Chapter 21
TALON
The hum of neon lights and the buzz of arcade machines wrapped around me like a soundtrack of noise.
Laughter, clattering tokens, and that weird mix of popcorn and grease hung in the air, and for once, I wasn’t thinking about swimming, writing, or the hundred different ways my life felt like it was pulling me apart.
I was thinking about how good Livvi looked under the neon glow. Her dark hair catching the shifting colors, her hazel eyes reflecting the flashing lights from the Dance Dance Revolution machine she was watching with a mix of curiosity and mischief.
“Remind me again why we’re here?” I asked, glancing around at the flashing screens and the line of eight-year-olds hogging the basketball hoops.
Ridge grinned, already loading tokens into a Skee-Ball lane. “Because Ledger found a coupon. Two hours of unlimited games and free pizza. Best deal in town on a Friday night.”
Ledger puffed his chest out, chin tipped high. “You’re welcome.”
Roxie snorted. “Pretty sure this was marketed to families with toddlers, not a bunch of twenty-somethings who should know better.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ridge shot back. “Some of us never grew out of our competitive streaks.”
Livvi leaned closer to me, whispering, “Is this normal for you guys?”
I glanced between the four of them—Ridge already cursing his Skee-Ball aim, Ledger and Roxie bickering over the rules of air hockey before they’d even started playing, and Livvi beside me with a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Pretty much,” I murmured, fighting my own grin.
I grabbed a handful of tokens, tossing them into the Skee-Ball machine. “All right, Ridge, prepare to be schooled.” I tried to sound cocky, though inside I was already feeling the competitive itch.
Ridge laughed, rolling his eyes. “You? A Skee-Ball champion? This, I have to see.” He handed me a ball. “Don’t choke in front of your girl.”
My ears heated, but before I could answer, Roxie barked a laugh loud enough for the whole arcade to hear. “His girl? Please. Talon doesn’t stand a chance if she sees what a disaster he is at Skee-Ball.”
“Bold words from someone who couldn’t even beat me at air hockey last time we played our senior year,” Ledger shot back, arms crossed, his smirk firmly in place.
And there it was—the constant bickering between Ledger and Roxie. Like clockwork. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they liked it.
Livvi leaned closer to me again, whispering, “They really are always like this, huh?”
I glanced between the two of them, Ledger now mock bowing dramatically while Roxie looked ready to combust. “Yep,” I murmured, fighting a grin.
I rolled my first ball and watched as it bounced off the side of the lane, netting me zero points. Yeah, Skee-Ball was definitely not my game.
Ridge rubbed his hands together in evil glee. “Let the pro show you how it’s done.”
As the game continued, I couldn’t help but glance at Livvi again, noticing her laughing at Ridge’s dramatic complaints and the ridiculous antics Roxie was pulling.
She didn’t just fit into this group—she elevated it.
The energy between her and everyone else made it feel …
complete. And it was strange, this warmth crawling into my body, something different from what I’d felt before.
I tried to focus on my Skee-Ball, but I kept stealing glances at her, noticing how her hair caught the neon lights, the slight curl of her lips when she laughed at Ridge missing another shot.
My pulse skipped. She had made an impression on me.
More than an impression. She’d become someone I wanted around—not just for tonight, but for a lot longer.
“You’re staring,” she said suddenly, voice teasing but with a hint of curiosity.
I blinked, caught red-handed. “Uh … concentrating?” I muttered, though the question in my statement gave me away.
Livvi laughed, shaking her head. “Right … focusing on Skee-Ball.”
I shook my head. This was absurd. How had someone as dynamic and brilliant as Livvi gotten under my skin this fast?
Ridge groaned behind me. “You’re taking this way too seriously, Talon. It’s just Skee-Ball.”
I turned back to the lane, and despite Ridge’s words, my thoughts weren’t on the game. They were on Livvi—her laughter, her curiosity, the way she looked relaxed here. And maybe … maybe it was okay to confess that I wanted more than just fleeting moments like this with her.
Moving on to the next game, I handed Livvi a basketball for the hoop toss, thinking she’d probably miss a few shots like the rest of us. “Don’t hurt yourself,” I teased.
She smirked, bouncing the ball once. “Watch and learn, Talon.”
I raised an eyebrow, amused. She launched the first shot—and it swished perfectly through the net. My jaw dropped.
“Beginner’s luck,” I said, though my voice carried a note of awe.
She grinned, rolling another shot. Bullseye again. And then again. The line of shots kept landing perfectly. “Okay,” I admitted, laughing, “I take it back. You might actually be a threat.”
