“Well,” she said, cocking her head slightly, “you must’ve really liked my Tinder pics... or did you swipe right by mistake?” She clicked her tongue and gave a slow, deliberate roll of her hips against him, eyes glittering.

Evelyn's lips parted, ready with another deflection, but the words stalled on her tongue when she felt the weight of his hand against her arm. Damn him. He was too close, way too sure of himself, and it annoyed her in more ways than she could even admit. "It's not an excuse. I've already seen how those stories play out, and they don't end the way you think." She shook her head, trying to pull herself back behind the walls she'd built. "You should want someone who doesn't look at you and think about every way it could go wrong."

harlowe probably should have been more concerned about how quiet alessandro was. the other's silence barely registered to him. the quiet was actually a blessing. his selfish reaction was just something else to add to the list of reasons he was a terrible housemate. it could come right under calling alessandro in the middle of the night to pick him up. he didn't remember why he called him instead of an uber. maybe, the contacts icon was just easier to hit. "yeah, i remember that." he grumbled before shovelling bacon into his mouth. if he didn't insanely wasted he wouldn't be feeling like he had just been boarded thirty times in a row. slowly, it dawned on him why alessandro probably mentioned how drunk he was. his eyes went wide. "fuck i said some bullshit i can't recover from didn't i?" there was genuine concern in his voice. the last thing he needed was to fuck things up with alessandro. they had a pretty sweet living situation. he put down his knife and fork at alessandro's question. "i stopped counting after the fifth sour but i had three blue moons and three vodka orange juices before then and one of those tequila strawberry things that tastes like soap late on. so the official answer is a fuckton."

She glanced up at him through long lashes, her eyes bright with mischief as she tugged him closer toward the stand. "The perfect pumpkin is round, sturdy, and photogenic enough to win me bragging rights on Instagram," she teased, giving his hand a playful squeeze. "But if it happens to have a little quirk, that's even better. I like things with personality. Last year's looked like it was auditioning for a horror movie, but maybe this time I'll actually carve something cute instead of creepy." Simran slowed her steps when the smell of cider hit just a little stronger, her stomach practically growling. The stand's chalkboard menu was decorated with doodles of leaves and pumpkins, and just looking at it made her smile even bigger. "Yeah, that'd be perfect. You can surprise me."

"what's been your highlight of the on-boarding process? i won't be offended on hr's part if its this." getting drinks with the department at the boss' expense and there truly was no expense spared. he had sold it like a common occurrence; the lie going unchallenged by other members of staff who were all too happy to turn their attentions to the exorbitantly priced alcohol. "had to give it a month— you know, see if you'd signed up for the free alcohol to make a run for the hills. although, you still can."

"Right there.... Righ.... Right there..."

" oh, hi… sorry for being so blunt, but tell me—were you the one who thought it was clever to leave that bitter little remark about my service ? ''

“ i talk about myself enough when i'm not workin', but this isn't a date, mr. richards, ” marisol reminds him, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear out of habit. the weight of his gaze sends a shiver down her spine, making her feel more utterly exposed — and inexplicably alive — under his scrutiny. for a brief moment, she wonders what he sees when he looks at her, but then she swiftly buries that thought and focuses on the notes in front of her. “ the handcuffs must stay on, you know that, but perhaps i could get the guard to uncuff you from the table… would that help? ” while the guard will likely object, it is a minor risk she is willing to take to encourage his cooperation.