Page 53 of Spring Awakening

“I’ll give you a fiver.”

“No you won’t,” he replies, though he stands up all the same. “Where’s your cup?”

By the time Zach has made the tea, given himself a pep talk to go and sit back down, and his tea is drinking temperature, he’s managed to say a total three words, none of which were the correct answer to the question on the show. He thinks about what he wants to talk to her about. Anything, probably. Maybe that he misses her during the day but he’s not sure if he’s supposed to. Maybe that he wants to know everything about her. Maybe that he thinks about her all the time.

As always, Mali beats him to it.

“So, don’t be mad, but we’re doing a team-building day at work.”

“Mali.”

She giggles. “You can’t be stern with my name. That’s just your voice, and my name doesn’t get any longer.”

“Maliariah.”

This time, she throws her head back and kicks him lightly on his thigh as she laughs. “Stop making me sound like a tropical disease.” She stops tapping her feet, but she remains touching him.

“What team-building?”

“I am so glad you asked,” she responds. “You know the photos I took a few weeks ago?” He nods. “Well, as predicted, everyone loved them because they’re dirty, dirty, dirty. So…”

“More objectification?” Zach jokes, though it might not come out as jokey as he hoped, because Mali’s face drops.

“Oh. Well, we don’t have to do that. I—didn’t you say you don’t mind? Did you feel forced into it? Either way, you can totally change your mind, obviously. We’ll do something else.”

“Mal.”

“So, don’t even worry about it. I think there’s a team—” Zach tugs on her foot, and if the motion brings her farther into his lap, she doesn’t call him out on it.

“I was joking.”

She narrows her eyes. “Can you tell your voice and your face that you’re joking?”

“Don’t think so.”

She smiles, then sits up, coming closer. As if he can deal with having her closer. She rests her elbow on top of the sofa cushion, her head in her hand.

“Are you joking because you’re actually joking, or because you feel uncomfortable telling me you don’t want to do it?”

“I don’t feel uncomfortable with you.”

Mali smiles. “Then why do you always sit in the kitchen? ’Cause you stopped coming to the office during the day, and what happens when I miss your grumpy face?”

She misses him.

“You said I wasn’t grumpy,” he whispers, digging his fingers into the soles of her feet.

“That was silly.”

Zach hums. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m everywhere. At your job, in your home, on your couch.”

“It’s sweet that you think I don’t want you everywhere.” Zach swallows, but before he can act on her words, her eyes widen. “I mean, like, in the house, and at work, not like—uhm…”

Zach laughs, and she screws her face up like she knows she’s the cutest thing alive.

“You have the hots for me so bad.”

“Oh my God,” she groans, pushing away from him. “You’re the worst.”

---