Coming Home(40)

“You can sing?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Yeah.”

“Like, ‘sing in the shower’ sing, or you can actually sing?”

“I can actually sing.”

Leah closed her eyes. “Sing now.”

“Fuck that,” he said with a laugh.

“Please?”

“Not a chance.”

“Well, then how do I know you’re not bullshitting me?”

“I guess you’re just gonna have to trust me,” he said, and Leah exhaled heavily.

God, she really, really wanted to hear him sing.

But maybe it was for the best that he wouldn’t. Because if his speaking voice was any indication of what his singing voice would be like, it might very well be the thing that pushed her over the edge.

“My turn,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts. “What’s your biggest fear?”

“My biggest fear?” she asked, chewing on her lip.

“No, scratch that,” he said. “What’s your most embarrassing fear?”

Leah took a strand of her hair in between her fingers and began twirling it. “Okay, um…well, I personally don’t think this is anything to be embarrassed about, but I don’t like the dark.”

“You’re scared of the dark?” he asked, and she could tell he was smiling.

“I’m not scared of the dark. I just don’t like it. I don’t like not knowing what’s around me. It’s the same reason I don’t really like swimming in the ocean. You have no idea what’s lurking a foot below you. Totally freaks me out.”

“Oh. Well, that makes sense. I can understand that.”

“Really?”

“Sure,” he said, and after a beat, he spoke again through barely contained laughter. “So, do you sleep with a night-light then?”

Leah’s eyes immediately flew to the small plug-in night-light in the outlet on the far wall. “Such an *,” she mumbled, and he burst out laughing.

Okay then. Game on.

“Okay, my turn,” she said over his guffawing. “How many women have you slept with?”

His laughter morphed into a surprised coughing fit, and Leah smirked.

“Well, shit,” he said softly after he’d caught his breath.

“So?” Leah prodded. “How many?”

“Pass.”

“Oh come on!”

“Pass.”

“You know, you’re saying more by using your pass than if you actually answered the question.”

“I’m saying nothing,” he laughed. “You don’t know why I’m passing. How do you know I’m not a virgin? Maybe I don’t want to share that with you because I’m embarrassed.”

“Oh, you are so full of shit,” she said, and she heard him chuckle.

“That question is a death trap. If the number is too high, I’m sleazy. If it’s too low, then there’s something wrong with me. And since not everyone’s standards for what’s too high and too low are the same, and I have no idea what yours are, I’m going with pass.”

“Fine,” she pouted. “Your turn.”

“Well, since you brought out the big guns, how old were you when you lost your virginity?”

“Sixteen,” she answered. “There, see? I told you that, even though it might cause you to draw certain conclusions about me. And I mean, we already established that you’re a judger.”