The phone rang in Courtney's hand, and for a split second, it frightened the living crap out of her. It was just so unexpected that when she'd pick up the phone to confirm her date tonight that it would come to life with a shrill cry in her fingers that she almost dropped the receiver with a shriek. Instead, she got a hold of herself and answered, her slim finger pressing the talk button.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Courtney? It's Melvin," the voice on the other line said.
"What a coincidence! I was just about to call you," she said with a smile. She always found it funny how things like that worked. She twirled the phone cord between her fingers; Courtney hadn't switched to a cordless because she wasn't sure what she would do with her hands if she didn't have something to play with during conversations. It was one of her little tics.
"I just wanted to make sure that we're still on for tonight," Melvin said, his voice obscured by the snap, crackle, popping of static; she assumed that he must be on his cell. Courtney's hazel eyes moved to a hanging mirror on one wall, and she gave herself a quick looking over. She still had some work to do, but she figured she would be ready. The only x-factor would be the nervousness that kept her stomach in knots.
"Yes, of course. Pick me up at eight?" she said.
"Sounds wonderful. I'll see you then," Melvin replied.
"I can't wait," Courtney said, and she wished Melvin could see the size of her smile.
Melvin flipped his cell phone closed and tucked it down the pocket of his jacket. A sense of overwhelming relief flooded over him, and his face felt a little flushed with a warm glow. He sighed. He still had his date with Courtney tonight; she would not be standing him up. At least, not yet.
"So how'd it go?" Morgan the witch asked, a thin grin creasing her lips. Melvin didn't understand why she asked him questions when she probably knew the answer anyway; she just liked to tease him. Were all supernatural beings so coy and trite? Not that Melvin minded; it was better than having her being some kind of cackling, evil monster like the Wicked Witch of the West or something.
"Good. We're still on," he said. Morgan nodded and pushed her long dark ponytail over her shoulder.
"I told you as much. When will you ever learn to listen?" she said.
"Maybe when you stop feeling the need to be so mysterious all the time and just talk straight to us. You know, for a change," Bridget Briswell said from her position next to Morgan. She sounded annoyed, but then her face brightened and broke out into a musical laugh. "Not that I mind. I think you just do it because you think it makes you sexier."
Melvin's eyebrows raised. The two women seemed on much friendlier terms after he'd taken Morgan's Rejuvenator and passed out for a few moments; before then, Bridget had treated Morgan with a mix of distrust and disdain, only because she felt so protective of Melvin. Bridget was his lawyer, after all.
"Well, it does make me sexier, don't you think?" Morgan said playfully.
Bridget hesitated, ran a hand through Morgan's black hair and said, "Maybe."
Melvin swallowed. Something was definitely going on between the two of them. How long had he really been out? It had felt like only a few seconds but...
His thought was broken by Pachelbel's Canon in D, the chosen ring of Melvin's cell phone. He fumbled in the pocket of his jacket and raised the phone to his ear, mashing it on before the song could make it all the way through.
"Hello?" Melvin said.
"Melvin, it's Richie. Sorry to interrupt whatever's going on with that Briswell chick, but your ex is on the hunt. She was over here today and... well, we should talk. Meet me in your office. She even had a run in with Crabapple," Richie Golding's voice buzzed in Melvin's ear. Melvin's brow knotted, and he felt a disgusted twist in his stomach. Just when things were looking up, Abby had to show up with her surgically enhanced breasts and ruin everything.
"I'll be right there."