"Sorry, system's down. Cash only."
Obviously, he knows I'm lying. He raises his head, and then looks down at his feet again almost immediately.
"But, that woman just now... she paid by card, didn't she?"
"Well, it's pretty unstable. Not much I can do about it."
"O-Oh. Okay then."
I don't bother trying to stop the grin that forms on my face as his hand trembles, hovering over mine. I hold it
tightly, too tightly and certainly far too long for him to ignore and brush off as something casual.
As always, he pretends nothing's wrong, glancing over to the side shyly.
But it's okay, I get it. I can tell he's scared.
I will drag it out of him one day, though. I will terrorize him until he can no longer run from it.