Erik (Arizona Vengeance 2)

“Would he like coming to a game?”

I turn my head to look at him, my mouth parted slightly in surprise. “Yes, but it would be an undertaking. Transportation and his motorized chair.”

“Not a problem,” he says with an easy wave of his hand. “That’s all easy stuff to plan. We have an afternoon game Saturday after next. If you’re up for it, I’ll arrange to get him to the game and maybe we could do something together after that he’d enjoy.”

I just stare at Erik, looking like a devilish pirate but sounding like the most amazing boyfriend ever created. “Are you serious?”

He twists his neck to look at me just briefly before giving his attention back to the road with a smile on his face. “Yes, I’m serious, Blue. You can assume anything I say to you or offer to you or ask of you is serious.”

I’m speechless so I just stare at him.

Erik changes the subject and asks me where I got my Catwoman costume.

When we pull up to Legend’s house, I’m surprised by how many people are here. The street is lined with cars and Erik stops at the end of his driveway. “You get out here and wait for me while I go find a place to park.”

I gladly take him up on his offer since I want to keep walking in these heels to a minimum tonight. When he pulls away, I look at Legend’s house. He lives in a very upscale neighborhood but his house isn’t as ostentatious as I expected. It’s big, no doubt. The blinds and curtains are open on the bottom floor so you can see into the house. Dozens and dozens of people mill about, all in costume. I can hear music coming from inside and even laughter. Erik told me that Legend has been doing a lot of remodeling on his own to the house and that he’s helped him with some projects.

I take in the house to Legend’s left, noting the similarity. Then I turn to the one on the right, and my lips curl upward. It’s the same stucco and stone design that one often sees in the southwest. It’s got the crisply manicured and landscaped yard, same as Legend’s but it’s totally out of place by all of the yard ornaments about. Every nook and cranny of the flower beds and walkways are stuffed with statues, gnomes, bronzed spinners, flags, and colorful pottery.

The porch has baskets with vibrant flowers hanging from them, and there’s a giant ceramic gecko on the front door You can tell whoever lives there is a whimsical person.

Erik’s hand at my lower back startles me for a moment as he appears at my side. “Ready?”

“Sure,” I say brightly, excited for the party.

I wasn’t always a social creature. In high school I developed late. I was tall and gangly with a lean, flat swimmer’s body. I had acne, knobby knees, and braces for most of those years. I wasn’t part of the popular crowd and wasn’t even part of the not-popular crowd. I sort of had casual, loose friendships with lots of people, not really being close to anyone.

However, I developed toward the end of my senior year and miraculously sprouted big boobs and my face cleared up. My curves popped out, my braces came off, and I had a lovely smile that I wasn’t afraid to show off. It didn’t increase my popularity with the “it” girls; if anything, it seemed to make them jealous because now boys seemed interested in me.

My transformation and the resulting confidence I got had much to do with me deciding to move to LA rather than attend college and I used every opportunity to be in the social limelight while I was there. I love gatherings because I love people. I like to learn about others, celebrate those things we have in common, and appreciate differences. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t like the attention when I was younger. I got a lot of it too and I traded on my looks and sex appeal for a long time while I lived on the West Coast.

That was a different me, but the part that’s still the same is the one that loves to socialize. It also doesn’t hurt that I have a very gorgeous pirate on my arm tonight.

Erik leads me into Legend’s house, his hand going from my lower back to holding onto mine tightly so we stay together as we wind our way through the crowd. We pause here and there to say hello, give hugs or back slaps. None of the players seem surprised to see me and Erik together and I wonder if that’s because he’s told them we’re seeing each other or because we had been hanging out as friends on the last road trip, so it’s not out of the ordinary.