“Touché.” ZJ said with a soft laugh, “I have a feeling however that you find trouble much easier than most men though.” There was just something about him, though she didn’t think it was actual trouble. She had a feeling he tended to get into that goofy sort of trouble, like saying her name in that accent and causing her knees to get weak, sort of trouble. Or running into a woman in the halls of your sister’s apartment complex, being invited in, and starting a game of strip war. He was unpredictable and ZJ loved that already, she attributed her nervous excitement to that and not that warm feeling she was feeling in her chest when he had produced a gift for Nancy as well.
“I’m sure she does.” She teased him, laughing and shaking her head. Hearing him say her name like that again had caused her to need to close her eyes when she had turned around to put the flowers in a vase. Just hearing him say her name like that made her weak in the knees and caused that excited flutter that only a good adrenalin rush could typically evoke. The idea of sharing his affections made her jealous, a reaction she wasn’t used to. She wasn’t the jealous sort, not usually. There was something about Hyperion that made her want to be all in, though. She wasn’t used to these feelings so early on into meeting someone, she wasn’t the type of the girl that ran off with the first man to look in her direction. It usually took more than a game of war for ZJ to have impulse control problems.
While she put the flowers into one of her favorite funky vases, Nancy was busy paying attention to the new human. When he held his hand out for her, she leaned forward with her eyes still on his, to sniff his hand. When he passed that test, she continued her forward lean, eyes closing, as she scent marked his knuckles. When those bright eyes opened again, Nancy had leaned forward to snag the treats from his hand, before she went wandering off now that her mistress was headed back over to the new human. Nancy approved, it seemed.
ZJ had caught the interaction just as Nancy was scent marking Hyperion, it caused that warmth again in her chest. Those feelings that she knew were ridiculous to have for him, it had been a whole day. She was positive that she was going to be making a fool of herself in front of him before the night was done. If she kept up at this rate, she was likely going to say something incredibly ridiculous. She just hoped she might be able to stop herself from asking him something ridiculous, like if he would be her boyfriend. Adults didn’t do that, did they?
Shaking herself from her thoughts, she cleared her throat as she met him at the door. “Do I need my jacket? You haven’t said just where we’re going, if I don’t need it then I’m ready when you are.” She gave him a playful smile then, “Stop trying to bribe Nancy, it’s unfair. She’s a glutton.”