Sully listened quietly, like he always did, his posture slightly stiff but attentive, his hands folded together as if that helped him organise not just himself but the conversation too. He didn’t interrupt Kitty, he rarely did. Instead, he let Kitty speak, nodding at the right moments, processing everything a bit slower but very carefully. He understood what she meant, even if he didn’t fully know how to fix it. Feelings were complicated sometimes. Messy. Not structured. That alone made them difficult for him to navigate. “It sounds confusing,” he said gently, his voice soft and a little hesitant. “Almost like your brain and your feelings aren’t following the same rules.” He paused, choosing his words with precision. “But I think it makes sense that it still feels the same when you’re alone. Patterns don’t just stop existing because something officially ended.” He glanced at her briefly before looking back down, a small, awkward shrug following. “You’re allowed to miss him. And who you were with him. That doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.” His tone wasn’t overly emotional, but there was a quiet sincerity there, his way of caring. When she joked about being dramatic, Sully gave a faint smile, just barely there. “I accounted for that,” he replied, a hint of dry humor slipping through. “It’s just not in the main system.” At the topic shift, he adjusted slightly, clearly more comfortable with something concrete like movies. “Romcoms are fine,” he said. “They follow a structure. Beginning, misunderstanding, resolution. That’s reassuring.” He nodded once, as if confirming his own logic. But when she brought up the girl, the customer, he stiffened a little more noticeably. “Oh.” He blinked, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. His fingers tapped lightly against each other, a small, repetitive motion. “She was nice. And different, yes.” He hesitated, clearly replaying the interaction in his head. “I didn’t ask for her number,” he admitted after a moment, his voice quieter now. “I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate in that context.” Another pause. “And I didn’t give her mine either. There wasn’t a clear transition point in the conversation where that would logically fit. She took my business card and we're going to work out a time when I can tie the tree she brought on top of her car." He exhaled softly, then added, more thoughtfully, “There wasn’t anything wrong with my ex, per say. He was good. Sweet. Consistent.” He nodded once, as if affirming that truth. “Bu, this girl was different. And I think it might be nice to try something new. I just don’t know how to initiate conversation with someone like that in a normal context." Then, after a small exhale, he finally said it, awkward, blunt, and completely sincere. “How do I talk to a hot girl?” He winced faintly right after, like even saying it felt incorrect. “I mean, appropriately,” he added quickly, trying to fix it. “In a way that is socially acceptable. And not, y'know, strange.”
kitty's feelings for bodhi were set in stone. she was pretty sure she was never going to get over him. she'd loved him in a way she'd never loved anyone else. they had lived together, built a life together, and for a while everything had felt perfect… until it wasn't. she still thought about him all the time. she still had to stop herself from texting him whenever something happened in her life. “i know,” she sighed. “i see him everywhere, and i know i should move on, but no one's ever made me feel the way he did.” she let out another quiet sigh before shaking her head. “let's leave it there. i don't really want to cry, and i'm pretty sure you'd rather i didn't.” she smiled, trying to lighten the mood. when sully explained that he liked rom-coms because of how predictable their structure was, kitty couldn't help but smile. that was such a sully answer. “i like the part where one of them runs after the other,” she nodded. “peak cinema. easily the best scene in any romantic movie.” naturally, the conversation drifted back to the cute girl he'd mentioned. she noticed him tense slightly, and she knew those kinds of conversations didn't always come easily to him. “sully,” she laughed softly, “it's just a phone number. people hand those out like it's nothing.” she knew he wasn't like most people assumed he was. “well, she has your card now. maybe she'll end up calling.” she shrugged. “although i don't know if i'd actually call someone just because they gave me a business card.” when sully casually suggested that maybe he could try something different next time, kitty's entire expression lit up. “wait… you're actually going to try with that girl?” she asked, almost unable to believe it. “honestly, you don't have to do anything complicated. just talk to her the way you talk to everyone else. maybe stand a little closer, keep eye contact for a bit longer…” she counted off on her fingers. “people love hearing their own name, and you're already a really good listener. if she's as energetic as you said she is, i'm sure she'll appreciate someone who actually listens to her.” kitty let out an excited little squeal. “my brother has a crush!”
