And I still come back to you

Part three: It's like he ate your type

"Just a moment and, voilà! I've become a coffee cookie"

Marc smiled. It was something he could expect from Amanda.

"You can imagine" Cliff continued "what Betty had to do trying to find me a shirt of my size there.."

Not your type? It's like he Ate your type.

Cliff's hint about his size remembered Marc the reaction of Mandy when she first met his boyfriend. Not between the most enthusiastic, actually.. Of course he didn't imagine she would have gone as far as burning him. (Actually, thinking of Coffee made him feeling a little better. They were in the Fifth Avenue, where Cliff had caught Marc with his lunch, and in December New York's climate could be very unpleasant – in fact, it was two degrees or something about).

"But it seemed she had accepted you after all.." Marc said.

"Yeah, we all remember her ardent appeal during Wilhemina's wedding.." That Cliff shouted so loudly was still a reason of pain for his ears. "By the way, I don't believe I was her target.."

"Do you suppose she had missed her aim?"

"No, I don't mean this. I just suppose that even she had hit me, she wanted to hit you."

"What?" Marc felt a little confused.

"Well, the coffee has found itself on my shirt when I hinted at your Firing day.." Cliff explained.

"You what? Are you mad? I have no intention of becoming widower so early."

"We live in Amsterdam and I don't realise it?" Cliff joked.

"No. This isn't the point." Marc suddenly stopped (and his lunch and Wilhemina's shopping nearly fell down) "God only knows how much she would have been upset last night… Please, let's change this subject." And he began walking again.

"Stop you, cowboy" Cliff hasn't moved. "Don't put off this. Will you let me know the reason of this madness or I need to discover it by myself?"

"There isn't any reason to know." Marc answered sharply.

"Oh, I don't think so. You leave Mode, but you work three times then before. You are so caught up in your work to have neither time for you best friend.. and you have practically moved to your boss."

Marc didn't say anything. Cliff had grasped the problem fully.

"I haven't moved to her.."

"Where have you slept last night? Since when haven't you given food to Schmoopy? Above all, where is Schmoopy?"

"At home, I sup– Oh my God, has it ran way? Has it been kidnapped?"

"Yes" Cliff answered. Marc almost had a heartache. Cliff didn't care and kept on "I've taken it. That poor pet was dying of hunger."

"Ok, I've taken the hint. I promise, I'll try to get a little more free time. I swear." But Cliff kept on staring at him sceptical.

"Are you going to speak with Amanda to tell her you are sorry?"

Marc had wrongly thought that a sweet tone could close the conversation.

"Sorry?"

"You have let her down last night..." Cliff reminded him.

"I haven't been the first."

"Oh, you're right. She first left you for Mode, didn't she?"

"So it is." Marc looked around, took a bit of the almost frozen sandwich, then started his explanation of that madness "It's over. We both choose our way. After all, we were just two people who worked in the same place"

However, he didn't seem so sure of what he had just said.