A Pivotal Encounter

Hal was entranced and enlightened at the same time, but even then, he was still wondering just how Eli jumped to that conclusion.

"You're pretty fun to tease, though..." he trailed off with an amused smile, snapping her out of her gloomy bubble.

"You're clumsy, stubborn, sometimes heedless, and a bit of a troublemaker - those are fun."

"Wow, thanks," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"But don't you know, Eli? Being fun isn't supposed to be one-sided. When people see you having fun in what you're doing, they'll eventually see that "fun" in you. You're also being too pessimistic about yourself. Others calling you things don't always mean that you're really like that. It's a matter of perspectives... And didn't I already tell you before? You're not boring at all," he remarked as if shedding light on a whole new definition of sincerity, snatching a strand of her hair and stroking it ever so gently, expression soft.