A Battle Raging (13 page)

"Well, I have to admit there was always an attraction, and then despite everything, I just felt pulled to you. I don't
know why, can't explain it. Right now, I'm just going with my feelings and hoping that I don't come out of this a total mess."

A smile slowly emerged. "Me, too. This is new to me. I don't
usually go around seducing art teachers…or women for that matter. Didn't even do that before my injury. Oh, wait a minute, there was that time when I was sixteen in the back of a restored GTO. Now what was her name?" he asked with mock consternation.

"
Spare me," Maya said with a small laugh. Then slowly sobered.

"So, you want this to continue?"

And he sobered. "Why, don't you? I mean I think we can have something here. I'm not promising that I won't have my asshole moments, but I'm generally a nice guy. And you're the kind of woman who can bring out all of that niceness." His smile was back, but only partially.

"I'm not a savior, Zach. Just a woman. A woman who's been hurt before."

"Who could ever hurt you? Tell me his name and I'll find him. Run him over with my hot wheels here."

He was so different from Bryan, just the way he could make her smile.

"He's not worth mentioning really, except to say that he slept with someone I considered a friend. Actually, this is the first time I've said this out loud. I didn't even tell my sister I was so embarrassed."

"There's a sister?"

"Yeah, her name's Jada and she's a…well let's just say that she has a strong personality. Which suits her job as an assistant district attorney. She can kick ass when she wants."

"Well, I know
not to get on her bad side then. So rest assured I'm not going to be breaking your heart, not intentionally. I want you to know that as much as I like the sex, I know it's about more than that."

She nodded. "That's good to know. And by the way, I liked the sex, too. Just a question?"

"Can I do more, like penetration? Yeah, I can do that."

That bit of information made her stomach jump
a little at all sorts of possibilities. A warmth rushed to her nether parts.

"That's good to know. How…how did you get your injury?
I mean exactly."

Just like that, his expression shut down. She'd stepped over some proverbial line again. Just like when she pressed him to manifest his turmoil on paper.

"I'd rather not talk about it. Not now. I'm sorry." And he seemed to be.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable about it. I'm just trying to get to know you."

"So, I have an idea. Let's make this a real date. I know it's sort of on the cheap side but in due time, I'll make that up to you. The most important question of the hour is have you had lunch?"

"No, and I'm starving
," she said eagerly.

"OK then. How do you feel about seafood?"

"Love it."

"
Heard of Anthony's Bell Street Diner?"

"Yeah,
but I've never been."

"Good. It's not far from here. Just along the waterfront.
I'm up for some oysters, and no I'm not making an aphrodisiacal reference. I just happen to like oysters. Let's go."

She walked beside him as he wheeled his chair
, both of them taking in the waterfront view along the way. Clouds were gathering overhead which meant one thing: rain. A constant condition in Seattle. What little sun remained glittered along the surface of the water.

Since Anthony's provided moorage,
sailboats were anchored along the outside deck of the diner when they arrived. A slight wind caused many of the sails to flap, creating a slapping sound in the air.

Despite the cloud cover, Mt. Rainier was just visible in the distance. A majestic view.

Inside the diner, the décor was nautical to say the least. The material covering the booths showcased various genuses of fish. Overhead, near the entrance, hung a silver sculpture of a large bass. Large pipes ran along the ceiling the length of the diner. The style was more contemporary than a lot of places she had been and she was impressed with the diner's collection of glass art. Thankfully, the diner wasn't crowded, just a few loners and a couple of families.

They were shown to a table that was wide enough to accommodate Zach's chair. Settling in with menus, Zach, a man of his words, ordered the raw oyster plate. She didn't feel nearly as adventurous eating anything raw so went with
the coconut prawns, which was something different. Everything about the date was different, from the venue, the casualness and especially the man.

They both ordered the New England white clam chowder soup to start. Then p
rompted by the waiter, she ordered a glass of wine but Zach shook his head. The waiter left, taking the menus.

"I'll just stick with ice water," he said nodding to the pitcher that the waiter had set on the table. "I haven't even done a Corona lately."

"Becoming a teetotaler?" she teased.

"No, just wary of alcohol now. It doesn't really mix with my meds."

When he said that, she could see him searching her face for a reaction. It was a little surprising but not really off-putting. Many people were on medications nowadays. She remembered all of the painkillers prescribed to her mother during her last months.

"I think that's wise then," was all she would say. No judgment or funny attitude. She just wished he would open up more.

"You have family here?" she asked, picking a generally safe topic.

He shook his head
.

"I have a sister in Nebraska, but we're not very close," he admitted. "I haven't been the best brother…or uncle for that matter."

"Is that something that can be fixed?"

He smiled. "Trying to save me again?" Then more soberly, "I don't know. We talk sometime on the phone, but it's perfunctory, more out of duty than anything else. We both had rough childhoods when my parents were killed
in a plane crash."

"I'm sorry, Zach," she offered. She couldn't imagine not having even one parent growing up. Lucille Temple had been a wonderful mother, strict with an edge of honey, no mess but no chains either. Just a whole lot of love.

"It's probably better this way, actually. I don't think Janey could handle it all, and I wouldn't want her feeling guilty for not being able to help. She's got a family of her own; there's no need for her to try to mother me."

"You don't like people offering you help…or at least that's what I've picked up from you. It's not a sign of weakness to need it or accept it."

