Chapter 18
LIVVI
It had been two days since I’d heard from either Talon or TheWriteGuy.
Two days.
Which, okay, wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. But considering I’d been in Talon’s apartment just forty-eight hours ago, laughing with him about turning a fish into a life coach, the silence felt … loud.
And then there was TheWriteGuy. Normally, he popped into my inbox once a day, even if it was just a meme or a short “How’s your day going?
” But now, nothing. It was like they’d both fallen off the face of the planet at the exact same time, and the pit forming in my stomach was starting to feel a little dramatic.
I kept telling myself Talon was busy. He had the Pro Swim Classic in Austin, and from what little I knew about professional swimmers, competitions like this took over their whole schedule. But still, a single text didn’t seem like too much to ask.
When my phone finally buzzed, I grabbed it so fast, I almost dropped it.
Talon
Hey, can you feed Sharkira while I’m gone?
Not exactly the text I’d been hoping for, but at least it was something.
Livvi
Yeah, of course. When are you back?
Talon
Not for another week. Thanks.
And just like that, the conversation was over.
I sighed, shoving my phone back into my pocket. Fine. I’d feed the fish. And try not to overanalyze the fact that Talon hadn’t said anything else.
By the time lunch rolled around, though, I was still overanalyzing. I sat on a bench outside of my office building, balancing a sandwich on my lap as I opened my phone and hit record for a video message to Cali.
“Okay,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual, “so I haven’t heard from Talon since Tuesday night.
Which … probably doesn’t mean anything, right?
He’s probably just busy getting ready for the swim meet in Austin.
But it’s weird because it’s like one day we’re talking about naming our fish and then the next—radio silence. ”
I hesitated, chewing my lip. “I don’t know. Did I say something wrong? Or maybe he just needed space before the meet. Which, okay, fair, but it kind of feels like I got ghosted. And by two people at once, which should not be possible. Did I mention that TheWriteGuy has disappeared too?”
I blew out a breath and ended the recording before I could start rambling about how much I missed talking to both of them.
I finished my lunch and reluctantly went back to work, knowing it was going to be almost impossible to focus on work and not on how the two guys who had once been so interested in me were both suddenly not.
That night, as I was getting ready for bed, my phone buzzed with a notification. Cali’s face filled my screen as her video reply played.
“First of all,” she said, looking entirely too smug, “stop spiraling. You didn’t do anything wrong.
He’s probably just focused on swimming because, you know, that’s literally his whole life right now.
Plus, weren’t you telling me that this was his big moment?
Like his last chance? He’s probably just zoned in right now. ”
She leaned closer to the camera, her expression softening.
“And secondly, Liv, maybe him taking a beat isn’t a bad thing.
You’ve been talking to him a lot lately.
A little space might help you figure out what you actually want from him.
And, you know, whether you want to keep getting heart eyes every time he says your name.
” She dramatically batted her eyelashes.
I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. “I do not get heart eyes,” I muttered, even though she couldn’t hear me.
“As for TheWriteGuy …” She paused. “I don’t know what to tell you.
But maybe him ghosting you is a good thing too.
Then you can focus on your new feelings for Talon and if it’s something that you want to pursue.
” She held up her hand to the screen as if to stop me from talking.
“I know, I know. You don’t want to get into a relationship because you want to concentrate on work and finishing school.
And I know, I know, you don’t want to end up like your parents.
But I think Talon has been good for you.
Having a guy, even TheWriteGuy, in your life has been good for you.
Not saying that Talon has to be the only one or the one, but I think it’s helped you see that having a life outside of work and school is a good thing, that you actually might enjoy it. ”
I hated when she was right. Having Talon and TheWriteGuy being interspersed throughout my days had made me happy.
Something I hadn’t truly felt in what seemed like forever.
I got excited to wake up in the morning to see what conversation I was going to have with TheWriteGuy.
I looked forward to hopefully bumping into Talon and spending time with him.
The days didn’t seem to blend from one to the other without ever lifting my head up to actually enjoy my life.
But later that night as I lay awake in the dark, I thought about something else Cali had said. Maybe space was good. Maybe I needed to breathe before I started imagining things that weren’t there.
Just because I was feeling something for these two guys didn’t mean they were feeling anything for me. And I shouldn’t even care because I didn’t want to jump into anything anyway. So why I was all tied in knots over this was ridiculous.
Thankfully, that thought process helped me get through the next three days without constantly thinking about Talon or TheWriteGuy.
Although it was hard not to think of Talon when I was standing in his apartment, sprinkling food into the tank. The fish darted toward the surface like usual, a little blue streak, but then I noticed something that made me pause.
“Uh-oh,” I murmured, crouching closer.
Sharkira, (ugh, was that name starting to stick?), was still swimming, still eating—but she was scratching herself against one of the fake coral pieces in the tank. Over and over, in a way I hadn’t noticed before.
