Keeley just stared at him, her brain shutting down. He was here. He was actually here. She couldn't believe it. After a whole week of not hearing from him, here he was, sitting in front of her, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. Keeley opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The words were stuck in her throat like a lump of coal.
"I see I've rendered you speechless," Talon drawled. He uncurled his body and leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on his knees. "Don't worry. I seem to have that effect on a lot of girls."
Keeley's eyes narrowed. In the past week, she seemed to have forgotten how arrogant he could be. Well, it was all rushing back to her now. "The only effect you have on me is to my gag reflex."
His smirk turned into a full smile. "Oh how I've missed your cutting words and thinly veiled insults. Life has been so dull without you."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Is that why you are here? Because I add spice to your life?"
"You know, not everything is about you, baby doll," he taunted in mock sincerity.
Her eyes flashed in irritation. As if he should be talking! He was practically the poster boy for narcissism.
"And a piece of advice?" he continued. "Arrogance isn't a very attractive quality. It can really put people off."
Keeley's jaw dropped. Did he really just say that? Him? Of all people? He was the most arrogant person she knew! She gave him an icy glare before whipping around and plopping back down in her seat. God, he was so infuriating. Her eyes lifted to the heavens. "Why did I want to see him again? Please remind me."
"Because of my chiseled body and boyish good looks?"
Keeley looked over her shoulder and saw him hanging over the seat next to her, his arms wrapped around the headrest. "I've seen better," she responded tartly.
"Because of my charming personality and quick wit?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
He snapped his fingers. "I know. It's because of my amazing sense of humor and unforgettable charisma, isn't it?"
"Sit in your seat Talon," she ordered.
"Aren't you going to let me sit next to you?" he pouted, motioning to the jacket she had placed to keep people away.
"Absolutely not."
"Sir?" A man dressed in a navy conductor uniform stood before them. "Please sit down in your seat while the train is in motion."
"I'm sorry. It's just that my girlfriend," he motioned to Keeley, "refuses to let me sit next to her. She says she's embarrassed by me." Talon hung his head in shame. "All because I've started to let myself go this past month."
Keeley's jaw dropped. What the hell was he talking about? Girlfriend? Letting himself go? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw other passengers staring at them with vivid interest.
He turned to look at her, his face the picture of innocence and remorse. "Sweetheart, I promise I'll start going to the gym again. I'll even lay off the sweets and go on a liquid diet. Just please, let me sit next to you."
The train conductor's lip curled in disgust as he sent her a nasty glare.
"Sit down and stop making a scene," she hissed through clenched teeth, snatching her jacket off the seat so he could sit next to her.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart," Talon said dolefully as he moved to do her bidding.
"You should be ashamed of yourself missy," the conductor scolded before marching away. Other passengers around them were staring at Keeley in the same way, with a mixture of contempt and disdain.
God, she was so embarrassed. All she wanted to do was bury her head in the sand like an ostrich. How could Talon do that to her? Now all those people thought she was some pretentious girl, who forced her boyfriend into anorexia. She reached over and smacked his arm. "What the hell was that?"
Talon turned to look at the elderly lady sitting across the aisle from them. "See how she treats me? All I want is her love and affection."
That was it. She was going to kill him. Straight up, strangle the bastard till he had no air left in his lungs.
The elderly lady looked at him in sympathy. "You shouldn't have to deal with that type of abusive behavior. She looks like the type of girl who needs to put others down in order to feel better about herself."
Keeley kept her lips tightly clamped together so she wouldn't say anything she would regret. Like telling the old lady to keep her opinions to herself.
"You are a handsome young man. There are plenty of fish in sea." The lady leaned forward to pat his hand. "In fact, you should give my granddaughter a call. She's a freshman at UCLA. Very pretty. Just joined a sorority."
Keeley scowled. Un-fricking-believable. Not only did the lady just insult her, but she was also setting him up with her granddaughter. And right in front of her no less! She glanced over at Talon who was grinning like a cat that just caught the canary. Her scowl deepened. And him! He was absolutely despicable. Making her seem like the villain in all of this. Did he have no shame?
"Really?" Talon asked, sounding highly curious. "Which sorority?"
