Dysfunctional

This is Him

A psychopath is "a person with a psychopathic personality, which manifests as amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience".

He knows that isn't socially correct. But
unlike her, he doesn't try.

He doesn't make friends, doesn't try to blend in. Instead, he keeps to himself at lunch breaks and tea, doesn't linger to make small talk with his co-workers.

When his team manager lectures him about his report, he snaps easily. Tells her that he's right, that he's always right. When the manager challenges him and says that she could do better than he could, the grip he has on her arm leaves fingerprints afterwards.

He meets her on a Sunday morning. The tea room is half-empty, inducing a calmness into the atmosphere.

She's the only patron besides him sitting alone. He watches her.

In the end, she comes over, her smile warm and inviting. She places her Orange Pekoe beside his Russian Caravan.

"You're doing a good job of smiling there. Too bad it's not real,"

The smile drops off and the tension leaves her body as her frame relaxes.

He nods and picks up his Stanley mug, taking a sip of his tea. The brew's getting weaker, and he wrinkles his nose.

She looks over at his cup before losing interest at the diluted blend.

Grinning, he puts out his hand. She takes it.

They go out for coffee the next day and he pries into her life story and analyses it whilst savouring the bitter, black liquid in his mouth.

She makes for an interesting partner. And she could relieve his boredom as well.

Next Monday, he hands her his file and watches as her lips tilt upwards.

They do what normal people do.

They fulfil every standard norm of an everyday couple.

He waits for the right amount of time before going down on one knee in front of her.

She says yes.

The game is afoot.