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"It's worth a thought. Maybe someone would be willing to go in on it with you. I bet researching equipment would be interesting," Jordan mused. "Even if it didn't come to anything."

He took a sip of coffee, then just barely managed not to inhale it at the next comment. He held the cup defensively in front of him, his eyes sliding to Melvin's face, studying him for long moments and deciding what he wanted to say. "There hasn't been anyone I've made that kind of connection with," he said, after consideration. "I'm not really looking for, ah, casual, you know? I'm all right on my own." He smiled a little, self-deprecating. "Anyway, would you want to date someone who was still hung up on his ex? Seems like something that most people wouldn't go for." Kind of sad, he almost said, but bit off before it escaped his mouth, realizing that that could be taken wrong if Melvin misinterpreted it.

Jordan laced his fingers around his coffee cup and shook his head. "No, there's no room left for me there, not any more. I know it's not going to happen. I just feel that it'd be unfair of me to expect a new partner to accept that I still have strong feelings for someone else, even if nothing's happening there." He shrugged one shoulder, and his eyes slid off to the side, looking at nothing in particular. "They'd have to be pretty tolerant. Anyway, it's a theoretical consideration."

A small flicker of a smile. "How's the betting pool? You got anything down?"

Jordan laughed a little. "Maybe that's egotistical to assume, but I know there was one about how long we were going to last. I take some mildly spiteful enjoyment in figuring that if there's a pool I've probably lost a few people some money already." He sipped his coffee, trying to recover some of the equanimity he'd lost over the topic.

"Or how long till you get back into the game, so to speak. There are a lot of bored people here."

Jordan glanced sideways at Melvin. He remembered a Twitter post some time ago about anyone who'd slept with Lawr needing to get checked; apparently Melvin had been affected, although that was probably natural, considering. That was way too nosy a question to ask, though, and none of his business. He let that part slide. "Maybe I'll go check and see who the newest gossip is about now," he said instead.

He shook his head in response to the question, reddening slightly. "I've thought about it, but no. At the risk of being crude, if I wanted to just use someone like a sex toy, well, that's what actual sex toys are for."

"Yeah? What's the funniest you've seen?" Jordan asked. Melvin seemed to be dropping the other subject, which was just as well. They were apparently both uncomfortable with it. Jordan wondered briefly if he'd hit a nerve somehow, or whether it was just that Melvin had changed; he'd half expected further or possibly more intrusive questions.

Jordan laughed. "That's pretty good. Any results in evidence, or is it still ongoing? You could probably just ask Allan, I bet he'd share," he added dryly.