"You know what I liked most about you Jackie?"
"What's that?"
"You were never frightened of me."
"Frightened of what, Ace? You're being silly again."
"No, I really mean it. We've talked, you and I, more than anyone else here that I've worked with. You know you can talk to me freely about anything, and you have, and I've done the same. Most people would get frightened of me, for all the secrets that I have inside."
"Ace, are you being serious again?"
"Very serious."
"Okay." She stopped stocking ponchos against the back wall and looked up at me, as I stood on the ladder above her replacing a row of halogens. "You are a little scary sometimes, but I don't think you're anyone to be feared."
"And the other stuff?"
"What other-- Oh, that." She blushed lightly, which was hard to catch on her hispanic skin, unless you'd been around here enough, as I had. "It makes me uncomfortable sometimes, but I'm glad you're telling someone, instead of keeping it in."
"And when it's not making you uncomfortable?"
She blushed deeper, turning away from me and tried to focus on stocking the ponchos on the too-small shelf again, but her hands were shaking and they started knocking each other over.
"Careful there. Do I need to come down and give you a hand?"
She started. "Do what with your hands?"
"Help you stock, of course."
"Oh, right." She brushed some sweat from her forehead even though it was chilly in here, and fluffed her shirt, unconsciously fanning herself.
"Maybe you should be the one up here. I can stock the ponchos and you can pretend to replace lights and stare at my ass when you think I'm not looking."
She glanced up at me, confused, then back down, still embarrassed. "What do you mean?"
"Are you trying to flash me?"
She looked down at herself, realized her actions and stopped.