Okay guys, we've reached a milestone! Can't believe it's been thirty chapters (90,000 words!) of this book already! I was so excited when I saw that, I couldn't rest until I got this chapter down.
It's a little longer than usual, but we're nearing the end of this story! I've mapped out the next few steps that still need to happen, but we're looking at like six or seven more chapters 😢 and that's it...
Thank you for sticking by, for giving this story a chance, and sharing the love. Means the world to me!
—VIVKELLER23
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Teagan
How on Earth did a dream become a reality while the rest of your life kept spiraling out of control?
That was the essential question Teagan had set out to answer. It appeared that while he'd been busy scaling the Ice Queen's walls, he'd forgotten there was a reason why he'd been allowed to spend so much time with her in the first place.
Tilden's paper was due in less than three hours and Teagan wasn't any closer to having a clear answer.
Every time he managed to spill out a few paragraphs, he found he'd veered off topic and given much more than he was ready to divulge. There wasn't much research he could offer, and he was far from unbiased. He'd completely lost sight of the initial goal he'd started out with, and now all the information he had was valuable and private. Something he wasn't sure anyone had a right to see.
Worse still, he knew Rain wouldn't have had the same problem.
But what could he say?
Everything she'd seen of him had been a side people ignored, though not exactly a side he'd set out to conceal. So he worked, he lived in an old, shambled house, he had a drunk father who took more out of him than just the money he brought home. That wasn't necessarily interesting stuff. It sure wasn't new.
Truth be told, he was ashamed of some of the things Rain would be able to mention in her analysis of him. Would the words she printed surprise her enough to realize he really wasn't worth her time? If she woke up one day to see how wrong he truly was for her, could he blame her?
No. But that would hurt like hell.
Why, though? Why should he care so much about any of it if he'd known it would fall apart at some point? When had the business transaction turned into a moment that could determine his happiness?
When the heck had he fallen for Rain Sullivan?
Teagan felt his stomach flip at the thought. Now he'd really done it. He couldn't write the stupid paper, not because he didn't have the drive to fill the pages on the cracked computer screen. He had more than enough to say. The problem was he couldn't write the paper without giving away the game.
He'd made a very stupid, calculated mistake, and now he couldn't see any way out of it unscathed.
I told you so! the familiar, goody-good voice in his mind chimed.
Teagan shook his head and pushed himself out of the broken swivel chair he used for his desk space. Not now.
He wasn't amused. He was scared as hell. Teagan had always been the guy who knew the outcome that followed a casual fling even before he'd smirked at the breathless girl he'd chosen for the night. He'd always held all the cards. And while he'd known that anything he did with Rain Sullivan, the Ice Queen of Granite Woods, would be unchartered territory, he'd thought he had control.
If they ever made another Dumb and Dumber film, Teagan was sure he could nail Jim Carrey's part.
After the awful confrontation with his own father and the not so subtle visit he'd paid another pompous idiot, Teagan realized most of his anger hadn't been for himself. It had been for her, and dang it, he'd never cared about anyone besides himself before.
Teagan paced back and forth, restless. His feet dragged and left tracks in the worn carpet, but he was too carried away to care. Nothing mattered more than clearing his head. There had to be some way to calm himself. He'd always had a weakness for the finer things in life, but he'd convinced himself a long time ago that they weren't for him.
Literature? He'd always loved the way some of the classics could flow so smoothly off the page. But what good would reading and writing such sap do him when his old man couldn't land a steady job? French? He'd yearned to learn in high school, had even signed up for the beginner's course as an elective, before the school counselor, Mr. Felix, scoffed at the idea. Old Miller's son would do better learning how to change a car's oil than wasting his time on foreign languages. Psychology... Teagan had fallen for the idea of understanding a little about the human mind, how you processed thinking, what gave humans meaning. But he might as well have tried his luck at neuroscience for all the good his interests would do him.
But he hadn't learned. He'd turned his back on one college to attend one closer to home. Menlo or Gray's, they were the same. He was wasting his time chasing things he had no business going after. He didn't even know what he wanted out of his time at the College. Teagan could hardly even afford to continue paying for courses he hardly attended.
He could fill a book with all the things that were wrong with him. He loved to run, but he'd found his passion for it after losing the one person he'd loved in life. He had a wicked way with words and yet, he worked diligently to keep that fine gift hidden beneath rough, gritty phrases that turned people away. He cared about the youth he encountered in 'the slums' though no one would know it from the way he talked about where he'd grown up. He always said he was going to leave his past someday, he even managed to get the Ice Queen to open up about her own, but every chance he'd had to do it he'd squandered.
