Talon: 0300 philosophy hour: Do you believe in fate?
He'd never been one for fate or destiny or any of that mystical bullshit. But lately, he'd been thinking about the odds of being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time to find Riley. The statistical improbability of their connection. The way she'd become necessary to his life without him even realizing it was happening.
Riley: Depends on the day. Do you?
Talon: I used to think everything was random. Now I'm not so sure.
Riley: What changed your mind?
You,he wanted to type.Meeting you, talking to you, falling for you without touching you or even meaning to.But that felt like too much, too honest, and definitely too vulnerable for a text message.
Talon: Meeting certain people at exactly the right moment.
Riley: Must have been some people.
Talon: Yeah. She really is.
She. Singular. One person who’d changed everything about how he saw the world, how he saw himself, how he saw the future. One person who’d made him believe in something bigger than missions and tactical objectives. Fuck, he hoped he wasn’t hooking his cargo up to a situation where she didn’t feel the same way as he did. His gut told him they were on the same page, but he hadn’t asked and wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to ask.
April
Riley: Drove to the beach today. First time since before ...
Talon's breath caught.The beach.She'd driven herself to the beach. He knew how big this was. She'd been talking about wanting to go to the ocean for months, but the anxiety had always been too much.
Talon: How was it?
He was proud of her. He was so fucking proudthat he wanted to call her and tell her, but they'd never spoken on the phone, and he didn't want to push the issue.
Riley: Scary at first. Then peaceful. Stayed for hours.
She'd stayed for hours. Talon found himself smiling so hard his face hurt. She was reclaiming pieces of herself, one moment at a time.
Talon: What did you do?
Riley: Just sat and listened to the waves. Remembered what it felt like to be calm.
The image of Riley sitting peacefully by the ocean, finally feeling calm again, made his chest tighten with emotion. He felt pride and affection and something deeper, something that felt dangerously close to … yeah, no. That was stupid thinking.
Talon: That sounds perfect.
Riley: Wish you could have been there.
The words hit him like a physical blow. She wanted to share that moment with him. Not just tell him about it but actually share the experience.
Talon: Me, too.
More than she could possibly know. He wanted to see all her wins, this one in particular. He could imagine her face when she first saw the ocean, the exact shade of contentment in her eyes, the way thewind moved her hair. He wanted to be there for all the big moments and the small ones, the victories and the setbacks, everything.
"You're doing it again,"Jug said, dropping into the seat across from Talon in the Tokyo hotel bar.
"Doing what?" Talon asked, not looking up from his phone.
"Texting your girlfriend and smiling like an idiot."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Right. What's the smile about, then?"
