Mariner frantically texted Boimler on her PADD as she lurked around the corner outside a maintenance room. She saw Tendi and Rutherford climb out of a Jeffries tube, and she suspected that they had been sneaking around.

"Do best friends sneak off and go into Jeffries tubes together?" she texted to Boimler.

"Sure they do," he replied with a laughing emoji.

"I just caught Tendi and Rutherford," she replied, sending him the blurry picture that she had snapped.

"You are so nosy," he texted in reply, both of them knowing that in reality, he was the nosy one.

"I'm going to ignore that comment from you, best friend," she whispered into the PADD to create a voice message.

"Do you want to play footsie under the table at dinner?" he texted back with laughing emojis.

"Yes," she typed with a smirk, "now go back to work. I have to go harass Tendi until she gives me the scoop. You need to talk to Rutherford."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n," he replied.

A few hours later, Mariner was adjusting some data modules that were stored in what amounted to a closet with glowing, colored lights. Her back faced the corridor as she intently verified that the isolinear chips she had replaced were in the right spot.

"Psst," he whispered, knowing it would scare her and elicit some sort of funny reaction.

She whipped around with her hands in fighting position and a snarl on her face. "Dammit, Boimler!" she whispered, pulling him into the closet and slamming her palm on the close button.

"Uhh, hi," he whispered, realizing how close together they were in the tiny closet.

"Please tell me you talked to Rutherford," Mariner whispered in demand, grabbing his shirt with both hands.

"I did," he chuckled, pulling her hands off his shirt.

"Spill," she commanded, still whispering.

"So apparently, best friends do indeed play footsie under the table and sneak off into Jeffries tubes, at least according to Rutherford," he said, sitting down on a cargo case.

She sighed and sat down next to him on the same case. "I've got to talk to Tendi," Mariner whispered, so focused that she forgot Boimler was in the closet with her for a second. "She keeps telling me that she will trade our story for their story."

"Our story?" Boimler whispered, looking at her with confusion.

"Uhh," Mariner stalled, realizing she had made a mistake.

"Oh. She's talking about us, isn't she?" he whispered, turning his body to face her as best he could in the cramped closet. The lights in the control panels cast a blue glow on them as they stared at each other, mortified yet curious what the other was thinking.

"Um," Mariner stalled again.

"Then give her this story," he smirked, leaning in to kiss her before she realized what was happening.

Before she had time to compute the situation, she instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She couldn't believe it, but Boimler was actually a good kisser.

They parted reluctantly.

"I can't believe you just did that," she whispered, slightly breathless.

"Well, you were the one who pulled me in here and shut the door," he whispered, laughing.

"We've been in here a million times to plan shenanigans!" she whispered back.

"I guess this time was different," he smiled, "and now you have a story to trade with Tendi."

"Listen, Boims, you don't know what you're about to get yourself into," Mariner warned.

"Pshh, you've been my best friend for 3 years, I know you're insane," he said, standing up.

"It's about to reach a whole new level of crazy," she looked at him, eyes wide.

"The opportunity presented itself, and I couldn't let it pass without shooting my shot," he opened the door and glanced down both sides of the corridor, satisfied to find it empty. "I'll see you tonight."

"Dammit," she grumbled as her heart pounded in her chest, "I was afraid of this. Now we're going to fall in love, get married, and have a bunch of kids that look just like him, and then retire to that stupid raisin vineyard."

"Look at the way he looks at her," Rutherford whispered to Tendi as they stood in line for the replicator in the cafeteria.

"He always looks at her like that. Look at the way she's looking at him!" Tendi whispered back.

"Uhh, Tendi? I have a confession," Rutherford said hesitantly, "Um, I told Boimler that we were sneaking around in the Jeffries tube. But I didn't tell him that we were just recalibrating the sickbay sensors."

Tendi laughed and Rutherford's face relaxed into a smile. "Shew, I thought you were going to be mad!" he said.

"Well, I told Mariner that I would tell her what's going on between you and me if she tells me what's going on between her and Boims," Tendi quietly replied.

"What did she say?" Rutherford replied, getting a little confused.

"She wanted to know why I was rubbing your leg under the table this morning. I didn't tell her that you had a leg cramp," Tendi said, "I let her think we were playing footsie."

Rutherford laughed nervously. His angry, ship racing alter ego would have known the right thing to say in this moment, but that guy was gone. This version of Rutherford was not skilled in matters of the heart. He ordered his dinner and followed Tendi to join Mariner and Boimler at their favorite table.

"So, I heard Alpha shift is throwing a party tonight on holodeck 3. Anyone interested in crashing it?" Mariner blurted out the second they sat down.

"Hey, sounds like fun!" Rutherford replied enthusiastically.

"Maybe for just a little bit," Tendi sighed, "I have to study again tonight." Rutherford's face fell in response to Tendi's reply, and of course Mariner noticed.

"Come on Tendi, your test isn't for another 3 days. Take one night off!" Mariner coaxed.

Tendi sighed again. "Okay, but if I don't ace this test, I'm blaming all of you," she said, flipping her PADD over and starting to eat her meal.