All That Followed

20 - FONDUE

EMMA HAD JUST finished applying her mascara and was about to give her outfit the 100th look-over when the door buzzed. She jumped slightly, her nerves getting the best of her, and ran over to the intercom.

She cleared her throat and pressed the talk button, hoping her voice didn't betray the butterflies in her stomach. "Yes, hello?"

"Hi Emma, it's Anders." There was a brief pause, and then, "I'm here to pick you up. For food. But that's probably obvious, and— well, yeah." Another pause. "Anyways, I'm ready whenever you are. Should I wait down here?"

Emma laughed, his lack of practiced charm putting her at ease. "Here, I'll buzz you in. Come on up."

Running to the closest mirror, Emma smoothed over her dress and fluffed her hair, making sure to double check she hadn't missed any stray eyebrows hairs when plucking them earlier. She wanted to look put-together, but not like she cared too much.

There was a soft knock on her apartment door, and Emma walked over (at a very quick pace that might be considered almost-running, but we won't get into that because she was clearly keeping her cool). She opened the door to reveal a smiling Anders, who was looking as good as ever in black jeans, a leather jacket, and a white t-shirt. "Hi."

"Hi."Emma blinked at him and grinned. "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but you're giving me serious Grease vibes right now."

Anders nodded thoughtfully. "I often turn to my Danny Zuko Pinterest board for outfit inspiration, so that makes sense."

Emma laughed. "A Pinterest board, huh? Now that's impressive." She leaned over to grab her purse off the wall hook and stepped out into the hallway next to Anders, closing and locking the apartment door behind her. "Shall we?"

"Oh, we shall," he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I'm so ready to melt my pot."

"Um—" Emma coughed to hide a laugh, trying her best to keep a straight face. "Right, right. Totally."

Anders shot her an mockingly-incredulous look, his eyebrows raised. "What? You're telling me they really haven't coined that phrase?"

She glanced at him in amusement as they made their way down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator. "Shockingly, no."

"Ah, man." He shook his head. "That's a prime marketing opportunity missed right there. I mean, just picture it—" he waved his hand through the air, as if showcasing something spectacular. "—The Melting Pot. Melt your pot today."

"You know what?" Emma said, turning to face him. "I think you've been missing out on your true calling. You've been spending all this time acting when really, you should have been in marketing. That's the real missed opportunity."

The elevator door opened with a ding, and they stepped inside. Anders leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. "You look very nice, by the way." He cleared his throat as she looked over at him. "—I mean, it's no Sandy-inspired outfit, by far, but it's a close second."

"Well, thank you for such a lovely-worded compliment," Emma grinned. "I do what I can."

The rest of the elevator ride was quiet, although not necessarily awkward, and the two made their way out onto the street. It was a brisk fall evening, the street dry for once instead of soaked with rain, and the sun was nearly set. Lights were wrapped around some of the trees lining the sidewalk, twinkling in the light of dusk.