Bent didn’t move. He sat frozen and stiff. His jaw was more clenched than it had been before. And it almost looked like he was grinding his teeth. Sarah saw his fingers had ripped the napkin in his hands to shreds. She assumed he would say something about Kurl. She knew he detested him. Even her own friends didn’t like Kurl. But none of them really knew Kurl. And she still felt she owed her fun hot tub guy a chance. Besides, it was not like she had other options. The one beautiful person in front of her wasn’t exactly pounding down her door to ask her out. So let him get mad, Sarah decided. It would prove he cares. Even a tiny bit. Bent’s eyes refocused on his hands. The shredded napkin seemed to surprise him. “Wow, look at that. Must’ve been lost in thought,” he said. He brushed the napkin remnants into his hands, rolling the bits into a ball. He then tossed the crumpled napkin into a trash bin on the opposite side of the room. Sarah almost wanted to praise his perfect shot. But she held back. His clenched jaw and narrowed eyes told her to keep quiet. He wasn’t happy. Not at all. Still, she felt herself smile. Good. Let him stew on that doozy. Just because HE could date model-like Elly, shouldn’t keep HER from being able to date super hunks like Kurl. Not that Kurl was even in the SAME ballpark as Bent. In fact, she wasn’t sure anyone could ever top this god-like figure seated beside her. She sighed. Having such a specimen of perfection in her life was almost a curse. Looking at him, it was easy to see, like the somewhat comical *NSYNC song, ‘God must have spent a little more time’ creating the vision that would be Bent Prince. After a minute, Sarah decided to move. She reached over and picked up Bent’s empty cup and plate. Her movement seemed to bring him back to reality. He stretched out his hand and tentatively touched her arm. “Leave it.” She shook her head. “Just because you have androids, doesn’t mean they have to do all of the work all the time.” His eyes snapped into focus like a readied cannon. “What? They’re not even alive.” He craned back his neck to grin over his shoulder at Erna and Jay. The androids continued to stand motionless by the door. When he looked back at Sarah, his eyes looked pained. He smiled, but it was an empty smile. Sarah gently pulled her arm out of his grasp. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I happen to like Erna and Jay. Besides, dishes are probably the easiest thing they have to do around here. So that means I’m perfectly capable of doing the task.” He watched her curiously as she rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “Do you ever use all four of these dishwashers?” she asked. When she glanced up, she caught her breath. Bent wore the most remarkable expression on his face. It was as if he was in awe of her. Within seconds, the look was gone. “What?” he asked. He hadn’t heard her question.Sarah giggled. “I asked…do you ever use all FOUR of these dishwashers?”He raised an eyebrow. “Are there really four?” He jumped up out of his chair. He strode quickly around the kitchen island to stand beside her. When he saw the dishwashers, he smirked. He ran a hand through his still-damp hair. “Would you look at that. Who would’ve guessed? Means I need to throw bigger parties!”Sarah bit her lip. With him right next to her, she couldn’t make herself look up at him. She felt the question she wanted to ask start to bubble to the surface. She balled her hands into fists, but she couldn’t stop herself. Curiosity and hope clouded her judgment. “You haven’t said anything about Kurl.” She held her breath, waiting for his answer. Bent cleared his throat, stuffing his hands back into his pants pockets. “Cool. Uh, it’s cool.” He suddenly slapped the counter. “Do you want a tour? You’ve never really seen this place!” He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her from the room. “Let’s see. Where should we start?” he said to himself. “Lower level. Yes, definitely.” So that was it? He was changing the subject? He wasn’t going to tell her how bad an idea it was for her to hang with Kurl? He was going to just push the idea of her dating under the rug? Bent hurried her over the small bridge with the little pool of water under it. Through the living room with its humungous couch, palm trees, and the television that hung suspended in mid-air. When they reached the far wall, Bent hit a button for the elevator. “Oh, uh, it might be a bit cold where we’re going,” he snickered. He roughly pulled her against him as they stepped through the elevator doors.