This was a delightfully fun, exquisitely well-written little vignette. It’s so refreshing to find such attention to detail with regard to descriptions and characters. I enjoyed all the academic references as well as the main characters’ unorthodox meetup. Though I believe, for what it’s worth, at least Kant and Elliot are public forum. So he’s only somewhat guilty.

I’ve read several of your stories, and have meant to leave a review, but I was doing a gentle search randomly last month and this one really stuck with me, and I was a little surprised to find it was yours! Suffice to say this review of your writing prowess can apply to the several of yours I’ve read. You’re quite good.

I think this little story is perfectly adequate as a stand-alone encounter, though it would be remiss of me not to say that I’d love to see where their relationship goes, if anywhere, which is more to say that you did a fine job of realistically and engagingly setting them up than to say that I’m left expecting more.

Anyway, excellent writing as usual. Cheers!

Author's Response:

Thank you very kindly! I'm glad you appreciated this one. I had to pare it down several times for the contest, 2,000-word restriction, but I think that helped the exposition and it just as probably sets it apart from other stories where I had no restrictions. My thought, anyway. I'm very glad to hear you like my work, I hope to keep that up.

Very cute story so far!  I'm excited to see where it goes.