Page 18

“Wow, Elias wasn’t lying when he said you had a boyfriend,” a smooth voice said. I opened my eyes and saw my mum coming out of my wardrobe, holding my dress and putting it on my bed. I shook my head and even pinched myself, but sure enough, my mum was really there.
I ran up to her and gave her a big hug, and I could see her huge grin spreading across her face. “Mom!” I gasped. “When did you get back? What are you doing here?”
I felt really good and I closed my eyes as I felt her little hands pat my back. “Oh-” She said between choking and laughing. “Honey, if you don’t throttle me, I’ll survive to tell the tale!”
I laughed and moved back a bit. Her eyes shone with happiness as her lips stretched into a smile. “I came back when you were with your man,” she winked. I almost groaned, but I held it in. “I’m here to help with the wedding of Elias and Tasha, as you might have guessed.” She gave me that ‘are-you-stupid look’, which I found funny.
“We’re heading out tomorrow to get some fabric for the wedding dresses, have lunch with Tasha so I can get to know her properly, and go out to shop for wedding stuff. Why not invite your boyfriend along? I’d love to meet him too,” she added.
I looked at her, horrified. “But mum, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“No way, missy! I’ll either invite him or go undercover and stalk you to get to know him. Stop lying about not having a boyfriend. It’s clear you do. I know you. You’re my daughter. I won’t get mad. You’re inviting him and that’s final.”
Fudge balls. This is really not good.
I plonked myself down on my bed, letting out a sigh. It felt good to finally relax after a long, hot day. My hair was in a high, messy bun and I was already in my pyjamas. Those skinny jeans and flared tops were really uncomfortable all day. I took a deep breath, enjoying the cold air that sent goose bumps down my legs and arms.
Yeah, you probably guessed. We went shopping all day. So, things like buying fabric for the dresses, silverware, having a meeting with the caterer and the party designer, purchasing wedding favours, trying food and drinks, and so on.
My legs were absolutely knackered and my body was as stiff as a poker. I’m sure I’ll be absolutely knackered when I wake up tomorrow. I didn’t even feel like eating dinner because I was so tired. Absolutely, that’s how tired I was.
And no, I didn’t invite my so-called “boyfriend”. Also, I didn’t have one. So I just imagined that my boyfriend was with his dad. I don’t think it counts as lying, I was just pretending. Those are two different things, right?
Then, I started thinking about Kieran. He wasn’t my boyfriend, but he came to mind all the same. I couldn’t help smiling as I felt the blood surge to my cheeks. He seemed so normal. He seemed like just a hormonal teenage boy with problems like everybody else. There didn’t seem to be anything about him that was supernatural or scary, even though he was a werewolf. I don’t know why he doesn’t talk about it more often. Whenever I ask him about werewolves, he’ll answer, but then quickly change the subject.
I could feel my eyelids getting heavy and the room going dark. I started to feel my breathing get heavier as I relaxed completely. I snuggled up close to my pillow and let sleep call me.
I’m at a payphone…
I’m trying to call home.
All of my change I spent on you…’
Maroon 5 sang from my phone. My eyes were struggling to get used to the glow from my phone. I groaned and grabbed my phone from the lamp stand. Who’s calling this time?
“Hello?” I groaned into the phone when I answered it, forgetting to check who it was.
“Seriously?” I heard Kieran’s voice on the other end, and it was in a joking tone. “Just so you know, I’m outside.”
I flipped onto my back and rubbed my eyes with my hand. “What? I love them! And what did you just call me? Great! Stay outside!”
“Talis. My new nickname for you.” I didn’t reply. I hadn’t said anything for a while, so he thought I didn’t understand, and he started explaining it to me. “You see, because your name is Talia and I added an S…”
“I get it,” I said, scratching my face.
“Oh no, someone’s on their period.”
“Unlike you, I don’t have my period every day.” Then, out of the blue, I had a brainwave, and a sinister smile spread across my face. “Oh, now I’ve got a nickname for you!” I laughed evilly into the phone. “Kier.”
