I don't own these characters.
A/N: For those that wanted to see Tara. I'm sure you weren't expecting her to be with this character, though.
10: I Ain't Saying She's a…
She shifted in her pool chair, trying to get comfortable and check around for him. He was nowhere in sight. She did not think of why he might have vanished when he was the one who invited her out. She knew what he thought of her, or at least she thought she knew what he thought of her. She guessed it was because she was blonde and that was why no one ever thought she suspected anything. Maybe it was because of her personality, being happy, perky, and bubbly. Either way, people swore she missed everything, even if she was right there. They thought she was stupid. He thought she was a gold digger.
She heard people whisper those things to him, telling him that she was a gold digger. She figured he believed what they said because they were friends of his. They were people he knew for years. They were his family members. They were definitely people he knew longer than he knew her. So, he had to believe them, she figured anyway. It made sense to her that he would believe those people.
She was far from being a gold digger. It was just not in her to be so petty. It was not in her to be manipulative or to take advantage of anyone, especially someone who she sort of liked. And she sort of liked him. It was "sort of" because she never could seem to figure out how actual feelings toward him. Maybe he was a friend. She was almost certain he was not more than that. But, it was weird. She had never felt this way before.
But, she did not think she was in love or anything like that. She had been in love before. He was not her type… or so she always claimed. Still, she came around him, hung out with him to point she could call him a friend.
She was around because he invited her around. She never turned him down. There was something about him. She saw something inside of him that she tried to bring out. There was good in him, a special type of good, but it seemed like it was a slow time coming. She supposed she gave the effort because, well, she was a nice person and because she liked him, sort of.
It was not a romantic "like," but it was enough to make her want to bring out the nice guy in him that she was certain existed underneath his snobby attitude. Well, maybe it was somewhat of a romantic "like," she conceded considering the things she put up with and she kept coming back for more. Yeah, but I'm not in love with him.
They had not done anything for her to fall in love. Just hung out some. Yes, they had fun. She enjoyed herself. He enjoyed himself. They were not even dating. So, I'm definitely not a gold digger. Sure, he took her expensive places, but never at her request. She just wanted to help him be more presentable to the masses.
She remembered when he was at her high school for that brief moment. He ended up being voted president of the student council. She personally did not vote for him. Despite how stupid the world thought she was, she did some thinking for herself and figured a student who had been at the school for all of two seconds would not be the best person to represent the needs of the students. Obviously, much of the class did not agree with her assessment in that area. She had not had the pleasure of meeting him back then, but eventually their paths crossed again.
She had been working as a waitress at a very high-class restaurant when they ran into each other. She recognized him, but she did not make a thing out of it. He was there with his father and other people, after all. She did not want to embarrass him. She doubted it would matter anyway. She did not think he would remember her anyway. Turned out that she was wrong.
He knew she looked familiar when she came to the table to wait on him and his party. He could not put his finger on it, but he could not let it go either. So, he ended up asking her. She easily told him that he probably saw her in the halls of Middleton High back when he was there a few years ago. It seemed like a light bulb went off in his head and he agreed with her. Then he started asking her a bunch of questions about the school, as if she still went there. She calmly explained to him that she had graduated years ago, which he seemed to understand.
The people at his table did not seem to understand why he was conversing and reminiscing with their waitress, especially since it was keeping their food. They said something about it, rather rudely, but she did not take any offense to them. She was used to it in that restaurant. She apologized to them, but when she came back to serve them, he started up again. He then started asking questions about Kim, remembering her fondly it seemed. She thought it was funny he would remember Kim so fondly when she recalled he treated her quite poorly when he was around her. Since she was still in contact with some people from high school, Kim being one of them, she was able to answer his questions at least vaguely. He seemed pleased with that.
Well, that could have been the end of things, but he seemed quite happy with being able to talk about Middleton. He came back to strike up more discussions and eventually their topics of conversations managed to make it out of Middleton High and to other things. It was through those talks that they got to know each other and she figured out that somewhere underneath his snobbish behavior there was a nice guy. She just had to dig deep to find him and bring him up. Luckily enough for her, he provided her with a bunch of opportunities to try to bring him out since he dragged her many places with him. Sometimes, more often now than at first, she got to see her efforts shining through him since she was always with him.
