First Meeting, Again
#2 of Of Mating and Erintasu
Erintasu and Stella learn more about each other and strike up a friendship.
Another day passed by lazily, another long shift at work, and I had all but forgotten the tall wolf and his unwanted comment. Until the next morning when I jogged into the coffee shop as per usual, and saw him sitting at a table in the back. He looked up from his laptop at the sound of the entrance chime, and smiled at me. Flushing hot rose, I ignored him and defiantly ordered a strawberry frapichino from Aries, who raised an eyebrow.
"Mixing it up today, are we?" He asked in mock surprise, using a blender to crush the ice for my drink.
"I feel like being bold today." I answered, beaming. I had even worn Adidas running gear that I had never used before, black and white with a sleek profile. My hair was styled in a almost perfectly smooth bun, and the burning in my legs had become a pleasant, welcome feeling. I had run another extra half mile today, and I was going to continue adding it to my morning routine. It was the type of day to make a statement. He handed me my frozen treat and I paid with crumpled bills, counting out the change correctly. Since there wasn't much for me to do today, I picked a table on the right side of the cafe and settled in, taking a novel from my back pack and flipping to the dog earred page.
My current obsession was entitled "Love Between the Species", and it detailed sexual relationships with furs of two different species that were almost unheard of. My favorite was about an arctic fox and a field mouse that enjoyed a bit of pain. I'd spent many nights furiously masturbating to the words on the pages, but it never truly satisfied me. The words were beautifully written, erotic and intoxicating, but I wanted something real. A love that would be mine and mine alone, and hopeful include some killer sex because I was missing out.
My parents had mated when they were younger than I am now, still in highschool and barely able to make it on their own. Dad had bumped into mom and she had dropped all her books on the floor. When he was helping her pick them up, their paws had touched, and then their eyes had met. He fell in love with her in an instant, ensnared in her web, and soon after she became smitten with him as well. It was a love story that belonged in a song. They had faced many hardships, mostly in the beginning and mostly financial, but they had each other and had gotten through the rough times. Children came, careers collapsed and had to be rebuilt, home after home after home. But. They would stand by one another until the earth crumbled to ash and disappeared into the void of space. And that's the type of love I hoped to find one day.
I felt a timid tap on my shoulder. Tugging my ear buds from my ears, I marked my page and turned to see the wolf from the day before standing over me. "Would you mind?" He asked politely, gesturing to the chair across from me.
"Not at all, be my guest." I replied coldly.
He sat, lacing his slender fingers together on the formica table top in front of him. He seemed lost in thought. I crossed one lean leg over the other and propped my chin on the back of my hand, studying him. His eyes were a deep stormy gray, like the ocean after a winters night, and thoughtful, with a glint of mystery. Today he was attired in deep gray jeans and a torn white shirt, a dark jacket thrown over it like a final thought. A thin leather collar adorned his neck, sporting a silver skull charm in the center.
"I am Erintasu." He stated as way of greeting, seeming to choose his words carefully.
"Stella Luna."
"A beautifully lovely name." He offered generously.
"Thanks." I responded curtly.
"I would like," He started, "to apologize to you for my comments about your body yesterday. It was highly inappropriate." I "hmphed" in agreement, leaning back in my chair.
"Your damn right it was."
"It's just that I've seen you in here many times before and never had a chance to tell you my thoughts of your beauty." He added in smoothly. Funny, I'd never noticed him before.
"And you thought staring at my ass was the right way to do that?" I asked, crossing my arms with an arched brow raised. He blushed softly, carding a paw through his unruly head fur.
"I got distracted and my manners escaped me. Please, may we perhaps start over?" He asked sincerely. I pondered it for a moment before answering.
"Promise you won't make any more comments about my butt?" I shot, pointing at him.
"Now I don't believe I can promise that exactly...." He grinned, his head slightly tilted. I giggled despite myself.
"Well, at least keep it to a minimum, deal?"
"Deal." He finalized, smiling dazzlingly. He seemed so familiar, but I just couldn't put my claw on it.
We sat in the coffee shop and talked for what seemed like hours. We discussed things like our life goals and how we intended to get there from where we were now, our stances on the paranormal, thoughts on the current presidential election. I learned that he was an aspiring artist, and that he played guitar in his free time. He lead a very interesting life. I told him briefly of my mother, and in kind he spoke of his. Neither one of us wanted to continue that conversation it seemed.
"So, what is it a lovely lady like yourself does for work?" He asked, cheek propped up in his open hand. His expression was one of intrigue and comfortability, and the same small smile has graced his features throughout the conversation.
"Oh, nothing exciting. I work for SecureFur."
"The security company?" He looked surprised. I laughed aloud.
"Yes, I monitor the camera feeds from a little office in the main company building here in Ariesville. Since its a smaller branch it's only me and two other furs. Its a tad boring, but it pays and it passes the time." I chased an ice cube around my plastic cup with the end of my straw, happy to have someone to talk to that wasn't my brother Fen. This wolf had an air of mystery about him that I liked. There was something in those storm cloud eyes that I couldn't pinpoint, and it was exciting. "What about you?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Oh, nothing as interesting as working security. I'm just a pizza guy."
"That's it!" I all but shouted, finally putting all the pieces together. Now it all made sense so clearly, and I almost wanted to face palm.
