She laughed, and the tension eased. Perhaps that was the key—keep her laughing. Too bad he wasn’t particularly funny. Or good at conversation.
“What socials are you on? I’ll look you up.” She took her phone from her immaculately organized purse. All of Eliana was immaculate, from her pink painted nails to her hair carefully pulled back into a tight ponytail that swung back and forth every time she turned her moved.
“I’m not on social media.”
She set her phone down in dramatic slow-motion. “Excuse me?”
“There’s no one I care to follow.”
“You don’t want to watch dog or cat videos?” she asked.
“I’m not an animal person.”
“Babies doing adorable things videos? People doing stunts videos? Soldiers surprising their child at school tearjerker videos?” She gestured wildly as she spoke. Everything about her was full of life—even her conversations.
He shrugged. “I spend most of my spare time in the ocean.”
“You are super human.” She narrowed her eyes. “How old are you?”
“Thirty.”
She melted into the couch as if relieved. “Okay. For a moment there I wondered if you were an eighty-year-old who had aged exceptionally well.”
He let out a surprised laugh, which made her sit up straight, her eyes lighting up, her expression victorious for some reason. “Your whole face changes when you smile.”
Self-consciousness stole over him, and under the guise of rubbing at his beard, he covered his mouth. He hadn’t had much occasion to smile lately.
Time to give his excuses and leave. His arms were exhausted from so many nights swimming, but it was his only escape. “I’m going to—”
“Let’s play a game,” she said eagerly.
It was so unexpected, he lost his train of thought. “Like cards?”
“Not that kind of game—though I do love cards.” She paused as if considering, but then shook her head. “Another night. Let’s do the question-answer game.”
“What’s that?”
“We take turns asking each other questions, and we have to answer them. Like truth or dare without the dare.”
“What are the stakes?”
“Nothing.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“To have fun,” she said. “I’ll go first.”
He grimaced. Answering personal questions about himself was not his idea of fun. He started to stand. “Actually, it’s about time I—”
“Swim?” she finished. She lifted a brow and then looked at his plate, where half of his food remained. “Before you finish your delicious dinner?”
He lowered himself back to the couch. He needed to set some boundaries. They weren’t friends. They weren’t living together because they chose to do so. He liked quiet and sameness and sepia-toned things. Eliana was the opposite of those in every way.
“So, Asher Brooks.” She leaned closer. “What’s your story?”
“Nope.” He’d play a few rounds of her pointless game, but he wasn’t going to spend the entire night talking about himself. “That’s too broad of a question. What specifically do you want to know?”
Her eyes glinted with amusement. “You’re already catching on. Fine. Where were you born? How many siblings do you have? And why don’t you like animals?”
