The Fling

6

Shawn peeked at my sticker and I looked at the one stuck to the expensive-looking black button down shirt he was wearing. Whoever assigned his must have chosen it intentionally to be funny.

"I already figured out I'm a male under thirty-five years old and that I'm famous," he said.

"All I know is that I'm a fictional bad guy and that I may or may not be dead."

He frowned. "You're definitely dead. It's a pretty big deal in the universe you're in."

"Am I Thanos?" I asked excitedly. I'd recently watched all the Marvel movies with my children.

"Nope, but that's a good guess. Does my person have a special talent?"

I shrugged. "Talent is in the eye of the beholder. Some people would say yes; others would argue no." I'd never been a fan of Bieber's music since Lizzie wasn't into him and most of the pop I listened to was through her. My musical tastes leaned more towards 2000's alternative like Linkin Park and The Killers.

"Fuck! They didn't give me myself, did they?" he said with humorous self-deprecation.

"No! But that would have been hilarious. And if that was the case, I would have said you're talented."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Abigail. Are you a fan?"

"I've been to two of your concerts, so I guess I sort of am."

"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming!" He laughed loudly, the sound bouncing off the tiled walls.

"I'm more of a fan now that I know about your secret talents."

His eyes grew dark. "Is that so?"

"Mmhm. You're very talented at certain...things." When I was younger, I'd been bold and flirty, and I liked that this side of me was resurfacing.

He took two steps toward me. "I'm pretty sure that's because I was with someone with exceptional talents of her own."

"Thanks. It's nice to hear that." I knew he'd enjoyed that blowjob!

Leaning in, he whispered in my ear, "Baby, that was the best sex I've had in...Jesus, I don't even know how long."

"Do you hook up with strangers a lot?" It didn't matter, but I was curious.

"For someone in my profession? Definitely not."

"Yet you brought condoms with you on a wellness retreat."

He threw his head back and laughed again. "You're making assumptions based on the fact that I'm safe?"

"You can't deny how it looks, but I'm not judging at all."

"It just so happens that I always have them in my suitcase. I did not put them in there before coming here."

"I respect your preparedness. Were you a Boy Scout or whatever the Canadian equivalent is?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds, but when he did, he traced a finger up my bare arm. "I was not. Who did you dress up for tonight? You look amazing."

"Myself. I'm trying to make more of an effort these days."

"I love that answer, but I'd be lying if I wasn't hoping you'd say you wanted to look extra pretty for me."

Was the heat turned up in the bathroom? Because I was feeling a bit toasty. "Even if it was for me, I'm glad you noticed."

"Wanna skip this game and leave? It's killing me not to have my phone, so I'm ready to bounce."