Carlos was taken off-guard, but he merely gave the other a contemplative frown before reaching out to comply. “Uh… alright,” he said.
She
smiled as she watched him. No wonder he was so sweet, all that sugar.
She gave a small smirk. He just kept getting cuter. She had a sudden
desire to brush her fingers through his hair, and had to stop herself
from letting out an audible sigh. “So, do you ever drink any kind of
tea?” she asked curiously, trying to keep some kind of conversation
going.Carlos looked at her. He then smiled apologetically and
shook his head. “No, I, uh… I don’t drink tea,” he said. “I can’t stand the
taste. I don’t really know why, I just… I don’t like it. Sometimes it’s too
earthy for me, or too bitter and even sugar doesn’t really help. There was this
one time where I was sick and My dad gave me this tea that tasted like I was
drinking a spearmint gum wrapper.”She smiled back at him. “It’s okay. Honestly, some people just don’t like tea. There’s a whole host of reasons. Everything from not having it prepared correctly, to not finding the right kind of blends to suit their palate, to just… not being in favor of it. I’m not upset. You’re allowed to have your preferences.”
Huh. Carlos had thought… well, he didn’t exactly think she’d be outright offended, but he thought she’d be a bit
more upset at it. Or disappointed. But she seemed to be understanding. Which
was great, actually.“Um, thank you,” he said and he offered her another smile.
“No problem,” she beamed. “But if you ever change your mind and decide you wanna try to find a tea you like, let me know. If anyone in this town can find you a good blend to suit your tastes and make it for you the right way, it’s me. But I’m never gonna force you to try anything. That’d just be kinda pushy and mean, I think,” she said softly. “But… What kind of stuff do you do in your spare time?” she asked, leaning her elbows on the table. “Like… do you have any hobbies or anything you’re particularly interested in?”
Carlos smiled at her. “Yeah… um, absolutely. If I get the
inkling I’ll ask you.” He took a breath. “As for my spare time… well, I’m usually
busy so often with science. But when I get the chance… I like to watch westerns
on Netflix. And I like to tinker… that’s a hobby, right?”
The Perfect Scientist 