Upside Down(34)

“Who?”

“Mrs Petrovski. She’s one of the Soup Crew. Nice lady. She was very impressed that you stood up and came down the bus to talk to me. She said it was, and I quote, ‘very Love Actually.’ She hasn’t been this excited since Scott and Charlene’s wedding in Neighbours.”

“Wow. That’s some pressure.”

“Well, not for you. Apparently your questions are great. Mine was okay today, by their standards, but they don’t rate Angus’ much. I don’t have the heart to tell him.”

I snorted. “I liked it. You can tell him I thought it was great.”

“He’ll like that, thanks.”

“I was just about to go for a run,” I said.

“A run? Like walking, but faster?”

I laughed. “Yep.”

“Oh, the audiobook recommendations,” he said. “Do you run to music or books?”

“Usually music, only something for background noise. I like to savour books.”

“Like Flowers for Algernon?”

“Yes.” I sighed. “Will you ever let me live that down? I should have known better than to listen to that chapter in public.”

“Live it down?” he scoffed. “Absolutely not. It will live forever in infamy as number one on the list.”

“On the list of what?”

“On the list of things that make you some kind of wonderful.”

My heart did that banging thing in my chest again.

“So, did you want audiobook recommendations or music? To be quite frank, I don’t think I’m qualified to give recommendations on music. Especially music to run to. If it were me, the theme song to Jaws would get me going. Or the intro music to The Walking Dead. I’d run like Forrest freaking Gump then.”

“Not a fan?”

“Of Jaws or The Walking Dead? Or of running?”

“Pick one.”

“All three, really.”

I laughed again. “Okay, I’ll pick my own music. What are your expert recommendations for audiobooks?”

“Well, given the titles you’ve already chosen, I have a few. If you want classic, you could do The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. Or if you want something more contemporary, a little dark but riveting, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.”

“Completely fine? That’s hardly a glowing review.”

He snorted. “That’s the name of the book. It’s quite compelling, but it isn’t for everyone. I’d suggest skimming some reviews for some trigger issues.” Then he paused. “Do you? Have trigger issues? Because I could recommend a whole catalogue of lighter-themed books; there are thousands. I probably should have asked that before—”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t have any triggers. I’m not into erotica. I don’t knock it at all, it’s just not my thing.” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “You know why.”

“For asexual reasons.”

That made me smile. “Yeah.” Then I sighed. “Okay, so if you were to download an audiobook right now, which one would you choose?”

“Oh, probably The Odyssey or Atlas Shrugged. Maybe even some Dickens or Hemingway.”

“You really love it, don’t you?”

“I do. Though for a rainy weekend, I’d probably prefer to savour one of my favourites in book form on the couch. So for a commute or the like, I’d probably choose something from the bestsellers list or the editor’s choice. Something sci-fi or historical.”

I smiled at how passionate he was about his industry, and just imagining him curled up on a couch with a book made my chest all tight. “Sounds perfect.”

“I better let you go,” he said. “For your run.”

“Yeah, I probably should, before it gets too dark and cold. But I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s question. Yours this time, not Angus’. Not that I don’t think they’re good questions, I’d just rather hear your mind in action.”

He was quiet a moment, then spoke softly. “I’m looking forward to it too.”

“And I’m glad you called.”

There was a brief pause, like neither of us wanted to say goodbye or for this conversation to end. “Tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow.”





Friday was crazy-busy at work. One of my biggest clients was gearing up for an interface change on their website, which meant hours of examining computer coding and scanning target networks and systems with both commercial and custom vulnerability scanners, amongst hours of simplifying reports for board directors and ensuring their IT department was up to speed. The fact that the client was my ex didn’t help any.

It had been months of intricate planning and hard work, and thankfully, we were pretty much down to the final touches. But I had been so busy, I barely realised what time it was until Rachel knocked on my door and tapped her watch.

Shit. I was going to miss the bus!

I shut down my system, grabbed up my laptop, shoving it in my bag as I ran for the elevator. “Good luck!” Michael called out after me. I ran for the bus, smiling as I stepped aboard with only seconds to spare. I made my way up to the back of the bus where seats were spare, and I slid into one and put my bag beside me, keeping it for Jordan. It was then I noticed a few people watching me, smiling. I smiled right back, politely nodding in their direction, wondering if they were the soup crowd, but pretty sure they were.