What About Now? [Talen]

[Ariana Simone]

She was back.

Not six months ago, Ariana had left Hammel. Oh, there had been a great deal of fuss, but this was something she just couldn’t pass up. After a long battle between administration and her foster parents, Ariana found herself at a half-year long workshop in New York City working with Broadway actors and producers, along with other up and coming starlets. It had been a dream, and a whirl of choreography, acting sessions, vocal exercises, and exhaustion. Overall, it had been absolutely amazing. But the dream came to an end, and she found herself back in the middle of Nowhere, Vermont. More importantly, the diva was back at Hammel.

It was lucky she had her luggage flown back in. She didn’t exactly know if she’d been switched in the dorm department or not, but it was more than likely. It seemed like forever since she had seen the familiar walls of this out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere home. If she didn’t belong on Broadway, which was most certainly where she belonged, Hammel would probably be her haven of choice. It was almost comforting to be back, despite her ache to return to the glitz and glam, not to mention the sweat, blood, and tears, of New York. Ariana wouldn’t admit it, but she’d been a little homesick.

Standing at the curbside looking up at the main building, she decided against going in right away. There was no rush, after all. She had two and a half years left, at least, if not more. Turning her back, her heels clacked against the concrete as she made her way into town, thumbs hooked into the belt loops of her skinny jeans. The air was brisk around her, waking her up after the red eye flight she had taken back here. Shaking her wavy locks around her face, she headed towards Kali’s Kafe, intent on getting some caffeine into her system. Flights always made her somewhat sleepy, and Ari felt the need to wake up a bit.

The coffee shop wasn’t all too crowded at ten on a Saturday morning. There were still a few people milling about, cups of coffee, plates of breakfast all out in front of them. Ariana went up to the counter, ordering herself a double shot of espresso and some biscotti. She took her food and drink to the corner of the room, letting the chatter fill the air and soak into her body, the sweet, soft murmurs soothing her mind. After the nonstop jabbering, yells, and honking that was the epitome of New York, the quiet gossip of everyday life was like a balm for her ears. She never really knew which she preferred.

Staring out at the crowd, the diva could sense déjà vu, though that was nothing special. She lived in the past more often than not. She swirled her biscotti in her espresso, her face thoughtful. Ariana couldn’t help but wonder how everyone was doing. Was Zac still his normal, self absorbed self? What about her old roommates? And the boy from her old Trig class, how was he? These thoughts swirled in her head, and it was lucky enough she didn’t lose concentration and get sent back into a vision. A headache right now would not be very good. She took a drink of her coffee, thoughtful.

[Talen Trahan]

Today was an off day. It was Saturday, for starters. Normally, Talen would have woken, done his four mile run, then taken a shower and dressed for the day. Not today, it seemed. He had woken up, looked around his room, and had taken his shower and gotten dressed, without running like he usually did. Now he felt incomplete, like something was missing as he walked down the street towards the café he frequented on a weekly basis.

At almost sixteen, Talen was six feet and tall, dark, and handsome, even after the winter months had slightly paled his dark skin. He ignored the looks that passing girls and young women gave him as he plodded down the sidewalk. Well, not really ignored, exactly, he was just letting them slide over him like water on glass while his mind was concentrated on other things. Calculus, biology, his growing powers and the absence of friends. The latter made him sigh as he entered the café, heading straight for the counter.

“I’ll have a tall mocha latte, extra chocolate, and two of your chocolate chip cookies,” he asked the barista, throwing a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. The girl smiled and went to make his drink as he leaned against the counter, looking around at all the people. They were just humans, normal residents of Pilot Ridge that he would possibly never meet in this lifetime. His eyes began scouting a place to sit down and enjoy his snack.

That was when he saw her. Black hair, beautiful eyes, a face he was familiar with to the point that he thought he was in love. He barely heard the girl say his order; he just took his cookies and mocha and walked mechanically to the table where she sat, eyes roaming over her face. Once he was close, he cleared his throat. “Ariana? Is that you?” he asked softly.

[Ariana Simone]

The chatter in the cafe was all that she registered in her mind as she bit into her biscotti, humming appreciatively at its yumminess. Ariana loved her biscotti almost as much as she loved her tea. Kali's had some dang good biscotti, as she found out. Munching on the delicious snack, off in her own little world, she didn't notice the new comer until he spoke. His voice was familiar, husky and sweet in her ears. She turned her head, looking up at the not so stranger with a smile. 

They had never really gotten to know each other very well outside of the classroom, but Ariana certainly knew Talen Trahen. She had been his math tutor last year when he had been struggling in Trigonometry. He was definitely good looking then, and apparentally had gotten even more handsome when she had been away. She smiled brightly, white teeth nearly blinding with the force of her grin. "Yes, it is. It's been a while, Talen." 'A while' was definitely an understatement, but no one really cared, did they? Her gaze flitted to the mocha and cookies in his hands. 

