"I'm sorry," he said softly. His blue eyes were full of sympathy.
"Don't be," she said shortly. "I'm over it."
"Even so, he must have been a total moron," Steven declared.
Julia decided a change of topic was in order. She gazed at the little 3d representation of herself on his screen. "Your software does seem to work just as well on people. It still needs a bit of work but there's another application for you."
"What, narcissism?"
"No," she laughed. "Online clothes shopping. People can upload their avatar with some measurements and dress it up to find clothes that suit them."
They discussed the possibilities for a while before Julia's stomach reminded her it was dinner time. Steven, reading her mind or perhaps hearing her stomach rumble, offered to call for some Chinese takeout. The steaming boxes of noodles were delivered within fifteen minutes and they sat on the couch to eat. Sasha was terribly curious about the delicious-smelling boxes and Steven had to scold her when she jumped up on the couch. She stayed on the floor after that but she still watched them intently.
"You've got a good view here," Julia noted, looking out the large window. Downtown Wellington was light up with brilliant reflections of the setting sun.
"I guess that's one advantage of living in such a hilly city," Steven mused. "There are a lot of places with nice views."
Julia finished her noodles and Sasha took that as an invitation to jump on her lap. "Oh," she exclaimed. Sasha turned around a few times and then settled down, purring happily.
"Sorry," said Steven. "Just push her off if you like."
"No she's fine." Julia stroked the cat, who purred even louder. But her phone rang suddenly and Sasha jumped off in alarm. Julia took it out of her bag and checked the caller id. It was Ben. "Sorry, this won't take long," she told Steven. He nodded quickly and she took the call.
"Hi Julia. It's Ben" "Hi Ben. How are you?" she asked politely.
"I'm good. Really good. I've been thinking about you," he replied.
Julia glanced at Steven and saw he was still busy eating. "Yes, I had a good time too," she told Ben.
"Are you busy later in the week? We could grab dinner and a show or something." Julia didn't need to ask what he meant by 'or something'. She felt a bit guilty about talking with him in front of Steven though. "I'm with a colleague at the moment," she informed him. "How about I call you back later?"