[Open] The Correct Change

I wondered if I'd hit a nerve, gone a little too far with my friendliness too soon, but the lilt of Valla's voice made me wonder otherwise. Sending her a curious smirk, I continued with the reason we were both there.

I stretched my arms out and got to work, opening the machine. I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on me but it wasn't a bad feeling. Rather, it made me smile to myself with the knowledge of being checked out, subtly glancing back over my shoulder to try and catch her and confirm it.

Picking up a basket, I passed it to Valla and started emptying the contents of the machine into it. I didn't mean anything by it, I said, looking into her eyes, But tell me.. what do civilized people talk about? I asked, pausing moving our laundry for a second and leaving my full attention on her, speaking through my playful smile.

Grabbing the basket I transported it over to where the dryers were up against the far wall and I began stuffing everything inside of it -- except for my bras. Those were going to air-dry. Things like... jobs and hobbies... favorite foods... favorite books... the weather...  I filtered through the laundry and pulled out my delicates and shoved the rest of it into the machine. After closing the lid and searching out some change from the bottom of my behemoth bag, I started it up and it set into motion.

I returned to Rupert's side and as he busied himself filling another washer, I hoped once more up onto the one next to him, dangling my legs like a child over the edge.  In an attempt to gauge his comfort level, I reached out and plucked from his sweater an errant piece of thread. The contact was meant to invite closer conversation. You already told me that you run. What else do you do for fun, Rupert? Do you have a girlfriend? A boyfriend? Are you into nature? You like going hiking?

The barrage of questions was playful as I made more effort to figure him out. It was a game and I was almost certain he'd counter my question with more questions. I was aware that the hem of my skirt was a bit high on my thighs for such an elevated seat. Maybe it would serve as a litmus test for his character. Would he peek? Would he touch? I was curious about what his next action would be. Once again I drew my lower lip over my tongue. The fidgeting was something I had always done, but men liked to look at my mouth so it was sort-of dual-purposed; besides, it was all harmless.  I was just having fun.

I scooped the laundry from the basket into the machine, my gaze only averting when I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I watched carefully, eagle-eyed as Valla picked something off of it - just in case it was a thread that would end up unraveling my sweater - and then inspected the area after, brushing my sweater down when it was obvious my thoughts hadn't been the case. It was only then that I could smile at the strangely intimate gesture Valla had performed, after her tirade about civilized people as well. I smiled at her crookedly, trying to work out what angle she was playing from. It had definitely started to feel like what we were doing was some sort of game.

Jobs and the weather? You didn't strike me the type to want to talk about that. I smirked, raising an eyebrow, And no, no girlfriend.. or boyfriend. I grinned at that thought, shaking my head, as I replied and finished transferring the last of the laundry pile into the machine, Nature's good enough.. if there's wifi signal for at least some of it. And yeah, I like to run, hike, bike up the trails sometimes, that sorta' thing. Gaming... I dusted my hands off lightly and closed the door of the washer, slotting in some change and then selecting the cycle. I turned to face Valla, leaning my hip on the side of the machine and folding my arms. Her skirt was dangerously short with her sat at that height and my gaze brushed over her thighs as I looked up to her. What about you? What do you do for fun, Valla? Do you have a girlfriend, boyfriend? What do you enjoy doing besides getting high? I copied her phrase right back to her, watching as her tongue darted out over her lips. I could think of a few things she might like doing for fun from the way she was acting, but they weren't things I was going to voice, especially not when she wanted to keep things 'civilized'.

Rupert’s reply was just as I imagined it would be. I feigned a bit of a shrug and offered my best grin as my head tilted on his axis a little to give some sort of coy glance at him. No boyfriend, no girlfriend. I don’t usually get that close to people… not because I don’t want to… but because I never stick around to find out what could be. I’m a terrible flirt, though… if you hadn’t noticed. It might make me a bit of a heartbreaker. Watch out.  I gave my brows a little bit of a double-bump to emphasize my jest and after speaking, my grin grew even more. Flirtations like this were my favorite kind. I barely knew this guy and if history was any indicator, I probably wouldn’t ever get to know him. At this point, I had no goals, but I began to wonder if he did.

I asked if you liked the outdoors because this place has so much of it. I was wondering if you… would be interested in going out on a hike with me? I mean, I don’t know anyone else in town and I could use the exercise. We could pack lunches…  get a little sweaty…  you want to? I was careful to meet his eyes when I asked.

I knew now he was going to thinking about me exercising, about my body and then about getting sweaty. Fuck, I couldn’t get over how much fun this was.  It was bizarre to me how two strangers who hadn’t even known each other for an hour could have such potent chemistry. It was funny to think it was all because of Rupert’s generosity and my lack of change. Serendipity was in full-effect, I could feel it.

I let out a short laugh, eyes shining as I smiled at Valla, shaking my head slightly at what she'd said and laughing to myself, but not bothering to explain. I wasn't worried about her being a self-confessed heart-breaker at all, apart from that she might turn out to be a crazy person - because it was also a phrase people had used to describe me. While I wouldn't use it as a word myself because I never intentionally did it, it was hard to escape the irony. So... this is what civilized people talk about? I took a figurative step back from the intensity of the conversation, changing the direction, and raised one eyebrow at Valla. My lips twisted into a tight-lipped smirk, If I'd known I'd have changed the subject sooner.

Looking at Valla, I didn't figure she'd be a good hiker. Her confession she could do with the exercise wasn't faith-inspiring either. Perhaps she thought it sounded intriguing or attractive, and while I couldn't deny that the idea of a potentially exhibitionist fling sounded tantalizing, the actual reality of women working out didn't tend to be. I wasn't exactly a fan of heavily caked makeup or over the top dressing, but a grimey, workout-induced sweat didn't tent on be attractive on many people. There obviously were women and probably men too who looked attractive despite everything, but fewer women were included in that than they seemed to think. I'd seen some horrors down the gym before, and that was the gym. The fresh outdoors wasn't air-conditioned, didn't provide showers and the weather could be anything from sudden rain, to cold, to humid, and sweating in hiking clothes due to a poor workout regime wasn't fun or attractive. It was probably obvious that I took most forms of exercise seriously.


But Valla was intriguing, and for all I knew at that moment she could surprise me more. Not to mention it didn't seem to be the hiking exercise that Valla was interested in. The thought that she was an exhibitionist, someone a little wild and open to experimentation was what pulled me into accepting even despite my sport snobbery - getting to discover whether her flirting was just flirting, or if she'd live up to her teasing challenges.

So I nodded, even if I didn't keep the amused smile from my face. Sure, that sounds like fun. If you think you're up to it. I kept eye contact just like she'd done, my gaze smoldering with a mixture of humor and attraction and the conversation so obviously layered with different meanings.