tattoos were back, although there were just a couple this time and they traced delicately around her bicep. That made me smile. Fake tattoos to portray an image that wasn’t entirely her. Her face was more made up than the last time I’d seen it, with that black stuff around her eyes and her lips stained a dark red color. Her hair was styled differently too, in an attempt to hide the bandage on her forehead that made my gut twist.

But it was still her.

Music started playing and someone gestured at us to sit so we did, choosing a shadowed spot at the back. The drummer girl – Shawna I think her name was - kept a slow and steady beat before the others joined in. This wasn’t a rock song, it was something slow and simple but I recognized the tune as something familiar.

Trinity sat at the front of the band, her eyes closed, swaying slightly to the music. She didn’t have a microphone in front of her and there were no speakers set up for them either. They were playing acoustic.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and she hadn’t even done anything yet. She was mesmerizing and I desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind right now.

Then she started to sing. The first words fell out of her mouth before she opened her eyes and sang the rest of the song. Only then did I recognize the song. It was “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac. An oldie but a goodie. Trinity had a voice completely different to Stevie Nicks and yet she sang it beautifully, the words flowing smoothly and whimsically from her. She moved to the music as she sang, smiling lightly to herself at some of the lyrics, lyrics that made my throat catch.

She was just a wish. She was just-a-wish.

And her memory is all that is left for you now. You see your gypsy.

I couldn’t fucking breathe.

I watched her mouth move. I watched her hand rest on her leg and then go up to touch her neck and I wanted to touch her too, to trace my fingers over her smooth soft skin. My whole insides burned as I listened to her sing and all I could think about was how much I wanted her, and how much she didn’t want me.

When the song ended people applauded. It wasn’t like the club though where people wolf whistled and clapped, high, drunk and full of adrenaline. This was different. Here people clapped slowly and with appreciation and Trinity smiled, ducking her head a little as she giggled. I wished I was close enough to hear her giggle properly and to see the little blush that probably stained her cheeks right now.

“Any more requests?” Gwen called from side where she sat with her guitar propped against her knees.

People yelled out a few songs, more folk songs than what the girls normally played and I was surprised by some of their suggestions.

“What about Kate Bush?” I called out before I could stop myself. From the moment I’d first heard Trinity sing I knew she could sing Kate Bush better than anybody. I wanted to hear her hit those high notes.

Everyone turned to look at me at the same time Trinity’s eyes met mine. Her chin jutted out and her eyes went round but otherwise she didn’t react to my presence here. Did she know I was coming? Had she expected it? Was she pleased? I wish I was closer so I could read her better, touch her even.

“Um, yeah,” said Gwen, “we could probably do some Kate Bush.”

Trinity turned around and spoke to Gwen who then spoke to the other girls. They all nodded and then the drummer girl picked up the beat.

I knew this song. It was
Don’t Give Up
.

I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my knees as I listened to Trinity sing. She didn’t look at me, kept her eyes shut for most of the song, but I couldn’t drag my eyes from her. With her eyes closed it was like she was giving me permission to examine every inch of her, take in her fine bone structure, her slender waist and slight frame, the way her lips moved. I imagined them moving against mine, imagined her lips wrapped around…

I sucked in a breath and tilted my head up, staring at the night sky. Stars. Blackness. I started counting the stars in an attempt to get my hard on under control.

When she finished there was the same awed kind of applause and then the girls put down their instruments, declaring they were taking a break.

Gwen spoke to Trinity and then came straight over to us. I kept my eyes trained on Trinity who was speaking to the other girls and didn’t once look in my direction.

“Hey,” Gwen said, “you came.”

“You invited me,” Toby told her as she sat down next to him.

She shrugged. “I guess I did.”

I watched the two of them, struck yet again by how strange it was that Toby was seeing this girl more than once. More than twice even. There didn’t seem to be any strange vibe between them though, they looked,
he
looked, relaxed.

“So what is this?” Dylan asked looking around the strange party that wasn’t like any party we were used to.

“A friend of ours, Mark, lives here and we sometimes come over and hang out. He rang this afternoon and asked if we’d come a play a few songs for his friends. We are always up for a gig.”

“Different,” I observed, “from what you normally play.”

Gwen looked at me. “You mean at The Silver Den? Yeah, very different. Tony likes us to play rock stuff, and it’s pretty much how we play, but I like this. It’s different and I think these small gatherings, the more folksy songs suit Trinity’s voice beautifully.”

“She’s got a fabulous voice,” Dylan commented. “What did you say her name was?”

Gwen looked at me for the briefest moment. “Trinity.”

Dylan nodded, recognizing the name from our brief conversation. He glanced at me but I wasn’t up for talking to him. I couldn’t take my eyes of Trinity. She chatted to the girls for a few minutes longer and then disappeared inside the house. Without thinking I was on my feet and making my way across the lawn, stepping over people on blankets and makeshift picnics as I followed her.

The house was a single story and it wasn’t hard to find Trinity. She was in the kitchen, getting herself a glass of orange juice. She didn’t look up when I entered, so I leaned against the kitchen door, waiting for her to finish her drink. I didn’t think there was anything more than juice in it.

Finally she looked at me. “Hi.” She spoke quietly, her voice only a little above a whisper.

“Hi.” I crossed my arms over my chest, only to stop myself from reaching out and touching her. And not only touching her but pulling her into my arms and kissing her senseless. I’d thought of nothing else for days.

“Can I get you a drink or anything?” she asked politely, gesturing around the kitchen.

“I’m good thanks,” I replied. I’d already had a few beers.

She nodded then turned and put the carton of orange juice back in the fridge. “Well, if you’ll excuse me I’m really tired and we are done here so I em-”

“Don’t go yet,” I told her hating how demanding and desperate my voice sounded.

She paused. “I’m really tired, Luke.”

I shook my head. “Just stay and chat a little. Talk to me.”

Her eyes flickered and my throat clenched with the idea that she might say no. That she might tell me to go away like she had the other day. God, I was a glutton for punishment when it came to this girl but I just couldn’t stay away.

To my surprise though, she nodded. “Okay. Sure.”

She went to sit down but I reached out and grabbed her elbow, stopping her. She looked at where my hand touched her skin and then turned her face up toward mine. With her eyes wide and round like that, her red lips open in surprise, I deserved a medal for not kissing her right then and there.