Blue barely glanced at me. He remained stretched out on a lounge chair, scrolling through something on his tablet, lost in work emails or stock numbers. He didn’t care, which was fine. I wasn’t dancing for him.
Shifting my weight, I started slow, easing into the movement. A powerful inhale, a steady exhale, then I let my body take over. My shoulders rolled first, arms following in a loose, easy wave. I stepped forward, then back, feeling out the beat, just getting into it. No pressure, no overthinking. Just motion.
My body picked up the pace, a sharp pop of my chest, a flick of my wrist, a pause, then a side glide, feet barely skimming the deck. I wasn’t aiming for perfection. Hell, I wasn’t even aiming to look good. This was just about letting go, about getting out of my head for a while.
All the crap that weighed me down, the pressure from my father, the nagging voice in my head, I shoved it aside, let it burn off with the movement. A quick twist, a spin, then I dropped into a knee slide, chest rising and falling before pushing back up into a freeze. Balancing on one hand, legs kicked out, then landing smooth.
Sweat was already sticking my hair to my forehead, but I barely noticed. My fingers flicked, locking and releasing, my body pulsing to a beat. My breath stayed steady, but my heart pounded, my whole body awake in a way it never was when I was trapped in my own head.
A sharp spin, a back roll, palms hitting the floor, flipping up onto my feet again. Time passed as I danced. My muscles burned, but it was a good burn. A clean, satisfying kind of ache. The world blurred for a second in the rush, then settled again as I slowed down, easing into smaller movements, winding down.
Finally, I stopped, chest rising and falling, eyes closed for a few extra beats. I wiped my forehead and glanced over at Blue.
Still nothing. Not even a pause in his scrolling. Just a brief flick of his gaze, then back to his screen.
No applause, no reaction, no validation. Good. It didn’t matter.
I let out a quiet laugh, feeling at peace, free. And for now, that was enough.
Right next to the pool was the rain showerhead sticking out from the wall, with a modern, square design that blended perfectly with the place’s vibe. I stuck my head under the water for a second, then shook it off like a wet dog.
When I got back to Blue and collapsed onto my lounge chair, he grimaced.
"For fuck’s sake, you're all wet and sweaty. Gross!" His face twisted in disgust.
I leaned in his direction, stretching my arms out with an exaggerated grin. Blue hated anything that might spread germs onto his skin.
"How about a family hug between nephew and uncle? I’m only a little sticky. It’s no big deal, right?"
Blue rolled his eyes and tapped his forehead. He didn’t touch anyone—no handshakes, no cheek kisses at family gatherings.
Shrugging, I laughed and just got more comfortable in my chair. I was about to go back to my gloomy brooding, but then I noticed Blue watching me with this strange inquisitiveness.
He always had this uncanny ability to read my mood. His sharp gaze flicked over me before, unfortunately, he brought up the one topic I would rather not hear.
"So, about that job of yours? You graduated two and a half months ago. Summer’s over. September’s in full swing. Time to start thinking about your career."
A painful groan escaped my lungs. "Are you some evil mad scientist who invented a mind-reading machine?"
Blue snorted.
"I am regarded as an evil scientist, so that part is true. But it's really not some huge achievement to guess what you're thinking. You're always lost in those dark thoughts of yours. I swear, I've never met a gloomier guy than you."
"Gee, I could say the same about you. You’re always sour, like you woke up chewing lemons."
Blue just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I don’t have time to sit around brooding about the ‘tragedy’ of my life," he said dryly. "The Japanese government is launching the Beta Activation Program too. They asked for my input, so I’m putting together a report with a summary and a list of our findings so far."
I gaped, then frowned. "The fuck?! You should back out! That’s a mess! Getting even more involved in a program that controversial could get you killed."
My uncle had been a senior advisor for the government’s Beta Activation Program for some time now, and it had brought him nothing but trouble, assassination attempts had doubled, including the most recent one just a few days ago, when a bomb nearly killed him.
Blue let out a bitter laugh. "You sound like a coward. And cowards never achieve anything in life!"
Mouth still slightly open, I just stared at him. That was Blue in a nutshell. Blunt as hell and always ready to throw in an insult whenever he felt like it. That was also why he was so isolated in the family, at least socially. No one liked hearing harsh truths, and Blue never sugarcoated anything.
"For fuck’s sake, I said that because I care about you, and you just had to turn everything into a jab."
Blue rolled his eyes.