Keeley elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.
He winced and rubbed the spot. "Never mind. I have to get back to my girlfriend. It was nice talking to you." He gave the lady a small wave before turning his attention to Keeley. "If this relationship is going to continue, you really need to get your jealousy under control, baby doll."
Keeley ignored him and grabbed her phone instead. "I must have done something horrible in my past life," she muttered to herself. "That's the only explanation I have. This is karma coming back to bite me in the as$. It has to be."
Talon stared at her for a couple of seconds, the tips of his mouth lifting in amusement. "What are you doing?" he asked as she fiddled with her phone.
"Searching."
"For what?"
"Temples. I need to make an offering to the gods." She pressed a couple buttons before letting out a long huff. "Why isn't there an app for that? Isn't there an app for everything?"
Talon softly laughed and swiped the phone out of her hands.
"Hey!" She reached out to grab it, but he jammed the phone into the front pocket of his jeans. "Give it back!"
"Your karma is just fine, baby doll. After all, you have me sitting next to you for the next four hours." He winked at her and gave her a winning smile that probably melted the hearts of most girls.
But Keeley was no ordinary girl. Instead she narrowed her eyes and glared. "Exactly."
"Oh don't act all indignant. I saw that smile. You were happy to see me, admit it."
Keeley's body tensed at his words. Was she happy to see Talon? In all honesty, yes, she was. She had missed his constant texts and goofy phone conversations. But at the same time, he drove her absolutely mad with his egotistical comments. How could a person simultaneously hate and like someone so much? And just the fact that she missed him this past week, made her even angrier.
Keeley sighed. Her thoughts and feelings were so jumbled together, she had no idea where one started and the other ended. "What are you even doing here?" she asked, refusing to confess anything. That was a landmine she wasn't willing to explore yet.
"Well, we did make a deal." Talon leaned into her, invading her space. "And by the way, nice evasion skills there, Nixon," he added, his shoulder lightly brushing up against hers.
Keeley caught a whiff of his cologne and inwardly groaned. Great. The guy smelled like a mixture of wood and old spice. It was bold, masculine, and utterly enticing. Did he really have to put that on? She was confused enough as it was!
"I'm not evading anything," Keeley lied as she tilted her body away from him, needing to gain some distance. "And I didn't actually think you'd follow through with the deal."
"Uh-huh," he said drolly, indicating she wasn't fooling anyone. "So, who's this Brent guy anyway?"
Keeley looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, clearly you have some unrequited crush on the dude."
Ouch. Did he really have to put it like that? Unrequited crush? That was a direct hit to her ego. "Gee Talon. Ever heard of subtlety?" she asked sarcastically.
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It sounds familiar. So how did you meet this guy? School?"
"Yup. He was my tutor."
"For those abysmal math skills?"
"They aren't that bad!" Keeley rebuked, playfully pushing his arm.
For a split second, his eyes darted to her before hastily looking away. In that brief moment, Keeley thought she saw something flash in those bright blue eyes, but it was gone so quickly, she assumed she had made it up.
"I don't get why girls are so crazy about older guys. Like all those teacher/student fantasies?" He shuddered. "Sick. They don't seem to understand that when they are in their thirties and still have a banging body, the teacher is going to be old, wrinkly and probably balding."
"Shut up! Brent is only three years older than me. And I don't like him because he's older. I like him because he's kind and patient and super sweet. He never gets angry and he always listens to what I have to say." Keeley remembered one time when she was stuck at school, waiting for Zach's football practice to end. Brent had seen her sitting on the bleachers and offered to drive her home. He even stopped by a small ice cream store and bought them sundaes. "He's such a nice guy," she added with a dreamy sigh.
Talon's head slumped forward while she was listing Brent's attributes, his chin practically touching his chest. He let out a loud snore and then jerked up. "What was that? Sorry, I feel asleep."
"He's not boring!"
Talon snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "He sounds about as fun as watching the grass grow."
"At least he's not a complete egomaniac who thinks he's God's gift to women," Keeley countered.
"Don't be ridiculous, baby doll. I don't think I'm God's gift to women." He paused. "I think I'm God's gift to the world."
