around as he took off his greatcoat, revealing a high-necked button-down shirt with a vest and slacks. As she closed the door behind them both, she realized they were alone together in her flat, which seemed much smaller than ever before.
Eli examined a small cog from the nearest table before setting it down again. âYou really are a machinist.â
âLady parts and all.â She couldnât keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she went to put water on for tea. Did he think sheâd been lying?
Expecting a retort, when none came, she looked up and found him examining the large glass display case of her wares. With her face uncomfortably warm, she wished the water would boil more quickly so she had something else to do. To Eliâs credit, though, he eventually turned away from the display case to look around the rest of the living room.
âYou have a nice flat here. I donât meet many women who live alone.â Eli sat down on the sofa. Hopefully he wouldnât notice the worn spots in the velvet, places where the maroon fabric had faded to a dusky rose color.
Astrid began setting up the cups for tea. âWell, Iâm not like most women.â
âYes, I think we covered that last night.â He pointed to the display case. âSo are thoseâ¦?â
âLetâs have tea first, yes?â Astrid stayed near the kettle, willing it to boil, not quite ready to broach this conversation yet.
âOf course.â He continued to look unabashedly at the cabinet from across the room, his gaze curious and showing no signs of the intimidation sheâd expected.
After the kettle finally began to whistle, she brought the tray over and sat across from him on the wing chair, handing over a cup to his murmured thanks.
Their conversation stayed on mundane topics like the weather and a bit of light politics, but when their teacups were at last set aside, Astrid was unable to delay any longer and got up to flip the switch that unfurled the display case.
âBrilliant.â Eli crossed the room as the panels began folding down. Astrid busied herself straightening something on one of the shelves as she felt him approach behind her, coming right up to her back, almost touching her as he looked over her shoulder. He reached past her, then hesitated. âCan I pick them up?â
Astrid nodded.
After another hesitation, Eli reached past her for a large brass cylinder, the top half of which was segmented like a caterpillar. At first, he held it as if it were fragile and could break at any moment, seeming unsure what to do with it.
âOh, for heavenâs sake.â She flicked the switch. The top segments began to rotate and oscillate in a pattern, each moving after the other in a wave, so the entire top half swiveled around in a wide circle. Eli nearly dropped it in his surprise, stepping back. He paused with his other hand near the device, then tentatively wrapped his fist around the toy as the top half continued to spiral and press outward against his hand. His expression was unreadable for a moment. This would be the moment when he blushed and stammered and got all uncomfortable, she knew it. To her surprise, though, Eli grinned instead as he switched it off.
After staring at the display again, Eli moved on to another toy, the wooden one she currently favored. This time, he showed less hesitation, flicking both dials and feeling the vibrations with his palm, then his fingertip.
He worked his way around the case, moving to one side, then to the other, and Astrid followed him, staying nearby as he investigated. Watching him handling her toys was a bit disconcerting, but not as foreign as she had imagined it would be, especially since he was respectfully quiet in his exploration. To her continued consternation, he showed no signs of discomfort, instead intrigued by all her devices. A small part of her had been hoping she could shock him out of his propriety.
Eli finally
Eli examined a small cog from the nearest table before setting it down again. âYou really are a machinist.â
âLady parts and all.â She couldnât keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she went to put water on for tea. Did he think sheâd been lying?
Expecting a retort, when none came, she looked up and found him examining the large glass display case of her wares. With her face uncomfortably warm, she wished the water would boil more quickly so she had something else to do. To Eliâs credit, though, he eventually turned away from the display case to look around the rest of the living room.
âYou have a nice flat here. I donât meet many women who live alone.â Eli sat down on the sofa. Hopefully he wouldnât notice the worn spots in the velvet, places where the maroon fabric had faded to a dusky rose color.
Astrid began setting up the cups for tea. âWell, Iâm not like most women.â
âYes, I think we covered that last night.â He pointed to the display case. âSo are thoseâ¦?â
âLetâs have tea first, yes?â Astrid stayed near the kettle, willing it to boil, not quite ready to broach this conversation yet.
âOf course.â He continued to look unabashedly at the cabinet from across the room, his gaze curious and showing no signs of the intimidation sheâd expected.
After the kettle finally began to whistle, she brought the tray over and sat across from him on the wing chair, handing over a cup to his murmured thanks.
Their conversation stayed on mundane topics like the weather and a bit of light politics, but when their teacups were at last set aside, Astrid was unable to delay any longer and got up to flip the switch that unfurled the display case.
âBrilliant.â Eli crossed the room as the panels began folding down. Astrid busied herself straightening something on one of the shelves as she felt him approach behind her, coming right up to her back, almost touching her as he looked over her shoulder. He reached past her, then hesitated. âCan I pick them up?â
Astrid nodded.
After another hesitation, Eli reached past her for a large brass cylinder, the top half of which was segmented like a caterpillar. At first, he held it as if it were fragile and could break at any moment, seeming unsure what to do with it.
âOh, for heavenâs sake.â She flicked the switch. The top segments began to rotate and oscillate in a pattern, each moving after the other in a wave, so the entire top half swiveled around in a wide circle. Eli nearly dropped it in his surprise, stepping back. He paused with his other hand near the device, then tentatively wrapped his fist around the toy as the top half continued to spiral and press outward against his hand. His expression was unreadable for a moment. This would be the moment when he blushed and stammered and got all uncomfortable, she knew it. To her surprise, though, Eli grinned instead as he switched it off.
After staring at the display again, Eli moved on to another toy, the wooden one she currently favored. This time, he showed less hesitation, flicking both dials and feeling the vibrations with his palm, then his fingertip.
He worked his way around the case, moving to one side, then to the other, and Astrid followed him, staying nearby as he investigated. Watching him handling her toys was a bit disconcerting, but not as foreign as she had imagined it would be, especially since he was respectfully quiet in his exploration. To her continued consternation, he showed no signs of discomfort, instead intrigued by all her devices. A small part of her had been hoping she could shock him out of his propriety.
Eli finally
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