Chapter 9
LIVVI
Iwas halfway through the first chapter of my book when Roxie crashed into our apartment like a glitter-covered hurricane.
“Get up, hermit girl. We’re going out tonight.”
I didn’t even glance up. “Define ‘we.’”
“Both of us.” Her hands landed dramatically on her hips. She was already dressed like she had a stage waiting for her—jeans, sparkly top, hair curly and glossy. Next to her, I felt like the human equivalent of sweatpants.
“I’m busy.” I lifted the book like proof.
Roxie groaned, flopping onto the couch beside me. “You read every night. It’s borderline tragic. Do you want your twenties to be remembered as the era of fictional boyfriends and herbal tea?”
“Yes.”
She snatched the book out of my hands before I could blink. “Nope. Not happening. It’s a Friday night, and you’re too pretty to waste away in here.”
I sighed, but secretly, there was a little spark of warmth in my chest. Roxie was relentless, but it was nice, too—having someone who actually wanted me around. I wasn’t used to that.
“Where are we going?” I asked, already regretting the words.
“Bar on Main. Cheap drinks, decent music, pool tables.” She grinned like she’d already won. “You can’t say no, Liv. It’s Friday. Live a little.”
And that’s how ten minutes later, I was trailing behind her down the street, tugging self-consciously at the hem of my blouse while she bounced ahead in heels like she owned the night.
The bar was already buzzing when we walked in—dim lighting, neon beer signs, laughter bouncing off the walls. Roxie lit up immediately, as if the whole room had been waiting just for her. She tugged me toward the bar, ordered two drinks, and handed me one with a conspiratorial wink.
“See? Not so bad,” she said, already scanning the crowd.
I followed her gaze—and froze.
Across the room, Talon Everhart leaned against the pool table, cue stick in hand, flanked by a couple of his teammates. His laugh carried over the music, easy and confident. He looked exactly like the version of himself everyone else saw—cocky, tempting, the town ladies’ man.
But when his eyes flicked across the room and landed on me, something sharp and electric zipped through me. His smile faltered, just for a second, before sliding back into place.
“Of course,” I muttered under my breath.
“What?” Roxie asked.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, ducking my head.
But it wasn’t nothing. It was Talon. And suddenly, tonight felt a lot more complicated.
Roxie followed my line of sight, then smirked. “Well, well, well. Isn’t that swim royalty over there?”
I didn’t answer. I hadn’t seen him since the meet last weekend, and I was too busy trying to act like my pulse hadn’t just leapt at the sight of him.
“Everhart looks like he owns the place,” Roxie went on, clearly enjoying herself. “Smug smile, girls staring like he’s the main attraction … ugh. I can smell the ego from here.”
I almost laughed because she wasn’t entirely wrong. Except I’d been close enough to see cracks in that picture-perfect confidence, moments when he wasn’t quite the guy everyone thought he was.
Before I could reply, Roxie’s smile dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I turned to see what she was glaring at and found Ledger striding toward us, his dark hair messy, his grin cocky as ever.
“Well, if it isn’t Roxanne,” he drawled. “Didn’t expect to see you slumming it with the rest of us.”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Roxie.”
Ledger leaned on the bar beside her like he had every right to be there. “Roxie, Roxanne … either way, you’re still bossy.”
“And you’re still insufferable.” She tossed her hair and turned her back to him, aiming her focus squarely on me. “Liv, let’s go play darts. Far, far away from this.”
But Ledger didn’t take the hint. “Actually, my game’s over. Why don’t we make it interesting? Loser buys the next round.”
Roxie let out an incredulous laugh. “You think you can beat me?”
“I know I can.” His grin widened. “But I’ll enjoy watching you try.”
The sparks between them were so obvious, I wanted to take a step back. They clearly had some kind of history. Roxie, of course, was more than ready for the challenge. She shoved her drink at me. “Hold this, Liv. You’re my witness when I wipe the floor with him.”
And just like that, she let Ledger drag her toward the dartboard, still bickering, leaving me standing alone—until a shadow fell across me.
