Cali
If you don’t name that fish something epic, we can’t be friends. Also, I need updates. Regular ones. I know you’ve been busy, but don’t leave me hanging!
I grinned, knowing she’d be impatiently waiting for my next update.
“Don’t wait up!” I called back through the apartment.
Roxie’s singsong voice followed me out the door. “Tell your boyfriend I said hi!”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips as I headed down to my car.
To Talon Everhart’s apartment.
To name our fish.
I wasn’t sure what parallel universe I was living in, but I wanted to move here. Permanently.
CHAPTER 17
TALON
The knock came exactly at six.
I’d been ready since five-thirty, though I’d never admit that to another living soul. The takeout on the counter was still warm, and I’d already checked the fish tank three times. Which was stupid—she was just a fish. A very small, very unbothered fish, currently gliding in lazy circles through the big built-in tank that took up half the wall in my living room.
I wiped my palms on my jeans as I crossed the room and opened the door.
Livvi stood there, a hesitant smile on her lips. “Hey.” Her voice was warm and soft.
“Hey.” I stepped back to let her in, shoving one hand into my pocket to keep from doing something dumb like reaching out to hug her. The other part of me, the part that didn’t care about keeping it “cool,” wanted to just grab her hand, brush a strand of hair from her face—anything. The more time I spent nearher, the harder it became to hold back. Every glance, every laugh, made me want to cross that line even more.
She toed off her shoes and wandered straight to the tank, peering inside. “She’s still alive.” Her tone was somewhere between triumphant and relieved.
“Just like I said.” I leaned against the back of the couch.
She glanced over her shoulder at me, her smile causing my pulse to quicken, and for a second, the room felt warmer.
“She looks happy,” Livvi said. “Guess that means we have to do our part and give her a name.”
I jerked my chin toward the counter. “I got the takeout ready. Figured naming ceremonies go better on a full stomach.”
Her lips curved, and she crossed the room to peek into the bag. “Chinese?”
“Yep.” I grabbed plates from the cabinet, glad to have something to do with my hands.
She started unpacking cartons, moving like she’d been in my kitchen a dozen times before. Somehow, that didn’t bother me. In fact, it felt … nice.
We settled at the little table by the window, cartons and chopsticks spread between us. Livvi cracked open an egg roll and hummed like she’d just been handed a winning lottery ticket.
“Okay.” She pointed her chopsticks at me. “Ground rules. No boring names like Blue or Fishy.”
I smirked. “You think I’d go boring?”
She grinned over the rim of her takeout box. “Honestly? No. I’m more worried you’ll pick something so out there that you would have to explain it to everyone.”
I chuckled, settling back against my chair. “So, no boring names, but nothing that requires a lengthy explanation?”
“Exactly.” She gave a satisfied nod. “Something fun. Fitting. But not … I don’t know …” Her nose wrinkled. “Like naming her after a Marvel villain just because you think it’s funny.”
