Maria Rose takes this as an excuse to get ahold of his hand and assess his undertones.

This is fine this is fine this is fine this is fine this is fine.  Haha it's normal and he likes it.

(The lack of guiding is separately a little bit startling; he hasn't been touching anyone but Haru.)

Maria Rose's hand feels like a hand and not like the quale shared between cooling a burn, scratching an itch, water to the thirsty and food to the hungry, ice in summer and electric blankets in December, air after a lap underwater and rest after exhaustion, purified and delivered through touch. Just a hand flirtily touching his arm.

It's things like this that really make a guy question whether he's doing what he's supposed to.

He looks for an answer in her eyes.

They're brown.

"You know, I hear for this sort of thing to work - which I still don't think it does - I hear you have to try it out in a couple of different kinds of lighting.  It's awful warm-toned in here."

"You know, you're right," says Maria Rose. "That would probably help settle it for sure. Claudia, did you want me to schedule you an Otto, with the subscription discount -"

"Isn't that how Nina got booted from the platform," Connie says, "getting caught buying discounted rides she wasn't in?"

"I think Nina did something that would make her sound worse and she's lying," says Maria Rose, "but if you don't want me to risk it?"

"Yeah, it's like a buck fifty difference, don't sweat it. Have fun with your cool lighting."

Julien waves chipperly to the abandoned remnants of the bridal party.  And - does not actually chug the remaining five centimeters of his beer; that doesn't seem necessary.  He leaves it there.

Maria Rose summons a car. It doesn't take long in this part of town for one to show up. They can chat in the car, orrrrr they could make out.

OH.  Okay.  Right now?  Yes, right now.  If he closes his eyes and keeps out of the way of her hair he can sort of try to pretend he's kissing a guy.  And he's good at that.  He can do - this.  Tolerably, hopefully.

Is he sure about that, she's got citrus-flavored lipgloss and smells like hibiscus.

He has ever smelled nice things before.  It's fine and also:  it's fine.  He can do this.

Especially if he takes things slowly and (aims for) sweetly?  Some people like that.  He cannot really manifest that which enthusiasm underlies, but he can try for thoughtful application of technique.

She is picking up what he is putting down on the slow-and-sweet vibe!

The car pulls up in front of her building.

"Thanks for having me over."  ...Kiss on the hand.

"You're cute, I like you." Elevator!

"Thanks!  I like you too."  This isn't a lie because she's really so much better than torture.

She has a one bedroom apartment and it is immediately obvious, in it, that her favorite color is purple. "Do you want anything to drink or anything?"

"I should probably have some water so I might not get hungover tomorrow."  Also Haru said to worry about dehydration.

"Does that help? I thought it was food that helped..." She gets him a glass of water. "Ice?"

"Yes please."  Maybe he can do some mild temperature play to distract from his - whole deal.  "It might be both?  I think it's both."

"Huh." She hands him his ice water and gets one for herself.

"Thanks."  He sips it and looks around.  "Nice place."

"It's funny, I didn't know I was going to have company but I happened to clean it up yesterday so it's looking better than usual right now, usually there'd be like, sweaters lying around, dishes in the sink."

"It's normal to have dishes in your sink."  Sweaters?  In the summer?  - Right, sometimes girls get really cold in air conditioning and she's not a guy and so maybe that applies to her.  Right.  It's so fine.  "I like the purple.  It's my favorite color."  Julien she's going to think you're too gay to fuck her.  "Darker shades than this, though."

"Do you think this light is cool enough? I don't know if you want warmer or cooler purples, see."