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I've seen you when you're home...and, well, no offense, but I don't really see you with anybody."
    Now she goggled. "You think I can't do the job because I'm  single ? What the hell does that  have to do with anything?"
    "Slow your roll there, Turbo," he said, sounding exasperated. "This isn't about you being single. I'm just saying, other than Skype, I don't see you socializing with anybody . Not at work. Not in your private time. Hell, you barely talk to me, and we live together."
    She bit her lip, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
    He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," He said again. "In my defense, I really suck at mornings."
    She took a deep breath. "So...if I showed you how much better I was with people, and maybe..." she heard Ani's voice echoing in her head, "erm, had a social life...it might help me convince the guys to give me a chance?"
    "It'd definitely be a step in the right direction," he conceded.
    "All right," she said. "I'll do...that, I guess."
    He paused, then laughed. "You make it sound painful."
    She tried to smile, but couldn't.
    That's because it is going to be painful.
     
     
     
    Adam wandered into "the Pit," the break-room-slash-dining-area at Mysterious Pickles. There was a small kitchen with a fridge, a coffee maker, and a few square tables with chairs. The area bled into a living room-styled area with a large TV and a few couches. There were already people there, playing, hooting at the screen.
    Adam grabbed some coffee...or at least tried to. They were out of his favorite coffee pods, probably because the gang here went through caffeinated beverages like they were about to be outlawed. He sighed, grabbing a sparkling water instead. Those, they always had on hand, probably because only Tessa and Felix in accounting seemed to be fans.
    "You know that bet's still on, right?" he heard a voice behind him say, in a smug tone.
    Adam sighed. "Terms were never set," he pointed out. "Also, I was sort of hammered."
    José grinned at him, nudging Fezza. "Knew he was going to punk out."
    "I'm not punking out," Adam said.
    "So--you're going to get a girlfriend before Mac's job is filled?"
    "That's actually plenty of time," Fezza said. "Remember how long it took to fill the last position on the engineer squad?"
    They all winced a little. "Abraham is a terror," José said, dropping his voice and looking over his shoulder, in case the red-headed, red-bearded head of engineering was nearby. "The guy made that last applicant cry, remember?"
    "Yeah," Fezza said. "That wasn't even one of Abraham's angry days, either."
    "Took months to fill that spot," José said. "Well, you wouldn't want to ask someone to be your girlfriend after only a week or two, anyway. You'd look like a total psycho."
    "Why does it need to be a girlfriend?" Adam pointed out. "Why can't I just go out on a date?"
    José was shaking his head before Adam even finished his sentence. "Hell, I go out on dates all the time. That's easy."
    "He's got a point," Fezza said. "Besides, we all know you're Mr. Relationship."
    "What do you mean?"
    "You were tight with Casey for, what, four years?"
    "Five," Adam said, frowning.
    "You're not the dating, hit-it-and-quit-it type," José said, with a shrug. "You're the one-girl-flowers-and-candy type."
    "Either that, or you're the still-hung-up-on-your-ex type," Fezza added.
    Adam set his jaw. "What do I get if I win?"
    José and Fezza looked exultant. José actually rubbed his hands together. "Ah, negotiating. What do you want?"
    "If I win," Adam said slowly, "you have to foil wrap Abraham's station. That means everything: computer, keyboard, all his knick-knacks. Even his chair."
    Fezza's eyes went wide. "He'll kill us, dude."
    "Scared?"
    José shook his head. "No way we're losing, so no problem. And if we win..." His smile was evil. "You have to toilet paper his truck."
    Adam thought about it. There was a good chance Abraham would squash him like a bug for touching his precious, totally custom truck. Still, the guys