He smiled at her. It seemed to be a natural inclination for him, to smile before beginning his sentences. "Oh sure," he said good-naturedly. "But never cute. It's good. It's different."
She looked around for a moment. "I'm glad you think that. I like giving compliments to people who deserve it."
He laid back down and stretched, grunting slightly. "Well," he said, turning his head to look up at her. "I'm glad that you decided that I'm worthy of it." He grinned cheekily and nudged her with his leg playfully.
"I mean," she decided to lie down on her side, propping her head up, "I can't see why you wouldn't be worthy."
He stared at her for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, and then he laughed in disbelief. "Sometimes, I just can't believe you, Avice," he said thoughtfully. "I can't believe you're real. That you're sitting right there, across from me."
"I would hope I'm real. If not, I'm in need of a pretty big wake-up call." She poked his arm. "Yep! I'm real."
He squirmed away, a smile already appearing on his lips, but he raised one eyebrow. "Do not," he warned, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
He hesitated, knowing that he was trapped, but trying to figure out the best way to avoid the situation. He sat up, and scootched backwards, his back hitting the ship wall. "I'm...not..." he said, unconvincingly.
He tried to turn away, but she got him on the ribs, and he yelped amidst his laughter and fell back on his arms. Crawling backwards, he tried to escape her clutches, his eyes crinkled with mirth.
