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It turns out being lunch that Skylar drags your sorry a** to, and you honestly have the feeling it wasn't the ridiculously loud growling your stomach had made. You thought she wanted to mooch off of you until she insists on paying the bill.

“It’s your first time being here,” She presses,” “I should be the one to pay if you – if you don’t like the food!”

Your pride takes a blow at being paid for like a girl on a date, but hell, you can't argue with that logic. You're had to move from the big leagues to some two-bit town, it isn’t like you have the money for some stupid overpriced indie café. This s**t was for hipster girls with money to burn, not starving photographers.

Skylar clears her throat awkwardly as you poke at your Panini suspiciously. Indie cafes are usually an overpriced hit or miss. “Soo, um…actually, I recently heard that you’ll be working between departments for everybody?”

Your eyes snap up, eyebrows quirking up just slightly above heavy lidded tired eyes. “That’s right. Though it’s apparently temporary until one of the departments graciously decide they want my sorry a**.”

The self deprecation makes Skylar’s shoulders relax, and an almost confident look enters the girl’s eyes as she sets her fork down next to her half finished pasta. No, wait. That’s not confidence, you lazily think. That’s determination.

“Actually,” Skylar admits, “I wanted you to join our department.”

Ah. So that’s why she had spurted out that ridiculous statement before asking you to eat lunch with her – to soften you up. You admit to yourself that the act she put up was impressive; a small part of you had been hoping that she was serious, had been genuinely flattered.

“Sorry to say,” You begin, not reacting as Skylar’s surprisingly calloused hands grasp your own gently and she stares into your eyes, (you wonder if this is her second method, charming you into submission,) “But I’m no good at taking pictures of nature, so I can’t rightfully join the Botany section. I’d be of no use.”

You watch as Skylar’s face goes from hopefully determined, to downfallen, to just downright confused. She lets go of your hands, and you take the opportunity to grab a quick bite of your Panini so you have something to do. All of a sudden you feel like a clumsy teenager, and you wonder about the last time you socialized with someone new. The phone in your pocket feels like a heavy rock.

“I’m…I’m not in the Botany section!” Skylar exclaims. You pause your chewing to stare at her. The Panini in your mouth is ******** amazing.

“Oh,” You say. “This…this Panini is surprisingly good.” You add in after, the lack of words on your tongue making your brain hastily spill itself out instead. You feel yourself cringe at your own awkwardness, and it’s almost enough for you to miss the new expression that’s melted on Skylar’s face. You feel yourself relax a bit at the sight of it, though it takes you a moment to consciously peg it.

She is doing nothing short of absolutely beaming at you.