#FlashFictionMagic: Summer slowly slipping (wordplay)

Of the ways I could spend an afternoon in the dwindling weeks before school, selling Mom’s crocheted animals at the craft fair wasn’t the worst one, but it was the most boring. The only perks were the basketball players who shot hoops in the gym next door, and sometimes waved to me as they wandered to the soda machine. Otherwise, the only person who talked to me was Duncan Powers, and here he was now. 

Duncan pushed his glasses up onto his nose, then reached out to pat a pair of kissing chimps. Eyeing him suspiciously, I said, “Are you… in the market for matching monkeys?" 

Duncan shook his head. "I'm hoping to hitch up a horse. Unless perhaps you're peddling penguins? Or pangolins. I'm not picky. Even a porcupine would probably prove practical." He grinned. 

Hoo boy. It was just like Duncan to notice that I’d inadvertently spoken in alliteration.  But two could play this game. 

“Fresh out of ferrets and plumb out of penguins, I’m afraid. Could I convince you to consider a cuddly calico cat? They’re kinda cute.” 

“They’re not alone in that,” Duncan said quietly, blushing. I felt my cheeks begin to warm up too. What had he just said?  

“If not a feline,” I said,  “Could I find you a frog, a fox, or a ferret?” Duncan’s glasses slipped again, and I found myself zeroing in on the blue of his eyes. Basketball players, I tried to remind myself, not nerds. But that color… 

“Look, Lillian Landry,” Duncan said. “It’s not really lions and lemurs I’m looking for. I’d actually love to link up with you later and go for a lemonade. Or food would be fine. French fries? Around four?”  I watched him clamp his mouth shut to curtail the flow of words, and I had to stifle a giggle.

Behind Duncan, two basketball players entered the room. Neither looked my way. When my gaze returned to Duncan he had taken off his glasses to clean them on his shirt sleeve, and those beautiful baby blues beckoned to me. I shook my head. Now he had me doing it. But honestly, I could do a lot worse than a guy who tried to woo me with wordplay. 

“Duncan?” I said. “It’s a date."