Page 11 of Anchored To You

"Holy shit," Beck whispers next to me as he leans down. "We'll have to come back over and over because I want to try everything, but I'm certain my stomach will hate me."

"That's exactly what I was just thinking. I might have to stop in before every shift I have."

Beck and I take turns ordering, with me getting a Cauldron Chai Latte and two Eyeball Truffles. Beck orders an iced Vanilla Frankenbrew and a Boo Butter Cookie. They wrap up our sweets in this cute, light brown packaging that looks like mummy wraps. They place our drinks in large plastic cups, securing them with two bolts on the lid. This feels like it'll be my new spot to go to. I'll have Mummy Mocha on campus and this when I'm at work. After leaving the store, Beck and I continue down the street heading toward Zomb-Bar.

Walking into the bar, I head toward the back to see if Seth is busy or not.

"Hey," I say, knocking on the door to Seth's office.

"Hey, Talon. How are you doing?" Seth asks, lifting his head‌ from his desk. He’s working on something important since he’s wearing glasses on his face. I’ve noticed he only wears them when he’s concentrating on a task. He takes the eyewear off, turning away from his computer.

"I'm good, quick question though." Leaning back out of the doorway, I look at Beck, who's standing next to the bar. His hands are in his pockets, and he's looking around the area. I can tell he's nervous as hell, and I feel a little sorry for him. Trying to get a job is hard as hell, but finding one that will work with your school schedule has to be near impossible. But that doesn’t mean I still want him to find work here. "My roommate is hanging out at the bar. He's looking for a job for the school year and wanted to talk to you about if there're any openings here."

"Damn, what great timing. I was about to post another flyer on Fangstagram trying to see if I could get some more people to come in and apply."

"Oh, that's good," I say, presenting a fake smile. I know Beck needs the job, but damn, I'm going from haven't seen him in a year to being around him every second of the day.

"Are you okay?" Seth asks, his eyebrows furrowed. I’m aware I’m not making any sense. I’m the one who walked in here asking him to help give my roommate a job, and now I’m upset that he actually has an opening to offer him.

"Yeah, yeah," I tell him, shaking my head and getting rid of the cobwebs. "I think he'll be great for Zomb-Bar."

"Sounds good. Let me go ask him some questions."

Seth walks over to Beck and right away they're smitten with one another. They're laughing and joking; Beck's nervousness is nowhere to be seen anymore. After Seth and Beck fist-bump, Beck looks over at me, giving me a thumbs up with a huge smile on his face.

Well damn, I guess I'll be getting what I wanted a year ago. Spending a lot of time with Beck.

Chapter

Six

BECK

Talon gives me a thumbs-up in return, and I can't help but smile. Damn, when I saw Talon at the bonfire, I knew I wanted to explain myself right away about how I never reached out to him after our night together. But he left so quickly, I didn't get the chance to do it.

Imagine my surprise when I finally get into my dorm, only to come face to face with a sleepy Talon on his bed. He looked adorable and cute as fuck, but was definitely standoffish. I didn't want to talk to him about it when it was so late, and then this morning we woke up early and I couldn't talk to him then either. At this point, I don't think we'll ever get to talk about what happened between us.

Which may be for the best.

With this year being even crazier than last year, I need to stay out of all the drama that I can. And if Talon is okay with moving forward, then I have to do the same. There's no point in bringing up something that I can't change, even if I ‌still feel pretty bad about it.

And now I owe him. Trying to find a place to work at that would also work with my school schedule has been tough. On the way over to Zomb-Bar, Talon was telling me about Seth and how he owes both Zomb-Bar and Waffles and Werewolves. Seth is a Werewolf who became a chef and loves to cook breakfast items. One day, a woman moved into the space next to his restaurant and opened ‌a bar. After feuding for a few months, both of them realized they were arguing every day because they wanted to be around each other. They ended up falling in love and getting married. And now they both own two of the busiest places in the downtown area.

Seth talks way too fast, letting me know that he's hiring ‌more bartenders and servers at Zomb-Bar. Which is perfect for me because I can easily come to work after school and after practice at night. I'm trying to keep up with what Seth is saying, but my gaze is stuck on Talon in the corner. I might have been secretly hoping we would have more time together, but not with us working two completely different shifts.

Seth sticks his hand out, causing me to come out of my stupor. "It'll be great to have you. Besides, any friend of Talon's is someone I want working for me."

"Thanks, sir."

Seth shakes his head, laughing. "Nope, my dad is a sir, not me."

"Got it," I laugh. "And thank you again for giving me a chance."

"Of course."

Seth walks away, Talon coming up and taking his spot. "How did it go?"

"I got the job!" I squeal excitedly. Without a second thought, I wrap my arms around Talon, lifting him into the air. "Thank you!" I yell a little too loudly. I hold on a bit tighter than normal, my heart racing at how close our bodies are. God, he feels so good in my arms, which is weird as hell. Fuck, I need to let him go. Why am I still holding him?