Me 10:10am
In that picture you sent yesterday…you had paint on your hand. Do you paint as well as draw?
Doug 11:40am
Sorry, was in a meeting. Yes, sometimes
Me 11:45am
Are you good?
Doug 11:47am
How can I possibly answer that?!
Me 11:48am
I'll take that as a 'yes, but I'm modest' :P
Doug 11:49am
If it makes you happy, dear
Chell studied his last message, brow furrowed. It was the kind of thing she'd have written to a friend in jest, and she was inclined to translate it that way this time, however…Doug didn't usually include endearments in his texts, bantering or otherwise.
"Oof, sorry! The line was long."
Chell glanced up as Mel slid a cup across the table to her, and she accepted it gratefully, sniffing at the little hole in the lid before lowering her gaze to type.
"It's definitely hazelnut, like you asked for," Mel said defensively.
Chell 11:50am
Talking to you makes me happy
Chell put her phone down to sign, 'I know, I just like the smell!'
"Oh, okay. Who are you texting? Oh! Is it him again? Can I see?" Her arm shot across the table like a striking snake, retreating with her prize.
'Hey!' Chell mouthed, snapping her fingers in Mel's direction.
"I'll give it back, wait a sec."
Chell fidgeted, glowering at the bubbly redhead, but reluctantly giving into a smile at some of Mel's expressions.
"Oh my god, Chell, are you flirting with him?"
Chell shook her head, mouthing 'No!' She hesitated, wrinkling her nose and signing, 'I don't think so…'
"I don't know, seems kinda flirty to me."
'I'm just showing an interest. If that's flirting, then…' She shrugged.
"You don't even know what he looks like," Mel accused, setting the phone down between them.
'Does it matter?'
"Should it? No. Does it? Probably. Humans are shallower than they'd like to be," Mel said sagely, reaching for her coffee.
Chell pulled a face. Ugh.
Mel brightened. "You could ask him for a photo!"
Chell shook her head vehemently. 'No way! Too awkward!'
A worryingly evil grin crept onto her friend's face. "I'll do it for you, then," she said, snatching up the phone once more.
No! Don't you dare!
She lunged across the table, gripping Mel's wrist, scrabbling to take the phone out of her hand.
"Hey, hey," Mel was saying, "I'm only teasing, Chell. I wouldn't do that."
You'd damn well better not.
The look on Mel's face in response to her glare told her that she'd translated Chell's silent words perfectly.
"I wouldn't," Mel repeated, smiling gently as Chell withdrew back to her own side of the table. She flipped the phone in Chell's direction, showing her what she was looking at. The Coleridge cover photo. "He's got nice hands, I'll give him that."
Chell snorted silently, folding her arms. She kept her face blank, but felt her skin grow a little warmer.
I noticed, thanks.
There was barely much of a hand to see, but enough to show her a finely crafted knuckle and wrist, a thumb that hinted at long, dextrous fingers, and that telling splodge of blue paint. An artist's hand, if ever she'd seen one. Or, how she'd imagine an artist's hand to look, in any case.
Mel finally surrendered the phone, and Chell placed it on her lap, where her inquisitive friend couldn't easily reach it.
"You like him," Mel stated flatly.
'Can we not have this conversation?' she signed, dropping her hands and sipping her coffee.
"No," Mel said in a no-nonsense tone. "I just want to get a couple things straight. You like him, you do. That's fine, people meet in all sorts of ways. I just want you to be careful. It's totally your business, but please…if you meet up with him, do me a favour and make sure it's somewhere public, okay?"
Chell nodded, eager to change the subject.
"And in the meantime, find out everything you can. You've been messaging for nearly two months and barely shown any curiosity about each other, it's driving me crazy!"
Chell shot her a pointed look. Really?
"Hey, I'm invested now," Mel said with a shrug. "I ship it."
'Please don't ship real life people, it's weird.'
"You already know I'm weird, it's why you like me."
Chell couldn't help but laugh at her friend's sweet smile. True enough.
The door of the coffee shop opened, letting in a gust of cold air. A bored-looking teenager marched up to the counter, a bundle of flyers clenched in one hand.
"Can I leave these for your customers?" he asked the barista.
"Sure, just don't cover up the other flyers."