Keeley rolled her eyes in disgust. Someone must have skipped their portion of humble pie as a kid. "You know pride is one of the seven deadly sins, right?"
"So is lust."
"I am not lusting after Brent!"
He looked at her as if she just stated the sky was green. "Of course you're not," he said matter-of-factly. "You're lusting after me."
Keeley heaved a long sigh and closed her eyes for a brief moment. He was impossible. Utterly and completely impossible. She took a deep breath and turned to him. "Can I have my phone back now?"
"If you want it, you can come and get it," he playfully taunted, his blue eyes daring her to do it.
Like that was happening! She'd sooner wrestle a crocodile. "You wish," she responded saucily, pursing her lips.
Talon's gaze dropped to her mouth, his bright blue eyes darkening. "Baby doll, you have no idea what I wish for," he said in a low voice.
Keeley's breath hitched. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? She tried to come up with a response, but her mind seemed to have shut down. All she could think about was Talon's words. You have no idea what I wish for.
Both of their eyes were locked on each other, neither seeming able to pull away. Talon opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted when Keeley's stomach growled. Loudly.
Talon let out a deep, hearty chuckle, breaking the moment. "Hungry?"
Mortified, Keeley turned her head away, not wanting him to see her reddening cheeks. How awkward! Her stomach rumbled like it hadn't eaten in days!
Talon rose out of his seat and reached above where the luggage racks were. He pulled down a black duffle and sat back down, with the bag on his lap. "My mom packed me some food," he informed her as he rummaged through the bag.
"Peanut butter and jelly?" she joked, hoping her cheeks weren't too red.
"Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" he announced, his voice imitating a game-show host.
"Seriously?" Keeley asked, surprised that she had guessed correctly.
Talon sent her a wry smile. "That's pretty much all my dad and I allow her to make. She's a disaster in the kitchen."
"She can't be that bad," Keeley protested. "What about the microwavable dinners that are frozen? Those are easy."
Talon let out a short bark of laughter. "The last time she tried to microwave a dinner, she ended up melting the plastic. And don't even get me started on the great Thanksgiving disaster of 2005." He shuddered at the memory. "Let's just say she's been banned from using the turkey baster."
Keeley looked at him in amazement. How did one mess up using a turkey baster? All you had to do was squeeze. "So, who cooks then?" Keeley asked, curious to hear more about his family.
"Well, Dad pretty much only grills, and unfortunately I got my mom's cooking skills, so most of the time we eat out or order something in."
Keeley thought of her own family who had a home cooked meal practically every night. She loved her Mom's homemade lasagna and meatloaf and stuffed chicken. She couldn't imagine never having any of that. "Don't you get sick of it?"
Talon leaned back in his seat, pondering the question. "Honestly? Not really. My family is big into trying new things, so we are constantly eating different types of cuisines. My mom has this rule that we have to order at least one new dish that we've never tried before." His lips curled into a genuine smile. "One time, I ordered this dish called Rocky Mountain Oysters because it sounded interesting." He shook his head as he chuckled to himself. "I should have read the description of what it was, because turns out Rocky Mountain Oysters aren't oysters at all."
"What is it?"
Talon winced. "Deep fried bull testicles."
"Gross!"
Talon's shoulders trembled as he laughed. "You should have seen my mom's face when she tried it. I thought she was going to pass out." He sighed happily. "Man, that was a good time."
"What do you guys do for holidays though? Do you eat at a restaurant?"
"No. We go over to my aunt's house. She's a whiz in the kitchen. She provides all the food and we provide the drinks. It works out pretty well."
Keeley smiled as she listened to Talon talk about his family. This was a new side of him that she'd never seen before. No inappropriate comments, no arrogant remarks. She liked it.
As he continued searching in his duffle, something yellow caught her attention. Keeley leaned forward to get a better look inside. "Are those peeps?" she asked in dismay as she saw packs of yellow sugarcoated chicks, stuffed in his bag.
"I may or may not be addicted to them."
"To peeps?" Keeley clarified. "The marshmallow substance that comes in the form of little colored birds?"
"They come in bunnies too," Talon stated defensively.