“You look like you need rescuing,” a deep voice said.
I didn’t have to look up to know it was Talon.
He leaned against the bar, casual, like he hadn’t just set my nerves on fire by existing across the room five minutes ago. His blue eyes glinted with amusement as they swept over me, taking in the way I clutched Roxie’s drink like a lifeline.
“Pretty sure your friend just abandoned you for my teammate.” He nodded his head toward Roxie and Ledger, who were already tossing insults along with darts. “Trust me, that’s going to end badly.”
I arched a brow. “For who?”
He smirked. “Good question.”
I took a sip of my drink, grimaced at the sugary burn, and quickly set both my and Roxie’s drinks down on the bar, not planning on touching them again.
I turned my gaze back to him. “Okay, so what’s the deal? You and Ledger obviously know Roxie. And judging by her death glare, she doesn’t exactly send him Christmas cards.”
Talon chuckled, low and amused. “Ah. That.”
“That?” I pressed. “Come on, Everhart. Tell me. Why does she look like she’s two seconds from aiming a dart at his head instead of the board?”
He leaned a little closer, like he was about to tell me something confidential, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. “Let’s just say … Ledger and Roxie have history.”
I raised my brows. “The bad kind?”
“Is there any other?” He shrugged. “They met way back in freshman year, had a couple classes together. She corrected him every time he opened his mouth, he called her bossy, she called him arrogant. Classic hate at first sight.”
I glanced toward the dartboard, where Roxie had just landed a hit dead center and was crowing in victory while Ledger scowled and demanded a redo. The tension between them was so sharp, it was practically sizzling.
“Sounds like they hate each other now too.”
Talon’s grin slanted sideways. “Oh, trust me. Hate that loud usually means something else is hiding underneath.”
I choked on a laugh. “You think Roxie likes him?”
“I think Ledger likes the fight. And Roxie doesn’t exactly shy away from it.” His smirk deepened. “If they ever stop arguing long enough, you might want to clear the room.”
I rolled my eyes, though the idea wasn’t hard to picture. Still, I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of agreeing. “Well, she’s not the only one who thinks your teammate is insufferable.”
His gaze flicked back to me, sharper now, as if I’d just offered him a challenge. “What about me?” he asked. “Do I fall into the insufferable category too?”
I let the question hang, slowly spinning Roxie’s abandoned drink while his eyes stayed fixed on me. He was too confident, too sure I’d say what everyone else probably did—that he was charming, captivating, the guy you couldn’t help but like.
Eventually, I stopped spinning the glass and met his gaze head-on. “I don’t really know you.”
His brow lifted. “That’s a diplomatic answer.”
“It’s the truth.” I shrugged. “Your reputation? Sure, that’s hard to miss. But reputations aren’t the same as people.”
Something flickered across his face then, something that looked almost like surprise. He leaned back on his stool, cue stick balanced loosely in one hand, and gave a short laugh. “You think my reputation is all smoke and mirrors?”
I tilted my head, watching him carefully. Smoke and mirrors … that had me thinking of TheWriteGuy, since the title of his book was Shadow, Smoke, and Mirrors. But I couldn’t be thinking about him right now. When talking to a guy like Talon, I needed to have my wits about me.
Finally, I said, “I think it’d be exhausting to live up to one.”
For a second, his smile wavered. Just a hair, but enough for me to notice. He swirled the glass of water in his hand, eyes dropping to his drink before cutting back to me. “You’re not wrong. The guys had to drag me out tonight.”
I blinked. That wasn’t the kind of line I’d expected from Talon Everhart. Not the guy who was supposed to thrive on attention, who always looked at ease with the spotlight burning bright on him.
“Really?” I asked before I could stop myself. “You’d rather be … where?”
His mouth quirked, but not in the cocky way I’d seen before. This was smaller, almost private. “Home.”
It was such a simple answer, but it tugged at something in me. Home. Not out charming women or partying with his friends. Just … home.
