Tom leaned a little closer to Daisy now, his posture relaxed but his expression completely focused. There was a spark behind his eyes, confident, maybe even a little smug, like a chess player mid-game and already thinking three moves ahead.
"You know," he said, voice low and warm, "I've always had a thing for older women."
Daisy raised an eyebrow at that, but he pressed on smoothly.
"There's just something about them. More beautiful, more elegant… and honestly, they feel more beautiful to be around. The way they move, the way they talk. There's substance. Poise. Energy. It's… different. Better."
Daisy chuckled again, this time with a little more warmth. The corner of her mouth curled upward in amused appreciation, though her eyes still held a trace of caution.
"That's sweet," she said, giving him a slightly playful look. "I'll admit, it's nice that you appreciate older women… but tell me something." She leaned forward a bit now, closing the gap just enough to make it feel a little more intimate. "Do you think I like younger men?"
That question landed with a soft thud, direct.
Tom opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything clever, Gregor suddenly grabbed him by the arm.
"Excuse us," Gregor muttered quickly, tugging him out of the aisle and motioning toward the back of the cabin.
Tom sighed but let himself be pulled away, casting one last look at Daisy as he walked, wearing a grin that said, Don't worry, I'll be back.
They made their way past the rows of passengers, some watching them with vague curiosity, others too absorbed in their own worlds to care. At the back of the plane near the lavatories, Gregor stopped, turned, and stared at him like he was trying to decide whether to strangle or lecture him.
"What are you doing?" Gregor said flatly.
Tom blinked. "Flirting?"
Gregor narrowed his eyes. "No, Tom. You're making a scene. A painfully fruitless scene."
Tom tilted his head, pretending to be offended. "Fruitless? Really?"
Gregor threw his hands up. "Yes. It's obvious the woman's not into you. She's being polite. You're charming, yeah, sure, but she's not biting. Not even nibbling. Just drop it already."
Tom's smirk widened, which somehow made Gregor even more frustrated. "What?" Gregor snapped.
"My target," Tom said slowly, "isn't Daisy."
Gregor frowned. "Then why are you wasting time?"
Tom leaned in like he was letting Gregor in on some master plan. "Because Daisy's friend, the one with green hair who hasn't said a word, that's the one I'm actually after."
Gregor just stared at him, brows furrowed. "You're making zero sense right now."
Tom grinned. "It's simple. I flirt with Daisy, hard. Her friend notices, even if she pretends she's not paying attention. Trust me, she's watching. Everyone watches when someone else is getting attention they aren't. Human nature."
Gregor blinked slowly, but said nothing, so Tom continued. "Then, once I've got Daisy's attention clearly secured, enough to establish the pattern, I switch. I turn to the friend. Talk to her, compliment her, give her the energy. She'll respond, because now I'm someone who could've had her more confident, more experienced friend… but chose her instead."
He snapped his fingers lightly. "It creates a pull. Makes her feel special. Wanted. Like she just won something."
Gregor looked tired already. "And?"
"And," Tom said, eyes dancing with amusement, "if I'm lucky, Daisy will get a little jealous. Even if she doesn't show it, it'll nag at her. She'll want the attention back. Which means…"
"Which means you think you can pull both of them?" Gregor cut in, voice deadpan.
Tom gave a casual shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's the idea."
Gregor buried his face in his hand and groaned. "Tom, it is hard enough to flirt with one woman successfully on a plane, especially ones like that. Pulling two? Come on. You're good, but you're not magic. Unless…"
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're not going to use your mind control, are you?"
Tom looked genuinely offended. "What? No! That would be cheating. This is just basic psychology."
Gregor scoffed. "No, this is you wasting time on an impossible dream."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you're saying you're that sure I'll fail?"
Gregor didn't hesitate. "Yes. One hundred percent. Not a chance."
Tom leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "Wanna bet?"
Gregor tilted his head, curious. "A bet?"
Tom nodded. "I bag at least one of them. Without using any powers. Just charm, timing, and good old conversation."
Gregor considered this for a moment. "Alright," he said slowly. "If you lose, you have to wear a bunny costume."
Tom blinked. "A bunny costume? Like… ears and everything?"
Gregor nodded, straight-faced. "Full thing. Ears. Tail. The works."
Tom gave a low whistle. "That's insane. Where are you even going to get a bunny costume?"
Gregor smirked. "That's my problem. Don't worry about it."
Tom rolled his eyes, but he was clearly amused. "Alright. But what do I get if I win?"
Gregor hesitated for a second, then said, "You get to use my SIG Sauer for a day."
Tom lit up. "Deal!"
Gregor held up a hand. "No. Three hours."
Tom frowned. "What? Come on. A bunny costume for a whole day and I only get three hours with the SIG?"
Gregor didn't blink. "Yes. I can't let you be left too long with a gun."
Tom exhaled through his nose. "Fine. But if I lose, it's only three hours in the costume. That's fair."
Gregor thought for a moment, then gave a single nod. "Okay. But in public. For those three hours."
Tom winced. "Public?"
"Public," Gregor repeated firmly.
They stared at each other for a beat, then shook hands.
"Alright," Tom said, tightening his grip on Gregor's hand for emphasis. "We've got ourselves a bet."
"Indeed," Gregor said. "Prepare to hop."
The two of them broke apart and began making their way back down the narrow aisle toward their seats. Tom was already mentally mapping out the next ten minutes of conversation.
Gregor, on the other hand, was just hoping Tom wouldn't crash and burn in a flaming heap of embarrassing failure. But either way… this was going to be entertaining.