Tristan

Cobblestone Park is so gorgeous that I get lost in a daze as the colorful leaves sway lightly in the wind, falling off the trees and landing gently on the autumn ground.

The scent in the air is purely magical, light, and earthy, reminiscent of my younger memories when innocence and curiosity sparked my imagination.

My favorite part of the scenery is the wooden bridge, of course. It's my sanctuary, my second home away from home, even though my actual home never felt like much of a home at all.

I stare into the creek, attempting to lose myself in its beauty. Ever since I first discovered it, it has been my focal point for deep thoughts and meditation, the part of nature I turn to when I need to connect with my spirituality.

I'm captivated by the way the clear water brushes against the rocks, and I swear I can feel the serenity emanating from the light splashes, providing a calm to my body-a calm like no other, a calm purely magical.

"Tristan?"

I turn instinctively, and of course, it's him. It's Logan, here to meet me at the place I first laid eyes on him, the moment I'll never forget.

At a time, I felt overrun with emotion and depleted when his smile ignited something new in my world.

"Hey, Logan."

He raises his finger to his lips to signal me to be silent. I look around, and the park is completely empty, but I obey his wishes, confused but obedient.

I let him have his way.

As he inches closer, I survey his appearance. His eyes are glowing with the most incredible light, signaling me in. I swear I can hear them calling out to me to get closer, and once again, I follow his wishes-his wishes without words. I'm being silently controlled.

I move my eyes down to his lips. They are lush and peachy pink, surrounded by just a bit of stubble. I can tell he notices my glare, which causes him to glide his tongue seductively across his parted grin and inch in closer, which I interpret as an invitation.

As I take a step toward him, I notice the heat from his body; our energies are now entangled, and the arousal is uncontrollable. I want more. I want him.

We are so close I can almost taste the scent on his breath, a cinnamon-spicy aroma sending tingles up and down my skin. I can't take it anymore. I need to experience him. He's the one.

I've never been the one to take the initiative, but this time is different.

This time,  I know it's fate.

I lean in to press my lips against his and...

"Tristan! Get up! We are going to be late for church, I swear. All you want to do is lie around in this damn house, no job, no girlfriend. You are such a waste!"

Well, there goes my alarm.

I quickly get up and head into the shower.

I attempt to wash off the lust I've accumulated that's attempting to linger in my body from that heart-racing dream I just had about Logan, this guy I just met.

I barely know him; why is he having this effect on me?

Is he doing witchcraft?

He did mention witchcraft.

No, that's stupid. He barely knows me. Why would he do something like that?

I've never really been this into a guy before. I mean, I've looked, yes, but never actually thought about pursuing anything...

Once I'm out of the shower, I quickly get dressed and head to the car, where my mom is waiting impatiently. Honestly, I'm surprised she isn't going toe-to-toe with an angry neighbor by the time I actually make it outside because the number of times she's honked the horn is utterly despicable.

The car ride is mostly silent. Aside from the gospel, my mother is playing obnoxiously loud. To get into character, I'm assuming.

We pull into the church's parking lot and make our way inside, finding our seats among the crowd of people attending the service.

I've never really been big on church, but I must say, the atmosphere is truly artistic.

The beauty of the stained-glass windows and various statues is breathtaking, to say the least. You can tell they were well-crafted and extremely expensive.

The scent of charcoal and what I assume is frankincense and myrrh wafting throughout the enormous cathedral is something I could do without, though. Something about it is off-putting. Maybe I am a bit of a heathen after all, and every church visit is just a mini exorcism.

Either way, I take my seat and listen as the priest goes through his service and the usual church procedures. I'm not paying attention to anything he is saying, and my mother can tell because she's nudging me every so often, probably to ensure that I'm not falling asleep.

If she only knew I'm nowhere near tired. My mind is completely active but focused on Logan. He's all I can think about, and I can't control it.

Finally, the church service is over, and the part I dread most is here. The little chats with the other members my mom always drags me into, and today is no different.

"Tristan, you've grown up to be such a handsome young man."

"I know, hasn't he?"

I try hard not to roll my eyes.

A couple of hours ago, you called me a complete waste.

"Thank You, Mrs. Ashwood."

"You are very welcome, Tristan. Now, do you have a special lady in your life? We'd love to have her come over to the church. She'll feel right at home."

"Thank you, but I'm not really dating right now."

"Oh, okay. You're probably focusing on your studies, huh? You've always seemed like a pretty studious guy. That's the smart way to do it."

"Yeah, you know me. School comes first." I lie and try extremely hard not to make eye contact with my mother.

"Aww, I understand. I've been there, but don't worry, with a gorgeous face like that, you'll find a young lady to couple up with in no time."

Or a young man.

I smile, half in response to her comment and partly because of my internal thoughts.

"But Lauren, have you heard about that new blasphemous shop they have opened in our quaint little town?"

I see my mother's eyes bulge with interest, and I already know they are talking about Logan's mother's shop. Their ideologies are so outdated, and for people who are supposedly spreading the word of love and kindness, they are sure judgmental.

"No, what shop?"

"It's called Fay's Fantasies or something of the sort. It just opened downtown."

"Oh, my word." My mother gasps dramatically and brings her hand to her face to cover her mouth.

She leans closer to Mrs. Ashwood, but I can still hear her question.

"Like an adult store?"

I can't help but chuckle, which triggers my mother to hit me with her bag.

"Oh, heavens no, ten times worse, darling, it is a store for the dark arts."

She whispers, "A witchcraft shop."

My mother gasps so hard I thought she was going to choke.

"Oh, sweet baby Jesus and all of his friends!"

"Oh no, Barbara, we can't have that."

"Exactly. We have to do something about it, like a protest or something. If anyone can fix this, we can!"

"You got that right. We will definitely talk, Barbs, but I've got to head home and get ready for work."

"That sounds good. I'll be sure to give you a ring tomorrow, and maybe we can discuss some plans."

"Perfect."

Mrs. Ashwood hugs us both, and we separately make our way to the car. As soon as we pull off, the speech I knew was going to happen immediately commences.

"I bet you are excited about that bit of news, huh?"

"A little devil's shop?"

"Don't you dare step foot in there or even think of bringing any of those cursed little objects into my home."

"Do you hear me, Tristan?"

*ping*

I pull my phone from my pocket and notice a notification with a text from an unknown number.

(555) 555-555: Tristan, it's Logan. I talked to my mom, and she wants to meet you to talk about possibly helping out at the shop. Text me when you get a chance so we can set something up. 😊

I open the text and add his number to my contacts.

"I said, do you hear me, Tristan?" I notice the car swerving a bit, and it snaps my attention back to the conversation with my mother.

"Yes, Mom, I hear you."

"Good, and who are you texting? Is that Seki? If so, tell her I said hello. She was a good girl. I don't know why you guys ever broke up. You ruin everything."

"Sure, I'll let her know," I say through my teeth, carefully not letting my genuine emotions show.

I don't know why, but her words send an unspeakable anger vibrating throughout my body. I stay silent but go back to texting.

Me: Okay, I'm free whenever you want. Just let me know.

Logan: How about sometime tomorrow, maybe after the shop closes at 6?

Me: Sounds perfect.

Logan: Awesome 😊

I go back to my contacts, where Logan's name is listed. I open the emojis and place a heart next to his name.

This is my moment.

My mother can't control everything.

This is the moment when I finally rebel.