I got the appeal on his end. She commanded a certain confidence. Button-down shirts hugged her slender waist. She often rolled up her sleeves and unbuttoned her top enough to show off a sports bra or cami underneath, but it was never overly sexual. She let herself breathe. Therewas an androgynous edge to her beauty. Plus, she was rational. That in itself was a rarity.
He fiddled with Craft Cove on the laptops while he waited for her to wrap up with the customer.
He didn’t strike me as the type of guy who enjoyed casual gaming. Craft Cove was about resource farming, building up an island, and customizing cute avatars. Most guys his age from my robotics group were more about fighting games.
Once the businessman left with the nicer laptop and a frown, Ash sauntered up to Sal and struck up a conversation. It wasn’t particularly flirty. He gestured a lot when he talked, but she crossed her arms, more subdued. She rested her ass against the counter, and he eventually sat up on the one opposite her.
Couldn’t he tell she wasn’t interested in his current topic? I scrubbed harder. Maybe I should say something. But she was capable of handling him.
Her lip ticked up. She leaned closer and said something, her gaze slipping to me.
Sal turned, his eyes wide.
Ash smirked and shook her head.
Shit.I was probably staring again. Or glaring. I renewed my vigor with the foaming toothpaste, spreading it like a shield between us.
Those two were not my problem. This was. At least for the moment.
I wiped the toothpaste away from the edge. The scratches were fainter. Maybe one more round would fix it.
Ash walked out with Sal. “How’s it coming?” she asked me.
“Good. Better.” I nodded, willing my jaw to unclench.
“Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it.” She patted Sal’s shoulder. “Have fun with Janice.”
“Who’s Janice?” I asked.
Damn.Why did I ask?
Sal furrowed his brow. “My girlfriend.”
“Oh.” I frowned. His date tonight was with a girlfriend. That made their banter even more confusing.
Ash rolled her eyes at us as she made her way into True Tech.
“I thoughtyou twowere dating,” I said.
“Me and Ash?” He laughed. “No, she’s, uh…” He stroked his chin-scruff.
“What? Just someone you flirt with?”
He shook his head, still smiling. “No, we’re friends. She’s not really my type. And I’m definitely not hers.” His eyes lit up when he talked about her, though.
People were so weird. I huffed and pushed up my glasses. “Well, not that it’s any of my business, but it’s kind of inappropriate for you to talk to her like that if you’re in a monogamous relationship.”
“Like what?”
“You called each other hot stuff and…” I scrunched my nose. I’d rather eat this toothpaste than say ‘baby girl.’
“It’s a joke. No one would ever call her ‘baby girl’ in real life.” He gestured to her as she wrapped up some cables around her elbow, then to his faint reflection in the glass wall. “And I’m certainly not ‘hot stuff.’”
“Why not?” I asked.
He gave me an incredulous look.
I rolled my eyes, my heart whirring into overdrive. “I don’t mean youarehot stuff, I just mean wouldn’t your girlfriend hypothetically find you attractive enough to say you are?”
