Page 93 of Begin Again Again

“You should see your face when you play touch. You glare at anyone who tags you. You look like you’re about to slap them.”

“I do not!” Or at least she’d been trying not to…

Byron laughed even harder. “You’re a nightmare. You’re not telling me you’ve never heard this about yourself before?”

“No. My dad used to say I had zero poker face.”

“What does he say now?”

“Well, he doesn’t come to my games, but I’d imagine he still feels that way. As do all of my friends and most of the junior netball and touch rugby teams in Auckland.”

Byron grinned. “It’s not a bad thing. Some people are just like that. They wear it all on their sleeves.”

“But not you?”

He smiled and swam back in the water.

No, Byron left nothing on his sleeves. Except his embarrassment at going to the strippers, apparently.

“So, you don’t rate strip clubs?” Beth asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t mind them. What about you?”

“I admire women who can strip, like how athletic they are and how they can hustle and flirt while they’re putting up boundaries with customers. It sounds tricky. Liz said working at a brothel was easier than stripping.”

Byron nodded, absorbing the information.

“So… do you and Derek go to the strippers a lot?”

“Derek goes a bit. It’s not really my scene.”

Beth frowned. “You don’t have to talk shit to me.”

“I’m not. The drinks are expensive and if you’re not paying for dances, you feel like a tightarse.” He rolled his shoulders and Beth could see him sitting in a strip club, unable to calculate if he was being stingy or not. Laughter rose in her chest. “It’s okay to not like the strippers, Byron. As long as you’re not a dick.”

He gave her a look. “Do you think I would be?”

“No.” Then Beth reconsidered. “As long as you’re not one of those tools who thinks that because he’s young and decent-looking, he’s doing the strippers a favour.”

Byron flushed.

“Holy shit, you do!” Beth splashed him. “You think strippers should be grateful to strip for you!”

“I…” He titled his head to the side. “I mean,come on. Surely it’s better to strip for me and D than some old cunt?”

“You call him D?” Beth howled with laugher.

Byron’s ears and neck turned bright red. He rubbed his hair like that would somehow erase his last sentence. “That’s enough, Horoscopes.”

“Oh my god… you’re soembarrassing!”

Byron launched himself at her, picking her up and dashing her into the water. Cold rushed into Beth’s mouth and ears and she sputtered, kicking her legs.

“Shit.” Byron brought her back up. “Are you okay?”

Beth swiped her face, rubbing away water and stress tears.

“It’s better to—” she coughed. “It’s better…”

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