Chapter 652 - Happy Surprise...?

"Youknow, she wasn't that clingy before, but after that incident with Macka and... Usanagi's interest in me..." he mutters aloud while in thought.

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Tamia asks, getting a shrug from him.

"I may be willing to fight Deathclaws barehanded, but getting into that kind of discussion with her? I'd take my chances in a Tunneler hive... Naked."

"Maybe that's the problem then? Relationships are supposed to be about communication... Or something, I think I heard that once and it sounded about right...?"

"Easier than it sounds then..." he shakes his head.

The duo continues to talk until their stomachs start growling, they head off to a local restaurant and enjoy a relatively pleasant afternoon, Afton taking the time to update Tamia on recent things that'd happened in the Mojave, as well as his and House's plans for the future.

Half an hour into the discussion Afton sees someone enter the establishment and feels the urge to bury his head in the menu... Josie had walked inside with an odd expression on her face, looking around as if hunting for prey.

Quickly, she spots Tamia, as well as the, slumped over pile that could only be her boyfriend. She marches over and stands next to Afton with crossed arms, her expression slowly getting worse as he continues to duck his head.

"Er, hey Josie? Something up?" Tamia asks, confused at her friends rather awkward actions.

Josie flashes a small smile but hides it as she looks back down at Afton, "I heard you'd just gotten back and wanted to grab Afton to say hi... Seems like I shouldn't have bothered." she states.

Afton sits up and shoots her a glare, "What's with you? Can't I have dinner with a friend without my minder coming to check on me?" he asks in irritation.

"Minder?" she growls, "Maybe I wouldn't have to keep a close eye on you if you took my feelings into account! You keep making up excuses as well!"

"Your feelings? What are you even talking about?..." he glances at Tamia, "Is this about Usanagi?" he questions, remembering his talk with Tamia earlier.

Josie snorts, "Of course it is! Why was it so hard for you to see?"

"See what!? She's a colleague! What do you want me to do? Avoid every other woman to ease your nerves?"

She shakes her head, "No! That'd be stupid and crazy! I just want you to seriously take us into account when you work... Do you know how sick I felt when you and her locked yourselves away in your lab for two days? Imagine me doing the same with a guy I dated in the past!"

Afton shakes his head, "That's not the same-"

"Actually... It kinda is," Tamia adds from the side, getting the duo's attention. She looks to Afton and shrugs, "You didn't mention that part when you were explaining your troubles, Afton... I think I'd be a bit pissed as well... Why did you need to isolate yourself for two days with Doctor Usanagi anyway?" she asks, and Josie's glare felt like it was stabbing Afton in the side of his head.

Afton sighs, "It was for Anja, alright? The Cybernetic eyes we are developing were incredibly light-sensitive and needed strict and regulated conditions while we worked on them. Plus the fact we needed to see if Anja's status as a Ghoul would affect the procedure in some way... I wanted to get the project finished as soon as possible, and kinda forgot to sleep the entire time." he admits before shaking his head.

"You could have come to visit at any time though, nothing was stopping you." Afton states with crossed arms, "You're just making a big deal outta nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing was stopping you', your AI wouldn't let me into the lab!" Josie accuses.

...

"Wait what?" he mutters with a confused look, "Glados, did you restrict Josie's access to the lab?"

"Affirmative. I wished to assist you with... What is it called, 'philandering'? I have observed that men who engage in such activities experience a higher quality of life on average." Glados newly appeared drone explains, getting dumbfounded looks for the trio.

"You what!? Is this payback for not letting you shoot the orbital laser at the NCR congress?" he questions, but Glados remains silent, electing not to incriminate herself... Unfortunately, that's all that Afton needed to... Not hear?

He releases a long sigh and sends Glados away while squeezing the bridge of his nose, "As you two can see... This is just a big misunderstanding... And no, I'm not fucking Usanagi." he states absolutely.

He then locks eyes with Josie, "Now, will you tell me why you've been acting so weird lately?"

...

Josie frowns at the question but musters up her courage after a moment, "I'm late... My monthly, I mean." she states, shocking both Tamia and Afton.

"Congratu-" Tamia starts but is interrupted by a voice next to her.

"Fuck." Afton reflexively mutters, paling slightly at Josie's hurt expression.

Josie marches out of the restaurant, but as much as Afton wants to stand and follow her out, he finds his legs simply unable to move... He hoped it was just from the shock of her announcement, otherwise he might actually be having a stroke... "Er, Tamia, is my face drooping at all?" he quietly asks...

Tamia stands with a frown and tosses her napkin on the table, ignoring the waiter who was carrying their main course, "Worry less about your face and more about your potentially pregnant girlfriend you idiot." she states as she moves to follow after Josie.

"Urgh..." Afton groans as he leans back in his chair, the waiter standing beside him with the food. "Do you want me to box this up for you?... So you can eat both meals alone in your apartment..." the man jokes, wanting to take some revenge on this lucky bastard who appeared to be playing with two women.

...

"Do you not know who I am?... Ugh," He shakes his head, "Eat it yourself... And no, you aren't getting a tip." he says as he leaves the restaurant.