"Why don't you sit with me and we can catch up?" She offered, waving a hand at the available seat across from her. It wasn't like she had anything better to do quite yet, and conversing with an attractive boy would certainly fill her time with pleasantness. She took another bite of biscotti, eyes scanning his form curiously. He'd grown since she'd seen him last, which wasn't surprising. She had been gone for six months, after all. The fact that he now was towering over her was a bit disconcerting, considering he was now nearly a foot taller than her. Shaking her head, she observed that his hair had most likely been cut recently. It had that shiny quality to it that was so hard to get. He still had those expressive eyes, which made her glad. His eyes were portals to his soul, and she liked reading that she found there. She waited for him to sit, taking a long drink from her coffee. She was starting to wake up a bit more.

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[Talen Trahan]

She remembered him. Just that one bit of knowledge made his heart beat faster than it had, like he had indeed taken that run this morning. She had been his math tutor, and her gentle nature and free spirit had called out the artist in him. Right now his mind was on the sketch of her he had done, the one hanging above his desk back in the dorm. He had a small…okay, make that big crush on this girl.

He nodded. “Sure,” he said as he sat across from her, taking a sip of his mocha as he set his cookies down. She hadn’t changed much; she was still beautiful, still the girl he was madly in like with. “I would love to catch up with you, Ariana. It’s been half a year,” he said with a smile, the gesture lighting up his face and lightening his eyes. Normally twin pools of black-hued brown, they lightened to dark brown, almost a teakwood color.

“So how was New York?” he asked politely, knowing that NYC had been her home for the last six months. He sipped his mocha again. “I bet the weather was horrible during the wintertime.” He grinned happily. It was good to see her again.

[Ariana Simone]

It had been a long time, but it was certainly nice to see him again. She still remembered back to her birthday, when he'd found her out by the lake. Talen added a small bit of warmth to the otherwise dreadful day, for which she was thankful. It was never good to be brooding, especially for her. She tended to dwell too much on the dark side of life when she was like that. Ariana smiled lightly as he sat down across from her, her eyes darting to his cookies for moment before snapping back up to his eyes. They were warm, something she always liked about him. Tal was just one of those people that could make her smile.

"It has been that long, hasn't it?" She asked rhetorically, taking a long sip from her half-cooled coffee. If anything, it looked like he hadn't changed quite too much. He was still the guy she'd tutored in math and teased and flirted with when she felt like it. Twinkling hazel eyes met his as she grinned, tilting her head in amusement. "New York was amazing. Magnificent. Stupendous. Spectacular." A gleam was in her eyes that spoke volumes, evident glee sparkling in their depths. "It was hella cold during the winter, believe me." She shivered just thinking about it. "I mean, I grew up in the cold, living in Maine, but New York was freezing nearly the entirety of my stay. We got snowed in pretty bad a couple months ago. Think it was on the news." She tilted her head thoughtfully before shrugging. "The experience itself was mind-blowing. I mean, I got to live my future for six months. Damn, it was hard work, but it was definitely fun."

Ariana looked over at him with a raised brow, her gaze pointed. "What about you? How's Hammel been surviving this last half of a year? Nothing too bad, I hope?" She had gotten no news from her old school in the past months, almost all communication being cut off from having to focus on the workshop. The diva had been so absorbed, she didn't have time to think about the lives of her fellow schoolmates. She sipped her coffee quietly, waiting patiently for his answer.

[Talen Trahan]

The enthusiasm and wonder in her voice when she described her visit to NYC was enough to make Tal feel great, for making that smile appear on her face and for making her happy. He liked doing that, making people feel better by making them smile or feel good about themselves. He had always known that Ariana wanted to be an actress, and she was a rather good one, if witnessing one of her rehearsals in the back of the theatre secretly was any testament. That was when he had sketched her; her hair was pinned up, flowers caressing her cheeks and her eyes sparkling as she recited lines of poetry.

With her questions, his thoughts died, then restarted. “Nothing bad,” he answered, giving her a quick grin. “My sketches have gotten better, I still hate the winters up here, and school’s been relatively quiet. Something happened with Doctor Campbell and his husband, but it’s hush-hush around us kids, so we don’t know what happened. But other than that, Hammel’s been safe.” He nibbled his cookie and sipped his mocha, now only half-full. “I…I’ve missed you, Ariana,” he said softly, almost like an afterthought.

[Ariana Simone]

For once, Ariana wished she was able to see the pasts of people rather than objects. It would be interesting to hold his hand and see what actually had been going on lately. Still, even if it wouldn't give her any information, she slid her hand over the table and gently patted the back of his hand thoughtfully as she listened. "I'd like to see a few of your sketches." She smiled at him widely. "I've never been good at drawing anything besides clothing. I'm sure you're a great artist, huh?" Ariana had seen some of his doodles when they were studying and those had looked pretty awesome, in her opinion.

