as she handed him his drink. “This is Julian, an unsavory character I found skulking in the shadows. Julian, this is Marta, my very best friend.”
“Hello, neighbor,” Marta said, a grin on her face as her gaze flitted back and forth between them. “If this is why you ditched me, I fully endorse that decision. I knew it as soon as I saw him!”
Understanding lit in Salomeh’s eyes as she looked at him. “So this is him?” she asked, and he could feel her pulling away, hastily rebuilding the walls she had been hiding behind when he first approached. The less callous part of his mind thought he should let her, but the self-serving part of him wanted to spend time with her, whether it was disingenuous or not.
“No, not ‘him,’ still Julian from the water tower,” he said in a cajoling tone as he moved closer to her, looking down into her eyes.
She returned his gaze, her eyes moving back and forth as if she was attempting to read him and wasn’t sure the story was worth her time.
He smiled and looked over at Marta. “Can you help me out here?” he asked.
“Well, you look very nice, despite the fact that you’re fully clothed now, but the important question is: are you funny?” Marta asked, her eyes narrowing a bit as she assessed him. “Salomeh here needs someone to make her laugh. And I don’t mean when he pulls down his pants.” She guffawed at her own joke, jovially elbowing a bearded guy who had sidled up next to her.
Julian wasn’t sure that Marta’s joke would necessarily fall into the category of helpful, but her belief that Salomeh might give him the opportunity to remove his pants probably meant she approved of him.
Salomeh cringed and whispered to her friend, “Are you okay? Do we need to go?”
“I’m fine,” Marta whispered back. “I’m just having fun acting like a weirdo until Daisy gets back up here and saves me from these hipster dudes. And I enjoy messing with you, of course.”
“Marta, I’m going to—”
“Thank me for inviting you to this party so you could meet the fine specimen of male you’re talking to? You’re welcome!”
Marta spun away from them then, slipping back into the drunken-ditz role that was keeping her entertained.
“Are we having fun, or do I have to take you in?” Julian asked in a low voice.
Salomeh seemed to steel herself before shaking her head in mock complaint. “I’m going to hurt that woman,” she muttered as she took Julian’s arm and maneuvered him a few yards away. Her hand was warm and soft, and she didn’t recoil when her fingers grazed against the ridged scars on his forearms. Julian felt an odd sense of gratefulness that she had chosen to continue talking to him, tinged with distress that she had chosen incorrectly. Was this how she had gotten mixed up with Bardhyn, a lack of instinct? It didn’t match up with how she seemed to be reading him, despite his subterfuge.
“She’s very straightforward.” Julian laughed quietly, pushing his thoughts away. He would figure out her connection to Bardhyn, and soon, but conjecture was pointless.
“Yes, that’s one way of putting it,” Salomeh said. “She was right, though. About me needing some fun in my life. But you’ve already accomplished that tonight, so your work is done.”
“That’s all girls ever want from me.” Julian sighed, shaking his head ruefully. “A drink, a laugh, and then I’m kicked to the curb.”
Salomeh giggled and looked up at him. “You’re very good at this. I should be paying you,” she said, a goofy grin illuminating her face.
He fought the urge to kiss her. That couldn’t happen. He would enjoy his time with her, but he was talking to her for a reason, and despite what certain organs were telling him, it wasn’t to get laid.
“The only payment I accept is information,” he said instead. “Answers to questions such as: what brought you here tonight? Although I’m sure it was the little blonde pixie who questioned my manhood.
“Hello, neighbor,” Marta said, a grin on her face as her gaze flitted back and forth between them. “If this is why you ditched me, I fully endorse that decision. I knew it as soon as I saw him!”
Understanding lit in Salomeh’s eyes as she looked at him. “So this is him?” she asked, and he could feel her pulling away, hastily rebuilding the walls she had been hiding behind when he first approached. The less callous part of his mind thought he should let her, but the self-serving part of him wanted to spend time with her, whether it was disingenuous or not.
“No, not ‘him,’ still Julian from the water tower,” he said in a cajoling tone as he moved closer to her, looking down into her eyes.
She returned his gaze, her eyes moving back and forth as if she was attempting to read him and wasn’t sure the story was worth her time.
He smiled and looked over at Marta. “Can you help me out here?” he asked.
“Well, you look very nice, despite the fact that you’re fully clothed now, but the important question is: are you funny?” Marta asked, her eyes narrowing a bit as she assessed him. “Salomeh here needs someone to make her laugh. And I don’t mean when he pulls down his pants.” She guffawed at her own joke, jovially elbowing a bearded guy who had sidled up next to her.
Julian wasn’t sure that Marta’s joke would necessarily fall into the category of helpful, but her belief that Salomeh might give him the opportunity to remove his pants probably meant she approved of him.
Salomeh cringed and whispered to her friend, “Are you okay? Do we need to go?”
“I’m fine,” Marta whispered back. “I’m just having fun acting like a weirdo until Daisy gets back up here and saves me from these hipster dudes. And I enjoy messing with you, of course.”
“Marta, I’m going to—”
“Thank me for inviting you to this party so you could meet the fine specimen of male you’re talking to? You’re welcome!”
Marta spun away from them then, slipping back into the drunken-ditz role that was keeping her entertained.
“Are we having fun, or do I have to take you in?” Julian asked in a low voice.
Salomeh seemed to steel herself before shaking her head in mock complaint. “I’m going to hurt that woman,” she muttered as she took Julian’s arm and maneuvered him a few yards away. Her hand was warm and soft, and she didn’t recoil when her fingers grazed against the ridged scars on his forearms. Julian felt an odd sense of gratefulness that she had chosen to continue talking to him, tinged with distress that she had chosen incorrectly. Was this how she had gotten mixed up with Bardhyn, a lack of instinct? It didn’t match up with how she seemed to be reading him, despite his subterfuge.
“She’s very straightforward.” Julian laughed quietly, pushing his thoughts away. He would figure out her connection to Bardhyn, and soon, but conjecture was pointless.
“Yes, that’s one way of putting it,” Salomeh said. “She was right, though. About me needing some fun in my life. But you’ve already accomplished that tonight, so your work is done.”
“That’s all girls ever want from me.” Julian sighed, shaking his head ruefully. “A drink, a laugh, and then I’m kicked to the curb.”
Salomeh giggled and looked up at him. “You’re very good at this. I should be paying you,” she said, a goofy grin illuminating her face.
He fought the urge to kiss her. That couldn’t happen. He would enjoy his time with her, but he was talking to her for a reason, and despite what certain organs were telling him, it wasn’t to get laid.
“The only payment I accept is information,” he said instead. “Answers to questions such as: what brought you here tonight? Although I’m sure it was the little blonde pixie who questioned my manhood.
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