I covered the sudden rush of curiosity with a light laugh. “That’s not very on-brand, Everhart.”
“Yeah, well.” His eyes glinted as they caught mine again. “Maybe I’m not as on-brand as people think.”
I studied him, trying to decide if he was really being serious or just playing another angle. With Talon, it was hard to tell. Everyone else seemed so convinced he was this larger-than-life persona. But here, leaning against the bar, voice low, it felt like I’d caught him between performances.
“Interesting.” I let the word stretch. “Because if you asked around, I’m pretty sure most people would say you live for this stuff.”
“Crowded bars? Loud music?” He tipped his head toward the wildness around us. “That’s more Ledger’s scene.”
“And not yours?”
He gave a half shrug. “Don’t get me wrong. I can play the part. But if I had my way? Nights like this, I’d probably be at home. Quiet. Just … chilling.”
I blinked, because it was the last thing I expected him to say. It sounded so much like me, it was disarming. “Really?”
“Really.” He leaned in a fraction, like he wanted me to believe him. “What about you? I get the sense this isn’t exactly your natural habitat either.”
I huffed out a laugh. “That obvious, huh?”
“Only because I feel the same way.”
The honesty in his voice tugged at something I wasn’t ready to face. So I deflected, shifting my weight on the barstool. “If it were up to me, I’d be curled up with a book right now. Or—” I caught myself just before saying messaging TheWriteGuy. “Or just staying in.”
His mouth curved, and the way his gaze lingered on me made it feel like he’d caught more than I meant to give away. “A book, huh? Let me guess. Some epic love story where the brooding guy falls for the girl?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “Not always.”
“But sometimes.” His grin turned teasing again, but softer this time. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that Talon Everhart’s toughest critic spends her nights on the couch reading romance novels.”
I rolled my eyes, but the shiver across my skin betrayed me. Because the way he’d said it—light, but not mocking—vaguely reminded me of how TheWriteGuy would have said it.
I shook my head slightly. TheWriteGuy was messing with my thoughts way too much these days if I was finding commonalities between him and Talon.
Before I could figure out how to respond to that uncanny déjà vu, Roxie’s voice cut through the bar, sharp and loud.
“You cheated!”
Talon and I both turned toward the dartboard. Roxie stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Ledger like she might actually murder him. He, of course, looked completely unbothered, a smirk tugging at his mouth as he leaned casually against the wall.
“Cheating implies I had to try,” Ledger said smoothly.
“Unbelievable.” Roxie threw her arms up. “You are the worst loser. And an even worse winner.”
“Thanks,” he said, as if she’d just complimented him.
The crowd near the dartboard started snickering, and Roxie’s cheeks flushed bright red. She yanked the darts out of the board with enough force to make the whole thing rattle.
I winced. “Uh-oh.”
Talon’s laugh rumbled low beside me. “Told you. Those two shouldn’t be left unsupervised.”
At that exact moment, Roxie turned and spotted me at the bar. “Livvi!” she shouted, storming over with Ledger following behind her. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“Leaving?” I blinked.
“Yes. Before I commit a felony.” She shoved the darts into a passing guy’s hand like evidence disposal, then crossed her arms. “Ledger’s lucky I didn’t stab him with those.”
Ledger leaned down, murmuring just loud enough for us all to hear, “Admit it, Rox. You had fun.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t. Call. Me. Rox.”
The air between them practically crackled. I had no idea how to defuse it, and frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
Beside me, Talon straightened, his expression torn between amusement and mild exasperation. “Come on,” he said quietly, leaning closer to me. “If we don’t get them out of here, one of them’s going to end up banned from this place.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I followed Talon toward the door. Roxie and Ledger were still bickering the entire way out, their voices bouncing off the bar walls like a soundtrack.
When we finally stepped into the warm April night, I exhaled, relief washing through me. Talon glanced at me, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
“Next time,” he said, “I vote we leave them at home.”
The smile that pulled at my lips was impossible to hold back. “Deal.”