The teen left a small pile on the countertop, then turned to leave. Another gust of wind accompanied his exit, and one of the flyers shot off the pile, swirling to the floor at Chell's feet. She picked it up, scanning its stark black and white text.
'Do you want to help shape the world? Volunteer as a test subject and receive $100 for your time. The future starts with you!'
Chell snorted at the tagline, but found her interest piqued by the $100. She scanned the small print.
'All tests are 100% safe within the Aperture Science Health and Safety Guidelines. Non-disclosure agreements MUST be signed by all applicants. Please do not apply if you are physically impaired.'
"What is that?" Mel asked, removing the lid of her cappuccino and consequently getting foam on her nose as she sipped it.
Chell sniggered, tapping her own nose to demonstrate, and Mel wiped the foam on her napkin. She passed the flyer over, letting Mel read it for herself.
"You going to volunteer?"
'Maybe. Things have been a bit tight with just my library wage.'
"Well, be careful. That Aperture went through some sort of scandal in the 60s. Ethics, cover-ups, that kind of thing."
'That was a long time ago. I'm sure it's different now. What about you? Need some extra cash?'
Mel shook her head, lips pressed together tightly. "No, thank you. I don't see the need to ever set foot in a science lab!"
Well, I might, Chell thought, taking another gulp of coffee. It could be interesting.
Doug logged onto the email account he'd created for the test subject applications, wondering which way it would go. In his experience, they either received a mere handful of embarrassing applicants or were inundated with them. He reached for his coffee as the inbox loaded, casting a quick eye over his phone. No new messages.
By contrast the inbox was soon filled with them, and he inwardly groaned.
Unread mail (168)
Scrolling down, he immediately deleted any that had spelling mistakes in the subject header. Henry always called him a snob for doing that, but Doug had found that it cut out a lot of unsuitable people. Even when he was done, there were still 112 messages to go through. He picked up his phone.
Me 9:13am
Kill me
Sighing, he opened the first email, skimming the relevant parts of the attached application form. Methodically, he began to work his way down the list, thankful when he was interrupted by the rattle of an incoming text.
Chell 9:22am
I'm not going to jail for you!
He chuckled, typing.
Me 9:23am
I guess I can't argue with that
Turning back to the emails, he discarded the one he was reading and moved on to the next.
Chell 9:27am
What's up?
Me 9:28am
168 emails in my work inbox
Chell 9:28am
First world problems :P
Me 9:29am
Touché
He ran out of coffee about a third of the way down the list. By halfway he'd stopped even reading applicant information, simply skipping to the part of the form that indicated if they could solve tests.
Chell 10:14am
Done yet?
Me 10:15am
Not even close
Chell 10:16am
Wow, you're really slow :P
Me 10:17am
Maybe someone with a smart mouth is holding me up
Chell 10:17am
Haha! Fair point, I'll leave you alone now
Doug smiled, tracing his thumb over her name. He was glad she read his messages how he intended them to be read. Looking back over them, some seemed a little sharp, but he'd meant them in dry humour. Judging by her responses, that was exactly how Chell was reading them.
An hour later he'd whittled down the applicants to an even 60 and forwarded them all to the Human Resources department. They would be the ones to pick the people that would actually be put forward for testing. Doug had designed and built the device they would use, but his involvement in testing was minimal.
Me 11:23am
Done, thank god
Chell 11:25am
Well done. You deserve a cup of coffee
Excellent idea, he thought, getting up from his desk chair and hearing his joints pop as he stretched. Her message from a few weeks ago, when she'd said his texts made her happy, had stayed with him, making him smile whenever he thought about it. The memory of it now made him feel daring as he typed his reply.
Me 11:26am
Are you offering?
He watched the dancing ellipsis of her typing, feeling a little thrum of anticipation. It was an intriguing game they were playing. He wasn't altogether sure he was very good at it, but he was certainly enjoying the experience.
Chell 11:27am
Sure
Let me know when you're having a bad day and I'll send you a Starbucks card :D
Doug laughed, running a hand through his hair, then smiled fondly as another message came through before he could respond.
Chell 11:28am
Wait, can I do that through text?
Me 11:29am
I don't know, but thanks for the thought
Chell 11:30am
Any time. Everyone deserves coffee
A/N: I realise 'bubbly Mel' has become the fandom cliché, but she does compliment Chell that way!