He sounded like he had something stuck in his throat. “You wouldn’t.” I could just see his eyes bulging out of his head. The image made me laugh.
“Oh, I would … Kier.”
“Whatever, Talis. Anyway, that’s not why I called. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Aren’t you on patrol?” I asked in a weird way. That’s the only reason he’d be outside, right?
“Nope, my shift’s tomorrow,” Kieran explained.
I heard a dull ‘thunk’ on my window. I went to the huge glass and had a look outside. And, of course, right in the middle of the lawn was none other than Kieran. The moonlight made his profile glow. Even if the lighting wasn’t great, I could still make out the angular shape of his jaw and cheekbones, his red full lips, his hair, which he’d worn as a faux hawk tonight, and his crystal blue eyes that seemed to sparkle like diamonds. He was wearing his football varsity jacket and jeans, and wow, did it make him look sexy! I’ll be honest, he’s a real looker. “Cheers,” Kieran said, cutting in.
My eyes popped out of my head and I stuttered. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“It’s just a friend thing, love. Get used to it.” I could see him smirking from here. He pulled back his arm and threw another rock to try and make me flinch. But I just stood there, unfazed.
“Throw it any harder, Romeo. Even if my window breaks, I won’t be scared,” I sighed.
He laughed. “Really? If you’re not going to let me in, I could go to the front door and ring it instead.”
“No way!” I said to him, angry but in a quiet voice, as I walked up and down in front of the window. My mum wouldn’t have had a clue who he was. Kieran’s not the sort of person you’d want your mum to meet. That would just make her worse on my trail of having a “boyfriend”.
“If I were your boyfriend, I’d never let you go. I can show you places you’ve never been to before. Kieran started belting out the lyrics to Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” on his phone, but I had to bite the bullet and interrupt.
“Bye, Kieran!” I sang and hit the end button, ignoring his protests.
I gave him a little smirk and looked out of the window again, eager to see his reaction. But he wasn’t there. I can’t believe it, he was just there thirty seconds ago! I looked towards the woods, scrunched up my eyebrows. Maybe he went in there or something.
“Are you scared now?” Then someone whispered in my ear. I jumped a mile into the air, making my phone fly. I almost screamed, but the person clamped my mouth to shut it. “Chill out, Talis. You’re so tense.”
I nipped Kieran’s hand to show I was annoyed, but he just took a step back, not bothered by my nibble. I gave him a quick look and a dirty look, but he just smiled at me. He laughed, going a bit red and pointing at me like he was a kid. “You should’ve seen your face!”
“Kieran! How did you get in here?” I tapped my foot and looked a bit annoyed.
“Hey, just so you know, I’m a werewolf, Talis.” He explained to me like I was a five-year-old, flicking my nose.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. I shifted my weight to the other foot when Kieran looked me up and down. He was trying not to make it obvious, but he was failing miserably. His blue eyes turned a dark shade and somehow got bigger than normal. Veins started to show a bit at his neck.
I looked at him, totally shocked and awestruck at the same time. What was going on with him? It was strange, but in a beautiful way. It was a bit scary, but also inviting. I was trying to figure out the whole look. But he shook his head and smiled. He looked me in the eye. “I like your pyjamas,” he said, smiling broadly.
I felt a bit red. I was as red as a tomato. I was wearing a purple, tight-fitting tank top and a super short black skirt with lace at the waist and a purple ribbon at the front. I don’t mean to sound like a braggart, but the dress really did make my curves stand out, and my toned arms and long, creamy white legs were on show too. And my shorts hugged the cheeks of my b**t perfectly. “I would’ve changed if you’d waited, you know.”
“I’m not bothered,” he said, his eyes casually checking out my body again. He took a sharp breath. “I really don’t mind.”
I snapped my fingers. “Hey, Kier.” He looked up at me, like he was wondering something. “Yes, eyes up here! Now, why are you here?”