“Livvi.” His voice broke through my spiral, low and too steady.
I forced myself to look up, heart tripping. “Yeah?”
He leaned back, chair tipping onto two legs, eyes never leaving mine. “So … not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a swim meet this weekend.”
Of course I’d heard about the swim meet. As usual, it was all this town could talk about.
“I might have heard something about it,” I said nonchalantly.
He gave me a smirk, like he knew I’d more than heard about it. “It always helps to have spectators cheering us on, helping us beat our times. And I have a feeling you’d be a great motivator.”
For half a beat, I forgot how to breathe. My pen stilled in my hand. “Me?” I managed, then winced at how unsteady it sounded. I hurried to clear my throat, shaking my head, annoyed at my reaction to him. “No. I don’t do the whole sports-and-cheering thing.”
Talon let his chair settle back down on the ground, tilting his head with that infuriating half smile. “Really? Not even to see one of the best swimmers in the country in action?”
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop the small smirk tugging at my lips. “I didn’t know I had a personal invitation to watch one of the best swimmers in the country.”
“Well …” He leaned forward again, hands resting lightly on the edge of the table. “You do now. And I’m asking. Personally.”
My heart skipped a beat. Him asking me—it was somehow … different than if anyone else had. “Talon, I don’t know …” I tried to sound serious, but the words came out weak.
“Don’t know what?” He leaned in just a little closer, his voice low and teasing. “You don’t want to watch medestroy my own times? Or you’re worried about not being able to take your eyes off my abs?”
That instantly turned my look into a pointed stare. “It was Cali that wanted to see your abs, not me.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” He smiled that grin of his, the one that showed off his dimple. “You keep telling yourself that.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but the words stuck. Because maybe … okay, fine, yes. The thought of being there, seeing him (and his abs) in action, even just for an hour, made my pulse race in a way that was not entirely rational.
“And let’s be honest,” he added, leaning forward again, “having you cheering in the stands? That’s probably going to help me go even faster.”
I tried to hide the shiver that ran down my spine. “You really know how to make someone feel responsible for your performance.”
“Hey, like I said, I’m just being honest.” He smirked. “And admit it, you’re curious.”
“I amnotcurious,” I said quickly, though the tremor in my words betrayed me. “I just … want to see if you actually live up to the hype. That’s all.”
He didn’t look like he was buying my excuse at all.
“If that’s what gets you there, then I’ll make sure to give you a good show.”
I swallowed and finally nodded. “Fine. I’ll come.”
His victorious grin told me he’d won this conversation way too easily. A part of me was excited to go, but another part, a bigger part of me, was disappointed thatI couldn’t seem to stay strong in my resolve to keep Talon out of my life. Now not only were we sharing a room at the library together, but now I was going to a swim meet to watch him swim.
And maybe I wanted to—because who wouldn’t be curious to see a legend in action? Because he’d asked, and I knew it mattered to him. And because, for once, it felt like I had the chance to be part of something instead of watching life go by from the sidelines.
Talon leaned back in his chair, clearly savoring his victory. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Don’t get used to winning, Everhart. This is a one-time exception.”
He raised an eyebrow, smirk still firmly in place. “Winning is what I do.”
I rolled my eyes, forcing myself to focus on my laptop. “Now can we please get back to work? I have code to write, and apparently you’re turning out to be a distraction.”
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, eyes flicking to my screen. “I’ll try not to distract you … too much. But no promises if you keep looking at me like that.”
I froze, cheeks heating again. “Like what? I amnotlooking at you in any other way but frustration.”