He would have sworn he wouldn't ever be foolish enough to love, but then, he was a liar.
With a frustrated exhalation of breath, Teagan gave up trying to put it off much longer. What was done was done. If Tilden was going to have a laugh at him, well, then, Teagan would make sure the man died of laughter.
They say to watch what you wish for, cause you could get more than you could ever want...
xXx
It turned out he didn't have the confidence to submit the end result of his analysis on Rain. So there was really no reason to go to class if he was going to arrive empty-handed.
Instead Teagan decided to drop by the counseling office to visit Miss Romero once more. As was usually expected more than half-way through the semester, the counseling center was buzzing with college students. Some looked like the world was ending what with the level of stress they paced back and forth, their minds on much more important things than a silly paper that had revealed too much.
Teagan gave himself a mental shake. There was very little he could change about it now. Just like he couldn't change the reason he'd approached Rain Sullivan to begin with.
It hadn't all been a calculating move, though the only person who would believe that had been dead a long time.
"Teagan?"
His somber thoughts evaporated as he turned to face the voice that had called to him. Friendly brown eyes stared back at him. "Feels like ages since I was last in here," Teagan offered by way of conversation.
Miss Romero nodded and turned on red heels to lead him into her office. "I trust taking Professor Tilden's course wasn't as terrible as you had anticipated?"
Nope, it was catastrophic. "He's not all there, but when he's focused on one thing that he strongly believes in, I swear I have trouble remembering he's insane."
She laughed. "That sounds like Tilden," she agreed, typing away at her computer screen. As Teagan watched, he noticed she wore a new wedding band on her finger. "I'm engaged again," she told him with a warm smile that was entirely different from the flirty smiles she'd given him the last time he was here.
"Congratulations."
"My ex-husband and I realized we were more miserable apart than we had been together during the toughest parts of our marriage." The woman looked so happy, Teagan wondered how one man could make such a change in her. "So I'm sorry for the passes I made before, but that won't be continuing in the future."
Teagan gave her a pained look. "Darn."
"What really brings you in today, Teagan? My schedule says Tilden's class is still in session."
He shrugged. Why did he do anything? "I found way more than a temporary distraction, and I don't know what to do about it."
Miss Romero frowned. "Did you decide on what you want to pursue during your time here?"
He'd always known what he wanted to do. The issue had always been that he was too busy surviving to actually chase that particular dream. "I've had an idea for a while now," Teagan admitted.
"What is it?" she asked, and the look in those chocolate colored eyes made him shiver because they weren't looking just at the surface.
"I think I've really done it this time, and it's stupid because the only person I've been able to talk to about it was a kid I coach." He still couldn't believe the stuff Gavin had said to his face. Teagan made a sound deep in his throat, half laugh, half sigh. "None of this worked out the way I wanted it to."
"I take this has nothing to do with still having an undeclared major?"
"God, you're a genius," Teagan replied. Though he spoke sarcastically, Miss Romero was kind enough to play along. "There's this girl," he began, but the look of amusement on the woman's kind face made him feel like he needed to clarify. "I know with my reputation, that's to be expected but this is different. She's not...I mean, oh, what the hell am I doing?"
Angrily, Teagan pushed away from the sturdy desk and reached for the door. "I guess I just wanted to thank you for not giving up on me despite all the times I couldn't bring myself to care?" Teagan offered a stunned Miss Romero as she struggled to understand what was happening. "Also, placing me in Tilden's class wasn't the worst thing you could have done."
After all, no one had forced him to accept a deal with the devil.
He could still hear the ugly cackle that had been the first sound he'd heard out of the monster's mouth.
"Do you really think your pride is worth a thing in today's day and age, young man?"
With a shudder, Teagan forced himself to calm as he made his excuses and hurried out into the hallway just beyond the Counseling Center. Once outside, he found he could breathe with ease. It was empty, no wandering eyes to follow him about.
Once he could think clearly without the mistakes replaying in his mind, he was able to make a decision. He'd been warned, and while he hadn't listened to the warnings, an integral part of himself had always known there was a risk.
He'd made his choice knowing the outcome this time wouldn't be simple. There was no sense letting the dread consume him now.
A glance down at his pocketwatch showed that there was still five minutes before Tilden's class ended. He was counting on Rain Sullivan missing him after the time they'd spent apart since her birthday. The memory was a sweet one, though he was still angry at the fact that her father could have ignored the significance of the date in order to throw the ridiculous party instead.
Not that it mattered now. He was determined to make it up to her even if her father was too busy to care about such little things.
