“Penny for your thoughts, then.” He obliged.

“Hold up.” She held her hand out. “Payment please.”

“What am I supposed to—?” His brow furrowed in amusement. “Can I Venmo you a penny?”

“We’re locked out of Venmo’s service region.” she told him, then sighed dramatically and crossed her arms. “So how are you gonna pay me if you don’t have money, Feofil?”

He couldn’t believe her in this moment— so much so that he had to stifle a laugh. Was she being serious? “Did you really just drop us into a porno?” He asked in disbelief.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

All of a sudden the amusement turned to nerves as the pull between them magnified. Here they were once again, just the two of them alone for miles, with her knees brushing his and her face leaning dangerously close. “Personally,” he ventured, “I’m a little insulted you’re valuing all this that just a penny.”

“Pay in advance,” she explained, her toes nudging the hem of his pants as she shifted. “I’ll give you an equivalent number of thoughts.”

The gesture sent a shiver up his spine and he felt himself matching her lean. "One of these days, you're gonna make me come undone."

“I thought you were already there,” Parisa teased. “You haven’t lost your mind yet?”