I chewed my lip, trying to remember if this was normal fish behavior. It didn’t look normal, but I was no blue tang expert.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I texted Talon.
Livvi
Hey, do you think it’s normal for Sharkira to, like, rub against stuff in the tank a lot?
My phone started to ring almost immediately. It was Talon. Seeing his name on my screen had my heart rate picking up speed.
“Hey.” His voice was a little breathless, like maybe he’d just gotten done with practice. “What do you mean rubbing against stuff?”
I explained what I’d seen, suddenly feeling nervous, like he might think I was overreacting.
“Sounds like she might have ich,” he said after a pause.
“Ick?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“Yeah, it’s a common parasite in saltwater fish. White spots, scratching—stuff like that. Do you notice any white dots on her?”
I pressed my face close to the tank again. “Um … maybe? It’s hard to tell.”
He exhaled sharply. “Okay, don’t panic. It’s treatable, but it can get bad fast. Let me think.” How did he know this?
While he was thinking, I remembered the paper the shelter had given me when I’d adopted the fish. “There was this pet forum the shelter mentioned,” I said quickly. “A place where you can ask questions and get advice from other fish owners. Should I post there?”
“Yes. Do that,” he said. “Send me the link, too.”
I nodded, hanging up with Talon and going to the shelter website on my phone where the forum could be found. Clicking on the link, I typed up a post.
FUR-EVER HOMES FORUM
Forum Thread: Why does my fish want to rub fins with the aquarium decor?
@LivviWithTwoVs
Hi! My blue tang has been scratching against the tank décor a lot today and maybe has tiny white spots? Eating fine but worried it might be ich. Any advice?
I hit send and stared at the screen, waiting for someone—anyone—to respond.
A reply popped up almost instantly.
@CoralQueen92
Sounds like classic ich. If you have a separate tank, move her there and start treatment right away.
Another message followed:
@TankDad
Seconding ich. Look for a treatment that won’t harm any live rock or corals you have. Blue tangs get stressed easily, so the sooner you act, the better.
“Wow,” I said aloud. “They’re fast.”
I took a screenshot and texted it to Talon.
Livvi
They said ich. Someone mentioned a separate tank??
My phone rang again almost before the text went through.
“Okay, first of all,” Talon said, sounding way too calm for the fact that we might have a fish emergency, “I obviously don’t have a separate tank. But I can grab treatment stuff as soon as I’m back.”
“Are you sure she will be okay until you get back?” He wouldn’t be home for another day and a half.
“She should be, if she’s still eating,” he said. “Just keep an eye on her. I’ll send you a video about a freshwater dip you can do if she gets worse. It’s just a few minutes, don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Are you okay doing that?”
“Uh … define okay.” I mean, she was cute and all when she was swimming, but that didn’t mean I wanted to touch her or deal with her squirming around.
He laughed softly, which immediately sent a shiver tracing up my spine. “Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. I can totally picture you being a great fish nurse.”
“Great,” I said dryly. “Exactly what I want to be when I grow up.”
“Seriously, though—thank you for texting me. You could’ve just fed her and left.”
There was something in his tone that made me pause. Gratitude, sure, but also something softer, something that felt a little too big to be just about a fish.
“I like her.” I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. “And besides, I’d feel terrible if something happened to her while you were gone.”
He was quiet for a beat. “Same.”
Another notification popped up on my phone. It was another forum reply.
@FishMom5
You can also raise the temp in the tank slightly and lower salinity a bit. But just a little, so it doesn’t stress her. It helps speed up the parasite’s life cycle so treatment works faster.
“Okay,” I said, mostly to myself. “Raise temp, lower salt. I can do that.”
“Send me updates?” Talon asked, voice low now.
“Yeah. I’ll keep you posted.”
When the call ended, I stared at the tank again, watching the fish dart between the fake coral. “Okay, girl,” I said softly. “You just have to hang in there until Sunday. We’ve got you.”
For some reason, it felt like I was saying it to more than just her.
I stayed there for a few minutes longer, the glow of the tank washing over me.
It almost felt like I was keeping watch over this little piece of Talon’s world while he was away.
The apartment smelled faintly like him, and for a moment I let myself imagine what it would be like if this was something more.
If I was here not just as a favor, but because I belonged here.
The thought startled me, and I stepped back from the tank. When had Talon gone from being someone I was just getting to know to someone I wanted around?
Things between us had felt … off since the other night, strained. But tonight’s call had felt a little like before—easy, natural, almost like we were back to being us.
Maybe this was our reset. Maybe once he got home from Austin, things could go back to normal.
Still, the thought of seeing him again made my gut twist in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to examine too closely.
“Sunday,” I whispered to the fish, like she might understand. “He’ll be back Sunday.”
But as I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, I realized I didn’t just want things to go back to normal. I wanted to know what came next.
And for reasons I couldn’t quite explain, the idea of seeing Talon again made me both nervous and excited, like I was standing on the edge of something I couldn’t name but wasn’t sure I wanted to step back.