Chapter 3

"Who ya texting, Chagny?"

Raoul jumped, nearly dropping his phone. "Uh, nothing—no one…"

His boss, an older, fat, balding man named Steve, chuckled heartily. "C'mon, you've been grinning at that damned thing since you got here. There's no reason to hide it; you're not in school anymore, and I understand if you're bored." He chuckled again and slapped Raoul on the back. "So, who's the girl?"

"Uh, there is no girl…"

"You should know better than to argue with a lawyer," Steve said. "A handsome, young man like you must have at least one little lady. I know I had a few when I was your age."

Raoul rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, for she had crossed his mind again. "Fine. Her name is Christine."

"Christine, eh? That's a nice name. Is she pretty?"

"Stunning. Always flawless."

"Is she crazy?"

"Nope. She's very sane."

"Is she nice?"

"Not just nice; she's very strong and independent, too."

"Ah ha! There's the flaw."

"I don't think it's a flaw…"

"It's a great characteristic, but it can also be bad for your relationship."

"How so?"

"She's not afraid to say 'no.'"

"No to what? I don't see why this is a problem…"

"Look, most women will agree to anything, like marriage, for instance, if a man romances them the right way, and that's because they're weak and dependent. But the strong, independent women won't make any decisions, particularly in their relationships, without taking all things into consideration. They won't settle for anything less than perfection. While they're admirable, they're hard to handle."

"I don't think of her like that."

"Of course you don't, because you're not an asshole, like me." Steve laughed heartily. "I'm the last person to take relationship advice from; I mean, I'm on wife number three now. I think you and that Christine will be just fine. Do you want to marry her?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I wish you luck. You should be fine, as long as you're not an asshole to her, which I know you're not. Now, get to work."

"Yes sir," Raoul mumbled as he turned his attention to his work again.

He really hated Steve. He really did. But, at the same time, there was something about him that kept Raoul working at the firm. Maybe it was his generosity, or perhaps his friendship. Raoul didn't really know. He hated Steve, but he knew that Steve had his back.

Raoul knew he shouldn't listen to Steve, (and really, he wasn't) but what Steve had said got him thinking…

What if Christine said no when he proposed? That wouldn't happen for quite a while, but he wondered… What if he wasn't exactly what she wanted?

He needed to talk to her. Not about that, of course, but he needed to hear her voice.

He told Steve he was going to get some fresh air, and then quietly left, taking his cell phone with him.

Before he could stop himself. He was dialing her number on his phone. He didn't know what he was thinking. She wouldn't answer; she was probably at work…

"Hello?"

"Christine?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh… nothing's wrong."

"Then why are you calling me? I mean, it's not like you don't have the right to call me, but we usually communicate through texts… In fact, we were just texting a few moments ago…"

"I just… Well, to be honest, I just wanted to hear your voice."

He heard her giggle. "Oh, Raoul… Darling, are you sure everything is fine? You sound a little stressed."

"I'm sure, Christine. I just wanted to hear your voice. Uh… Do you have any plans tonight?"

"I'm working tonight, babe," he heard her sigh. "That's actually my dilemma; I can't find anyone to babysit Daniel tonight."

"I'll do it," Raoul volunteered all too quickly.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm sure."

"You don't have to, Raoul. I'm sure I'll find someone to do it."

"I want to, Christine. I think it'd be good for him and me to bond. Besides, he's a good kid. I don't think he'll be much of a bother."

"Thank you so much, Raoul. How much do I need to pay you?"

"Nothing."

"I'm not about to let you do this for free, Raoul."

"Fine. I want precisely 100 kisses upon your return."

He heard her giggling again. "I think that's reasonable."

He grinned, finally relaxing a bit. "Can I take you out for lunch?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I gotta get back to work babe, and I'm sure you do too."

He sighed. "Yeah… When does your shift end?"

"11:45."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 12:15, okay?"

"Alright. Bye, darling."

"Goodbye, my love."

She giggled and then hung up.

~oOo~

"There are a couple of bottles in the fridge, but if you run out and he's still hungry, the formula is on the counter. And don't forget to burp him after he eats. Oh, and if he's not hungry, he probably needs his diaper changed. If it's neither of those, he's probably tired or misses me. The only thing to help that is to sit in the rocking chair and hold him, and try to calm him down," Christine said rapidly, rushing around the apartment with Raoul at her heels.

"Darling—"

"—Where are my keys—"

"—Darling—"

"—The emergency contacts sheet is on the fridge—"

"—Sweetheart," Raoul started, grabbing her firmly, "Please, relax… This is why I want you to quit at least one of your jobs."

She sighed, but she relaxed as he asked. "I know… Look, I want to quit. I really do. But I want it to be because I'm able to support myself without an extra job."

"Darling, don't you see what this is doing to you? You're so stressed and tired; you could barely focus on the conversation at lunch today… This isn't good for you. I only want what's best for you, sweetheart, and this… this isn't. Please say you'll consider quitting, my love."

"Raoul… I know you mean well… But it isn't as easy as it looks. I love you, but I can't quit with just a promise of monetary support from you. I'm sorry, but I just can't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to go. Do you have any questions about Daniel?"

"No. Go, Christine. I hope you have a good night at work, and make sure you're awake enough to pay me when you get back. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodbye, Raoul."

"Goodbye."

And with that, she left.

Raoul plopped down on the couch and sighed. "It's just you and me now, buddy," he said to Daniel, who was trying to crawl around on his baby mat.

Raoul smiled. "I'm hungry. Let's order a pizza, okay?... Jeez, why am I talking to you? You're a baby! You can't respond," he muttered as he picked up her laptop, which she had given him permission to use if needed.

"What's this?" Raoul wondered when he saw that Christine had forgotten to close out a webpage before she left.

"Finding the Perfect Man" was the title of the website, and it looked like it was part of one those free blogging sites.

Before Raoul could stop himself, he was reading each and every article, forgetting about the pizza momentarily.

From what he gathered, not only did Christine frequently visit this site; she was the author of the articles. On top of that, some of the articles were about him, and profile picture was of them kissing. He would have sat there and read the blog in its entirety, but he had to take care of Daniel. So, he emailed the link to the blog to himself, so he could read it later.

"They won't settle for anything less than perfection," Steve had said.

Well, now Raoul knew how to be perfect.

[A/N: Don't forget to review!]