I shift awkwardly, readjusting my robe. “Ummm, you know that side project I told you about ages ago? You probably don’t remember...” I trail off.
“Ever After.” He says it matter-of-factly, as if we’d discussed my idea a day ago instead of nine months ago.
“Yeah.” I try to subdue a smile but fail. “I’m reworking it from a Fate feature to a fully fledged app. Yemi created a beta for me.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, something in his expression softening. “I thought Susie said no to it?”
“She did...” I agree, looking down at the rug.
“But you can’t help yourself,” he finishes for me.
I scoff a laugh and tilt my head, unable to think of a witty reply.
He leans forward. “You should keep going—it’s a great idea.”
My chest warms more than I want it to. “You think?”
“I did back then, didn’t I?” His eyebrows raise.
“I’ve added some more features since then, like the monthly check-in date prompts.” I shrug in an attempt at nonchalance. “It was kind of inspired by the reporting we’ve been doing.” It feels strange talking about this with him, crowbarring open a door we’d both boarded up months ago. “But Susie will probably just reject it again anyway.”
“My advice, not that you asked for it, is don’t waste a good idea on someone who doesn’t want to hear it.” He leans back, placing one leg over the other. “When I’m Marketing Lead at Ditto you can pitch it to me instead.” He smirks as I roll my eyes.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, punctuated by the sounds of my chomps and the clicking of his keyboard.
“Do you have to do that?” he asks.
“What?” I ask back.
His lip curls in disgust. “Chew so loudly. You sound like a velociraptor.”
I put my hand over my mouth, finishing my bite.
“Sorry, you’re probably not used to being around women who actually eat food, right?” I tease.
“Yeah, we usually just split a vitamin IV bag,” he says, running a hand through his sandy hair.
It has more of a curl than usual owing to the rain, which, combined with his undone shirt collar and rolled-up sleeves, gives him a casual, laid-back look I don’t think I’ve seen before. He looks up from his laptop screen, catching me staring.
I clear my throat and look down at my fries. “Is that what you’re going to do on your Fate date then?” I swirl a fry around in sauce.
“No... I was thinking dinner and a movie then heading over to the nearest town hall to sign the marriage license. That’s a usual Fate date, right?”
“Har-har,” I say bitterly, mouth full and trying to figure out how it’s even possible to not chew loudly. Ithrow a fry at his face; it bounces off his forehead and lands in his lap.
He snatches it up and tears it in half with his teeth. “What about your Ignite date?”
My shoulders roll as I adjust my posture. “I’m actually going on a date tomorrow morning—a breakfast date.”
Bancroft shifts, left hand pressing wide against the sofa. “Oh?” He finally looks up from his laptop and the sofa creaks as he shifts again. Vein-like creases appear in the leather as he tries to relax. The setting sun coats his side of the room in a warm pink glow.
“Yeah, he’s taking me to this historic pancake coffee house place before work.” My Bancroft emotional index scans his face for a reaction.
Why do you even care what he thinks?
“Breakfast. Veeery seeexy.” His monotone voice draws out the words, eyes flaring wide for emphasis.
My smile drops. “I’m really looking forward to it. He says I’m going to love it,” I say, eyes squinting, scanner zooming in closer to record every minute movement of his face. His eyes are laser-focused on a point on the table.
