Valerie wasn't quite sure how it had happened. One second, she had been sitting there, at Starbucks again, sipping her coffee, and the next second, she was engaged in lively conversation with Erik Black.
She had thought that she would most definitely hate him. Wow. Had she ever been wrong. He was possibly one of the nicest people she had met.
It had started out with him coming over to pleasantly ask the time, and then he enquired about her book. She answered, and before too long, it was like they had known each other all their lives.
Just then, Valerie had a superb idea. Didn't Mara want to meet this guy? At least, that's what she had gathered from the phone conversation last night. "Hey, can you meet me here in about five hours?" she asked Erik. "I want you to meet a friend of mine."
"Sure," he answered. "Great," Valerie said, and after looking at her watch, slung her purse over her shoulder and bid him good-bye.
...................IN THE WINDY NEW YORK STREETS...................
Mara sighed as her cell-phone began chirping cheerfully, and flipped it open and uttered a tired, "Hello." "Hey, Mar? Can you meet me at Starbucks in like fifteen minutes?" Valerie asked. "Um..." Mara, a little startled by Valerie, the straight-laced lawyer calling her 'Mar', was a little slow to answer. "Yeah, I guess. Sure."
"'K. Great." And Valerie hung up. Mara flipped her phone down only to have it bing again. 'You have a voice message,' the screen announced. Mara typed in a few numbers, and listened, trying to keep herself warm but failing miserably.
The voice that came on was less than welcome. "Hey, kiddo," the senator's voice sounded. "Just wanted to say hi..." Mara didn't hear anymore because she was too busy screaming in despair. She would never escape this lunatic!
..................STARBUCKS..................
Valerie and Erik had already arrived and Mara was a few minutes late. Just then, she blustered in, letting cold winds enter the warm coffee house, and several people looked at her in annoyance.
"You will not believe this," Mara prattled when she saw Valerie and not Erik. "This crazy, lunatic senator has..." Just then she caught sight of Erik. She fell to her knees and screamed to the ceiling, "Why? Why are you torturing me this way?" Heads turned to stare at the insane woman who was sobbing on the floor about her misfortune to have ever met a U.S. senator.
Valerie pulled her up before the owner could shove her out and yanked her into a seat beside her and Erik.
She looked from one to the other, and they were both staring at each other sullenly, Mara pouting slightly and Erik with a dubious look on his face. "I take it you've met each other," Valerie said.
"This moron was bugging me all day at the hospital and now somehow he has my cell-phone number!!" Mara hissed, glaring angrily at him.
By now, Erik was getting pissed off at her. "Also your home phone number, the numbers of all your friends, and a list of previous boyfriends and hook-ups, and your criminal record," he shot back.
Mara growled deep in her throat, but Erik merely smiled smugly. "By the way, Mara, that was a very unfortunate incident-with the beer, the bra, lipstick, and mascara on the college dean? Tsk tsk. And on your graduation day too."
By now Mara was turning beet red and madder than hell. But before she could say a word, Valerie slapped a hand over both their mouths to shut them up. Everyone was already looking at them in vague interest to see who the senator's sparring partner was.
"Both of you, shut up and get along," she mumbled to them. "Honestly. The reason I invited you all here today-""Is because all of you did something horrible to me years ago," Mara continued, her voice slightly muffled. "And I will now reveal the murderer-"
Valerie pulled her hair and Mara yelped. "Why didn't I think of that?" Erik wondered. Valerie shot him a look and he shut up. "I invited you here today because I have three tickets to go and see The Phantom of the Opera, and I wanted to take my two best friends along with me."
"WHAT???" both Mara and Erik shrieked. "He's your best friend?" Mara cried, pointing at Erik. "She's your best friend?" Erik yelped, pointing at Mara. "HOW???" they both said in unison. Valerie rolled her eyes.
"You two are the closest things to friends I have, and I hate going to see plays alone. Will you come?"
The two looked at each other reluctantly, and then at Valerie who was looking at them pleadingly. "Fine," Mara mumbled. "IF he promises not to play any practical jokes." "I don't play practical jokes," Erik said. "And only if SHE promises to not make me annoyed." "ME make YOU annoyed?" Mara said, getting angry again.
"Then it's settled," Valerie said hastily, before they could get into another argument. "Here are your tickets," she said, handing them two tickets. "Should we have someone drive and pick the others up, or-""I will," Mara interrupted. "I love driving." She smiled evilly. "Why do I get the feeling you're one of those reckless drivers?" Erik asked nervously.
Mara merely laughed. And so the date was set.
..................AT THE HOSPITAL....................
Mara felt good. It was a wonderful day. Her hair was in her favorite hairstyle, a sloppy braid, she had changed out of her nurse's uniform into sweats, and she was sitting on a sofa in the doctor's lounge doing paperwork and filing reports while on lunch break. Just then, a familiar yet uninvited presence entered the room.
She glanced up. "Hello, senator," she said, and then returned to her paperwork. "Hello, nurse," Erik replied, sitting down on the couch beside her and leaning his head back. Mara looked at him and saw that he looked very haggard and worn.
"What do you need?" she asked him, while signing her signature in a sloppy manner. "Peace," he groaned, running a hand through his light brown hair. "I despise the press." "Hmph," Mara said, flipping sheets rapidly.
There was silence for a moment, and then she said, "Look. I think we need to make a truce." Erik looked at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to figure out whether or not she was either telling the truth or was going to pull out a gun and shoot him six times in the chest.
"What for?" he eventually asked cautiously. "For Valerie's sake," Mara answered. "She deserves to have a good time. Anyway, maybe we can...maybe, I said...get along." There was more silence, and finally Erik agreed, "Okay. Sure. For Valerie's sake. Although I'm still going to call you 'kidolean'."
Mara allowed herself a laugh, and threw a pillow at his head. "Ow!" he complained, and shoved her. "Ow cubed!" Mara moaned, rubbing her shoulder. "You hit hard." "You can't throw worth beans," he said with a grin. Mara laughed, and Erik left, trying to dodge the paparazzi, but failing.
She grinned slightly. Well, she hoped Valerie would have a good time at least.
A/N: Sorry for stopping here, but I need to do homework and call Erik and Val before doing that, and I figured I would let you all suffer-mwa ha ha ha-oh, and by the way, Vallie-UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!