"Because that makes it so much better." She pulled his bag onto her lap to take a closer look. "Good god, how many did you bring?"
Talon rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. "Just six or seven packs."
Six or seven packs? Was he crazy? Each pack had five peeps in them. That was a total of thirty to thirty-five peeps. "You know we're only staying for two days, right?"
Talon narrowed his eyes and yanked his duffle back. "Haven't you ever heard the motto 'always be prepared?'"
"Haven't you ever heard the term grocery store?" she instantly countered.
"We're going to Santa Barbara. Who knows what those rich people carry. They probably only eat Marzipan or some crap like that." He pulled out a brown paper bag and handed it to her.
She looked inside and saw a heart shaped sandwich along with a juice box and an apple. Guess his mom really did cut his sandwich into shapes. "Aren't you going to eat any?"
Talon ripped open a package of peeps. "I have my breakfast right here, baby doll."
"It's eight in the morning!"
He raised his brow. "Your point being?"
She watched in fascination as he stuffed a whole peep in his mouth. His expression softened as he chewed and swallowed. Wow. He really did love those things.
"So good," he murmured and picked up another one.
As Keeley started to eat the sandwich, she began to realize how little she actually knew about him. Sure, they talked on the phone a lot, but the majority of the time, it was about superficial topics. They never really spoke about their lives. Where did he live? What grade was he in? Did he have a girlfriend? Keeley scowled at the thought. Knowing him, he probably had half a dozen of them, all on a rotating schedule. Shelly on Monday, Veronica on Tuesday, Naomi on Wednesday-
"Why are you frowning, baby doll? It isn't a good look for you."
"I just realized I don't really know you," Keeley quickly explained, leaving out the part where she was wondering about his relationship status. She didn't want him to think that she actually cared. Because she didn't. Not at all. "Who exactly is Talon?"
He coughed, looking like he was going to choke. He took a quick swig of water before clearing his throat. "I'm just me."
"And who's that?" she questioned. For all she knew, he could be some high school dropout that worked at a local gas station. "What do you do for fun? How old are you? Do you have a job? Where do you go to school?"
"Would you like to know my credit score also?" he asked wryly.
She shot him a look. "You know what I mean. We've only known each other for two weeks and haven't even talked for half of that. I don't even know what day you were born, for goodness sake!"
"Well, it was a drizzly Thursday morning-"
"Talon!" she griped. "I'm serious!"
He threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Fine. I was born on October 28th and I'm seventeen years old. I'm a senior in high school and I have a 3.5 GPA. My parent's are Darlene and James and we are originally from Texas. My favorite color is red and I hate the color purple. I love action movies but hate thrillers." He paused. "Happy now?"
Keeley shook her head. "I want to know more."
"Then can we at least ask some interesting questions?"
"Like what?"
"Like..." he paused and then said, "If you were immortal for a day, what would you do?"
"That's your question?" she asked in disbelief.
"Oh come on! It'll be fun! And way more interesting." He tilted his head and looked up at her through his eyelashes, batting them like a professional flirt. "Please baby doll," he pleaded.
Keeley sighed. The boy was way too handsome for his own good. "Fine," Keeley conceded with obvious reluctance.
Talon smiled smugly, as if he already knew she would cave to his request. "I'll go first. If I was immortal for a day, I would street race, Fast and Furious style. What about you?"
"I would probably try to save lives."
Talon scoffed in response. "None of that bleeding-heart-humanitarian crap. Be selfish. If you could do anything in the world and not die, what would you do? Come on, there's so many options. Skydive without a parachute? Go swimming with sharks? Climb Mount Everest?"
Keeley bit her lip, staying silent for a couple of moments. "I would probably go running with the bulls in Spain," she confessed.
Talon's face brightened. "That's a good one. I hadn't thought about that. Now your turn to ask a question, baby doll."
"Okay, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would they be?"
"Oh that's easy," Talon boasted. "I would bring a tent, an axe and of course, a playboy magazine." He winked at Keeley playfully.
"Of course you would," Keeley said dryly. "Who cares about food and water? Just as long as there are pictures of naked girls."
