Clockwork [final]

Nine

The next day, the two worked in silence in Adette’s robot laboratory. The alien feeling that had developed seemed to stretch out lazily between them with a gaping yawn, consuming any chance of either of them finding anything to say. They would occasionally glance at each other only to shyly glance away, blushing like school children.

“Adette,” Derek eventually forced out, his heart in his throat, “My song didn’t upset you yesterday, did it?”

Adette’s head shot up. “What? No! It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. It was beautiful…” She trailed off, gazing into the distance with a dreamy smile.

“Ah,” he replied awkwardly, quickly pretending to focus on the blueprints in front of him to hide his flushed cheeks. “You just left kind of quickly, that’s all, and I thought…”

Adette stiffened. “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you worried or hurt your feelings or anything like that.”

“No, no, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so presumptuous.”

“Yeah, but what I did would’ve made anyone paranoid-“

“We were both in the wrong, okay?” Derek interrupted, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.

“You know,” she said quietly, “I don’t know why you said you weren’t good at anything, or that you never had a hobby. You seemed pretty well acquainted with the guitar, and when you sing…”

He shrugged and looked down, red-faced. “I just, it was um, something I used to do when I was bored.”

Adette giggled a little and tapped her fingers lightly on the table. “Goodness, why are we both acting so edgy? Tell you what, why don’t we play a game to relieve the tension?”

“What kind of game?” Derek answered cautiously.

“Like…” Adette frowned in thought, as if trying to narrow down some enormous mental list that she apparently had. Suddenly, she lit up. “Truth or dare!”

“Truth or dare?” he echoed, his tone a lot less enthusiastic.  

“Yeah! Come on, it’ll be fun!”

Before he could answer, she grabbed his hand and bounced out of the lab. It was all he could do to try and keep his balance.

She plopped down on the floor of the lounge and looked at him, her eyes sparkling eagerly. “Truth or dare?” she whispered, glancing around as if it were some scandalous secret.

Derek couldn’t help but smile and think her delight was cute. “Truth seems like something a pussy would say, so dare.”

“Hmm…” Adette considered. “I dare you to lick the carpet.”

“Are you crazy?” he complained, cursing his decision silently; she was good at this.

Adette grinned. “It’s a dare, you have to.”

“What happens if I don’t?”

“I’ll make you,” she told him. He knew she was completely serious.

Derek sighed loudly, but bent down and reluctantly prodded the carpet with the tip of his tongue.

“Right,” he said as he attempted to get the hair out of his mouth, “Now it’s your turn. Truth or dare, hmm?”

“Truth!” she beamed.

Derek sighed loudly once again. “Trust a chick to pick truth!” His remark earned him a playful glare and a flick in the arm.