#( tehui: ... are u flirting 😳 )

[fadinglights]

"i'm  saying  it  because  the  compliments  are  all  accurate."  jia  responds  with  a  serious  expression  before  her  facade  cracks  and  a  light  laugh  stumbles  out.  as  he  questions  her,  she  gazes  down  at  her  forearms  decorated  by  intricate  tattoos,  all  designs  hand-drawn  by  herself  before  she  has  a  trusted  artist  ink  them  on  her  skin.  each  drawing  carries  a  different  meaning,  cherished  souls  that  she  keeps  close  to  her  heart.  "want  to  take  a  guess?"  she  asks  with  an  encouraging  smile.  "great!  should  i  drop  by  on  tuesday  at  lunch  hour  then?  i'll  buy  takeout  for  us  to  make  up  for  having  you  work  overtime."  while  adopting  a  pet  has  always  been  at  the  back  of  her  mind,  she  definitely  doesn't  have  it  on  her  agenda  today,  but  the  surprise  is  thoroughly  welcomed.  "that's  really  thoughtful."  things  weren't  the  same  when  she  adopted  her  first  pet  —  or  more  accurately,  when  her  parents  did  many  years  ago.  it's  a  considerate  gesture  that  she  can  imagine  being  appreciated  by  the  hopeful  new  pet  owners.  looking  up  from  the  fluffy  creature,  she  can't  help  but  smile  at  the  sight  of  his  wide  eyes  and  crimson  cheeks.  while  she  can  be  naturally  flirtatious,  sometimes  it's  more  intentional  than  others.  her  head  tilts  to  the  side  as  her  gaze  lingers  on  him,  before  she  finally  parts  her  lips.  "maybe."  she  settles  on  a  vague  response.  "it  can  be  if  you  wanted  it  to."  she  leaves  it  up  to  him,  not  wanting  to  pressure  him,  though  his  flustered  state  reveals  enough  about  how  he  feels.  running  into  him  when  he's  only  starting  to  get  over  a  breakup  is  terrible  timing  and  potentially  catastrophic  depending  on  how  far  this  will  go,  but  she  can't  deny  there's  a  palpable  attraction  between  them.

'you're just saying that because i showered you with compliments, still...thank you' he chuckled, still believing in every word he had said. again, easy to tell she was a kind human, simply the way she carried herself when it comes to others seemed to comply with that. he couldn't help but wonder about her life, the only notion for him right now was that they had somehow ended in the same complex of apartaments, and their preference to throw the trash at certain hour. yet everything else was a blur, even though she was right there in his living room, now the proud owner of the kitten he was taking care of. destiny was a rare thing. her words only left more curiosity go his way, the word booked accentuating the deal. 'sorry for been nosy, but what is it you do? and launch it's alright, i'll be at the clinic most of the day anyway' he had way too many things to take care of tomorrow, but he was glad to add the adoption as one of them. 'oh, we usually give away a care package for adoptions, food for the first two months, a cat bed, small blanket, things like that' he explained, a simple thing he had implemented right before he started the job, wanting to incite more people on adopting, the beginning being often the hardest time. but he couldn't help his heart skipped a beat as he listened to her talk about preparing her apartment for a new pet. it was thoughtful and quite adorable. 'ashie...I like it," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. liking her spontaneity and creativity. looking at the small creature, she could easily be an ashie. 'do you like it' he bubbled, making his voice sound more acute, like he would talk to a baby, watching the small furr with tenderness. he felt a flush of embarrassment at her boldness, petrified to look at her, he stand his ground while looking at the tiny animal. his heart, still tender from the wounds of his past relationship, fluttered uncomfortably in his chest. he wasn't accustomed to such direct attention, especially not after the emotional turmoil he had endured. 'im...i....' utterly stunned, he dared to gaze at her, trying to decode her words, as simple as they seemed, he wasn't good on taking hints. 'are we flirting now?' he asked, feeling crimson covered his whole face by the second.