He presses back against her palm and finds the strength to lift his head from her shoulder, his expression comically blank. "Present," he says, as if he's being called for roll. And then he can't keep up the act anymore and his haze breaks, revealing a wide, ready grin.

"You're really going to tell me that you got that kind of core strength by doing crunches?" he asks, incredulous. He moves his thumb to push an unruly shock of her hair away from her forehead.