>>
|
d78cc1.jpg
Baby Braided Flitter
d78cc1
"hi," 73-6 says. "it's no sleeping tube, huh?"
"That it ain't." Sara doesn't know what to do with her hands, it looks like. "Not exactly cozy, but."
"well there's a couple sleeping bags." 73-6 kicks one lightly. "we can spread 'em out. on the, uh, floor."
"Slumber party!" Sara giggles. "You gonna braid my hair?"
"i've never actually, uh." 73-6 runs his hand along his scalp. "not exactly qualified."
Sara giggles again, uncertainly.
They've both run out of cutesy evasions. They stare at each other, each caught in the other's headlights.
73-6 clears his throat.
"sara my spaghetti is literally falling out all over the place. please say something before i explode."
"Oh my God," Sara says. "Mine too. Oh my God I was so much better at this when I was human. Ummmm."
She looks back for a place to sit but the other terminal thing is too far away. She keeps standing.
"So do you remember a few nights ago?" she asks, carefully. "When you were hacking me and stuff?"
"yeah."
"And I said I was going to say all those things but then 38-3 happened so I was too afraid to?"
73-6 swallows. "yeah."
"I really was," Sara says. "I hope you didn't think I was making an excuse. I really do, ummm. I really like you."
"really?"
"I do. I really really like you." Sara looks like she's about to melt into a pool of silicon. And you said you like me?"
"i did. uh i do."
"And you said 'maybe when we're under less scrutiny,'" Sara says. "And I got really scared and I didn't let you finish. I'm sorry."
"it's ok." 73-6 kind of wants to look away but can't.
"And now we are. Under less scrutiny now I mean. No more handlers or bureaus or regulations or stuff. And I know we said a lot of oh we shouldn't and maybe later and um but we danced around-- we never said, like, y'know--"
"what it was?"
"What it was. Right. That you-- I mean We-- what we wanted to do. So. Ummm." Sara bites her lip. "What now?"
|