AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I walked to where she was sitting on a lounge chair with her computer in her lap. Her long hair was bunched on top of her head in a messy bun, her face had been wiped clean of makeup, and she wore a plain T-shirt and shorts. She looked ready for bed, except she was here, typing on her computer.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked.
“No, I always need to wind down after a show.” Her eyes trailed over my bare chest. “You?”
I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “I was planning on swimming some laps. I’d rather sit here and talk to you.”
She straightened her legs in front of her, crossing her ankles. “Hmmm...well, as you can see, I’m extremely busy.”
I snapped my fingers. “I got it. How about if I earn my minutes in your presence?”
She tilted her head. “You don’t need to do that.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m going to swim laps. You count. Each one earns me a minute.”
She faked a yawn. “I’m pretty tired.”
My palm ran down the ridges of my abs. “Luckily, I’m incredibly out of shape.”
She let out a short laugh. “I’m not sure I can commit to minutes. Let’s make it questions. Each lap earns you a non-invasive question.”
“Do you get to ask questions?”
“Do you want me to?”
I shook my head. “You can ask me anything at any time. No need to earn the right.” I turned away from her, facing the pool. “Save me if I drown, okay?”
Her laugh was the last thing I heard before I plunged into the pool.
I had a lot of questions for her, but I took it easy on the laps, since most of my questions were probably what she’d consider pretty fucking invasive. By the time I got halfway through lap ten, Tali had moved to the edge of the pool, dangling her legs in the water. I stopped in front of her, slapping the concrete beside her.
“Done,” I declared.
Tali clapped for me. “I’m glad I didn’t have to overcome the moral dilemma of whether to save you if you really had been drowning.”
I grabbed my chest. “That hurts, Stripes.” It actually kinda did.
But then she soothed the pain away. “I would save you, Jude.”
My mouth lifted. “Never doubted you.”
She straightened her back and placed her hands on her knees. “I counted ten laps. That’s ten questions. Did you have time to think of any?”
“Mind if I dry off before I start my inquisition?” I pushed up out of the water and climbed to my feet, offering her my hand to help her stand. She took it, surprising me once again, and I pulled her up. Her hand fell from mine immediately, and she walked over to the lounge chair she’d been sitting on when I came up to the roof.
While I dried off, she packed up her laptop, then tipped her head to look at the Polish stars. I settled on the lounger next to her, towel wrapped around my shoulders, and she turned to me.
“You look good, Jude. I mean, you look healthy.”
I smoothed my palm over my stomach. “Thank you. Yeah, it was hard won, but I am. I’m getting old as hell, but I can’t be too upset about that, since I wasn’t sure I’d make it to thirty for a while there.”
“If you’re old, then I am too, and I refuse to accept that.” The smile she gave me was soft and reached her eyes. “I’m glad you made it past thirty.”
“Even after fucking up your life?”
Her perfectly arched brows pulled together, her laugh wry. “Holy shit, Jude, I would never wish youdead.”
I shook my head, rubbing my forehead with my fist. “I know. That was a stupid thing to say. Let’s move onto question time before I fuck it all up.”
