The compliment was brushed under the rug with a subtle shrug and a polite turn of her stained mouth that bordered on one day growing up to become a smile. A conversational observance on decor was one of those mass produced niceties that had no meaning, like talking about the weather. James imagined that it was something people said when they didn't know what to say.
“Wine’s fine,” she insisted before stepping forward to claim the bottle from Hannah. To further the illusion of this casual setting, James hadn’t bothered with shoes. Carrying the bottle to the kitchen counter, she pried at a couple of drawers before remembering that she did not own a corkscrew. No worries, she made quick use of a paring knife. After a moment of hacking and prying, the cork was brought loose from the bottle in a few different disassembled pieces.
If a corkscrew was a lost cause, Hannah better believe there wasn't a single piece of fine crystal floating around. James brought their wine glasses into the living room, which were really nothing but a couple of coffee mugs. Hannah's was an accurate portrayal, while James' was probably originally purchased for irony's sake, and would be now used to stealthily contribute evidence that this wasn't a date. Straight, see?
And yes, there were minuscule specks of broken cork floating on the top of the wine, but hey. “Thanks for coming, I don't.. have many people over, really.”