He smirked. "I'm so glad that you have your priorities straight, baby doll."
Keeley rolled her eyes and started telling him her answer to the question.
Three hours later, Keeley leaned back in her chair, her voice hoarse from talking. She had to admit that Talon had been right about those questions. It had been really entertaining and Keeley couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. They argued over which weapon they would carry during a zombie apocalypse, and debated the pros and cons of liquid whiteout. They bickered about what Godfather movie was best and agreed that Jay Leno needed to retire. They found that they had similar taste in music and both loved to splash around in puddles after it rained.
The conversation also gave some insight about Talon. He had a stubborn streak a mile wide and had a hard time admitting he was wrong. He had a horrible habit of bouncing his leg incessantly when he was excited, and his forehead would furrow into deep lines while he was concentrating.
Keeley opened her mouth wide and yawned. Who knew talking could be so exhausting? She looked over at Talon who was reclined in his seat, fast asleep. 'What a good idea,' Keeley thought to herself and rested her head against the window, following Talon into slumber.
Sometime later, Keeley was briefly woken up from her deep sleep by Talon's voice.
"Its okay ma'am," Talon was saying. "I'm going to stick it out and not break-up with her."
Drowsy, Keeley turned her head away from his voice, annoyed by the sound. She wanted to get back to her dream about the zombies. She was kicking some serious decaying butt. "Sleep," she muttered. "Sleep."
"Are you sure?" the old lady asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm sure." There was a pause and then Talon said softly, "She's worth it."
Keeley moaned and blindly grabbed her jacket so she could put it over her head, blocking out the noise. Sleep. She wanted sleep...
"Die!" she yelled, thrusting her long, silver blade into the heart of the enemy. She felt the zombie's body convulse around her sword, struggling to take one last breath of air. With a mighty roar, she pushed it clean through the zombie's body, ending its life.
"One zombie down, twenty to go," she sneered, looking at the zombies that were closing in around her. The stench of their rotting flesh was overwhelming but Keeley powered through. She had a job, and she was damn well going to do it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a zombie advance, getting ready to strike. Without a moment's hesitation she sprinted for the offense and with a clean swipe, decapitated the monster's head. The body fell with a loud thud and Keeley felt a grim sense of satisfaction.
She turned to face the other zombies. "Come and get it, boys," Keeley taunted callously, throwing out a hip in an exaggerated fashion. They stared at her for a minute before rushing to attack. Feeling no fear, Keeley leapt forward, welcoming the assault. Swinging her mighty blade back and forth, she mowed down the enemy, taking no prisoners.
When the last zombie fell, Keeley experienced a rush of relief. The enemy was dead. She slowly sheathed her sword and started to walk away from the pile of decomposed bodies.
She made her way through the rolling hills and into the wooded forest where she lived. Her hut was small and compact but she didn't mind. It was only her living in it after all. Most of the human population had died when the zombies had risen from their graves.
"Good job, baby doll," a husky voice proclaimed out of nowhere.
"Whose there?" she asked cautiously, her eyes scanning the wooded area. "What do you want?"
"I want you," the voice declared, sounding determined.
Keeley shivered at the words. "Why me?"
"Because you're worth it," the voice responded.
Her stomach erupted in butterflies. "Worth what?"
"Keeley."
The ground started to shake, forcing Keeley to stumble over her feet.
"Keeley!" the voice cried out again, this time with more force.
The shaking turned more violent-
"Keeley!"
Keeley's eyes flew open and suddenly she wasn't staring at a forest, but directly into the clearest set of blue eyes she had ever seen. They were breathtaking. She blinked slowly, afraid that they would disappear.
"Keeley, are you okay?"
The voice jarred Keeley out of her haze. "Talon?" she mumbled.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, baby doll," he said, sounding amused.
Slowly, Keeley's senses started coming back to her. She felt a rush of warmth spread through her body as she inhaled his spicey fragrance. God, he smelled so good. Not wanting him to read her thoughts, she dropped her head. That's when she noticed how close Talon was. He was hunched over her, one of his hands gripping her shoulder and his head lowered so he could see her face. They were so close that all she had to do was lean forward an inch, and they would be kissing. At the thought, Keeley's breathing grew heavy.
