Page 36 of Anchored To You

Hannah cuts me off. "I told you that would come back to bite you in the ass."

"Yeah, I know." I roll my eyes, but not at her, at myself, because what an idiot I was. "I thought I would be able to handle it, but I can't."

"He is a pretty cool dude," Wyatt says, staring at me. "One of the best guys I've met on the team. I can guarantee you can talk to him about how you're feeling. He won't cut you off or try to belittle you. He'll listen to what you have to say."

"No, I can't. I don't want a relationship." Hannah coughs and I snicker. "I'm serious, Han. And I'm done talking about this. So, who's going to the Halloween Ball?"

Wyatt gives a dreamy look at Hannah before answering, "We're going together. I asked her this morning, and she said yes."

"He's lucky I said yes, when he knows the damn ball is tomorrow night," she looks over at Wyatt, who starts fumbling his words.

"I said I was sorry," he finally gets out. "I was nervous to ask, but hey, at least I finally got the courage, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she says to him, smiling widely before she turns to look at me. "Are you going to the Halloween Ball, Tal?"

"Probably not. There's nothing really there for me. It's going to be full of couples hanging out and dancing around. And you already know I'm not one who likes to go to things like that. You're lucky I tagged along with you to the bonfire earlier this year. I'd rather sit in my room, watching a movie and eating some sweets."

I'm not lying, but I'm also not telling the whole truth. While I'm not the type of person who likes to attend dances or things like that, I also know that Beck is going to be there. He's already brought up the Halloween Ball multiple times, letting me know he's going with King and Niko, and asking if I was planning to go. I told him no and that it's not my idea of a good time. Realizing I need to keep some space from him means making sure I keep that space, and if I end up going to the Halloween Ball, I'm going to want to be around him. And fuck, it would crush me if I saw him at the ball with someone else. Because now that I've let myself understand I have feelings for him, those feelings have exploded. And how dumb am I to have developed emotions for the guy I was hooking up with? The guy who ghosted me last year. But he's also so much more than that guy. He's the guy who keeps putting a smile on my face with his antics, the guy who has shown how seriously he takes both baseball and his schooling. A guy whose arms I've enjoyed waking up in.

And that's exactly why I need to stay away.

Chapter

Eighteen

BECK

Tonight's the Halloween Ball, and I kept hoping that Talon would change his mind and say he's going to go. However, each time I've been able to talk to him, he's made it clear that he's not going at all. Which sucks because I was hoping to go with him. I might not have actually gathered the courage to ask him, but I was hoping all the hints I was dropping would get across. But they didn't. Or hell, maybe they did, and he was trying to let me down easily.

Well, damn, that sucks.

And I swear he's been avoiding me since yesterday morning. After waking up in one another's arms, I knew he was going to bolt, but this time I couldn't do anything to stop him. He was out of the room before I could even get fully awake. And he was gone for most of the day. By the time he made it back to the room, I had to head out to go to work at Zomb-bar. There were so many people that came out to the bar last night that we stayed extra busy. And when Seth asked if I could stay over and help clean up, I couldn't turn down the offer. But by the time I got back to the room, it was already three in the morning, and Talon was wrapped up so tightly in his blanket, and I didn't want to disturb him.

This morning I thought about waking him up and talking to him, but after getting only a couple hours of sleep, I woke up past my alarm and was almost late for practice so I had to high-tail it out of the room while he was still knocked out. Of course, Coach kicked our asses all day, that I was shocked when he finally called it a day. I thought for sure we would have been on the field the entire day. Luckily, Coach had to get ready for the Halloween Ball, so he let us off early, making sure we knew we were to be back on the turf tomorrow morning.

As soon as I got out of the shower, I rushed to the dorm, only to be met with silence once again. And that's where I've been for the past two hours. Waiting on Talon. Glancing at my watch, I realize the ball is about to start and I should probably get moving. I stare at the door for a few more seconds before finally getting to my feet.

"Alright, here goes nothing," I whisper to the empty room.

The entire walk out of the dorm, my eyes are scanning for any trace of Talon, but he's nowhere to be found. I slow my walk, trying to kill some time before making it to the quad. Monsters and humans are passing me quickly, excitement etched on all their faces. Most monsters are in their shifted forms, letting everyone see them in their true forms. Nearly everybody is wearing some kind of costume. Some are dressed nicely, while others are wearing Halloween costumes, but everyone looks amazing. I look down at my black slacks and black tee, realizing I didn't really dress up too much.

Once I reach the quad, my excitement for the ball builds. God, this place is amazing. Students and faculty are filling the quad, with many taking pictures in the selfie booths while others are standing nearby and talking. There's flashing lights coming from inside the hall and I head in that direction, wanting to see where everyone is going. Stepping inside the banquet hall, I'm blown away. They decorated every part of the hall. There's floating candelabras all around the room with black and orange linens beautifully decorating the rest of the space. It is screaming Halloween, but isn't too overdone. There's a line of faculty members against one of the walls, talking with one another while they look out at all the students in the area. Some students are chatting with friends, some are sitting at the tables, while many are dancing on the dance floor. Last year, I was too busy to attend the Halloween Ball, and now I'm regretting it. Tonight is going to be so much fun.

I find an empty table in the back, taking a seat and looking out at everyone having fun. My eyes keep scanning the room looking for a hint of teal hair, but I know I won't find him here as much as I want to. My thoughts of Talon get disrupted when the chair next to me screeches, King plopping down on the seat. His boyfriend, Niko, sits on his lap, both of them glancing at me.

"Hey guys," I tell them both after they each say hi. "Came to dance?"

"Hell yeah, we did. Besides, this place is special to us, so of course we came," King says, reminding me of the story he told me about when he and Niko finally got their heads out of their asses and got together. It was at the Halloween Ball last year that they ultimately gave in to one another and made it official.

"Oh, way to be cheesy," Niko tells him, with love in his eyes.

"Always, for you," King says, grabbing Niko around the neck and pulling his lips to his.

I love seeing them this way; it makes me want to have the same thing they do. But I don't want them to know that, so I gag out "gross," laughing when they both pull away to look at me.

"Someone is jealous," King taunts, not realizing how accurate he is.

"Who's jealous of what?" Wyatt cuts in, his hand interlocked with Hannah's.