POTB 2

Stephen felt something awkward as soon as he sat down.

Jane, cup poised 3mm from her lip, green-amber eyes wide, some where between fear and questioning, mind racing to anticipate the next move. Mary shifted, placed cup on its saucer with uncomfortable rattle.

As he rounded the corner of the grey, long corridor, Stephen had wondered why Mary and Jane never took company. He'd put it down to others' mistrust of eccentricity (viz silence) and reasoned the duo required a warm managerial hand to help them feel more integrated. He would sit and give them a smile, raising cheeks to tickle the ends of his brown moustache causing him to partially recoil from a fully spread mouth. He hadn't realised this made him look untrustworthy in a naive innocent way that most judged harmless, though annoying. That Stephen was an upper lip shave away from harmonious workplace authority, none had deigned tell him though Mary and Jane had undertaken such an action in week four of the fantasy. Another example of how the Exercise had made their perception piercingly acute.

Three steps into the tea room, Stephen was resolute. Mind firm of purpose, no need to catch their eyes, just the shiny tips of tan brogues nearing chair, hand placed to pull it out, bum descending confidently on seat, arm still lingering on back of chair. He looked up at his startled audience. Not even time to wince in anticipation of tickled cheeks, though this absence of action no doubt saved the situation from becoming irredeemably tense.

"Morning" - Stephen

"Hello" - Jane

"Hi" - Mary

Pause.

Mary's crumb licked pointedly from her lip.

"Joining us, Stephen?" Kind, surprised.

"Yes, erm, thanks. Sitting here enjoying your, er, let's see..."

And he saw. Replying eyes inquiring his next word. This was strange he thought, something a little new. It was interest. In him. Tense, yes. Certainly uncomfortable but unquestionably undivided. He loved it. Blushing and warming, lapping up the novelty, he knew now he could not be thrown:

"Look, girls. We've been conducting a social interaction review over the last week"

"Who has, Stephen?" - Mary

"Mostly myself."

Raised eyebrows.

"It's an unpublished review, chiefly composed of my own observations, though I feel moved to share with you some of the results."

Phew! This was great stuff. He wondered why he hadn't been so eloquent before. Then:

"You've been watching our tea breaks."

"Yup."

"For just the last week?"

"Some knowledge was gleaned, you could say, from the author's previous experience" Grin. Back on track. Straightened finger pads a crumb from table, flicked on floor, faux nonchalently.

"That's a bit creepy, Stephen" - Mary, wrinkling lip.

Stephen deflating like a red balloon.

Jane recovering him: "Erm, what were your observations?"

"Well I saw you two don't really talk much"

"No" They agree.