"But I just played along. Cause I was hoping that would fix it all."
Phil decided he hated undercover, too. Mostly because this lawyer, some guy named Lance Hunter, had his tongue shoved down Melinda's throat as he kissed her goodnight in the hallway. Luckily, that kiss was all he got. She slipped into her apartment alone, leaving him sighing and heading back to this fancy car.
What a tool.
Phil waited a good ten minutes before going to her apartment and knocking. She opened the door, hair pulled back, yoga pants and cami on. She hated heels. "Come in," she offered, motioning. She already had some incense going as she tried to come back to her own space again. He could tell that the date may have been enjoyable for Lance, but that she really wasn't that into him.
Phil grinned.
"So, I pocketed his card. You said you can use that, right?" Melinda pulled out an ID badge.
"Yeah. It'll at least get me into the records division." He took it from her. "So, date go well?"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I forgot how handsy he is. Thinks he so suave because he's got an accent. And every other story mentioned his ex wife."
"That's attractive," Phil chuckled as he sat on the couch. "So why did you go out with that guy in the first place?"
She shrugged. "He asked. Seemed nice enough. Thought I'd give it a shot."
"How long did it last?"
"About three months." She sipped on some water.
"Wow… that's a long time."
"The sex was good."
Phil's brow creased. "Gee, thanks for that."
A cocky grin spread over her face. "You asked."
He twirled the ID card in his hand. I can't think of a single time when anything alien in human hands ended well.
Quickly, he squeezed his eyes shut tight. The words, flashes, scenarios, were all coming more frequently now. And if he didn't stop them soon, he wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"Third cup of coffee," Skye pointed out as she refilled Phil's cup at the counter. "You ready to talk to me yet?"
He sighed as he stared at the steam rising from the cup. "You ever have a time in your life when you wonder - really wonder - if there was something you missed? Like a part of your past knew was there but it was just out of your reach?"
She leaned on the counter, propping her chin on her elbow. "Kind of. What's going on? The last couple of weeks, you've changed."
He had. He'd gone from carefree and every day man to someone who didn't even know if that man was real. "Just getting old, I guess."
She grinned. "Hardly. You snagged that really pretty gal. How is she, by the way?"
Phil couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips at the thought of Melinda. "She's wonderful."
"How did you two meet?"
"She's a neighbor. Couple of doors down from me."
Skye watched him for a second. "You were the love-struck puppy, weren't you? Moping around, not talking to her…"
He chuckled. "How do you do that?"
"I just know you, Philly Cheesesteak."
He cringed. "What's wrong with calling me Phil? Or Coulson?" AC sounds cooler.
"Hey, you okay?" Skye reached out to put a hand on his arm.
The echo in his head finally faded. "I'm fine. Just not sleeping well." It was the truth. He was barely sleeping anymore. His dreams were filled with these alternate realities flashing through his mind.
Skye frowned. "You're working too much, aren't you?"
"Working hard or hardly working." He chuckled.
The chime on the door sounded as Melinda's boss, his name was Grant if he remembered right, strode in. The man looked like he took life way too seriously. Phil was pretty sure he'd never seen a smile grace the man's face and he always spoke directly, to the point. He wasn't one for small talk.
Maybe the guy just needed to get laid.
Grant sat at the counter near Phil. "Coffee, black." He did a slight double take as he saw Skye, his eyes shimmering with something of a recollection.
Skye actually pinkened a little as she brought him his cup. "Same old, same old," she smiled. "Let me guess, turkey on sourdough. Light mayo."
He gave a nod, the corner of his mouth maybe turning into a smile. "You know me too well."
Skye smiled and skipped into the kitchen with his order ticket.
Phil glanced over. "You work at that bar, right? You're Melinda's boss?"
He nodded. "Yeah. That's me." He studied Phil some. "I've seen you around."
"Yeah, I'm kind of seeing her."
Grant choked on his coffee some. "You are?"
Phil scoffed. "Why is everyone so surprised I date? Is it the clothes? Do I have dad clothes?"
"No, I just… she… and… well we…"
"You what?" Phil didn't like the churning in his stomach right now.
"Nothing." Grant let that awkwardness hang as Skye brought out his sandwich.
Phil took a deep breath, left a tip, and walked out.
