ONE
CROIS
He stretchedout his legs under the table at Peggy's Ann's Diner and stared at his half-empty basket of fries.
He heard a soft sigh from the other side of the table.
"What?"
He looked up to see his partner's almost-blank stare.
Crois realized that she was waiting for an answer and Pilar wasn't about to give it.
"What's up with you, Bravo?" He smiled at her and that cracked the stoic look on her face.
"I'm trying to figure you out." The skin between her brows creased. "You're staring at your plate like it owes you money."
Crois looked down at the basket and felt his lips flatten into a thin line.
"Yeah, well... I ordered the healthy option for fish 'n chips and it's... disappointing." He lifted one of the steamed carrot sticks that had been added to his plate along with the green beans. "There's no butter on these."
Pilar's shoulders shook. "Well, you ordered healthy and I don't think a bunch of butter would fit into that... category."
He sighed, letting his breath out from his nose. "I hate it when I'm complaining and you... you go ahead and make sense."
Pilar shrugged and picked up one of her fries. She dragged it through the ketchup and pepper on her plate and folded it into her mouth. "I don't really sugar coat. Sorry."
He shrugged. "I wouldn't have you any other way, partner. Except," he leaned closer to the table, "I just wish I could win a few times."
Pilar smiled at him. "Win? It's not a competition, Crois. Think of it as if... we're a winning combination."
Crois leaned on the table and reached across, picking up one of her fries and before she could stop him, he popped it in his mouth.
The moment he did, he smiled and chewed happily. He was trying to cut back on his carbs, but he couldn't pass up on a chance to eat one of Peggy's kick ass fries. It was still hot.
Pilar's expression looked like she was sizing him up for a hole six feet under. "I can't believe you!"
He smiled back at her. "Your fries in my mouth? That's a winning combination!"
"You know you wanted fries. Why didn't you just order them?"
"You know I'm trying to cut back on carbs for the fight coming up."
Pilar raised one eyebrow at him as she moved her fries closer to her. From his vantage point it looked like it might just fall off of the table and into her lap. "Then don't steal my fries!" She put her arm on the table like a wall between him and her fries.
"You know that's not really going to stop me if I want more, right?"
He was barely holding back a chuckle.
"Then go ahead and try, Crois." Pilar tipped her chin down and looked up at him through her dark lashes. "You might be able to grab one or two..."
There was something about the look in her eyes that killed the laughter that had been about to escape his lips.
"...but you might lose the fingers holding them."
Crois felt the color drain from his face.
He'd had his share of disagreements with Pilar since they'd started to work together, but nothing that serious.
