"I'm fine, really." Sabrina was doing her best to assure her coworker that she wasn't about to faint and hit her head on the way down.
His concern for her felt like more than just a friendly interest in her safety; the changes in his mannerisms were small but noticeable, and they added up, Nick was actually
attracted
to her in a way that he hadn't been before. Sabrina didn't exactly blame him for not finding her appealing - she was thin and awkward, her skin was blotchy, and the only time she had bothered with doing her hair and make up was for senior prom, where her 'date' was Ian wearing shorts and a tuxedo t-shirt.
But the way Nick looked at her now was making her feel embarrassed and... a few other feelings that she was grappling with.
"There's no one out there right now, I don't mind hanging out back here with my favorite coworker," Nick said as he took a seat on an overturned milk crate.
He even managed to make
that
look cool, and Sabrina was left wondering if maybe the P.A.D. had done something to her perception of Nick as well. But maybe it was just the mutual appreciation beginning to bubble to the surface. Before, Nick was off-limits. Out of her league. Just a fantasy that she didn't attempt to delude herself into thinking could become a reality. She normally never got this caught up in his looks and charm, but now he was
attainable
; the cold, heavy card she still clutched in her hand had made sure of it.
And it could do a
lot
more if she wanted it to.
Sabrina probably consumed more internet porn than the average girl her age and, when combined with her lack of experience, held a somewhat warped view of what an actual sexual liaison should look like. So here, underneath the harsh fluorescent lights, in a coffee-stained uniform, she decided to make her move.
With a little help from the P.A.D., of course.
She was still worried about rejection, even with all the signs saying that Nick was
absolutely
into her. The quiver of desire she felt when he smiled at her helped her make a decision. Sabrina was a clever teenager but she was as much a victim to impulsive behaviors as the next girl; was it a smart idea to target Nick with the P.A.D. again, knowing that at any moment their manager could walk out of the office and get the both of them into
heaps
of trouble? The first time had been an accident, but her mind was buzzing with possibilities and she so desperately wanted him to make the first move, her nerves preventing her from being as direct as she would have liked.
"What's that?" Nick asked when she held the P.A.D. flat in her palm so she could read the hologram. He didn't seem concerned that it was emitting a floating depiction of his body, much to Sabrina's surprise.
"Uhh... what does it look like?" She asked back, tentatively.
"Either a really thick credit card or a really thin phone," Nick chuckled.
Could he not see the display? This was the first time that Sabrina had let another person actually see the device, but somehow only she could perceive the UI, which would be helpful in avoiding a lot of invasive questioning.
"Yeah it's like a, uh, fidget toy," Sabrina lied, giving the card a half-hearted twirl between her fingers to try and sell it.
She was actually focused on the new category that the P.A.D. displayed above holo-Nick. 'LIBIDO'. Her heart raced at the thought of turning up her crush's sex drive - surely
that
would get him to make a move, right? Sabrina wasn't looking for a slow romantic burn, dating and flirting and a whole bunch of build-up to what would inevitably be an awkward kiss or a crummy first time in bed together. She wanted something spontaneous and passionate, and she wanted it