"That's where I know you from." I explained to the startled wolf, blushing at my outburst. I felt like I'd made a complete fool of myself. "You delivered to my place like 6 months ago. I remember because you said not many furs order blood sauce any more, and you guys didn't have any prepared, that's why my order took so long." I was proud of myself for having remembered, and I smiled at him happily. He smiled at me too.
"I was kind of waiting for you to make the connection, but it was so long ago I figured you never would." He seemed happy that I'd realized it too. So, he must have seen something he liked that night to be seeking me out now. I was flattered.
It was spring then, I was wearing black cut-offs and a muscle tank with the phrase "Not Your Babygirl" embezzled onto the front, and my hair was in a messy ponytail. I was barefoot, my face clean of makeup, and I was impatiently awaiting the pizza's I'd ordered over an hour before. I tapped my foot to no rhythm at all, my toe claws clicking against the retro black and white checkered tiled floors in my kitchen. I had sighed loudly in disdain.
"Maybe just call the place?" My best friend, Chai, offered from her seat on my gray and black sofa. She was nestled in a pile of overstuffed decorative throw pillows, her bare feet propped up on my low black oval coffee table. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, and my sleeping domesticated feral cat, Jasper, slept in her lap. He was purring softly. The only pop off color in my home, the orange fur ball shone like a beacon.
"I don't want to be a obnoxious..." I mumbled half-heartedly.
"I have no problems being obnoxious. Let me do it." The miniature crocodilian had stated simply, reaching out towards my phone. I had just opened my mouth to tell her no when the doorbell rang.
"About fucking time." I had told her over my shoulder as I opened the door.
His hair was a bit shorter then, and he wore one of the pizza places stupid graphic tees as way of uniform, but it had been Erintasu at the door. He had spent an extra moment reading my shirt than necessary, and that had flattered me too, at the time. I cleared my throat and he looked up at me, startled. His face was turning red.
"Stella Luna?" He had asked, stuttering just a tad.
"Thats me." I offered him my most polite smile as he handed me the boxes. Chai, who had come to stand behind me, whisked them off to the living room.
"I apologize for the wait time, really. Nofurry orders blood sauce, at least not much around here. It took our cook some time get it prepared." He said politely, with a genuine smile.
"Oh, it's really no big deal. So, how much do we owe you?" I asked curiously, digging in my pocket for my wallet.
"And what form of payment would you prefer?" Chai asked flirtatiously, with a wink. Her blue scales shimmered like gem stones in the light, and she flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder. She was a Cayman, exotic and rare, a species of scalie not often found in this area of the world. That's why all the guys-and some girls-enjoyed her company so much. But I knew she was joking, because her boyfriend would be here any minute with the groceries we'd sent him out to get.
"Pardon her," I apologized, rolling my eyes. His face was red and he was flustered. "She's got some sort of brain tumor. It's terminal. Tragic, really." I feigned mock sadness, wiping at am imaginary tear. She elbowed me in the side, hard, her bony arm smarting.
"Bitch." She hissed playfully as I laughed.
Just then Aries had come up behind Erintasu, one paw bogged down with grocery bags and the other in the pocket of his cargo shorts. I saw him over the pizza guy's shoulder, and we shared a smile in greeting. His red and white fur was stark against the dark background of the dimly lit hall, and his eyes shone like christmas lights. Chai, he and I were going to have a quiet night in with pizza, movies amd video games.
"Hey!" I waved at him, causing Erintasu to look over his shoulder. Aries was right behind him now.
"Hey Stel. Hey man, you mind?" Erintasu shook head as he moved out of the way, which was hard to do in the little crowded hallway. I had to step back from the door to let him pass, and he handed me a few bills to cover his pizza as did so. I gave him a pat on the back.
"Lovefurs." I stated simply, pointing my thumb over my shoulder. He nodded, shifting his weight.
"So, how much do I owe you?" I asked again, counting out bills.
"Uh that'll be $21.85." He said, looking at the receipt to be sure. I nodded and handed him crumpled bills and the exact change. He nodded, taking the money, and our paws brushed. I felt color spring into my cheeks.
"Oh, here." I said lastly, handing him a can of Dr. Pepper I'd yet to open. "For the difficult order."
"My favorite." He smiled as he took it. We waved in goodbye, and that was the last I'd seen of him. A tall retreating form that disappeared into the night.
Until now.
"So, ordered any good pizzas lately?" He asked jokingly with a lopsided grin.
"Haven't had any good pizza in a while actually." I mused, suddenly hungry.
"How about tonight?" He asked, his eyes smoldering. I was taken aback. Did he just ask me out? On a date?
"If you remember my order, then why not?" I challenged him. He dug around in his bag a moment before emerging with a scrap of paper and a pen. He scrawled something on it and pushed it across the table to me before standing up and shrugging the strap over his shoulder. It was a phone number, written in a messy script, and signed with his name and the phrase "Call me some time". I looked up at him in surprise as he pushed his chair back into place.
"Text me your address, and I'll be there at 6. Oh, it's raw triple meat with blood sauce and extra cheese, by the way." He shoved his paws into the pockets of his jacket, offered me a smile, and turned on his heel to leave. I stared at the little invitation in my hand, barely noticing the bell tinkle as he left the shop. For the first time in my life, I had a real date. "Now what am I going to wear for THAT?" I wondered ruefully.