Something in his ribcage plummeted at the sight of that smile. Too symmetrical, too perfect, too careful. It was a customer service smile. There had been a moment, the beginnings of what could have been a moment. He didn't know how he'd broken it, but he was sure that he had. She'd been hesitant, and instead of saying the right thing, he'd… been himself.
When he pulled away it was gently, carefully, trying not to make it obvious how much it had affected him to have her look at him that way.
Like a customer. Like someone it was her job to keep mollified.
"I. Uh." He wrung his hands, twisting them around the handle of his golf club. Even his deliberate attempt to lose was failing. Maybe he was being punished for his attempt to reverse-cheat. Punished by… the universe.
"Can you do that?" he asked with a frown. He realized too late that she was not describing some actual rule. "Oh! You – yes. That's. That seems fair." That did not actually seem fair. But he was willing to agree to anything she wanted, at that point. Especially when she was grinning at him, none of that horrible smile from before. Two hands on the railing and another on his putter, he used the fourth to fumble with his phone. He opened up the local app, the one he'd used to order his fries. Which still hadn't arrived, he noted.
There was a note beside his order apologizing for a kitchen delay. What was happening in the kitchen that would delay frying potatoes?
"I'll just. Put in an override." He tapped around the screen with his thumb, and in a moment a drone had gone to retrieve his ball, carefully navigating around the downed dragon. Nova's yellow golf ball lit up with a 3, and played the cheerful victory tone.
When he pulled away it was gently, carefully, trying not to make it obvious how much it had affected him to have her look at him that way.
Like a customer. Like someone it was her job to keep mollified.
"I. Uh." He wrung his hands, twisting them around the handle of his golf club. Even his deliberate attempt to lose was failing. Maybe he was being punished for his attempt to reverse-cheat. Punished by… the universe.
"Can you do that?" he asked with a frown. He realized too late that she was not describing some actual rule. "Oh! You – yes. That's. That seems fair." That did not actually seem fair. But he was willing to agree to anything she wanted, at that point. Especially when she was grinning at him, none of that horrible smile from before. Two hands on the railing and another on his putter, he used the fourth to fumble with his phone. He opened up the local app, the one he'd used to order his fries. Which still hadn't arrived, he noted.
There was a note beside his order apologizing for a kitchen delay. What was happening in the kitchen that would delay frying potatoes?
"I'll just. Put in an override." He tapped around the screen with his thumb, and in a moment a drone had gone to retrieve his ball, carefully navigating around the downed dragon. Nova's yellow golf ball lit up with a 3, and played the cheerful victory tone.
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