“You’d better believe it.” She tossed me a wink before bouncing another shot through the hoop effortlessly. “I used to play all the time in my driveway growing up,” she added, shrugging. “Mostly to get away from my parents arguing. Guess all those hours paid off.”
I shook my head. “I did not see that coming.”
Meanwhile, Ledger and Roxie were still bickering at the air hockey table, the tension between them electric. Ledger leaned over dramatically. “You’re going down, Roxie. Again.”
“Oh, please,” Roxie said, smirking. “I know how much you love it when I win.”
Ledger’s jaw tightened, but the twitch in his lips betrayed him. I caught the faintest flicker of something unspoken between them, a spark beneath the teasing and rivalry.
Livvi nudged me with her elbow. “They’re … sort of adorable, in a weird, chaotic kind of way.”
I smirked, shaking my head. “Yeah, chaotic is one word for it.”
Both of our phones buzzed at the same time. I pulled mine out, expecting maybe Ridge bragging about beating me at Skee-Ball—but instead, it was a notification from the pet forum linked to Sapphire’s shelter, sending out another adoption update like the one last week.
FUR-EVER HOMES FORUM
Forum Thread: Princess the pig makes a splash!
@Fur-ever_homes_usa
A special thank you to swimmer extraordinaire Talon Everhart for sharing Princess the pig in his latest post! We’ve lost count of how many times it’s been shared—thank you, everyone! If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to check it out.
Psst … Talon’s sporting only his swim jammers in the reel. No comment on how many times we’ve watched it.
And yes, Princess, our full-grown potbellied pig diva, is still looking for her forever home. Luxury living only. Must meet very specific requirements.
I blinked. And then scrolled down. There were already a dozen comments from other forum members, some incredulous, some hilarious:
@PigLover82
Luxury living? For a pig? Are we talking spa robes and caviar here?
@HammyFanatic
Wait … she only likes certain types of bedding? This is getting ridiculous.
@OinkMaster
Full-sized living room required? Is this a pig or a tiny diva?
@FosterForLife
I volunteer! But my apartment is … adequate, not palace-level adequate.
@SwimFan22
Forget the pig. Can someone drop Talon’s ab routine?
@SplashQueen
Princess who? I only saw muscles.
@AnimalAddict
If Princess gets adopted before I get over that video, I’ll be shocked.
Livvi let out a soft laugh, showing me her screen. “Look at this. Everyone’s losing it over Princess’s demands. And, apparently, your abs.”
I couldn’t help smirking. “Guess I should’ve worn a shirt.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “No, seriously … that was really sweet of you to do. You didn’t have to.”
I shrugged. “Maybe not,” I said, glancing at her, “but I wanted to.”
Her expression softened, but before she could say anything else I leaned in, hoping to draw the attention from me as I looked at her phone. “A pig with a social media following already?”
“Apparently,” she said, scrolling. “People are debating whether her needs are reasonable or if she’s secretly a pig-sized dictator in disguise.”
We both laughed, making me feel lighter, happier. I watched Livvi and realized something: these moments—the ridiculous madness, the teasing, the comfort of being with someone who matches your energy—were the moments I wanted. And I couldn’t help but hope they weren’t just for tonight.
The comforting smell of chlorine hit me the second I stepped into the pool area. Ledger was already stretching on the pool deck, his towel draped over his shoulders, while Ridge was kicking back on the starting block, scrolling on his phone.
“Late night?” Ledger teased, waggling his eyebrows. He must have taken in my extra-disheveled early-morning look.
“Something like that.” I shrugged off my hoodie. “But not with what you think.”
I had been staying up late—too late—to fit in some writing time.
Between my increased training schedule and my evenings spent with Livvi, there wasn’t much time left to write.
And yeah, I could have put writing on the back burner to focus on swimming and my dream of doing my best at the Olympic Trials, but writing my book was also my dream.
One that seemed to push into my mind relentlessly, the characters wanting their story written, to the point that I couldn’t focus as well in the water if I wasn’t also getting in time to write.
Before Livvi and ReadToLiv, I’d been able to fit writing into all the small spare moments. But now? All those moments were going to Livvi. Not that I was complaining. I craved her as much as I craved writing. But there just weren’t enough hours in the day. Even when you woke up at 5 a.m.
“Okay, you’ve piqued my interest,” Ledger said, coming over and opening his swim bag to grab his goggles and cap.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t understand.” I avoided his gaze as I put my cap and goggles on, adjusting them until they were just right.