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He saw her smile and couldn’t help but return the gesture.

With her, it was easy.

“Somewhere in the low two hundred.”

Her eyes widened at his answer. “I don’t think I got over a hundred points,” she shook her head. “Then again, I never liked the feeling of the shoes. They were really… stiff.”

“Stiff?”

Mari’s friend stopped at her side and looked at him with a raised brow. “What are you two talking about?”

“Be nice.” Mari reached over to poke at her friend with a finger. “I was talking about the shoes we used to rent when we were kids.”

Her friend cringed at the memory. “They were kind of creepy. And yes, stiff.” She turned her head to look at him. “Do you have any issues with things getting stiff?”

“Oh my god! Reiko.”

Mari shot out of her chair and grabbed her friend’s arm.

“Don’t be rude.”

Buck was on his feet nearly at the same time. “I don’t have any issues.”

Mari was left holding air when her friend whipped around and walked back over, her hand out to him.

“I’m Reiko.”

“Heath. Heath Derringer.”

They shook hands and Kawehi stepped behind the counter to set menus down in front of them.

“The team calls him Buck.”

“What?” Reiko’s head swung around to look at Kawehi. “Say that again?”

Kawehi started laughing. “Don’t act like you didn’t hear me, Rei.”

Reiko put her hand to her chest and batted her eyelashes. “Wehi. You know this is a bowling alley, right? The noise in here can be crazy.”

Buck had to agree.

“But,” she leaned in a little, her grin broad, “you have to admit it is very, very close to FU-”

Mari clapped her hand over her friend’s mouth and shoved a menu in Reiko’s hands. “Here. Take this. Pick some food to order so you can keep your mouth busy.”

Reiko took the menu in her hands and turned to face her friend.

“Are you going to order or are you,” Reiko looked back at him, her gaze quickly moving from his face to below his belt, “going to keep busy with something else.”

“OH MY…”

Reiko pulled her closer. “Sorry. Sorry. This is what happens when I have to deal with that asssshole at work and this is why you had to drive.”

Mari looked at him. “I think you need some food.”

Reiko leaned in and gave Mari a big, probably bone crushing hug.

They were locked in an embrace for a few moments, and he saw the changing expression on Mari’s face that ended in a blushing smile before Reiko stepped back. “I’m going to go and sit closer to the action, cuz. You sit here with,” she leaned back in to speak, but Buck could hear her enunciated words clearly, “stiff fuck.”