I took inspiration from my best friend's father on this chapter. I haven't actually witnessed "the white knuckle interrogation", but I have heard stories of what her sister's homecoming date had to go through a few years back.
Chapter Nine- Where Did It All Go Wrong?
Despite their fallout on the subway, they still found themselves both taking the same elevator up to Aggie's apartment, though there still was an uncomfortable silence between the two. All there was to be heard was the quiet hum of the old elevator carrying them up to the fourth floor.
Greg was still trying to comprehend all that Sara had told him, and Sara was trying to figure whether she really had screwed up everything thing between them and attempted to read his mind. She didn't think things were over and she desperately hoped that some how he was thinking the same thing, but she dared not to mention anything at the same time.
A short ding interrupted all those thoughts as they reached the right floor and the silver doors parted in front of them. Sara stepped out ahead of Greg and continued down the hallway at a quickened pace to keep a fair distance between them. Though the whole action really had no point, since she had to wait until Greg caught up with the key.
He turned the knob and pushed the door inward to see Aggie, not asleep as he expected, but on the couch looking more than cozyin the arms ofIan.
"Just neighbors…really!" He yelled upon seeing them.
"What is your problem! Do you want me to have no social life what so ever? You do and you're happy, why can't you let me be too?" She hopped off the couch and stormed over across the living room towards him, which of course was humorous to him because of her crutches, but he held it back anyway."You never approve of any of my friends, my boyfriends. I'm not a kid anymore and you don't have to protect me anymore. I'm surprised you and Sara are still together, if you're that controlling with her…" She accused, although very unaware of what really was going on between the two of them at the time.
"Leave Sara and I out of this…Do you know why I worry about you? The things I see everyday, young women living alone…they all make me think about you here in the city. It just…it scares me sometimes to think something like that could ever happen to you."
"But it's like you can't trust me, like I have bad judgment!" She continued to argue. "Ian is a great guy, but you haven't even said one word to him and you hate him just because you didn't hand pick him for me."
It had been so long since any harsh words had been said between either of them, but Aggie had never really told him how much she hated the whole big brother act. He had just figured it was his job. Ever since the plane crash, he felt it was his duty to do what their father no longer could do, protect their little girl. He had never realized it until then.
"Fine then." He hung up his jacket and took a seat at the kitchen table. "Ian…get over here." He pushed out the chair opposite him with his foot and ordered him to have a seat.
It was the notorious interrogation. The one that Aggie had dealt with until Greg went away to college. Though on the occasions he was visiting from Stanford he wouldn't give up an opportunity to use it once again. Aggie, however, forgot that along with his promotion to level one, his job also required frequent interrogations. So what Ian was in for would be many times worse than the original.
The dark messy haired man did as the other lighter messy haired man had ordered and sat down rather uncomfortably on the wooden chair. Greg had considered the couch, though the kitchen table would be more fitting to keep the suspect on edge.
"So…what is your last name, Ian?" The name escaped his mouth harshly, as Greg had always found himself stating Hank's name as well, a few years prior.
"O'Reilly…why?"
"Oh…Irish are you? A drinker, are you?" Ian gave him a look. "I mean…not just because you're Irish…it's just a question. You aren't bringing my sister to any of those places are you?"
"Uh...well…a few…and she was the one who invited me…"
As soon as he stuttered out his answer, Greg was ready with the next one. "How old are you, boy? Twenty-eight, twenty-nine…what?"
"Actually…I'm only twenty-five…"
"Now you haven't done anything illegal, or have any such criminal record, have you? And you know, if you don't tell me the truth I can find out in a snap…and then you'll be in big trouble with me."
"No, I swear."
"And how long have you known her…"
"Three Years…about."
His questions kept coming out faster than those before. "How did you meet her?" He was hoping that he would mess up and it would give him some kind of excuse to hate the guy.
"She knocked on the door while I was unpacking and wanted to welcome me to the building, and we got talking…"
"How long ago did you break things off with your last girlfriend? You have heard about being 'on the rebound'. You're not using my sister that way are you?"
"A year ago, I think….and of course not!"
"Well then…who broke up with who…what didn't she like about you?"
"Well there must have been something because she, for some reason, she got with my best friend…so I got rid of her instead."
"Oooh…that sucks. Anyway, moving right along…have you 'gotten' with my sister? Huh?" He asked, using the same vague term that Ian had used just before."You better not lie to me!"
"No, Greg, no we haven't…" He wanted to add 'not yet' to the end of the answer, but Ian felt it would be very stupid of him to say in this situation.
"What do you like best about Aggie?"
"She is the most crazy, fun, beautiful woman, inside and out, that I've ever met."
"Now...her birthday was just last month, what did you do for her…or did you forget?"
"No I didn't forget. I got tickets for the two of us to go to the ballet and then I cooked her nice dinner here at home…"
"How much do you really know about her though? Where did she grow up?"
"San Gabriel, California---"
"What is her favorite book?"
"Anything by Agatha Christie…"
"What were her parents names?"
"Edith and Anton Sanders--"
"What food could potentially kill her in one bite?"
"Peanut butter."
"Now about you…what are you studying in college?"
"Art…actually I plan on becoming more of an art teacher, high sc---" Greg cut him off short.
"What was your grade average in high school?"
"A 3.9 I think…"
"Tell me…who was the youngest president in history?"
"What kind of question is that!"
"Just answer it!"
"Roosevelt…not JFK."
"Good, um…How often do you do your laundry? If you do at all?"
"At least once a week…depending."
"One last question…" Both Sara and Aggie watching the whole ordealheard a sigh of relief escape from Ian's mouth. "What are some of your favorite bands? What do you listen to?" Greg received an odd look once he announced the final question, as he was thinking it would be the hardest to answer, when in reality it was probably one of the easiest. "Trust me…you have a bad taste in music and that's three outs right there."
"A little bit of the Beatles…Oasis…Radiohead. There's a lot more though…"
Greg took a few minutes to ponder his verdict, well his motive was more to make the kid nervous over anything else. He appeared to be holding his breath and still continued to nibble on his, now near nonexistent, thumbnail.
"You know what…I think I might actually begin to warm up to you Ian, with time of course, but…you passed."
"Thanks Greggo." Aggie added in as he got up from the table. "I'm glad you think he's okay." She paused a bit before continuing with the real reason she was being especially nice. "You know how I'm not going to be dancing for a while yet, and therefore won't be getting a steady paycheck…"
"Yeah…why? Do you need rent money? I can loan you some, don't worry about it."
"No, it's not that…um Ian…Ian and I…we'll be splitting the rent for a little while…"
"You're moving in with him? Aggie!" Greg decided to say nothing further, actually he had no idea what he would say if he had wanted to in the first place. He just grabbed his jacket from behind the door and walked out, leaving the three left in the room with no clue where he was heading or what he might do.