Trivial Pursuits Ch. 16

Max was fascinated to see Alessa's reactions to Denny's description range from mild embarrassment to annoyance to offense. And what was even more intriguing was how Alessa had attempted to hide behind a fixed smile, but her eyes were so expressive, that her thoughts were unmistakable.

"It sounds as if Denny has done quite a bit of talking," she said tightly, her eyes drifting to him. Irritation flashed in her eyes as he just grinned wider. "I hadn't realized he had such a big mouth," she stated with an empty smile of her own.

"Is that why you like him? Because from what he first told me, you wouldn't give him the time of day. And yet here you are," she mused. "So I wonder."

Alessa turned her blue eyes back to Max. "Wonder what?"

"What made you change your mind?" Max asked bluntly with a curious smile.

Alessa held Max's challenging gaze, not backing down now that she'd been shoved into a corner. She was thoughtful for several moments, so many that Max though she wasn't going to answer. "For all his prattling," Alessa began, "Denny made some observations about me, which I would be lying if I said weren't a little accurate. Despite my reservations about dating...someone from the office, I think, so far," she qualified looking at Denny, "it has been a good experience. Denny has helped me," she paused as she searched for the correct word, "step out of my comfort zone. Explore new things."

Her words were carefully chosen, but Max was quite impressed with her forthright admittance. She was tempted to tease the straight-laced woman, but chose instead a different tact, a few fun ideas for the future popping into her mind. "I'm happy to hear it. There are too many possibilities in life to have it all figured-out and satisfied by the time we're twenty-five, or even thirty," she stated with a grin. "New experiences are always a good thing, in some fashion, so long as you have the wherewithal to accurately judge whether it's for you a second time."

Alessa was quiet as she assessed Max's claim. Though the woman oozed confidence, Alessa decided she wasn't a threat, at least not to her relationship with Denny. And since they seemed to be such close friends, it would more than likely serve them all well if she attempted some measure of genuine cordiality with her.

Throughout the rest of the morning, Alessa discovered Max was intelligent and witty, and had something of a bawdy sense of humor, and by the end of the long morning meal, Alessa begrudgingly admitted she wouldn't mind spending more time with Max. Much to her surprise, Max asked her for her phone number as they were parting, to which she awkwardly shared the information.

As Alessa and Denny strolled back to his apartment, he laced their hands together while they resumed their discussion over the book he had been reading.