"Yeah… I guess. I’ve noticed you don’t shake hands. You never even shook mine, even though we entered into a marriage contract," I say slowly, my eyes drifting to his slender pale hand with thin fingers.
"Correct. I don’t acknowledge that custom."
I sigh.
"Wow. We’re such opposites, you and me. I crave touch, and you desperately avoid it."
Blue averts his gaze, staring toward the window.
"I can’t always avoid it, but I minimize it."
"But that also means no sex, no kissing, no cuddling…" I say in a peculiar tone, almost unlike my regular voice.
"A ten-second kiss involves the exchange of around eighty million bacteria."
I blink, dumbfounded. "When you put it like that, it sounds awful. But don’t we have natural immunity? If we didn’t, sex would kill us…"
Blue looks at me for a moment, then says, "Sometimes it does. STDs used to kill millions." He narrows his eyes. "I notice you bring up sex quite often. There are other things in life that matter more."
"Really? There are?" I reply with a faintly ironic smile. "Didn’t know that."
Blue gives a slight eye roll, which feels new, almost relaxed.
"But really," I shrug. "I’m a virgin, so it’s hard for me to judge, but I’ve heard a lot of good things, and it does tempt me," I admit.
His eyes study me closely for a moment without commenting, and I blurt out even more TMI.
"Sometimes I dream about the perfect moment with the perfect person, but that’s it. It never materialized for me."
Those observant sapphire eyes keep drilling into me as if he’s trying to analyze me.
"Did you love Marcel?"
The question catches me off guard, asked in a somewhat tentative tone.
"I think I did. I definitely admired him. He had a strong personality and knew what he wanted in life, maybe in contrast to me. My own plans were kind of vague… I mean, I knew thegeneral field that interested me, but I couldn’t choose a specific path."
"Tell me about those paths," Blue says, resting his chin on his hands, his eyes never leaving my face.
Wow, this evening is really turning into a getting-to-know-each-other session. I feel almost exposed, like I’m being put on display for his judgment and analysis.
"Well, officially I’m studying Cybersecurity and Electrical Engineering, a double major, and I’m doing a minor in Radio Frequency Systems, but what really excites me is radio frequency hacking, reverse engineering, embedded systems, and IoT security. Robotics isn’t foreign to me either. I’ve taken some solid courses in that too."
We’re still sitting at the table now with empty plates, but unlike the previous days, it no longer feels like just a shared meal.
"Sounds like a passion," Blue says in a peculiar tone.
Not many people actually want to know anything about me, so I find a certain kind of satisfaction in it.
"I liked understanding how things worked," I say after a moment. "Not just using them. Actually getting inside, figuring out the logic, the structure. Systems, wireless communication, networks, hardware… it all makes sense to me. It pulls me in."
Blue listens without interrupting.
"And," I add, glancing at him briefly, "I was good at it. Like, really good. I had the highest grades in my class and got the top scholarship available. My parents didn’t have to spend a cent on my education. Thanks to competitions and distinctions, I got a full ride. But what now? What about my plans? Do I even need this education if I’m stuck as a bodyguard for a decade? I’ll forget what I’ve learned before I’m free. As far as my career prospects go, I’m in deep shit," I conclude.
The corner of my mouth lifts slightly, but it’s more like a nervous twitch. Still, I keep watching him as I push the plate away.
If I expected sympathy, it wasn’t on the menu. He’s already finished, his attention split between his tablet and me.