The first time he wears that shirt, she wonders how anyone could look at it on the rack and say to themselves, "Heck yeah!" But of course Ben would have horrible fashion sense, to go along with his horrible personality. And he's all skinny and gawky; he looks like he should be working on a carnival midway instead of in a serious government position. …She's taking orders from a fucking cotton candy salesman.
The second time he wears that shirt, she's begun taking note of all his shirts; and most of them seem to have a theme: stripes that punch you in the face. But that shirt in particular - for some reason that shirt she starts watching for. She's amazed that the first time he wore it wasn't a horrible accident.
The third time he wears that shirt, she wonders if it's a deliberate attempt to distract her. And the ties he wears with it – is he secretly color-blind? Does he think that tie complements that shirt? He must be putting it on on purpose. She's dying to bring it up, but they have better things to argue about.
The fourth time he wears that shirt, they go out for pizza. The shirt at least kind of matches the décor….Red and green are opposites on the color wheel too. When he takes a bite too soon and grimaces from the heat, a drop of sauce lands on his tie; he doesn't notice, so she reaches over and dabs it with a napkin. Thank goodness it didn't get on that awesome shirt, she thinks but doesn't say. Even she can't tell if it's sarcastic any more.
The fifth time he wears that shirt, she has an incredibly difficult time paying attention to what he's saying. The orange lines on the shirt contrast with the blue so strikingly that she can't stop staring at the colors. Yes, the colors. She hasn't been finding herself picturing more and more what's under the covers. Colors.
The sixth time he wears that shirt, he's on top of her and she's fumbling to unbutton it. She's having a hard time, though, with the way he has her pressed into the mattress, mouthing her neck. He eventually sits up and takes it off himself, tossing it across the room and out of her thoughts.
The first time she wears that shirt, he's watching her sleep. There's such a contrast between the colors of the shirt and the blondeness of her hair that he sees it even after he closes his eyes.