Maybe it's another case of me reading too much into it but Espresso surely isn't slick. Or at least not as much as he makes himself appear to be.
In the story parts that preceded this dialogue (cookie odyssey, council of heroes, day 5) it becomes very clear that when Espresso cannot stand someone, he'll avoid them; he avoided Madeleine for quite some time ("We've never met" story bond, story parts and even the beginning of "Couldn't care less and yet") before stopping leaving as soon as he arrived.
So this, this becomes all the more telling in my opinion.
Espresso explicitly asked for Madeleine's presence, although it seems very clear he never had the intent to request for his input for their work (or at the very least that's how it seems to me).
I know one could make the point that this was a shared task so Madeleine had to be there but he could have perfectly handed this on his own: as showcased in "We've never met", Espresso has no qualms to do work on his own, even shared quests, if he sees so fit to avoid waste of time.
So why did he request for Madeleine's presence, only to tell him to reply when he specifically requests an answer?
I cannot be convinced otherwise- he wanted Madeleine's company, nothing more.
And what does Madeleine do?
He stays. He complains but he stays.
And of course he does- Espresso is more muted in his shows of affections but the lack of more "extroverted" signs shouldn't be dismissed as lack of care or interest. One needs to be extra perceptive to notice, to read between the lines well. And who better than Madeleine? Although here he's still yet to grow more as a paladin and cookie, he's always been very perceptive.
He's annoyed because his input is being dismissed as something optional but he stays. (This also quite tells, if I may, that he's way less conceited than one would tell at first glance and even at this point of the story: had he been truly exclusively ego driven, he'd have gotten up and left but he knows he has his responsibilities and he wants to be next to Espresso).
It gets me so much. Because what else is Madeleine doing but just sitting there? Espresso is not beating the yearner allegations and I bet he's not even aware he likes Madeleine that much in that moment. It's never been one sided!!! And I bet Espresso is a bit bitter at times because he's frustrated that he actually likes Madeleine so much. How dare this paladin give him butterflies.
And so is having your paladin sitting pretty next to you, right, Espresso Yearner Cookie?