She supposed if he did not think she was a gold digger, things between them would be great. She might even be able to admit to herself she would not mind a real relationship with him, even though most people would say they had a real relationship. It just happened to have problems, like every other relationship in the world. But, this is totally not a relationship.
She sighed and tried to banish her thoughts from her mind. She did not see why she should be thinking about such things at the moment. She should just be enjoying herself. After all, she was on a vacation she would never be able to afford on her own, even if she saved up several years' worth of paychecks. She should just enjoy that, so she stretched out in her lounge chair and tried to get comfortable. She was currently laid out next to a pool and soaking up some sun in pink bikini. She was waiting for him and she did not have to wait too long.
"You're looking comfortable, Tara," Wally remarked in his uppity tone that he just could not shake himself of. Sometimes, Tara thought it was an accent. He sounded that way, even when he was complimenting people, which made the compliments sound sarcastic.
"I am," she replied with a smile. "Thank you for noticing," she added in that polite tone that made him smile.
Wally settled down next to Tara in the other lounge chair. He looked over at her and felt like exhaling just because of the beautiful, slender, tanning body that was all his for now. Not only was she a lovely sight to behold, but she was also sweet, thoughtful, and kind. And despite popular opinion, she was way more intelligent than most people thought she was, including his father.
Wally sighed as he thought about his father. The man certainly was piece of work. His father never made their kingdom a democracy, even though he pretended to entertain the idea when Wally first pitched it. His father was also the one putting it out there that Tara was a gold digger. He could only hope she did not know about that rumor. He certainly did not see her that way.
Wally did not believe Tara was a gold digger because he knew he was the one that offered everything. Tara never asked him for something. He typically had to push things on her because she seemed very against getting gifts from him. He was the one who had initiated contact with her, from the beginning until now. He pretty much had to get on his hands and knees and beg her to go on vacation with him. He was almost sure the only reason she accepted by then was because he embarrassed her.
Tara could not be a gold digger, anyway. They were not in a relationship and Wally very much knew that. Others thought they were and that was why he knew not to trust their opinions. If people could not look at them and see that Tara was too good for him, then people were blind. But, that did not mean he did not want.
Tara did not seem to want to be his girlfriend, he noted sometime ago. He knew she was trying to make him a friend. He was not going to settle in the friend niche. He did not want to be her friend. So, he would not give up, used to getting his way. As far as he was concerned, he won out, but he knew the struggle was going to have to continue on since she did not seem to totally know yet she was his girlfriend. There was just something in her behavior that told him that he needed to keep on struggling with her, which he did not mind. He liked her well enough to fight for her and with her until the end of time.
It actually ticked him a bit. Yes, Tara did not consider herself his girlfriend, even though she did girlfriend things with him. Well, he had to concede those girlfriend things could also be friend things, as they had very little physical contact beyond their hands touching. He would not let up, though. He was not a quitter.
Wally did not know on that faithful day when he started talking to Tara about Middleton that he would end up chasing her for a romantic relationship. He was just enjoying talking about a time when he felt like he grew as a person thanks to his experience in Middleton High. But, the more he talked to her, the more he found he liked her company. He also liked that she brought a gentler side of him, a side he thought was dying as he was smothered in the upper class of his country. She was his saving grace, his breath of fresh air, and he wanted her to be around him all the time because of that. That desire blossomed into wanting a romantic relationship.
"So," Wally said to start a conversation. "Any place in particular you want to go for dinner?" he asked.
"Whatever you want is fine by me," she answered honestly with an impish smile.
Wally could not help smiling back. It was little things like that that attracted Wally to Tara. It was not that she was easy to please, but she never did seem out to milk his wallet. He had gone out with girls before who just wanted to bleed him dry, even though they had money of their own. Tara was broke for the most part thanks to school, rent, and other bills, but she seemed more interested in trying to save him money than waste money because she never wanted to go any place really expensive.
"Well, what do you want to do?" he inquired, trying hard to sound playful, but his voice just was not able to pull it off. He knew it was something he had to work on if he wanted to keep his mitts on Tara.
Tara shrugged a bit, her smile flattering. She did not like his tone. It sounded like he was being pushy with her. She recognized he was making an effort with her, but she did not think it was a great effort. Still, she pressed forward, knowing underneath his snotty tone, there was someone better lurking. She just had to stick with him, she reminded herself.