Teagan smirked as he began his trek across campus to the Wizard's lecture hall. This time, he would make sure Rainy Day wouldn't be confused as to the significance of their date.
xXx
Though Teagan wasn't ashamed of the fact he hadn't completed the assignment Tilden had given him, he wasn't willing to take his chances getting called out by the crazy professor. So he decided to hang around outside, resting against the brick wall of the building to give off the impression that he was calm and composed. Inside, his heart was pounding.
Maybe it was a stupid idea. Maybe he shouldn't cross that line at all. It wasn't like it would serve him any good now, and she'd already submitted her own analysis of who he was so the information wouldn't help shape the opinion she had of him.
No, that wasn't right. He didn't give two flying ducks about the paper. He wanted to give her something in return for the way she'd trusted him, the way she'd opened up to him.
Rain wasn't the only one who'd been playing a role.
"What in the world are you doing out here, Tee?" Rain questioned and Teagan couldn't feign impassiveness. But his Ice Queen wasn't interested in the wide grin on his face. "You'd better have a great excuse for skipping class and bailing on Tilden's assignment. The look of utter disappointment on his face when he realized you weren't going to show would have crippled you."
"Ah," he chided, gently, amused. "Were you upset to have to sit all alone through class, Rainy Day?"
She glowered so fiercely she reminded him of a sky full of thunderclouds. "You find this funny? How are you going to pass the course when you skipped the one huge assignment required for the semester?"
She had a point. But there were some things you just couldn't give away, especially to someone as insane as Tilden. "Relax, Rain. I was never really serious about the class anyway. It was simply a way to fill a space in my schedule, nothing important."
Her shrewd, knowing eyes pierced him. "You expect me to believe that?" she hissed. "You literally have to work two jobs to make sure you have a roof over your head, but you can say that throwing money away into this class is no big deal?"
Okay, so that was a lie. "Was that a part of your analysis, Your Majesty?" The question had flowed out of his mouth before he could think better of it.
"You're unbelievable."
Teagan stood back and watched Rain stomp down a few steps, his gaze following the way her fitted black slacks molded to her legs with appreciation. Always the picture of elegance even while she was furious with him. Was it any wonder he hadn't been able to resist her?
Chuckling, Teagan raced down the steps to catch up. Once he'd caught up to her, he didn't stop. Teagan grabbed hold of her arm and ran the rest of the way down, slowing slightly to match her pace.
"Teagan, slow down!" she cried, laughing behind him as he pulled her along past the stunned faces of Gray's student population. "Where are we going?"
"I have one secret I still want to share before you decide you're done with me."
"Done with you? What's that supposed to mean?" Rain asked.
He wanted to believe there was no way on earth she'd ever be done with him. He knew for him, she was it. He'd never be done falling for her, never stop finding the little things about her that made her so important to him now.
Forcing the deep thoughts into the back of his mind, Teagan pushed forward until he'd reached his beat up truck. With an apologetic smile, Teagan released Rain's arm and turned to open the passenger door. Wincing at the groaning sound the door made as it opened, Teagan made his move. "Rain Sullivan, will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"
Her violet eyes widened and her cheeks pinkened as shock and pleasure mingled on her face. "Tee-"
"Before you think about saying about your final answer, you should know that I won't settle for any version of the word 'no'." The tiny curve of her full lips proved she remembered one of their earliest encounters and how she'd turned him down.
"Fine, yes."
The drive down to Granite Woods' ritzy part of town was filled with Rain singing along to the radio. She knew most of the songs that came on whether it was One Direction, Justin Timberlake, or Celine Dion. Very impressive.
As he turned left onto the main street in town, Rain whistled. "You weren't kidding when you said date this time, were you?"
He winked. "I have some tricks up my sleeve."
The drive-thru to In-N-Out was empty so they managed to place their orders without having to wait too long. Rain looked very pleased as she was handed her order of animal fries and a strawberry milkshake. From there, it was a short drive down to Granite Woods' picturesque park and garden. It was a beautiful place that boasted rolling green hills and a pond full of fish. Right now that the weather was still warm enough, geese flocked to the park and entertained visitors.
Frigging feathered monsters. Teagan wasn't fooled by their innocent little act. He knew the birds were downright beasts if you didn't give them your bread crumbs fast enough.
"Another picnic?" Rain asked as she climbed out of the truck.
"Well, since the first one went so smoothly, I figured you'd enjoy this one a little more." Teagan smirked as he nodded towards an empty park bench. "You know, no graveyard this time and actual food?"
She laughed. "Very nice, Casanova."
Coming from her, that was a very welcome compliment.
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