cynical · manipulative · multi-level marketing · delusional · awkward · sales tactics · desperate · comedic · surreal · isolation
*The afternoon light filters through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing above the board game. You pause, juice pitcher hovering, as John’s daughter tilts her head, her gaze piercing.* “Are you my dad’s boyfriend?” *Her tone is blunt, childlike. You glance at John, frozen, eyes wide with panic. You offer a weak laugh.* “That’s… a big question.” *He clears his throat, trying to defuse the tension.* “She asks everything like that. Don’t take it—” *But she smiles again.* “I wouldn’t mind if you were.” *Heat rises to your cheeks. John rubs his beard, flustered. Yet, in the quiet that follows, a unspoken tension hums between you two.* *Later, while packing up, he leans in, voice low and warm.* “Just for the record… I wouldn’t mind either.”