Chapter 537 (2/2)

Randidly gave her a sour look. She laughed and threw her hair over her shoulder. Her perfume was light and spicy. It reminded him of the heat of the fire.

“Okay fine. Baloo, just Baloo, what do I see when I look at you then?” Tatiana asked.

Inwardly, Randidly died a little because she called him Baloo, but she turned and faced her squarely. Her jaw was strong and her skin was tan. Her eyes met his calmly as he assessed her. Her dress was silk, with tight interweaving shapes across it. It was relatively chaste, but the shape of Tatiana’s body meant that if a man wanted to look hard enough, he could get a sense of what was underneath.

Randidly turned away, looking back towards the fire. “A friend.”

A log popped and snap. Someone was singing, their song wavering in and out of tune as the singer struggled against the weight of the alcohol they had drunk.

“...it’s a strange thought, but all I can think is that if I had asked Sonya that, she would have had me pressed against a wall with my panties off within 10 seconds,” Tatiana said with a chuckle.

Randidly also shook his head. Sonya certainly had spent half of the past few hours making passes at Tatiana. It seemed she understood the other woman wasn’t interested, but that just made the allure all the more irresistible. Luckily, Gregory pulled Sonya away with more alcohol, or else Randidly had no doubt she would still be here.

“It’s strange. I feel connected to you.” Randidly announced.

“Oh?”

Randidly shook his head, his face heating somewhat. “You as in everyone here. I’ve been to a lot of places. And I’ve just felt… adrift. I understood my role based on goals I had to accomplish. There were relationships and things-”

“-we are in a relationship?” Tatiana said, raising her eyebrows in mock surprise.

Randidly ignored her. “-but it was like I didn’t feel the ties to the people there. I walked away when my goals led me to other places. It was as if… I was numb to these things I had built. Or even, I didn’t want to feel the constant weight of these connections I had made… Maybe I was running away. But some of those connections were dangerous. Starting clean has a certain brutal appeal, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does.” Tatiana uncrossed her legs folded them beneath her. “If I could do it all again… well, the System threw some wrenches into things. I also don’t mind being here, with you, but it certainly could have been a little less rough getting here. I know what you mean about leaving everything behind. I ran away from home when I was 17.”

Randidly nodded, and then, feeling extremely surreal, reached up and squeezed her shoulder. The skin of her bare shoulder was warm, and he let his hand linger there for a bit, just to establish contact. Then it fell away, back to his side.

The corner of Tatiana’s mouth turned upwards. “I think this is where you ask me why I ran away, and then I share a secret I’ve been carrying on my own for 10 years. It’s a bonding thing.”

“You are a grown woman. If you want to share something, I’m sure you will do it.” Randidly said, leaning back, and closing his eyes.

He felt her hair first, the soft strands on his shoulder. Then the weight of her head, and then the heat of her body as she leaned her head against his shoulder. They stayed there, for about 10 minutes, saying nothing, sharing nothing. The fire crackled and popped, the people continued to sing, and there were raucous calls in the distance, where people had set up a game of pool under the open sky.

“Do you know why I enjoy your company?” Tatiana asked.

Randidly shook his head.

“Because you feel… grounded. Like all of the flirting, all of my learned sensuality… it doesn’t mean anything at all; it can’t sway you. You wouldn’t even care if I was just average looking. You would enjoy sitting with me even if I was horribly deformed. My aesthetic is worthless.”

“I mean-” Randidly began, but she punched him softly in the side, still leaning against his shoulder.

“Oh, shut up. There are times where truth is less important than the moment. This is one of those times. Just enjoy the moment, Baloo.”

So the two of them sat without sharing, just breathing the warm air of the night.