If there was one thing that really made Ariana excited, it was a mystery. The truth was something she was determined to know, even if it was painful. It was why she was usually so blunt and honest with everyone around her. Not knowing about something was a pet peeve of hers, and she couldn't deny her sudden curiosity about the administration. "I wonder what they're trying to hide." she said thoughtfully, her nails tapping lightly against the wood of the table. She didn't know all that much about James Campbell, despite the fact that it was he who had led her to Hammel six years ago. She had respect for him, but after that, she didn't know him too well to form much of an opinion of character.

She looked up at his soft admission, her eyes warm as she squeezed his fingers. "I missed you too, Tal," And to make it seem like she hadn't been thinking too much about him, "I've missed everyone, you know? I mean, there were some pretty awesome people out in New York that all shared my passion for the stage, but they were more intense, you know? It was always competitive. It's nice to relax with friends again, for a change." She smiled at him, biting her lip before she finished off her coffee and biscotti.

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[Talen Trahan]

Her touch was like a ray of sunshine on his cold soul and he smiled again; he couldn’t not smile when he was around her. Sure, she was beautiful and smart, but she was also kind and funny and he could go on and on about the list of things he liked about her. His heart also began to beat fast when she admitted that she had missed him, but it slowed when she continued with her statement. So…she didn’t like him that way, it seemed. He should have just shrugged it off and continued on with life.

Why did it feel like his heart died a little, though?

“You can stop by my room to look at my sketches,” he said, trying to keep the friendly inflection in his tone, hiding his disappointment. “I have a whole book full of random sketches, and I’m starting into a new book. As for what they’re hiding, I don’t know, and I really don’t want to know. I like being out of the loop.”

He sipped his mocha to moisten his mouth and throat. The drink was cold, but he didn’t care anymore. Today had just gotten a little more sad. “It’s always nice to relax with friends, Ariana. We’re the only people who can make you laugh and forget the woes of the day.” He smiled.

How he could forget the woes of today would be a mystery later on.

[Ariana Simone]

Ariana liked Talen Trahan's smile. When she first saw him, it was that addictive smile that really attracted her to him. Sure, he was handsome, with great hair, eyes, and an amazing body, but that smile was so warm and welcoming, she couldn't help but like him. Which was why she noticed when that sweet smile fell a bit after her words, which made her start to wonder. What did she say that made his smile deflate like she'd accidentally ran over his new puppy? Of course she had her suspicions on why, but she hoped beyond all hopes that her hunches weren't true, because that could really mean some trouble.

There was just one thing that slightly alarmed her in regards to her feelings towards Talen. Others would find her crazy for feeling this way, but the fear had been with her since her parents' deaths all those years ago. She couldn't let people get too close, and Talen had that potential to get through her walls, which could be dangerous to her mental health. There was already someone else that had that potential, but Ari had to let go of them when she left New York, and it was doubtful she would see her again. Ari was scared of losing those close to her again, which didn't sound unusual besides the fact that hers border on unhealthy sometimes. As a result, she tended to keep everyone at arm's length the best that she could, to avoid the aching emptiness she had felt after the car crash that had taken her mom and dad from her. But she could feel tal worming his way in past her defenses, and that, admittedly, had her frightened though she hid it well.

Her finger traced a soft circle into the back of his hand as she mused to herself, hazel eyes lifting to look at him with a smile. "I'd love to see your work. You have an artist's hands." She whispered softly, tracing out each one of his fingers with a slender digit of her own. She really needed to stop flirting, but it was so much in her nature to tease and play a bit with everyone's affections. It was just how she was. But he was special, and she just didn't know how to react to it. "You like being out of the loop? That would drive me absolutely crazy." Ariana tilted her head, nibbling at her lip. "It doesn't even pique your interest at all?" She looked at him with interest, the hand not on his drumming her nails on the table quietly.

She paused, staring down at the table before glancing back up at him. "You tend to ease my troubles better than most, Tal." She admitted, the one sign of weakness she would allow herself at the moment. Ariana just didn't do relationships, it wasn't the way she worked. But damn if she didn't want to give it a try with him, maybe some day. But definitely not today, not if she could help herself.

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[Talen Trahan]

All his focus landed on her touch on his hand. His gaze fell from her lovely face to their hands, noticing the differences between their skin tones. Hers was like sun-kissed honey, sweet to the taste and fair like a flower petal. His was like milk chocolate mixed with cream and milk, making it a creamy tawny gold that complimented Ariana’s skin.

