dumbest shit she's ever heard, but chris lee knows she's gonna follow anyway. and between them both, it's the only (and therefore best) idea they've got. as gia sidles up next to him, chris looks down and smiles warmly. the transformation is almost physical, watching her come more and more out of her shell. he's not often aware that his playfulness, and the ease with which he conducts himself, can have that effect on people. it's a nice quality, and one he ultimately doesn't realise he's in possession of. “oh, you done asked me the worst question,” chris shakes his head, looking to the floor with a grin. he sighs, sucking in his chest ... does he really have to tell this story? gia can have the abridged, but still absurd version. “i were runnin round once with my arms inside a'my shirt,” he's already laughing, “an as i was goin into a room, someone shut the door. went straight into it, broke my arm and lost a tooth.” it's cute when you're five years old. the type of story your mom pulls out over family dinner. but chris must've been nineteen, twenty even. “you ever broke anything?” he asks. they continue to brush lightly against one another, the sun having finally dipped below the horizon. but there's still a little light. chris thinks there's somethin there, ten or so miles out.