Chapter 13
Abigail
Tonight was our evening out at Madison Square Gardens to see a Knicks game. I really didn’t know much about basketball, except that this was it was the last game before the playoffs, so apparently it was a big deal. In truth, I had zero interest in sports in general. But Isabella was extremely excited, even wanting to forego her gymnastics day camp so she could wait for Devon to take her. She was having a hard time understanding that there was plenty of time before we had to leave for the camp. After a little persuasion, I managed to get her into the car and out the door.
The morning started off quite well. Devon had been up and out the door before Isabella and I woke. Throughout the day, my mind went through the events of the previous evening. I enjoyed simply being with him, and that was a slippery slope to climb because the fall would ultimately be greater. I was finally over my ex after harboring a broken heart for much longer than was reasonable, but the betrayal had been big and with it came the humiliation, self-doubt, and rewinding of events that should have shown me the truth before it slapped me in the face.
I didn’t need another broken heart. I couldn’t let him get close. It was just a matter of forcing myself to lock him into the friendzone.
The house was so quiet as I worked away, doing my normal clean-up routine. But once the cleaning was done, I had to figure out something else to entertain myself with. Since it was only a smidge after lunch, there was plenty of time before Isabella and Devon arrived home. There was a pool, and it had been some time since I’d gone for a swim. There was a pool at the college, but it was always packed with people so I never bothered. If you had to keep worrying about who you were going to bump into, then it wasn’t worth the effort.
As luck would have it, I’d brought my swimsuit. I hadn’t planned to use it, more like one of those just in case choices.
Grabbing my suit and my mobile phone, I jotted a note and stuck it on the fridge stating where I was and made my way down to the pool. There were several pools in the complex, but the one I was going to catered to the apartments on the top two floors, so the chances of running into anyone was slim. I liked that. Some time floating in the water with no one to disturb me could just be what I needed.
~*~ TT ~*~
Devon
Done. Done and done. Another day, another dollar as the said.
It was good to be home. Six o’clock appointments were not my thing. I might be an early riser, but even I had limits to how early I wanted to be at work. But sometimes you had to make exceptions, and today had been one of those times.
“Abby!” I called out as I stepped off the elevator and into the foyer.
Nothing but silence greeted me. Hmm. Wandering through the house, I spotted the neon pink Post-it note on the fridge the moment I stepped into the kitchen.
The pool.
It had been a while since I’d taken the luxury of a dip on the pool. Life seemed to always get in the way. People might envy those who had money, but they never considered how hard one had to work to get to that point. Sure, some people inherited their money or happened onto it by chance, but a good chunk of successful entrepreneurs came to have their wealth by working hard and sacrificing in other areas of their life. It was great to have a beautiful home and the luxury of not having to worry about bills, but everything has a price, and for me it was time to myself – away from work and work-related activities.
Pulling on a pair of trunks, I grabbed a towel and made my way to the pool.
Opening the door to the pool room, I was immediately hit by the smell of chlorine. Letting the door close behind me, I walked up the pool, spotting Abby immediately. She was on her back floating on the water, eyes closed, and if I didn’t know better I’d have thought she was sleeping she looked so serene. Her suit was a basic black one-piece. I had hoped she would wear something a little more enticing, but my dick didn’t need the excitement so perhaps it was for the best.
I opened my mouth to call her name and announce my arrival when a better idea hit me. Tossing my towel on one of the lounge chairs, I sat down on the edge and slowly, quietly lowered myself into the water. Once in, I sank down under I was under and swam in her direction.
Reaching her, I planted my feet on the bottom of the pool and sprang upwards, grabbing her by the waist as I emerged from the water.
She screamed. Not just a tiny, little, “ooops I’m startled, tee hee,” scream, but a blood curdling, calling out to God type of scream. The scream startled even me, despite my being the cause of it.
As my ears rang from the horrific sound, a surge of pain burst at my temple.
“Fuck,” I groaned out, dropping her into the water and taking a step back. My eyes closed as I touched the throbbing area. She was yelling at me, at least I think she was; my ears were ringing, and if it weren’t for the fact I was in water, that blow to my temple may have laid me out.
“What in the fuck, Abby?” I growled, removing my hand from my temple and looking down at it to discover there was blood mixed with the chlorinated water.
Her tirade ended, and her dark brown eyes widened. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”
“Sorry? A bit of an overreaction.”
“You scared me.” She closed the couple of feet distance between us reached out to touch my temple. I was tempted to jerk away, but didn’t. It had been a mistake. “It’s like a shark attacking a seal from under the water!”
“We’re not in the fucking ocean, Abby!”
“Doesn’t matter. You should know better than to disturb a woman who’s in the zone.” She examined my war wound a little closer and cringed. “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.”
By the look on her face as she examined my temple, and judging from the lump already beginning to form, I would have to call her a liar. It was that bad. “Where in the hell did you learn to punch like that?”
She pulled her lower lip, between her teeth and shrugged. “When I was a teenager I was part of the high school boxing club.”
“I see. Why did you quit?”
“It was a high school thing. I wasn’t all that great at it. Once I graduated, I started working and then college started.” She shrugged. “Wasn’t on my priority list. Besides, I wasn’t as muscular and toned as the other women in the class, and I guess I didn’t have enough ambition to put the time in the gym. I also had Isabella, so.” She shrugged a second time. “Life happened.”
“What do you do in your spare time?” I asked, touching my temple once more and than letting my hand drop. I’d live.
“There is no spare time.” She pushed herself backwards into the water and began to slowly backstroke away from me.
I wasn’t about to let her get away so easily. Swimming towards her, I kept pace with her. “Everyone needs a hobby.”
“What’s yours?”
Good question.
“Not willing to share?” she teased.
“Nah. It’s not that. I have a lot of obligations. As you’ll get to see, there’s a couple or so events each week.”
“That’s not really a hobby is it?” She stopped her backward motion to begin treading water.
“No, it’s more like part of the job.” I stopped swimming as well and began treading water in front of her.
“Back to the original question, what’s your pastime?”
“Sex?” I meant it as a joke, but the look of disgust on her face at the simple word made me cringe. Guess she hadn’t quite gotten over her annoyance over my escapades. “Too soon?” I made a second attempt to lighten the mood.
Rolling her eyes, she spun in the water and began swimming away.
Well, shit.