"I know," he said softly. "It's something I have to work through. It's not easy. You would think I'd be used to it by now, not being able to walk. You know, I use to play some football in high school. It's something about an athletic life that makes it just that much harder to give up."

"Yeah, I know a little something about that. I was on the soccer team, Jada
was on the girls basketball team. And Mark played both varsity baseball and basketball teams in high school. We thought he would go on to college, but he chose instead to enlist in the Air Force. He always wanted to fly and at least I'm glad he got that chance before he was shot down."

"Planes seem to be bad luck in both our families."

"Well, I don't consider planes bad luck. In my brother's case, it was the damn war. I'm sorry I shouldn't say to you. After all, you chose to serve and that was honorable. But still…"

"It's OK. I don't have warm, gushy feelings about the war either. I did what I was supposed to do and as the saying goes, shit happens. Especially when you're being shelled from every direction."

"I can imagine…and then I can't. I considered the military for a hot second after Mark enlisted, but decided it would be better for everyone involved, including the enemy, if I stayed my butt stateside."

"I think you would've been a kickass airman…or woman."

"Nope, I was thinking Marines."

He smiled. "I can honestly say that if you'd joined and been in my unit, I wouldn
't have gotten any duties done. I would've been too distracted by your hair, your eyes, the whole package."

Just then the waiter brought Maya's wine and their chowders.

Zach poured his water, and they both tasted the entrees. It was quite good and usually she wasn't a chowder person. Again, diverging from her standard.

"Were
there any girls in your prior life?"

She did a mental shake. Now why would she bring that up? Not only was it prying but she didn't want to come across as being insecure. She knew women like that and she'd hoped
that she was different.

Although he didn't seemed fazed by the question.

"There was someone once. Her name was Alicia. We were together while I was stationed in Afghanistan and it lasted about that long. When this happened, we did try. But things just were too heavy for her…and…for some reason I couldn't…well…not back then. Actually, it's only been these past few weeks that I've felt anything, and have been able to control what I felt. Alicia thought it was her, and I'm not sure whether that was true or not. I just know that it's different now."

"Sounds like it was hard on the both of you. Relationships are hard on their own without added stressors. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you."

"I'm not," he said with a slight smile. "Everything that happens in the past brings you to your present. And I'm starting to really like the present."

Maya felt her skin warm with the implication. But she worried that his expectation wasn't exactly aligned with hers. Again, this was the beginning of…something…but what that something was she wasn't ready to define. Just too early. For all she knew, it was just a sexual pull. After all, he wasn't hard on the eyes.

Which was evident by the gaze aimed at him by a young blond woman just stepping through the diner's entrance. She looked like a beachcomber dressed in a pink bikini bra visible through a see-through white cotton shirt, white cotton slacks rounded off with white flat sandals. Her eyes honed in on Zach's profile, totally not registering Maya as though she were invisible or just didn't matter.

Maya watched the woman's lascivious stare turn into something less enthusiastic as she realized that he was sitting in a wheelchair. She averted her eyes while the waiter approached to lead her to a seat.

Thankfully Zach had missed that display, but he probably was used to those moments where his virility was questioned by perfect strangers. Just as she'd done that first day in her class.

He was sexual alright, but to what extent she was eager to find out.

The waiter brought their main entrees and she immediately began digging into the prawns, found they were evenly spiced and appetizing. At intervals, she slyly watched Zach as he took the oyster fork and moved the meat of the shellfish around in its shell. He then doused the oysters in the accompanying mignonette sauce of red-wine vinegar and shallots. He seemed very versed in the ways of oyster enjoyment as he picked up the shell and slurped down a shellfish. Every movement was skillful and sure, his fingers deft. The memory of what those fingers could do made her flush, and she took a sip of wine.

They kept the
lunch discussion to neutral topics and Maya was somewhat relieved that they weren't going to do any really deep talk. Not today anyway. Somehow the conversation detoured to the viability of the Seahawks and Maya found out just how much of a fan Zach was.

"C'mon
now, you can't tell me you're not a fan; that's straight out disloyalty. And you're supposed to be a native Seattleite?"

She laughed. "I can't say they haven't improved but I'm not impressed with their draft picks. They need to up their investment to up their game.
Most of the new blood have potential, but are just way inconsistent."

They bantered back and forth about last season and before they knew it, an hour and a half had passed. She checked her watch.

"So sorry, but I've got to
go. I have some errands to run before it gets late. Hey, why don't I drop you at your home."

She should've been used to his expression shutting down, as it did now.

"OK, Zach, you're going to have to trust me just a little. I can help you into the car. You're going to have to learn to lean on someone at sometime. I'm not parked too far from here. And don't tell me you'd rather take the bus. I'm not hearing it, not today."

She watched his face morph from adamancy to uncertainty. He seemed to be considering it. She wondered if it was some sort of manly pride thing going on, fear of being vulnerable in front of her.

"Alright," he said unenthusiastically.

One small victory for her, although she felt less than victorious. She wanted to know more about him, but didn't want to browbeat him as she'd done with her insistence about the
drawing. This was obviously one of the things she would have to get used to if they were going to progress beyond just a casual fling. To get him past this fear of asking for help.

Outside, the clouds still hovered and
as they left the restaurant behind, a few droplets began hitting the ground. By the time they made it to her parking space, the rain had begun a steady downpour. She'd neglected to bring an umbrella as had he, so they were being soaked as he stopped his chair at the passenger door of her Honda.