"I just want to lay here right now," she informed him with a content sigh. She could figure out the rest once she was tired of being poolside.
"Why? There's so much to do," he pointed out, still accidentally sounding pushy. He really wished he could just buy a new voice.
Tara did not answer him for a moment. She did not want to tell him that she did not like going out with him sometimes. Whenever he seemed insistent about going somewhere, Tara got suspicious. She tried to be tentative around him when he was pushy because that was when she started thinking about how snobby he could and the thoughts of how people whispered she was gold digger came to mind. She started thinking about how he had to think she was a gold digger and it was some kind of test when he wanted her to go places. So, then she began to wonder why he wanted to be with her. She pretty much started to overthink the situation.
"Are you sure you don't want to go out? There are plenty of excellent places. I've been here many times. I could show you," he insisted. Now, it seemed like he just wanted to remind her that he had money.
Tara sighed. It seemed to her, when she started thinking way too much, like Wally always wanted to go some place where people knew him and they could see he had a pretty blonde on his arm. He liked showing her off, she thought. Why else would he hang around someone who he had a low opinion of? It was then she had to put up with dirty looks and whispers from people who did not even know her, but swore she was a gold digger. Most of the time, she felt like she was the one being used and then she also had to put up with harsh rumors. She could put up with a lot, but even she had her limit.
She tried to slow her mind down. She knew Wally was not as bad as she was making him seem. If he was, she would not be there with him right now, after all. Most of the time, he just wanted to make sure she was having fun and he checked in with her often. Still, she just thought herself out of going anywhere for the day. She was in no mood to be a trinket after having a good time.
"I'm fine where I am," Tara assured him with a smile, hoping the expression would pacify him.
"But, this is your vacation. I want to treat you to things before you have to head back home and work," he pointed out with a tender expression on his face, which made her believe him. "I want to make sure you enjoy as much as you can."
"I'm enjoying this."
The distance between them would probably stain many relationships, not that Tara was willing to concede they were in a relationship. It was almost like the distance between them did not exist, though. Wally had no problem hopping on his private jet and going to see her or pick her up for some event or another. It was times like where she believed he was flaunting his money and everything, which did not impress her. She was trying to get him to understand money was not everything, yet he seemed to push that it was. Appearances seemed to mean a lot to Wally, she thought.
"Are you sure? There's so much to do," he stated.
"I'm happy where I am," she repeated, still smiling.
Wally decided to yield, which won him points with her. In the past, he would have pressed the issue. He was learning what he should play tug-of-war with her over things and when he should just let things go. It was a difficult process he was willing to put up with only for Tara. She was only vaguely aware of the effort, but that actually worked in his favor. Tara was not leaving him alone until she brought out the nice guy in him completely and for her to believe that there was progress going on, she would have to take more notice of his effort.
"Can I be where you are then?" he asked as a joke. He wore a brilliant smile, as if he did not have a care in the world, which got to her.
Tara actually blushed from that remark. Wally took the moment of her embarrassment and moved from his seat. He laid down on her chair, which did not have much room for the both of them despite the fact that neither of them were large. Tara disliked being close to Wally because she felt like it distracted her from her main goal. She was supposed to be bringing out Wally's inner nice guy, but instead she started taking note that he was well built guy that could be worse.
Despite her noble intentions, Tara was quite human and very much heterosexual. So, when a good-looking man with potential settled next to her with no shirt on, she tended to notice. She did not want to give him the wrong idea, but she was pretty sure that she did that already.
"So, it's all right for me to be where you are, huh?" Wally asked while gently gathering Tara in his arms.
She did not resist Wally. She curled into his slender, muscular form, and that would be why she was certain she had already given Wally the wrong idea. She did not want him to think they were a couple because she tried not to think of them in that manner, but she did not always act like they were not a couple. She could not help it, though. She was a cuddler. More proof that she gave him the wrong idea came from the fact that he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her reaction was just to settle into him even more. Well, he's comfortable!
Wally smiled to himself. He caressed her shoulder since his arm was wrapped around her. He also began tenderly rubbing her bare thigh. She purred slightly from the attention, which he knew was a good sign from the past. He loved that sound. He would like to make her do it in front his father, just to get on the older man's nerves and further freak his father out since his father thought he always knew everything and knew what was best.
