I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. “I do not get heart eyes,” I muttered, even though she couldn’t hear me.
“As forTheWriteGuy…” She paused. “I don’t know what to tell you. But maybe him ghosting you is a good thing too. Then you can focus on your new feelings for Talon and if it’s something that you want to pursue.” She held up her hand to the screen as if to stop me from talking. “I know, I know. You don’t want to get into a relationship because you want to concentrate on work and finishing school. And I know, I know, you don’t want to end up like your parents. But I think Talon has been good for you. Having a guy, evenTheWriteGuy, in your life has been good for you. Not saying that Talon has to be the only one ortheone, but I think it’s helped you see that having a life outside of work and school is a good thing, that you actually might enjoy it.”
I hated when she was right. Having Talon andTheWriteGuybeing interspersed throughout my days had made me happy. Something I hadn’t truly felt in what seemed like forever. I got excited to wake up in the morning to see what conversation I was going to have withTheWriteGuy. I looked forward to hopefully bumping into Talon and spending time with him. The days didn’t seem to blend from one to the other without ever lifting my head up to actually enjoy my life.
But later that night as I lay awake in the dark, I thought about something else Cali had said. Maybe space was good. Maybe I needed to breathe before I started imagining things that weren’t there.
Just because I was feeling something for these two guys didn’t mean they were feeling anything for me. And I shouldn’t even care because I didn’t want to jump intoanything anyway. So why I was all tied in knots over this was ridiculous.
Thankfully, that thought process helped me get through the next three days without constantly thinking about Talon orTheWriteGuy.
Although it was hard not to think of Talon when I was standing in his apartment, sprinkling food into the tank. The fish darted toward the surface like usual, a little blue streak, but then I noticed something that made me pause.
“Uh-oh,” I murmured, crouching closer.
Sharkira, (ugh, was that name starting to stick?), was still swimming, still eating—but she was scratching herself against one of the fake coral pieces in the tank. Over and over, in a way I hadn’t noticed before.
I chewed my lip, trying to remember if this was normal fish behavior. It didn’t look normal, but I was no blue tang expert.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I texted Talon.
Livvi
Hey, do you think it’s normal for Sharkira to, like, rub against stuff in the tank a lot?
My phone started to ring almost immediately. It was Talon. Seeing his name on my screen had my heart rate picking up speed.
“Hey.” His voice was a little breathless, like maybe he’d just gotten done with practice. “What do you mean rubbing against stuff?”
I explained what I’d seen, suddenly feeling nervous, like he might think I was overreacting.
“Sounds like she might have ich,” he said after a pause.
“Ick?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“Yeah, it’s a common parasite in saltwater fish. White spots, scratching—stuff like that. Do you notice any white dots on her?”
I pressed my face close to the tank again. “Um … maybe? It’s hard to tell.”
He exhaled sharply. “Okay, don’t panic. It’s treatable, but it can get bad fast. Let me think.” How did he know this?
While he was thinking, I remembered the paper the shelter had given me when I’d adopted the fish. “There was this pet forum the shelter mentioned,” I said quickly. “A place where you can ask questions and get advice from other fish owners. Should I post there?”
“Yes. Do that,” he said. “Send me the link, too.”
I nodded, hanging up with Talon and going to the shelter website on my phone where the forum could be found. Clicking on the link, I typed up a post.
FUR-EVER HOMES FORUM
Forum Thread:Why does my fish want to rub fins with the aquarium decor?
@LivviWithTwoVs
Hi! My blue tang has been scratching against the tank décor a lot today and maybe has tiny white spots? Eating fine but worried it might be ich. Any advice?
I hit send and stared at the screen, waiting for someone—anyone—to respond.
A reply popped up almost instantly.