"Can I ask you a personal question?"
Zoe glanced up at the man who had fallen into step beside her. "No."
"I'm going to anyway."
"I thought you might." Zoe smiled, nodding at one of her colleagues as they passed one another in the corridor.
"How tall are you?"
Zoe frowned, having expected something much more personal than that. "5 ft 4. Why?"
He nodded his head. "Someone asked me to describe my perfect woman and I wanted to make it exact, so I needed all your measurements."
Zoe rolled her eyes, grinning despite herself. "Very charming. How did you manage to get my other measurements?"
Max finally took a couple of steps ahead, turning around with a tape measure. "I haven't. Yet. My office, 5 minutes."
With that he sped off, and Zoe had to smile down at her phone so she didn't look like a complete idiot smiling to herself.
"Max. I've given you all day, so out with it." Cal demanded as soon as he sat down with his beer that afternoon.
Having thought he was joking, Zoe's eyes opened wider and she threw Max a warning look as he took a swig of beer.
"Let me guess." Cal offered. "Tall, but not quite as tall as you, thin as a rake, and long blonde hair."
"Don't assume your tastes are everyone else's, mate." Max replied with a grin. "No. My ideal woman-"
Cal leaned forward eagerly, and Zoe's heart began to hammer as Max's eyes rested briefly on hers and then moved away. "Would you kill me if I said it was you, Louise?"
"Yes. Gross." Louise wrinkled her nose.
Cal laughed and sat back.
"I'm wounded! I've been pining after you for weeks!" Max protested.
"You're so weird." Louise sighed.
…
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
Max glanced over his shoulder as the voice behind him while he ordered another round a few minutes later. "Go on, then."
"How tall are you?"
"5ft 10. Why?" When he received no reply, he turned to see Zoe walking back to the table.
"I'm a bit offended I haven't been asked this question when you've asked everyone else, Cal." Zoe offered as she sat down.
"Right. Go on then. Ideal man."
"Who said my ideal is a man?"
Cal's eyes lit up as Zoe took a sip of wine.
"My ideal man is about 5ft 10. Strong without being too muscular. He has to be funny, intelligent, and great in bed with a larger than average-"
Max slapped cal on the back. "Sorry mate, that rules you out."
"Oh, funny." Cal grumbled, sitting back in his chair.
Max sat back down and kept his eyes on Zoe as he took another swig of beer. "Describing anyone in particular, Dr Hanna, or are we taking generalities?"
"Generalities, of course. My ideal man obviously can't exist. He's too perfect."
Max grinned.
"I've never been called perfect before."
Zoe let out a huff of a laugh as she fell against the mattress beside Max a couple of hours later. "Oh, I wasn't talking about you."
"No? You were talking generalities?" Max grinned as he rolled onto his side to look at her.
"Exactly."
"Nice."
"Go on then, tell me your ideal woman."
"Well, she would be about 5ft 4, with perfect proportions and the dirtiest laugh I've ever heard. She's funny, very intelligent, great in bed, and I am completely in love with her."
Zoe let out a long breath, asking quietly "We are talking generalities?"
"No." Max said gently. "We're talking about Louise."
Robyn had just arrived home from work when she heard the sound of loud laughter from her brother's room and the sound of racing feet. She rolled her eyes and put her headphones back on.
