The Beautiful Truth

** 60

Talyn walked off the plane into the Oakland airport and checked his phone as he trudged up the jetway. He'd made up his mind a while ago, not to tell Sawyer he was in town...on her campus. Mostly because he knew what she'd tell him: he should stay at USC. And there was part of him that knew she'd be right. Actually, the part of him that knew she'd be right was the overwhelming majority, but he didn't want to admit that. All he was choosing to see was a way out of USC...and a way to be closer to her. Cal needed a QB, after all. Chase Fallen was an afterthought in next year's NFL draft, at best, and even if they did start him next season, it would be his last year of eligibility.

The bitterness that Talyn was clinging to was the only thing keeping him from sinking into the deep abyss of disappointment, the edge of which he'd been teetering on since the Cotton Bowl. He'd shamefully showed himself to Sawyer when she'd come to visit three weeks ago. He knew she'd forgive him—she got it—but he didn't want her to know how bad it was. He'd been good at keeping the big stuff from her...since the day about 9 and a half years ago when he realized he was in love with her.

So, this in mind, he felt his stomach flip and his heart stop simultaneously when he looked up to find her leaning against a concrete pillar at the bottom of the escalator to baggage claim. Well, he was pretty sure it was her. He'd know her profile anywhere. But this woman looked more Hollywood than Berkeley in her shiny black leggings, stiletto black boots, long purple top and cropped leather jacket. Her hair was stick-straight and pulled back from her heartbreakingly gorgeous, sun-kissed face. Talyn slowed his pace and gaped, watching as Hollywood fiddled with her iPhone.

Suddenly, he felt his own iPhone vibrate in his coat pocket.

Gonna be a shit night up here. I miss you. Ugh, the things I do for extra money.

Talyn had to stifle a laugh. A loud laugh.

No idea what that means, SF. Please tell me you're not hookin'...I mean, if you are, at least you look expensive.

He typed back, hoping he could hit send before she saw him.

It was too late, he'd immediately realized. He couldn't walk out of here—right past his best friend—without acknowledging her. That would be incredibly dumb. And he finally admitted to himself—really? He going to leave Berkeley without seeing her? It was a big campus, sure. But he loved her—in so many ways. There was no was no way he could be so close without letting her know he was there. In fact, he'd doubted he'd have made it through the night without calling her. Whatever space cadet 'Poppy' the Cal athletic department had assigned to him, he was sure he'd be sick of her in a few hours.

He watched as Hollywood frowned at her phone, seeming to be torn whether to smile, or be worried Talyn's phone had been stolen by a stalker. She propped one foot back on the concrete pillar and set about typing a reply, biting her lip and frowning in concentration. That was Sawyer Fitzgerald if he'd ever seen her. Taking a deep breath, he had no idea how he was going to explain being here, but he'd figure it out.