Conversations between partners
Chapter 3: Thump, thump
Jim ruffled his hair and frowned at his reflection in the dark TV screen. Behind him, Rhonda snorted. He ignored that and gestured at his hair.
'Does it look okay to you?'
'I like the way you part your hair. Makes you look like a boy scout,' she answered. Unsure, Jim considered himself.
'Is that a good thing? It doesn't sound like a good thing.'
Rhonda shrugged.
'You're adorable. I'm scary. It works,' she coolly said. She wasn't looking at him. She never really looked at him when she said things like that. It was something Jim had noticed. He hadn't figured out yet whether that meant nothing or everything. Adorable, though… That was not just your regular compliment.
'Adorable?'
'Nonthreatening, safe, nice,' Rhonda rattled off, again without sparing him so much as a glance. Not particularly flattering words. Even 'nice' wasn't a compliment anymore. These days nice guys weren't nice guys so much as assholes in disguise. Rhonda saw the gloomy expression on his face.
'Likeable,' she amended, catching his eye. 'See you tomorrow.'
Jim nodded and watched her leave. Rhonda thinks I'm likeable, he thought. Rhonda likes me, he deduced. The thought made his throat tighten and his heart rate speed up.