Talia clearly didn't look at the floor plan in the new building yet. It has only one office and we'd be sharing it once we move. That or Talia is going to kick my ass to the curb once she finds out the type of deal she just made with me. In any case, it's all well worth getting in a round of golf with her and seeing her reaction once she realizes the only office room to pick is the one I'll be in. I need to stop fuckin' smiling so much to not tip her off too early.
After we grab our gear and rent out a golf cart, we head out to the grassy plains of the eighteen hole course. The sun shines brightly over the terrain. I seriously cannot contain my excitement once we reach the first tee. Closing my eyes briefly, I inhale the grassy scent around us and listen to the birds chirp in the trees.
"I told you, you live and breathe golf. You look like an addict getting a fix right now." Talia stands next to me, crossing her arms in front of her and smirking.
I close my eyes again, pressing one nostril down with my pointer finger, and inhale much more sharply and much more dramatically than a moment ago. Talia laughs, making me consider if I should switch careers and do stand-up comedy. "I just needed one more hit," I say before grabbing a club.
"I'm glad you got what you needed. Now are we done golfing for the day?"
"Nice try. It's tee time. You're up!"
Talia sighs as she grabs the golf club I'm holding for her. It's truly the cutest little sigh I've ever heard in my life.
She tee's up, placing her ball on the ground and moving her club into the starting position.
Holy hotness. Talia in that little tennis dress playing golf is now forever burned into my brain. Without even thinking, I grab my phone and yell, "Smile," before taking a photo.
"Hey! I wasn't looking! Take another one," she says before posing with her hands pressed against the top of the golf club and her hip popped out.
I smile and turn around while holding out the camera in front of me, taking a quick selfie of us both. Without looking at the photo, I tuck the phone back into my pocket. "Alright, no more pictures. It's time to golf."
Talia breathes in deeply. She looks slightly nervous and it causes a range of activity in my stomach. "Don't laugh at me, okay?" she says as she readies her stance again.
"I promise I won't."
She takes her first swing and completely misses the ball. Her body twists as it follows through with the motion. When she registers the result, she turns to me with the most adorable look, cheeks slightly reddened. "I was just practicing my swing before hitting the ball."
"Of course," I say while nodding.
She tries again. Another miss. "Ugh, I hate this stupid game."
"You need to relax. You look like you're strapped into an electrocution chair with that stance. Take a deep breath."
Talia takes the shortest breath known to man before moving back into the starting position.
I move to stand behind her. "Stop. Turn around. Face me." Small swirls of heat flow through me as I place my hands on her shoulders when she complies. "We're going to take proper deep breaths together." I breathe in deeply, and she follows. After a couple of deep breaths, her shoulders start to relax under my touch. "Good. Now, turn around. You want your legs shoulder-width apart. Kind of like how it was when you were bent over the desk ten minutes ago."
Talia laughs as she moves back into the starting position. "With my ass in the air again?"
"See? You're better at this than you think." I move back to face her. "Not too much though or else we'll be arrested for public indecency," I add in a quieter tone. I can almost see her cheeks grow even redder.
"We already got away with it. Twice." She grins back at me before resuming her stance. Her head jerks up to the field and back down to the ball a couple of times, before she takes another swing. This time the ball goes flying toward the hole across the field. She squeals and yells, "I did it!" before doing a little victory jump.
The bright smile on her face could convince me it cures diseases. "Atta girl! Good job!"
"I don't know if you can top that yardage, Lucas. You might need to move the tee closer to the hole."
I laugh. "Oh, now I see you're dishing it out. What happened to, 'Don't laugh at me', Lucas? Hmm?"
"I was just warming up."
"Mhmm. I see how it is. Well, game on, Talia." I grab my club and stride over to the tee ground. I have to be on my A game today. Not because I need to beat Talia. No, it's the need to impress her that's running through my veins like a light steroid.
After I swing, the hit of the ball cracks through the air. I place a hand over my eyes as I witness the ball fly across the field. Claps fill the air and I turn to find Talia seemingly impressed. A warm buzz runs through my body. "Let's see how we did."
We start walking toward the hole, when Talia asks, "So did Tiffany ever forgive you for getting her that fur bikini?"
I laugh. "Never heard from her again. I guess I should stop getting my dates fur bikinis, huh?"
"We all have bad habits we're trying to get rid of," she fires back playfully, garnering another chuckle out of me before she continues. "When was your last serious relationship?"
