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“Bring your water,” he grunts, coming back.
“Excuse me?”
Draven frowns down at me, as if he’s trying to figure out the best way to do whatever is running through his head.
“Hold on.” He lifts me up and I have to grab onto his neck as he hoists me onto his back. “That’s the most respectful way I can take you with me.”
Draven picks up my water and wades out into the deeper end, where there are rocks and a pretty waterfall. He sets me down on a ledge with my water bottle before swimming out to begin to tread water. As I watch him, I realize he just needs to move.
“Ciaran is going to need to tell you about what happened in college,” he finally says softly. “Of the three of us, he’s changed the most. None of us chase after fame anymore, and we are definitely not ashamed to be seen with you.
“I don’t think you understand how beautiful you are. It’s almost like you glow. How long have you been dating Arran?”
“Since May or so.”
“How… He didn’t ask you out before that?”
“I’m off putting,” I snort. “I’m polite, but not overly friendly to men. My track record with them is terrible. I am a single mother by choice and I’m busy.”
“Busy how?” he asks. “What does a day in the life of Noor look like?”
“It’s silly when you say it like that.” I curl up in the underwater bench, wondering what my life looks like to an outsider. I’m wearing a bikini top and my bottoms have a skirt attached to it to hide my thighs. It’s how I prefer to wear my bathing suits.
“The inflection is not how you perceive it,” Draven drawls. “I get up, go for a run with Alastair and Ci, hit the weight room at our home, and then shower before practice and training. I have a nap built into my day that’s enforced by my coach or I’ll be fined if it’s a game day. Do you really think I have any room to tease you about how you choose to spend your days?”
“I nap,” I admit, shrugging. “My body makes me before I pick up Zayn from school. I lay down after working for a few hours, and then walk to the school.”
“I noticed a lot of people walk in your neighborhood,” he murmurs.
“I can drive.”
“I didn’t say a word,” he says, his lips twitching. “What do you do for work?”
“I paint. I sell my artwork through a few private channels,” I explain.
“There are words flowing, and yet I still know nothing. What is your favorite thing about living here?”
“I can always find something to do. The zoo always has some type of event for kids, or one of the parks will, especially during holidays. Zayn and I are able to stay busy, enjoy culture or music, or we can stay close to home and find something there. Our rec center saved me when I first had him. I found mommy and me activities to get out of the house, and a community. I’m sure you saw the eyes that followed you while you were there.”
“Oh yeah,” Draven snorts. “I’m surprised they’re not snotty. A tattoo shop feels out of place there.”
“I never thought so when he opened,” I shrugged.
“You aren’t judgey.”
“I mean, true. I got my ears pierced there. That’s when Arran started popping up everywhere I went, or that’s how it felt.”
“A stalker. Sexy. I mean, that’s a red flag, babe.”
I can’t help the tickling laugh as I shake my head. Draven goes under the water before he comes up sputtering.
“A laugh. Damn. I almost drowned, but I'd go happily.”
“Too soon,” I say, rolling my eyes. His lips still curl into a sexy smile that I ignore.
“You are memorable,” he says slowly. “Your beauty, the way you skate, the way you carry yourself. Your son will always know your determination. Trust me on that, as the son of a single mother.”
“Can I ask what happened to your dad?” I ask, waiting for him to shoot me down.
