Was she actually picking a fight with him? Zach didn’t get it, but then again women were like that sometimes. He could never claim to entirely understand them; still he enjoyed their company – well, when they weren’t picking a fight that is. “Lacking subtly isn’t the same as treating someone like an idiot,” he pointed out calming, not denying or confirming whether or not he actually lacked the ability to be subtle. “But I figure I’m pretty much damned if I do and damned if I don’t in this conversation, you’ve got something against me and seem pretty damn hellbent on keeping it that way.” Sugar coating things was never really his style, so what if he was calling her out on whatever it was she had against him, wasn’t like he could make this situation any worse than it already was.
“Gladly,” he muttered, more than happy to let the whole conversation cease to exist. Apparently Bea was really only great company when she wasn’t speaking, because he couldn’t remember her being this prickly when they had run into each other in the infirmary.
Or maybe her goal was to push people away. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d come across some woman who made herself out to be prickly and cold just to avoid attachment. He wasn’t looking for anything serious, though, so all this was doing was making him a little more determined to win Bea over. Or at least figure out what her issue was with him. Yeah, it was a pride thing, but Zach wasn’t used to losing or striking out – whatever you wanted to call it.
“Yeah, that’s Talia, and she’s not,” She also didn’t seem to think he was the scum of the earth, but Zach kept that part to himself. No point in starting shit up with Bea again. “Think it would do a lot of people some good to have to live off of MRE’s for a week or two, then they’d be fucking thankful for whatever real food they could get.” Yeah, maybe everyone’s food pickiness got under his skin some; he just saw no point in complaining about shit that couldn’t really be changed.
When she pointed to the cupboard where the canvas bag was kept, Zach nodded in acknowledgment before moving over to retrieve the bag. It wasn’t that he was actively avoiding speaking to her; he just didn’t have a whole lot else to say at the moment. Because it seemed as if anything he did say just didn’t sit all that well with her. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s returned,” his tone was just a hair on the edgy side. Yeah, maybe his pride really was a little more bruised than he would admit to at that moment. “Unless you don’t trust me, in which case by all means you can return it.”