UP IN SMOKE
MASSIE'S APARTMENT
6:09 AM
MARCH 7
"Hi…this is…this is Derrick."
Massie's eyes shot open. Derrick? Derrick?? What??
Her brain started screaming. She could almost hear sirens. Caution: Ex-boyfriend ahead. Proceed carefully. Oh no, oh no, oh no. She was almost at the point of hyperventilation. What was she going to do? She looked wildly around the room, her eyes flickering from the desk to the floor to the door to the window, searching for Claire. However, her friend was still in the bathroom. Oh no, oh no, oh no.
"Uhh…Massie?" You still there?" Derrick asked, almost sounding worried. Massie internally cringed. Now she was the time. She would have to speak with him.
"Y-yes," Massie squeaked, unable to control her shock and fear. She cleared her throat. "Uh, I mean-"
"Did I wake you?"
"Err, no," Massie said her voice an octave too high. Then she paused, and took a deep, yoga-style breath to calm herself. I am Massie Block, she told herself. I refuse to be affected by anything my ex has to say. I will remain calm and collected. I am capable of speaking to him without sounding like an LBR.
She almost laughed when she said "LBR." She hadn't used that term in years. The thought instantly reminded her of the person on the other end of the phone, someone else who she had not bothered with in years.
She took another breath, and dove in. "So…What do you want?" She cursed herself for sounding rude. "Wait- how did you get my number?" Again she gave herself a mental slap. She had to control herself.
Derrick gave a low chuckle that rasped through her speaker. "Oh, Cam had it. Well, actually, I had to steal his phone and look at his contacts-"
"You stole a phone just to find my number?" Massie hissed. Why in the world would he bother to go to all that trouble?
Again, Derrick laughed. "Well yeah. I was actually wondering, since our last meeting at Josh's didn't go so well, if you wanted to meet me for coffee in about…thirty minutes?"
Silence.
For a minute, Massie could not process what he had just said. It was only when her vision was turning black did she realize she had forgotten to breathe. She let go of her breath in a large whoosh, and waited for thought to kick in.
"Uhh-well-I," Massie spluttered, buying time. "Umm…where?"
Derrick paused. "Well, if you tell me what your apartment number is, I'll swing by and get you."
Derrick? Come here?
It was like someone had taken control of her body. That had to be it. Because for some, unexplained reason, Massie opened her mouth to reject his offer, to come up with some work-related excuse as to why she couldn't meet him.
But instead, what came out of her mouth was a soft, shaky, "Yes...penthouse…apartment," She whispered.
"Alright, see you in thirty," Derrick said, and hung up before she could fix the damage.
Massie slumped against the pillows of the couch, and shut her phone carefully. She heard the click of the bathroom door as Claire came walking out, looking decent after an obvious shower. She looked at Massie, trying to understand her expression.
"That was Derrick," Massie said.
Claire's eyes widened. "Oh!" She said. "What did he want?"
"I'm meeting him for coffee." Once the words were out of her mouth, Massie shot up off the couch. "Ugh. I have to get ready."
"Do you want help?" Claire asked.
Massie raised an eyebrow, and examined Claire's casual and boring white blouse and jeans ensemble.
"Uh, no, thanks," Massie said, and she brushed by her and headed for the shower.
Claire just rolled her eyes.
Again, a short chapter, but this was originally part of chapter 12 so that's why it isn't that long. Enjoy.
-JacktheMonkey