Life's Lessons on Stress

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  "One ice cream sundae with strawberry syrup, nuts, and a cherry." Zell grinned as he set the bowl in front of me.

  I smiled and drew the bowl close. "Yummy."

  He sat close beside me, one arm resting along the back of my chair, and presented me my spoon. "Now will you tell me what happened at work?"

  I giggled. "What makes you think anything happened?" I scooped a portion of vanilla ice cream and strawberry syrup and presented it to Zell. "Here."

  He slurped the mouthful of ice cream. "Meg, come on," he pressed, licking a bit of syrup from his lips. "With you something always happens at work."

  I scooped more ice cream and syrup and nuts. "Nuh-uh," I protested. I licked the spoon clean. "Yummmm."

  "Stop looking so yummy and tell me what happened!"

  I sent him a sidelong glance as I cleaned yet another spoonful of ice cream. "I’m being recommended for a rank promotion," I said, nonchalant.

  Zell blinked and leaned back in his chair. "Wha?" The chair clunked forward. "Really?"

  I nodded, attention focused on gathering a perfect bite. "Yep." I lifted the spoonful and offered it to Zell. "Here."

  He took it, working the nuts as his eyes twinkled at me.

  "Pretty cool, huh?" Zell nodded. I continued, "I’m also being put on a special investigations unit," I told him while gathering more ice cream. "Seifer tried to have me actually go traveling around doing them, but I asked him not to. I told him I work better behind a computer. So, Fujin’s on the team instead. And, I got my new chair." I turned to offer Zell another spoonful of ice cream and noticed his shocked and confused expression. I lowered the spoon. "What?"

  "You declined a recommendation?"

  "Yes. What’s so strange about that?"

  "And Seifer listened to you?"

  "I had to convince him first. Why?"

  Zell leaned back in his chair. "Huh. Never woulda thought."

  "Thought what?"

  He focused his attention on me again. "Huh? Oh. Nothing." He grinned and leaned forward to kiss me. "Yummm. Strawberry syrup." He kissed me again with an additional series of lip nibbles.

  I giggled against his lips.