Just Off The Key || Lizrei

Chapter 21: You've been the Song in the Background, Turning up Now

Rei was preparing dinosaur egg oatmeal when they made the call. Liz had seen it in the grocery store and requested it, and Rei complied because she was in awe of this phenomenon. Colored dinosaurs emerged from tiny eggs made of sugar.

It was fucking magical. And Liz was delighted.

But right now Liz sat ramrod straight at the kitchen bar with Jelly in front of her, sprawled over the phone and looking for attention. Liz wasn't giving it. She ran her hands along her red reindeer pajamas nervously.

Rei was trying to keep her thoughts of "this is the worst fucking idea ever" and "this will determine Liz's fate and the rest of our lives forever" inside her head. She was aware they were just a tiny bit dramatic, but she just kept thinking them.

And watching dinosaurs emerge.

"Liz. This is amazing." Rei stated overly brightly, sliding a bowl full of transforming eggs in front of Liz and hopping up onto the chair next to her.

Liz switched her somber gaze from the kitty-covered-phone to her food, and her eyes lit up a little. She looked at Rei's bowl and they widened even more.

"Wait, why do you have so many triceratopses? All I have are stegosauruses!"

Wow. Rei had a girlfriend who could successfully pluralize stegosaurus. She wasn't so sure about the triceratops, because she wasn't a damn paleontologist. Really, Rei could be eating fucking velociraptors for all she knew. She willingly traded bowls, even though Liz's was covered in a mountain of powdered sugar, and Liz ate all her dinosaurs before switching to the actual oatmeal.

Liz had brightened by the time they shoved Jelly off the phone to call Lisa, and Rei had determined they would both be diabetic before they turned thirty.

Liz looked at her nervously, fingers hovering over the numbers, and Rei gave her a dorky thumbs-up and a confident nod. She still wasn't sure that this was a good idea. At all. But Liz smiled slightly, and Rei took her free hand as she dialed, stopping it from playing with the spoons on the counter.

"Hello?" Lisa said loudly over the speakerphone.

Rei knocked two of the spoons off the counter she was so startled. This woman always seemed to terrify her when they crossed paths. And yep, she still sounded like a blender.

Rei watched the words get stuck in Liz's throat, and her jaw work up and down a few times before Liz gathered herself and spoke.

"Hi, Aunt Lisa. It's Liz...And Rei."

There was a pause for a second, and Rei swallowed more of her oatmeal extremely slowly because it sounded like the loudest thing in the world right now. God, could she swallow more loudly? No. It was impossible. Did Liz hear that? Why was her apartment so quiet? Where were all the damn animals?

"Oh. Hello...Liz. How are you?" Lisa didn't sound cold or unwelcoming, maybe just unsure. Surprised. Rei couldn't blame her. She'd almost shanked the woman with a spork the last time they spoke.

"I'm well, thank you." Liz said slowly and clearly.

Rei swallowed again, contracting her neck muscles like a python to make it as quiet as possible. She started choking, and Liz stared at her and then thumped her on the back.

"Who was that? Is that Rei? Is she alright?" Lisa said through the speaker, tone more curious than concerned.

Rei nodded vigorously. God, pull yourself together. Fucking dinosaur oatmeal. Liz smiled and tweaked her ear.

"Yes, Lisa, I'm fine, thank you." Rei said, shoving her bowl away because it was only causing problems. "Liz has some news for you!"

Again, there was silence. Rei didn't choke this time.