Twice Cursed
Not Looking
Phoebe stood staring down at her shoes in the hotel suite. She was only a few yards away opposite from Cole, yet the distance felt like an endless chasm to her. If she was an observer to her current situation, she probably would have laughed—the awkwardness had a certain ludicrous edge to it. She had come out of the bathroom after putting on the clothes; Cole told her she looked especially beautiful in them, and then they had lapsed into clumsy silence, not quite looking into each others' eyes. They were acting like preteens on their very first date.
They probably could have stayed in their positions for hours on end if Phoebe's cell phone had not sounded, causing both of them to start. Phoebe, somewhat stiffly, ran over to her purse and fished it out, afraid of the name that would appear on her Caller ID. She heaved a breath when she realized it was neither her husband nor her sisters, but sucked it back in when she saw who it was. "Hello?" she answered the phone.
"Phoebe," came the brisk reply from the other end, "Where are you? I need the final copy for your column, and I also have your corrected papers for next week's paper special. Also—"
"Hey, Elise?" Phoebe cut her off. "I can't come in today."
"What do you mean, you can't come in?" Elise snapped. "Didn't you hear me? I need the final—"
"Elise. I can't come in. I have a few – personal issues to deal with, OK?"
"I can't tolerate this, Phoebe," Elise warned. "I know you left office early yesterday. You can't slack off."
"OK, Elise, you know what? I've been in the office from dawn to way past dusk for the past two months. I think I deserve some slack." She paused. "And the final copy is printed. On my desk. Outbox."
Elise thought about it for a second. "Fine." She hung up receiver none too gently, leaving Phoebe to stare at her phone as the dial tone droned. She slowly closed the cell phone lid, then took a deep breath and spun around. "Hey," she said to Cole. "Does this hotel have a place where we can have breakfast?"
Fifteen minutes later, they were seated in a lavish restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel. They ordered off of the menu, then became awkward with each other once more. Phoebe arranged the silverware so that they were completely parallel to each other; Cole drummed his fingers on the table and fidgeted in his seat. "So," he said finally, "how are your sisters?"
"They're doing great," she said, her fingers letting go of the napkin that she was creasing. "You know, Piper had a boy instead of a girl like we all expected? His name is Wyatt. They also had another son—Chris."
"Really?" Cole answered, thinking back to that family portrait in Phoebe's room. "Congratulations to the both of them."
"Yeah," Phoebe responded, picking up the napkin again. "And Paige—she's a teacher now, at Magic School too. Imagine that, huh?"
"Impressive," Cole commented, nodding to the waiter as he brought a pot of coffee and filled their mugs. "And you," he said haltingly. "How are you? What's new?" He swallowed. "Anyone in your life?"
Her hands froze, looking every bit like a deer caught in headlights. "I'm married," she said softly. "Technically speaking, I suppose." She sighed, lightly touched her ring finger, and slowly began to play with the napkin again. "Don't know how long that is going to last."
"What do you mean?" Cole said cautiously.
"What I mean is that it should've never happened in the first place," she said, staring at the empty plate before her. "And after last night…" she shook her head. "We got into the biggest fight. I basically told him that our marriage was a truckload of crap." Her words were harsh, her gaze toward the plate intense.
"That's why you were at the mausoleum," Cole realized. "But what about—"
"The Manor?" Phoebe said bitterly, lifting her head to look at him. "Why? To burden them when I'm supposed to be living somewhere else? My room was supposed to be converted into a room for Chris, but it can't be—because I keep coming back. Should I go to the Manor to see Piper and Paige exchange looks of pity with each other? To see them mouth 'I knew it' to each other when they don't think I'm looking? To see Piper and Leo in their perfect glory?" She stopped, her breath slightly ragged, her eyes bright with moisture, suddenly embarrassed for revealing so much, so soon. She quickly dropped the napkin onto the plate and hurriedly stood. "I—I've got to go to the restroom." She pushed back her chair and was about to leave when Cole stopped her.
"Phoebe," he said softly. "It's OK."
"Is it?" Phoebe answered, her voice quavering. "I mean, how would you know, Cole? You just got resurrected, brought back to life."
"I know," he answered, his voice gentle.
Phoebe looked at him warily, then slowly sat down as their food arrived. They ate in silence, Cole sneaking glances as much as he could at Phoebe while Phoebe kept her eyes on her plate. After they had eaten their full, Phoebe put down her utensils and looked up at Cole. "So," she said, heaving a sigh as she said the word, "what are we going to do next?"
Cole blinked. "We?"
"Yes, we," Phoebe answered. "I mean, unless you don't want to?"
"No, no," Cole assured her quickly, "that's not what I meant at all. I had hoped, but…I didn't know if you wanted to." He cleared his throat and hastily added; "so what are we going to do again?"
"That's what I was asking you," Phoebe answered, a slight smile on her face. "Though I wouldn't mind just doing nothing. Life's been pretty hectic lately."
"Sure," Cole replied as they called for and received the check. "I'm paying, by the way," he announced as he drew out his wallet and ignored the look that he received from Phoebe. "Chivalry should not be dead. The men from my day pick up the tab." He stuck the cash in the little folder that was provided and sprinkled some bills on the table as tip. "Do you want to go now?" Phoebe nodded and waited before he was a little away from the table before she opened the folder to glance at the receipt. She clicked her tongue as she memorized the figure and quickly set it back on the table to follow him. She'll pay him back—just when he wasn't looking.