small talk.

“I have this theory,” he began, looking at her across the table while the flickering candle made his features look hollow, “that idle chatter and small talk shortens lives.”

“Well, that narrows down possible conversation starters,” she muttered, fiddling with her straw and wondering why he brought it up. She glanced up at him with a nervous smile and he nodded. “How does it kill people?”

“It doesn’t kill anyone,” he corrected lightly. “It just shortens lives. Like smoking, but with words.”

“That didn’t explain it.”

“I don’t really have anything besides the theory,” he said, leaning back and grabbing a piece of bread. “But I like saying I have a theory, it makes me feel important.”

She smiled unsurely and wondered what she could say that wouldn’t shorten their lives. He was one of the cleverest people she had ever met, but his social abilities seemed to be malfunctioning.

Looking down at his plate, he decided that was probably the last time he would say that to someone.

rhetoric.

“You never let lack of knowledge hold you back, do you?” I sighed, head resting on my hand while I propped myself up on the table. He looked over his shoulder at me before returning to the fridge.

“It does make arguing so fun,” he grinned as he put a bottled water in front of me. “Glowering is what you do best. Did you know that?”

“Hm,” I agreed with a murmur, “Sarcasm is your favorite form of flattery, isn’t it?”

“It seems we’re never happier than when we argue.”

one day.

“One day,” he said as they passed a puddle, “I’m going to buy a nice coat just so I can put it down over a puddle and you can walk on it.”

She looked up at him, head tilted to the side and a small smile crossing her face. He nodded, “And you’ll say, ‘Hey, couldn’t I have just as easily walked around that? That was a nice coat I bought you.’”

“I thought you were buying the coat,” she laughed, putting her hands in her pockets and her smile growing wider. He liked to see her smile so big.

He shrugged and said, “Just one day, I’m going to do that.”

update.

I am going to write short stories here.

Or, at least, I'm going to try to convince myself to write short stories here.

We will see.