"You're just critiquing," she retorted with a playful grin. She returned to look at the microscope and she blinked. "Check this out."
"A barnacle," she said, pulling away to let him look. "It's eating. It's really, really cool." Spoiler: Boom
"Because I was interested," she replied, leaning back in her chair. "I wanted to learn more about them."
"They're cool, huh?" she said a grin returning to her face. "They're pulling plankton into the mouths! With little tentacles!"
"It's so cool, though!" she said, returning to the microscope. "That little barnacle is filtering the water with tentacles."
"Yes!" she said, evidently pleased that he had found something to be excited about. "But they're not aliens! They're just barnacles!"
"Not all day," she said, adjusting the scope and turning back to him a little sheepishly. "But I do spend a lot at my desk. I enjoy it."
"I think the time at your desk has paid off," he said. "Maybe all these experiments are the reason you're so smart."
She flushed lightly, but shook her head. "A smart person wouldn't have this whole situation," she said, lifting her broken hand. "But I appreciate the compliment."
"But a smart person wouldn't have engaged in the relationship in the first place," she replied quietly, looking down at her lap. She paused for a moment before glancing up at him with a melancholy smile. "Don't worry. It's all fine."
