Hi there. This is the second chapter and the second phone call. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for the reviews and for reading. I love Ariadne. Yeah, that will become obvious soon. And I think I am starting to consider this pair in a new light. Anyways, happy reading.

Oh, I was very serious with books about my head
I couldn't write, but read 'em all before I went to bed
Didn't I

Bags of gold
Gold
Gold
Gold

Jay Jay Pistolet - Bags of Gold

2.

The second phone call took place ten days later. Ariadne was standing by the same bridge where Mal had stabbed her.

She was browsing through her phone. The Parisian sky was yellow now. The sight reminded her of Limbo.

She found that number in her Received Calls option. It might not be his. He had called her one time to check on her. It was probably fake.

But hey – why not?

She called.

It rang four times until it answered.

'Ariadne...?' Arthur asked surprised from the other end.

Shit. This is his number after all, she thought.

'Sorry...I accidentally called you. Meant to call someone else,' she stammered quickly.

'But I clicked on this number, by accident,' she repeated.

If Arthur chuckled from the other end, she didn't hear it. She was too embarrassed.

'Okay...is everything alright?' he asked cautiously.

'Never better, actually. I'm sitting by a bridge in Paris and it's great,' she babbled. 'Sorry, you didn't need to hear that. Sorry, goodbye now.'

But there was silence for a moment.

'It's ok, you know. I don't mind,' he finally said, his voice having a tired edge to it.

'Are you working right now?' she asked anxiously.

'No. Not at the moment,' he said, his voice slightly strained.

She felt there were a thousand barriers between them.

'Can't believe this is your real number,' she added, running a hand through her hair.

'Why? You thought I called you from a fake number?' he asked.

'Yeah. Sort of. I mean I wasn't expecting it to be real. Cuz it wouldn't be safe to do that.'

'You're one of the team mates. I don't think a fake number is needed for someone I've worked with.'

'Yeah, but I don't work with you anymore,' she countered, feeling very inadequate, for some reason. It's like that feeling you get when you talk to an estranged relative.

After all that had happened, the most she got out of them was a check-up call from Arthur and a message from Cobb sent through Miles, telling her how grateful and happy he was to be back.

That was it. That was all of it.

And it was miserable.

'True,' he admitted. 'But you know me well. What's the point of hiding? You could identify me anyway if it ever came to that.'

It didn't make sense to her, however.

'I don't know you actually,' she said lightly. 'Not that well.'

'That was not the point,' he stated coldly.

She was going to ask what the point was, but she decided against it. She was not going to get into these things.

'Okay, I appreciate you using your real number then,' she mumbled.

'No problem,' he said crisply.

'Right, so I'll be going now. Have to go do some homework,' she said meekly.

After realizing what she said she felt a bit bad. Did it sound too dorky?

'Oh. Good luck with that.'

'You too, with your work that is,' she replied.

'Thanks.'

'Bye,' she said quickly and hung up. She didn't want to hear the line again.

She wanted to finish first. And not hear his last words.

It was just too odd, talking to him.

Why had she called anyway? She was going to erase the number.

She sighed and threw her phone in her handbag.

'Maybe later,' she mumbled.