Many things about his relationship with Tara would freak his father out, but he was not yet ready to let those things be known. He did not want his father to try to drive Tara away. The King already thought that she was gold digger just from the way that she was around Wally, ignoring the fact that Wally was the one that invited her places. It was not like she was just showing up without anyone asking, but his father did not consider that. His father just did not like Tara for a slew of reasons, which included her social status, or lack there of.
His father would probably have a litter of puppies if he knew just what Wally did with Tara when no one was looking. He could already hear his father scolding him over things, but he did not care. He doubted she cared either and he doubted she thought in the manner his father swore that she did. Tara was way too sweet to be after just his money, he figured.
There was nothing in Tara's behavior for Wally to think she was after his money, even though he did entertain the idea early on. He just did not have any evidence to support she was what everyone wanted him to believe. She never wanted him to buy her things, even cheap things. If he gave her a gift, he knew he was in for at least an hour's worth of an argument as to why she could not in all good conscious take the present. When he first started giving her things, she would go back and forth with him for days. If she was a gold digger, he did not think she was a very good one since she did not seem to be trying to take advantage of being with a crown prince.
"Yeah, I guess it's all right for you to be where I am," Tara conceded with a content sigh as she looped her leg around his, which let him know his petting was getting to her.
Wally smiled. "That's good to know," he commented. For once, his usual tone of voice did not get him on Tara's bad side. "We might have to move eventually, though."
"And why is that?"
"Well, I do have to feed you eventually. I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I let the lady starve, now would I?"
Tara smiled a little. "No, I suppose not." He was a gentleman, too. Despite still holding onto some of that arrogance, Wally generally was polite and caring toward her. Whenever he showed that side, it made her melt. Now was no different.
Wally nuzzled her a little. "I want to take care of you whenever you let me." He kissed her lightly.
Tara really wanted to resist what she knew was going to happen, but she was already lost to that cause thanks to his warm form being next to hers. She was supposed to be working on making him a better person, not getting wrapped up in what a wonderful body he had and how well they fit together. Besides, it was not like he was her boyfriend, so she really needed to stop acting like he was, she silently insisted. He did not give her the chance to argue with herself long enough to decide that she should pull away from him.
Wally kissed Tara's cheek. Her skin was so smooth and warm. He just loved touching her and he was going to hold onto her as best he could to make sure that he could keep on touching her.
"The sun agrees with you," he whispered.
"How so?"
"Your skin is so sweet and warm."
Tara moved her head as he came in for another kiss and that one landed on her lips. She sighed contently when his mouth touched hers while her brain scolded her for what she was doing. He was not her boyfriend, so she was not supposed to be kissing him, her mind told her. She ignored her brain and just continued with the delicious embrace that they had started.
Wally adjusted their positions as the kiss started to heat up. Thankfully, they were alone in his family vacation house because he was planning to do something no one else needed to see. He moved so he was on top of her, keeping her leg hooked around his waist with his hand. He continued to caress her creamy thigh as they continued to kiss. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
Tara's brain pled with her to push Wally away, trying to remind her that she did not "like" him in that manner. She was only with him because she wanted to help bring out the nice guy in him. She was not supposed to act like he was her boyfriend because he was not. She did not care, though. She liked feeling him against her.
Her mind tried to remind her of all of the bad things Wally had to think of her, hoping it would get her to push him away. He thinks you're a parasite, a gold digger! Why would you want to sleep with someone who thinks so little of you? She hated she was probably just reinforcing that idea whenever she these things with him. She was just some hot blonde for him to have on his arm and look impressive with because of that. He could puff out his chest with the other aristocratic young men. The worst insult, in her mind, was he thought she was too stupid to realize those things. Even though her mind pointed those things out, she did not feel the need to believe them right now. She was not going to push him away.
Tara merely countered her mind, remembering he could be a very nice guy if given the chance. He was sweet to her much of the time, taking her places she had never been. He tended to be nice to her, offering her all kinds of gifts, like the vacation she as on right now. He helped her carry groceries to her apartment. He held her on bad days. He sat on her couch with her during rain storms and watched Disney movies with her. He was a nice guy. That though helped quiet her mind down to keep her from pushing him away from her.
"You're a very special girl to me, you know that, Tara?" Wally asked as they pulled away for air. He brought a hand up to stroke her cheek with his thumb.
