"Well, why don't I start from the beginning? Born and raised in Chicago."

"Mm," Annie said, nodding. "I know."

"How? I never said anything."

Annie smiled, "Your accent. You've hid it well, but it still comes through sometimes."

"Ahh, it's the linguist in you, huh?"

Annie shrugged, "Continue."

"The youngest of five boys, but I guess you knew that, too, huh?"

"No, of course not. But you've got four older brothers?"

"Yep."

"Do they all look like you?" Annie asked.

"You mean tall and ruggedly handsome? A couple. We take after my dad. The rest take after my mom, she had red hair and green eyes. Now, can I continue?"

"Please."

"All my brothers are or were in the military. I, of course, grew up wanting to do the same, but you know," he said, waving his hand in front of his face. "You couldn't imagine how upset I was when I was told for the first time that I couldn't enlist."

"That must've been difficult, given how everyone else in your family was able to follow their dreams."

Auggie went quiet for a few seconds, and given how his gaze suddenly drifted off, Annie realized she must have touched a nerve. She wanted to say something, maybe apologize, but didn't want to pry too much farther than he was willing to give. Within a few more seconds, though, his eyes lifted and met hers again through the monitor.

"I was angry, yes, but soon got over it. I had skills, knowledge. I'd always been good with computers, technology, so I grabbed onto that with both hands."

"I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No need to apologize, Annie. You wanted to know more about me, and it's a big part of me. My family – well, my brothers kept – well, keep trying to get me into the government, doing private work for them, but I turned them down."

"Why?"

"I love what I do," Auggie said with a shrug.

"Same here," Annie said. "You set your own hours."

"Yep."

"Work as hard or as light as you want."

"To a point, yes. So I guess we do have a lot in common."

"Maybe," Annie said.

"Just maybe, huh?"

"Well, you come from a big family. I've only got my sister."

"Okay, but –"

"I've visited over 50 different countries in my lifetime, and I bet you've never set foot outside of the U.S."

"Untrue," Auggie said, holding up his hand.

"Really" Annie said, cocking an eyebrow. She sat her mug of tea down on the desk and leaned forward, propping her elbows on the smooth wood. "Where have you been?"

Auggie mimicked her movements, leaning forward until his face filled the screen. "My family went to Niagara Falls when I was 16."

He looked so earnest, Annie didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't help but smile. "Oh, well, then, I take it back."

Auggie shook his head, "You know, it sounds an awful lot like you're talking yourself out of having a relationship with me."

"No!" Annie said quickly. "I want to be with you!"

"Really?"

Realizing she'd been had – again – by the smooth-talking man smiling at her through her monitor, Annie clenched her fist. "Auggie!"

Not being able to hold back his laughter, Auggie said innocently, "What?" Then, as she continued to glare at him, he said, "Okay, how about we just ask each other questions?"

"Okay," Annie acceded, "you first."

"Umm, favorite color? Mine's red."

"Green. Favorite type of music? Mine's jazz."

"Same here."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll take you to a concert sometime. They have them in the park near here during the summer."

"I'd like that."

And, as the sweet light came into her eyes again, after his teasing of her, Auggie continued, "Favorite book? I read everything."

"Wow, impressive. I prefer biographies, non-fiction, travel books."

"No surprise there. I'm sure you could write a few books, given everywhere you've gone."

"Okay, my turn –"

"Other than Spanish, what other languages do you speak?" Auggie interrupted.

"Excuse me, it's my turn."

"Come on, I'd really like to know."

Finding herself at a decided advantage, Annie decided to turn the tables on her smooth-talking, flirtatious new friend. "Yo puedo hablar español, ruso, italiano, francés, persa y turco. Me gustaría que pudiéramos hacerlo en persona en lugar de a través de un ordenador, porque me gustaría que te bese de nuevo."

Picking up her tea to take a drink of the cooling beverage, she watched his reaction. At first, his eyebrows rose, then his forehead wrinkled a bit. Then he smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, but a knowing one, and Annie froze in the midst of swallowing her tea.

"Así que hablan español, ruso, italiano, persa francés y turco, ¿verdad? Clase de español fue hace mucho tiempo, pero me gustaría que estuvieras aquí, también."

As the tea slid down her throat in a well-controlled swallow, lest Annie completely choked, she said, "You didn't say you spoke Spanish."

"Well, we are getting to know one another. Want to come over?"

The question came without a smirk, without a tilt of the head to show he was teasing her, and Annie felt her heart melt. "I'd love to. But I can't. I – I've got this project to get started on, and the deadline –"

"It's okay, Annie. But this weekend?"

Annie nodded, "It's a date. Do you want me to come by when you close up Friday night? 6:00, right?"

"That'll be fine. I'll cook."

"You can cook?" Annie asked.

"Yes, I can cook. Are you surprised?"

Annie shook her head, "Nothing about you surprises me anymore, Auggie. I look forward to it."

"'Til then, Princess Anne."

Shaking her head at her new nickname, Annie said, "Buenos noches, Auggie."

Excuse the translations, I used Google Translate.

Annie said: I can speak Spanish, Russian, Italian, French, Farsi and Turkish. I wish we could do this in person instead of through a computer, because I'd really like to kiss you again.

Auggie replied: So you speak Spanish, Russian, Italian, French, Farsi and Turkish, was it? Spanish class was a long time ago, but I wish you were here, too.