My head draws back in surprise. What is she asking? And more importantly, why is she asking?
"What?" she continues as she tugs at her dress' neckline. "I'm just curious. I mean, I know a lot of girls who would consider you a catch. I'm surprised you're not in a more serious relationship or already married at thirty five. But maybe that's not your thing? Anyways, whatever. Forget I asked."
"No, I don't mind answering."
Before I can respond to her question, Talia speaks again. "I don't know why I asked. It's probably too personal."
"At this point, I think we're well past personal, Tal."
"Right." She giggles while nodding and it's a sound I wish I could hear every day. "You can probably tell I've never done this casual sex friendship before."
"Can you tell I haven't either?" I smile back as we continue to walk across the field. "Also, we're friends now, huh?" I'll take that.
"Don't get too comfortable," she says with a playful squint. "Let's not forget we're still competing for the same job."
Those words fill the air like a noticeable scratch in a record turning in its player. Talia seems to catch it as well as she pouts and moves her lips to the side.
In reality, our current arrangement will likely end on the day of the strategy presentations. We agreed we'd go for as long as it takes to get out of our systems, but we both know there's a ticking clock. In the meantime, we might as well go all in. I can't see any other way as I'm mentally and physically unable to withhold myself from her right now.
We reach the first ball on the ground that Talia hit. I clear my throat and face her. "Five years ago was my last serious relationship."
Talia moves the golf club between her hands and shifts her lips again. "What happened?"
"We wanted different things in life and we didn't have a lot in common. I wanted to settle down and get married, have kids, and she wanted to travel the world. In hindsight it was for the best we broke up when we did. I thought I loved her but I don't think I truly did."
"And what about now? Are you done with wanting to settle down?"
I shake my head. "No, that's still very much a hope. I haven't dated someone that I could see myself with long term yet."
Talia's brows furrow for a moment before she cracks a smile. "Except Tiffany. The one that got away."
I reciprocate her smile before crossing my arms. "Right. How will I ever live my life without Tiffany and vegan cheese?" I say with sarcasm heavy in my voice before continuing. "Now your turn. When was your last serious relationship?" It crossed my mind a couple of times before, and now is as good a time as any to find out the answer.
"Define serious." Talia lines herself up in front of her ball and takes a swing, resuming the game. The ball flies closer to the hole and closer to my ball in the distance.
"Nice hit!" I say once the ball lands. "When was the last time you were in love?" We start walking again.
"Mmm maybe fifteen years ago?"
"Hold up, what? Fifteen years ago was your last serious relationship?"
"Yeah. You might know him. He went to Harvard too but my year. His name is Gary."
My mind reels through every Gary I know. I recently talked to a client named Gary but what are the chances it's the same person? "Hmm I probably know him and would remember if I saw a photo." After a memory surfaces, I stop walking. "Ohhh, he's the guy you made out with that night we met at the Christmas party." I scrunch my nose, realizing I don't actually want to resurface that particular memory.
Talia's eyes grow wide and she stops walking. "Wh-what? Oh my God, how do you remember that?"
"I remember a lot about that night. I was going to ask you out but then saw you guys going at it outside."
Talia gasps either out of embarrassment or shock. Or maybe both? "You were going to ask me out?"
"Yeah, of course. You were cute. I mean I think you still are if you probably couldn't tell already. But it was fun hanging out with you that night and I thought we clicked really well." Why am I telling her all of this? I sound like a loser.
Talia remains quiet for a moment, deep in thought, and my stomach churns lightly. I break the loud silence. "So, uh, what happened with Gary?"
"It was messy. And toxic. It messed me up for a really long time."
"For how long?" I raise a brow. I'm not a violent person but would gladly throw a punch at that fucker Gary, whoever he is.
She shrugs. "Years. I don't know. It sounds so pathetic when I say it."
"So you haven't dated since?"
"No, no, I have. I've been on dates but none lasted that long. I'd throw myself into work focusing on rising through the ranks. I just haven't had an official boyfriend while working so much."
"Do you ever think about getting into a serious relationship and settling down?" I hope I'm not coming across too strongly but I need to know. It feels a bit like game-changing information for me even if I'm telling myself it's not.
Talia cracks a smile and nods. "Someday I hope."
Someday. A sliver of hope wraps around me like a warm towel. We reach my golf ball, and I swing hard, hoping her 'Someday' involves me somehow.