"The UCSB stop is up next and you wouldn't wake up when I called your name. Finally, I had to shake you awake," he said, as he dropped his hand and moved back into his seat, seeming unaware of Keeley's thought process.
"Thanks," she said, her voice cracking. Quickly, Keeley coughed, clearing her throat. "Thanks," she repeated, her voice sounding normal that time.
As soon as she stepped off of the train and onto the platform, she started scanning the crowd, searching for Brent. She immediately saw him, his red and white striped shirt making him stand out in the masses. She couldn't help but smile when he caught her gaze and waved. Forgetting about Talon, Keeley rushed over to Brent, weaving her way through the swarm of people.
"Brent," she greeted happily, staring up at him with a huge grin. He hadn't changed at all. His brown hair was still in desperate need of a haircut and his clothes were creased and wrinkled.
"Hi Keeley," he said warmly, pulling her into a quick hug. "How are you doing kid?"
She felt a pang at the reference but promptly buried it. "I'm really good. School hasn't been too bad, but it's only been a week, so who knows."
He smiled at her, his whole face transforming from just being attractive to becoming incredibly handsome. "Are you prepared for calculus and physics this year?"
She winced. "I try not to think about it too much."
"It's not going to go away," he gently reminded.
"I know. But for the next day and a half I don't have to deal with it," Keeley said with a cheeky grin.
He laughed and pulled her into another quick hug. "So, where's your boyfriend? He came with you, right?"
"He's not my boyfriend," Keeley instantly denied, her voice a little sharp.
"No? Then what am I baby doll?" a familiar voice drawled from behind her.
Keeley turned her head around and glared at Talon. He better not mess anything up with Brent. If he did, she was going to make his life miserable. That was a promise. She turned to Brent. "Brent, this is my friend Talon." She turned to Talon. "Talon, this is Brent."
Brent smiled and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Talon."
Talon eyed him for a few seconds before returning the handshake. "You too," he grunted.
"You guys wait right here. I'll bring the car around." Brent left before Keeley could protest.
"Seriously? This is the guy you are crushing on?" Talon said as soon as Brent was out of hearing. "He looks like he escaped from the pages of a Where's Waldo book."
Keeley stifled a laugh. Talon was right. Brent did look like a real life version of Waldo. All he needed was a striped hat and a cane. But to Keeley, that made him all the more adorable. "Yes, that is the guy I like. He's the type of person who doesn't care what he looks like, because he realizes it is what's on the inside that counts."
Talon rolled his eyes. "Please. No one actually believes that crap."
"I do! Brent doesn't care how people view him and it's one of the traits I really admire."
"On some level, everyone cares about the way they are perceived. Whether that be their looks or their intelligence or their personality. Your precious Brent, may not outwardly show it, but he cares. Don't be fooled by his act, baby doll."
Keeley huffed in frustration. "Why are you being so difficult?"
"I'm not being difficult," Talon denied.
"You're being argumentative."
"So?" he asked indignantly. "We argued and discussed for hours on the train and you didn't have a problem with it then."
"Because you weren't an a$s about it then," Keeley snapped.
Just then, Brent pulled up with the car. Without a word, Talon picked up Keeley's bag and threw it in the backseat along with his bag. He climbed in after them, and closed the door with a firm thud. The whole time, not giving Keeley a second glance.
Keeley's body was tense as she slid into the passenger seat. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to cool her temper.
"So, I thought we could tour the campus and then grab a bite to eat. Is that okay with you? Or would you rather do something else?" Brent asked them, completely oblivious to the tension.
"No! What you have sounds perfect," Keeley beamed.
"Talon?" Brent asked.
"Yup. Perfect," he responded in flat voice.
Silently, Keeley fumed. He was throwing a tantrum like a two year old! She whirled around in the seat and sent him a glare. "Be nice," she mouthed as Brent started to drive.
Talon's eyes narrowed, returning her glare. Then suddenly, the anger turned into an evil grin. "So, Brent," Talon drawled, "tell me all about yourself."
Keeley whirled back around and sighed. This was going to be a long two days.