“Why him?” she asks, forcing my brain to process despite my emotional state.
“Jesus, what is this? An interrogation?” I fire moodily, crossing my arms over my chest, looking out the window.
“Whyhim, Talon?” she repeats.
“Because he needs it,” I finally answer.
“And?” she prompts.
“What do you meanand?”
“Dig deep here, Tal.”
“What are you getting at, El?” I ask, not in the mood for an analytical approach, just wanting her to spit it the fuck out.
She shakes her head.
“You have to get there on your own, baby brother.”
I’d have already changed the subject if this conversation were happening with anyone other than Eloise. However, sinceitisher, I attempt to do as she asks, and I sit with what I’m feeling, trying to find words.
Finally, I say, “Zeke doesn’t look at me like I’m a bank account. When he smiles at me, it isn’t for show; it’s genuine. It’s because he thinks I’m funny, not because he’s trying to kiss my ass. He’s so guarded, but every once in a while, he lets me in, and his world is dark, El. He doesn’t have parents like ours—hell, I’m not sure he has parents at all. He doesn’t have siblings like you and Lukas that he can go to when he’s drowning. He’s trying so hard to make it on his own, and he just needs a leg up. He just needsone fucking personin his corner…and I want to be that person.”
“He’s cute,” she says randomly, but the comment makes me smile anyway.
“Yeah. His eyes are gorgeous.” I take my phone from my pocket and pull up the picture I’ve seen a thousand times. It still takes my breath away. Holding it up, I tell her, “We took this at the Summit Christmas party.”
“That’s a great picture. You look happy,” she observes.
I take another look at the photo, realizing that for all the times I’ve seen it, I’ve never looked atmyself.
“I do, don’t I?”
We stay silent after that until she pulls the Range Rover into my garage and kills the engine. As I place my hand on the door handle to get out, she stills me with a hand on my forearm.
When I look at her, she’s wearing an expression so serious that it has me concerned.
“Tal, I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to answer right away, okay? I want you to give it some honest thought.”
“Um, okay?”
“Do you think maybe you feel so strongly about Derekbecause you have feelings forZekethat extend beyond friendship?”
My response is immediate and automatic.
“El, he’s aguy.”
“I’m well aware of that, Talon,” she answers with no trace of judgment. “The question still stands.” She removes her hand from my arm, grabs her purse from behind my seat, and gets out of the SUV, leaving me dumbfounded in the passenger seat.
Chapter 14
Zeke
Derek and I leave not long after Talon and his sister. The high from the performance, seeing Talon, and that soul-crushing bit of hope that had managed to weave itself into my being, was obliterated as soon as Derek showed up.
Walking to our cars, he’s got a hold of me by my upper arm, practically dragging me, and I already know it’s going to be bad tonight, brutal even. He’s usually more composed in public, but Talonhadto push. Granted, he thought he was sticking up for me, but little did he know, I’ll pay dearly for his act of chivalry.
Better me than him, though.
