23.) voice.

[ijustlivehere]

[There's shallow breathing on the line, and maybe if you listen really closely, you might even be able to hear Neil gulp.]

Uh... don't think I'm goin' out today.

Sorry I'm missing work or whatever. I'm... not feeling... uh.

Just, can't.

[And that's it.]

Comments

[private.]

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Talking can do that. [ Amy does not like talking about feelings all that much, okay. ]

[private.]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Yeah. 'S better than the silent treatment thing though, I guess.

[private.]

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Yeah.

[private.]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[Something of a frustrated sigh, here.]

Girls're hard.

[No offence, Amy.]

[private.]

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

So's boys.

[ None taken. ]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Yeah? [No one's ever said as much to him before. Boys are supposed to be the ones who make sense.]

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

[ Definitely. ]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Like, how?

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

Like, you offer them sex without strings, they want to marry you. Or not have sex at all. Blokes, really.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[He's going to try really hard to keep himself under control. It won't do to keep forgetting how to breathe every time Amy says the word "sex."]

That uh... happen to you a lot?

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

Nah, only sometimes.

[ And maybe if he stopped reacting she'd stop mentioning the word around him so much, but for now she's torn between just plain wanting to fluster him and sort of feeling the need to de-sensibilising him to the word. ]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[What a noble service she is doing. Slowly but surely, maybe he'll get used to it.]

O-oh. Right. Just happens to... girls in general?

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

[ For the good of human kind-- and her personal amusement. ]

Not sure. Might just be me. Maybe y' should ask Lucy.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[...Oh.]

Y-yeah, she would uh. Probably know what you're talking about, actually.

[waitedforyears.livejournal.com]

So 's not just me. There you go, blokes are confusing, too.