"You can't be serious about this."
"Why would you think I'm joking?" Birkhoff retorts, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Because I didn't actually do anything wrong," Alex says evenly. She uncrosses her arm and climbs onto his bed, sitting Indian style.
"He asked you out, Lex."
"You're acting like I said yes."
"Well you didn't say no, either." Birkhoff crosses his arm and glares at her.
Well, he's got a point there. "Why is this such a big deal? Guys hit on me all the time." If she thought that would do the situation any good, she was wrong. Birkhoff lets out a heavy sigh and begins rocking back and forth in the office chair.
"I know that. But none of those assholes actually have a chance at that," he says, gesturing to her crotch.
"And you think Sean does?" The brunette shoots him a pointed look, an indication to stay of the topic of that region of her body.
"Look, all I'm saying is, he wouldn't have asked you out if he didn't think he had a shot. And if he thought he had a shot, it's because somebody gave him the wrong idea." Birkhoff almost looks proud of himself.
"So basically, you're saying I've been whoring it up for him behind your back," Alex deadpans, raising an eyebrow.
"I never planned on using the word 'whore.'"
She rolls her eyes, ready to put an end to this entire conversation. "I'm not going out with Sean, okay? Not now, not ever."
"Does boy scout know that?"
"You know, there is a difference between a boy scout and a Navy SEAL."
"Why should I care what that is?"
"Because. Navy SEALs do everything big," Alex smirks, pulling her knees to her chest. Clearly, Birkhoff was not amused.
"Okay, I'm going to leave now," He stands from the chair and snatches up the laptop he was working on. He's made it halfway to the door when Alex catches him, dragging him back to the bed.
"Stop acting like this. I was just joking."
"I know that."
"Then why aren't you smiling?" Alex runs a finger along his jawline, enjoying the scratchy sensations from his beard beneath her fingertips.
He looks her square in the eyes, not a hint of a smile, or happiness anywhere. "I'm just not in the mood for joking."
"Well, are you in the mood for me?" she asks playfully. She grabs him by the collar of his T-shirt and leans in for a kiss. Birkhoff swats her hand away and stands up.
"Nope. Not really." Alex wilts a little at the rejection. It's not every day Birkhoff turns down sex. And if he happens to, then it has to be for a serious reason.
"Wait. No, stop." She pulls him back again, this time holding him in place. "Why do you hate me all of a sudden?"
"I have some work to do downstairs. Update some of the security features, scrub footage from street cams, make sure no one's googling our names on the internet and fix a few of the kinks in Shadownet."
"Yeah, that's great and all, but you didn't answer the actual question." Although he's looking in her general direction, his eyes don't quite meet hers.
"I don't hate you."
"Okay. Now say it again, this time a little more convincingly."
Finally, he cracks a smile. Well, okay, it's not fully there, but it's the start of one.
He bends over, his face not even an inch away. "You know I love you," Birkhoff murmurs, pecking her on the lips. "But right now I just don't like you."
Alex pulls away abruptly, a small flutter in her stomach.
"Did you just..?" She squints at him, wondering if she heard correctly. "Say that again?" Because three months in, the couple has yet to exchange the hallowed "I love you."
"I said I don't like you."
"No you didn't."
"That's exactly what I said, Lexi." He leans forward and kisses her again. It's a chaste kiss, but it's longer than the one before.
"That's not the only thing you said." She wraps her hand around his neck. It seems like a loving gesture, but really, it's just another way to keep him from walking away again.
He smirks at her, and she knows he knows exactly what she's talking about. "It's the only thing that matters."
"Say it again," Alex murmurs, running a finger through his light brown locks.
"Okay. I don't like you." Birkhoff closes the almost non-existent space between them and presses his lips to hers. It's a soft and slow kiss, and he bites her bottom lip playfully as he pulls away. The flutter in her stomach is stronger now.
"Very cute." And this time he does crack a smile.
"I thought so." He straightens up and grabs the laptop he set down minutes before. "Now I gotta go spend some quality time Amelia." Alex rolls her eyes at the ridiculous name he'd given his laptop. This time she lets him walk away, stretching out as he nears the door to his bedroom.
He pauses when his hand touches the door knob, giving her a look over his shoulder. "Aren't you going to say it back?"
She raises an eyebrow. "Okay. I don't like you."
"That's very cute, Lexi." He pulls open the door and steps through it. Another glance over his shoulder and he pulls the door shut, leaving Alex alone and shaking her head. She lies back, head colliding with soft pillows and legs outstretched on cool comforter.
"I thought so," she murmurs to herself.
Because we all need a dose of Balex in our lives, every once in a while.
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