He looked up just as she nibbled her lip. Suddenly his eyelids fell to half-mast, looking with a predatory intent at her mouth. “The only other thing that piques my interest at the moment isn’t related to school,” he murmured, cupping her cheek and moving in to capture her mouth with his, smoothing his lips over hers as he kept the kiss chaste.

He’d been waiting to do that since she left for NYC.

He pulled back, sitting in his seat and smiling at her. “And you tend to make me smile better than most, Ari,” he answered, winking at her with a devilish grin on his face. "Anyway...the other thing I was interested in was that I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the fair with me."

[Ariana Simone]

Ariana was not blind to the signs of someone about to kiss her. The slight lean forward, the way their eyes would stray to her mouth, that certain look they would get in their eyes…she knew them all. For some reason, however, the diva was too distracted to recognize the signs, so she was a bit surprised when she found a pair of lips pressed against her own. At first she was still due to her surprise, but when she realized what was going on she quickly responded. She pressed her lips firmly back against his, contemplating deepening it before he pulled away, leaving her wide-eyed. His lips were just so soft, and he tasted subtly spicy, refreshing. Damn, he could easily get very addictive.

Pulling back, Ari blinked her eyes, glancing up at Talen as he asked her…on a date. It wasn’t unusual that she was asked out, but she usually turned them down. The whole ‘no serious relationships’ thing was heavy in her mind. But really, how much could one measly little date do? Tal was fun to talk to and they got along well, so why not? If they kept it to kisses and no wayward feelings, she could survive it. She probably would have a ton of sun. It had been forever since she’d gone to a fair, and she was starting to feel the first stirrings of excitement in her stomach.

Echoing his devilish grin, Ari leaned across the table, tapping his nose with a slim finger. ”I’d love to.” She smiled crookedly. ”When is said fair, by the way?” She had just gotten back and all. Ari had no idea of the calendar here in Pilot Ridge anymore, especially since she wasn’t good with dates to begin with. Of course she had her qualms about actually accepting his offer. Ari didn’t want to lead him on into actually thinking they could be anything together, but something in her just couldn’t say no to him. Hazel eyes watched Tal, curious as if wondering how he had this effect on her psyche. She didn’t understand it, and that in itself scared her a bit. Actually, it scared her a lot. But she’d try this and see how far it would go.

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[Talen Trahan]

Her tap on his nose made it itch, and he wriggled it to make the itchy feeling go away. His eyes widened when she actually accepted his offer of a date, and his heart started racing again. He didn’t think she would really accept, and now that she had, he just wanted to stand and jump and dance around in happiness. His answering smile was wide, revealing his flash of white, straight teeth, and the gesture of joy just made his whole face light up like a Christmas tree. That one smile made his face all the more handsome, and he missed the longing sighs from some nearby girls.

“I think it’s next week, actually,” he told her, mentally flipping through his mind calendar. “April twenty-third, to be more specific. I would have to double check, but I think that’s the right date. It’s supposed to be cold, so I would bring a jacket and wear jeans. And it’s at the lake, or so I’m told.”

He smiled at her, happy for the first time in months. “I’m so excited…and thank you for saying yes. I’ve been trying to make friends, but it hasn’t been helping, and then I was missing you…I’m going to stop blabbering now,” he ended with a weak laugh, blushing as he finished his mocha and started on a cookie.

[Ariana Simone]

The pure joy in his eyes when she accepted made Ariana feel equal measures of happiness and guilt. Of course, she was happy that he was happy, and she couldn't help the stirrings of satisfaction she felt at putting that look on his face. On the other hand, she felt intensely guilty at the prospect that she would most likely not fulfill all his expectations. Ariana was major baggage with a carry on to boot. The poor boy didn't know what he was getting himself into, but she was too selfish to not go through with it. She wanted time with him, but she feared that doing so would get her more attached than she was with her other friends with benefits. That's what he was, right? A part of her hoped he would be content with that status and not ask for anything more. She would ruin him.

"April twenty-third, then." A smile lit her lips despite her inhibitions. She'd have to remember that date until she could put it on her calendar. "Don't worry, I'm used to the cold now. I have warm clothing covered." New York winters could be brutal. Ari had learned to bundle up very well in the six months she'd stayed there on the workshop. She flipped a bit of raven and amethyst hair back of her shoulders, regarding him with kind eyes. He really shouldn't like her so much, but what was one to do? Her fingers squeezed his lightly, warmth flooding over her body as she finished off the last of her coffee.

"It's not like I could have said no. I like spending time with you." she told him honestly, her eyes gleaming with a certain light behind them. It was endearing, his babbling phrases. "You were missing me that much?" Her grin was teasing as she leaned over the table, once more so close to those lips that tasted of cinnamon. "You know, I kind of like it when a guy blushes. There's just something so endearing about it." Her bright hazel eyes gleamed with mischief as she looked at his inflamed cheeks, a wide, playful smirk spreading across her face.