Good Talk
“Well, I did it.” Erin said the second Holtzmann walked into the lab the next morning.
“What’s that, Gilbert?” Holtzmann replied.
“I talked to Kevin. I was straightforward and honest, just like you said I should be.”
“Oh really? And how did it go?”
“It was fine. Turns out he’s used to sleeping with people just because and it wasn’t at all awkward for him. Just me.”
“Good job. You deserve a good star.” Holtz laughed as she walked over to the containment unit.
“I thought so. Also. I wanted to talk to you about something else you said yesterday.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Holtz flipped a switch on the unit.
“You said that I am looking for love in the wrong places. Well, I’m not. I’m not looking for love anywhere. Yeah, I slept with Kevin. But that’s not because I was looking for love. I was looking for a good time. And I found one. I’m not looking for love at all,” Erin winced as the words came tumbling out of her mouth in a rush, but she was grateful to be done saying them. She was happy that she’d stood up for herself rather than letting Holtzmann get the wrong idea about her.
“Oh, Erin. Erin, Erin, Erin. What makes you so sure about that?” Holtz turned so she was facing Erin.
“What do you mean? Of course I’m sure about it. I think I’d know it if I were looking for love. It’s not like I’m on Tinder or any of those other dating apps. I’m not actively seeking a mate. I sought out a bit of sex, got it, and now I’m back to, y’know, saving the world from paranormal entities.”
“Ok. If you say so.” Holtzmann picked up a wrench and began tightening a bolt on the containment unit.
“You don’t believe me! Why don’t you believe me?” Erin was frustrated by this.
“You’ve been drooling over Kevin since the moment he walked in the door. Now you’ve slept with him. Is that really all you’re planning to do?”
“Yes. Yes it is. I even told him that! I told him we needed to keep our relationship strictly professional. And he agreed. Also, he said he was planning to sleep with you next.”
“Whaaat?”
“Yep. I told him that was probably a good idea.” Erin was tiring of this conversation so with that, she walked across the room and began scribbling on her whiteboard. Holtzmann, however, wouldn’t let the conversation end that easily.
“What? Are you serious? You told him to make a move on me? My God, is that why he brought me a donut this morning?” A look of horror spread across Holtzmann’s face.
“I figured you’d be interested.” Erin was glad her back was turned because she was pretty sure she couldn’t have said that with a straight face.
“Are you kidding me Gilbert?”
“Yeah, actually, I am. I told him not to sleep with anyone else that’s a part of this establishment. He looked disappointed, but I think he will listen.”
“Oh, thank God. I didn’t want to have to bruise his delicate male ego by shooting him down.”
“No need to worry about that. And now that we’ve got the details of my private life all sorted out, I’m going to get some work done. Good talk,” and with that, Erin focused her energy on solving a particularly long, troublesome equation. She was glad this conversation was over with.
It was silent in the lab for a few minutes.
And then, “Erin?” Holtz said.
“Yes?”
“What was all that stuff you said about needing to be married by now? And looking for something serious?” Erin sighed. She was hoping Holtzmann wouldn’t bring that up. Because in truth, she didn’t have a good response. She’d been thinking those things in the moment, but she didn’t necessarily know what to do about them. So she made up an excuse.
“I think that was just hormones talking. You know, time of the month kind of thing.” Erin retorted, blushing slightly. It wasn’t typical for her to use her period as an excuse for her behavior.
“Time of the month thing, huh? So you’re not looking for anything serious then?”
“I don’t think so. With the way things are going here, I don’t think I’d have time for a serious relationship and all that comes with it.”
In a small but not insignificant turn of events, Erin had her back turned to Holtz, scribbling away with her blue marker while replying. If she hadn’t, she would have seen how the other woman’s face fell upon hearing her response.
“Gotcha,” Holtz replied, “Good talk.”
And the conversation was over.