Something about the way she saidwe—so easy, so sure—settled deep in me. For now, it didn’t matter that I was still torn up inside about what I knew. For now, it was just me, Livvi, and a bright blue fish named Sapphire. And after so long, that felt like enough.
CHAPTER 20
LIVVI
It had only been a few days since Talon came back from Austin, but somehow it felt like we’d slipped into a quiet rhythm I hadn’t seen coming. Evenings spent together had become … normal. Almost expected.
Dinner first—sometimes takeout, sometimes something simple thrown together in his kitchen—followed by time planted in front of the tank. Watching Sapphire. Talking about Sapphire. Talking about books. Talking about things I never thought I’d share with him.
The soft hum of the tank filled Talon’s apartment as I sat cross-legged on the floor, watching Sapphire dart in quick, playful bursts through the plastic coral.
She looked better than she had a week ago. Her scales gleamed brighter, the faint white spots fading as the medicine and warmer water did their work. A little victory. And somehow, it felt like ours.
I couldn’t have predicted how invested I’d get in a blue tang with attitude, but here I was.
I glanced toward the kitchen, where Talon leaned against the counter, sipping water from a tall glass. His hair was damp, dark strands curling at the nape of his neck after his shower, and his T-shirt clung to his shoulders in a way that had my stomach doing ridiculous gymnastics.
“I’m telling you.” I pointed at the glass as Sapphire darted through her coral castle. “She’s faster than she was yesterday. If she keeps this up, you’re going to have to sign her up for her own swim meet.”
Talon’s laugh rumbled next to me, warm and teasing. “You might be right. She’s got better form than Ridge already.”
I tried not to snort but failed. “Wow. Sibling shadeandfish compliments. You’ve reached peak investment.”
He shot me a grin that had no business making my heart skip the way it did. “Don’t act like you’re not invested too. You gave her three pep talks before dinner.”
“That was different.” I straightened with mock indignation. “Mine were motivational speeches. You just sing to her.”
He chuckled. “She likes when I sing to her.” He pushed off the counter and made his way over.
Our conversation wasn’t always just about Sapphire, though. Somewhere between the tank light and his humor, I’d told him about the books I’d been reading, including the one I was devouring on BookPad,Shadow, Smoke, and Mirrors.
“I’ll have to check it out,” he’d said easily, like he actually meant it.
And I’d believed him. Because that’s who Talon was—straightforward, solid, someone who made even the smallest words sound like they mattered.
Tonight, though, the conversation drifted back toward him.
“So what’s your schedule like now?” I asked, moving over to the couch and tucking my legs beneath me as he dropped beside me.
His expression shifted—still relaxed, but more focused. “Training’s a little more intense now that we’re coming up to when the Olympic Trials will be. A month and a half isn’t long, so I’ll keep doing double sessions but start tapering as it gets closer. I’ll continue with strength training and lots of recovery work. Basically, my life revolves even more around the pool until mid-June.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
“It is,” he admitted, then shot me a sideways glance. “But it’s worth it.”
I nodded, even though my thoughts were spinning somewhere else entirely.
Because here’s the thing—I was still talking toTheWriteGuy. Not as much as before, though. Our messages had thinned out, slipping between hours at work and late-night phone buzzes before bed, which I sometimes ignored because I was so tired after staying at Talon’s until late.
And that realization left me unsteady.
Because whileTheWriteGuyhad been my support for months, the one who always knew what to say, it was Talon who was becoming my constant now. Talon who made me laugh. Talon who made me feel like I was more than just my majors, my job, my future plans.
The comparison wasn’t fair. They weren’t supposed to overlap. But in my heart, they did. And more and more, it was Talon who was winning.
“Do you know what else is part of my training?” Talon asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Making sure I’m fitting in time to destress.” His voice dipped low, almost casual but not quite. “Dinner, stress relief, someone to talk to about Sapphire’s moods.”
I rolled my eyes, even though the corners of my mouth tugged upward. “Her moods? Really?”