I nodded. By the pool with Shalina wasn’t a plan. It was a place we kept going back to, because some conversations don’t need words—only still water and someone willing to sit beside you in the quiet. If you meant something else—such as a scene for a story, a personal reflection, or a prompt for a different genre—please clarify, and I’d be glad to help further.
Later, as the sun dipped and the pool lights flickered on, she tossed me a towel. “Same time tomorrow?”
By the Pool with Shalina
She smiled, small and knowing. That was Shalina—always letting silence do the heavy lifting.