Tara blushed a bit. "Well, you're special to me, too," she found herself replying before she could stop herself. Well, at least it was not a lie, she thought. He was special to her, but not in the way her words seemed to imply… or at least that was what she told herself.
Wally smiled in response. It was nice to know he meant something to her, especially since he planned on keeping her around. He was just going to have to think of some way to break it to his father that he was in a relationship with her. But, right now, that was the furthest thing from his mind.
Tara knew what was on Wally's mind if the nudge that she felt meant anything. The good girl in Tara was telling her not to take things any farther than the deep kissing and petting that was going on, at least not outside like they were. But, like everything else in her mind, Tara was not listening to her good girl side or to her mind rationalizing anything. She just wanted to be with Wally.
"So, now you're fine with staying by the pool?" she asked, wanting to tease him, but also wanting to see if it would get a rise out him. If he became upset, she would be able to remember just how pompous he could be and perhaps escape unscathed.
"I'm fine with being with you. I just want to make sure you get the most out of your vacation."
She smiled. "I am."
Wally's grin was beaming. He did not care where they were or what people thought. He just wanted to be with Tara and he was going to have his way, like he was used. He would make himself the good person she thought was inside of him, if it meant he could be with her. He came in for a new kiss, which she responded to with vigor.
He worked Tara out of her bikini top without breaking their kiss and also without having to remove the hand that he had on her leg. It was just a simple pull of the strings. She did not protest to being freed from the cloth. He wasted no time caressing the uncovered skin, causing her to moan and arch into his touch. Her mind continued screaming at her to remember he was not her boyfriend and she did not like him in that manner, but damn it, she was not listening at all. He certainly felt like a boyfriend right now; he felt like her boyfriend.
In fact, Wally felt more and more like her boyfriend as time pressed on. She completely forgot what she believed he thought of her. She also did not think about how she was supposed to be working toward making him more into a nice guy. The only thing she could think of was that he felt like the nice guy she wanted him to be. He felt like he was her nice guy, especially since he was making sure she was ready and willing before they went any further.
"You're a wonder," Wally said, a simple finger gliding along her, gathering up wetness and earning light mews.
"You're not so bad yourself," she replied and whimpered. He smiled and went in for another kiss. She matched his pace and her tongue danced with his for what felt like a delightful eternity.
"You're an angel," Wally whispered to her as he pulled away from her mouth for some air.
Tara was too flushed to respond. She just smiled, loving his sweet words. He could be so good to her, she noted, when he wanted to be. More often now than when they first met, she could forget he had a snobby air around him and that arrogance that made her feel sorry for him. Right now, all she could do was think that he was pretty much the man that she wanted him to be.
"I'm going to treat just like the angel you are," he promised. He meant his words and she believed them for now. Later on, when she was left thinking about things, she was undoubtedly going to be more skeptical. She would think that he said such things just to keep her around and to make sure that he had a pretty blonde to show off. But, that was later on, right now she just believed him.
Right now and later on for Wally, he would try to prove she could believe him, believe in him. She could totally trust him. He would continue to make an effort and keep her with him. He would keep her as his girlfriend, whether people liked it or not. He was going to go as far as he could go with her, now and later on.
He came in for another kiss, putting all of his effort into that embrace. Tara accepted and returned the kiss with the same amount of passion. Tara clutched his back, nails biting into his skin as his finger was replaced with something more. He groaned as she hugged him close.
"I would stay with you forever," he whispered.
"Like this?" Tara would not mind. He felt amazing inside of her.
"Just with you, by your side."
"I would let you." It was the truth. "I would like it." That was even more true.
Wally groaned and his hips moved. Tara gasped and clutched him a little tighter. Her breathy moans in his ear made his body buzz and he moved with more purpose.
Underneath the lust, there was a burning affection they both felt. There was a connection there that let Wally know his effort was getting results and Tara also knew that she was getting results. But, beyond their results, they got more than they bargained for on a few levels. They just did not know what it was. They felt it when their physical connection was complete, but they just did not know what it was. They could not explain it, except considering that they felt whole when they were together. They had time to figure it out, though.
-8-8-8-8-
The end.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story. Commercial break: this Lunatic has been published. Check out my profile for more information. Thank you!