Incessant ringing roused Myrtle Snow from her slumber as she fumbled her hand along the edge of her nightstand. Slender fingers made contact with her alarm clock and she grasped the object, tilting it into her view. 11:34 p.m. It could only be one person who would even dare to call her at this time of night. The ringing continued, and the alarm clock was traded for the phone that she brought to her ear after pressing the appropriate button to cease the noise.
"Fiona. I'm sleeping. This better be good." Her voice was groggy and laden with irritation.
Expecting an acerbic remark and hearing nothing but sniffling on the other end of the line, Myrtle pressed a palm into the mattress to scoot backward so that she could sit up against her pillows. Her brow furrowed with concern as she reached up to smooth her wild display of red hair. "Fiona? Darling, are you alright? What's wrong?" The words spilled quickly as she immediately thought the worst.
A few heavy breaths were audible, and then another sniffle. "He...he ...left me." Muffled sobbing sounded through the phone.
"Oh, darling. You knew this was coming. They always do. You can't always beat them to the punch." Myrtle sighed, almost in slight relief.
"No, Myrtle...you don't understand," Fiona's voice wavered through the cool plastic pressed against Myrtle's ear.
The redhead slouched back into her pillows now that it was determined this wasn't a matter of life or death, eyes closing sleepily as she listened to the Supreme.
"She's so much...younger than me. Wh-...why? Why does younger have to be better, Myr? I'm nothing now...I'm all alone," Fiona continued to sniffle as she poured her feelings through the phone to her oldest friend; the longest relationship she could withstand.
"Fiona. There's always going to be younger women out there. They'll get older someday, too. And the men will just go to the next crop." Myrtle paused, wincing as she brought her hand to cover her face, now realizing what day it was. "And you're not nothing, or alone. It's just a stupid Hallmark holiday, a ruse from the capitalist society to move chocolate, flowers, and greeting cards off the shelves."
"Ugh, that's easy for you to say. You don't have a romantic bone in your body you old hag. I even bought a new dress..." She trailed off, and began to sniffle again, smothering a sob with her hand or a pillow - either one was a possibility, Myrtle thought.
"Stop crying, Fiona. You'll be fine."
The sobbing increased in volume, and Myrtle let out a pained sigh, her palm digging into her eyes for a moment. The time difference between Fiona's location in California and Myrtle in Louisiana was often not an issue, except for when the Supreme felt the urge to dial while heavily intoxicated, but this was a different story. Fiona was outright crying on the phone now, and it caused a gnawing ache in Myrtle's stomach. It made her feel terrible to think the woman could have any sense of vulnerability. The crying grew louder and more persistent, breaking through her thoughts. "Fiona, come on...stop already."
It was as if she had said nothing at all.
"Stop it! Listen to me!" Myrtle exclaimed with insistence.
"W-what?" Fiona said, as her crying subsided.
"Just...go outside for a moment, okay?" Another sigh, and then Myrtle swung her legs over the side of her bed to walk over to the bay window in her bedroom.
"What? I'm in my nightgown..."
"On your balcony." Myrtle could picture the blonde's confused visage.
"...alright."
Myrtle lowered herself onto the cushion of the bay window's ledge, leaning her shoulder against the cool glass as she peered outside into the night sky. The moon was full and bright, and completely visible in the onyx backdrop with tiny specks of stars. Her eyelids dropped as she pictured Fiona's graceful form moving from her bedroom to the living area of her lavish loft overlooking the city, and Myrtle smiled at the thought of the woman tugging her sheer robe around her lithe body. She tilted her head, a little smirk appearing as she could overhear the muted sounds of the Supreme's heels clicking across the floor. Some things never changed. After a noise that sounded like a door sliding open, she heard a shuffling on the phone.
"Okay, I'm out here...in this wind. What's this supposed to do?" Fiona's tone was borderline snarky. However, her foundation for listening to Myrtle was due to always trusting the redheaded witch's words, no matter what the situation.
"Alright, now, if you turn to your..." Myrtle's eyes rolled up slightly to focus on the ceiling as she thought for a second. "To your right...and look up. You'll see the moon..."
"Oh...wow." Fiona gasped. "It's...it's beautiful."
The redhead smiled as she focused on the moon outside her own window, picturing Fiona wrapping her arm over her chest in an attempt to shield herself from a coastal breeze as she stared at the very same sight.
"It's called the snow moon...my nana used to say it was almost as pure white as my skin," Myrtle chuckled at the reminiscent thought.
Met with silence aside from the gentle whoosh of wind from Fiona's end of the line, Myrtle cleared her throat. "Fiona. Whenever you feel alone, sad, unwanted...anything...go outside and look at the moon or the stars. I'm looking at the same thing, darling." With a wistful smile, Myrtle placed her fingertips on the glass as if she could touch the sky. "You'll never be alone as long as I'm around. Remember that."
A quiet sniffle made Myrtle's heart ache. She could envision the broken woman wiping tears off of her cheeks with frustration.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my love. You're too good for them. I do wish you could come back home," Myrtle said with a sigh.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Myr," Fiona replied quietly, dejectedly. "You know I can't come back...at least not yet."
"Of course. Yes, I know." Mutual silence existed between them for several seconds as was customary when they spoke on the phone.
"Myr, I take it back...you're not unromantic at all. Now whenever I see the moon I'll think of you."
Wishing her smile could be seen through the phone, Myrtle stood from her seat at the window, still looking outside. "Same here, Fiona," she whispered. "I'm going back to sleep, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you...again. You always know what to say."
"You're welcome...anytime. Even if I'm sleeping...I'm here for you."