We'll Meet Again

Chapter Three: A Jazzy Interlude

For Vox the next two days dragged by. He found his mind always wandering back to thinking about Alastor. His charming personality, his beautiful face framed by the setting sun. Alastor on the other hand, had a relatively normal few days. On Thursday he met Mimzy for lunch at a small cafe near the radio station as was their custom. He sat at the table they preferred and ordered for the both of them. Mimzy was nothing if not predictable. Perhaps that was unfair to her he amended, more a creature of habits. She entered almost exactly two minutes late and apologized for being late as she always did. She settled into her normal small talk about her week and her weekend plans. Alastor smiled and nodded along sipping at his coffee. He reflected to himself quietly that this was the reason he enjoyed her company. There had been a moment, early on, the night she had confessed feelings for him. The night she had kissed him. He remembered the feeling, like locking lips with a dead fish. He had been repulsed by the very notion, but the act tied his feelings up in a tidy little package. He had never been like other men, feeling the carnal need for female attention, or the simple thrill of romance. As a friend, Mimzy was everything he could ask for, entertaining, attentive, and a great dancer. He had decided that night a life of romantic solitude, surrounded by a few good friends of the caliber of Mimzy would be just fine. That stray thought conjured an image in his mind. Vox looked into his eyes as if searching for an answer to all of life's great questions. He remembered the hair standing on the back of his neck, and the lump that formed in his throat. He remembered his heart racing, truth be told it was quickening just remembering the moment. Mimzy was looking at him expectantly, he had missed something. He shook the thought away and tried to sound apologetic.

"Forgive me Mimzy, my mind wandered away from me. What did you say?"

She looked annoyed, but not overly so.

"I was askin' about your handsome friend. You two were lookin' awful chummy."

He chuckled and waved the comment off.

"We just met, he is in town on vacation and I agreed to show him some of the sights. Nothing more than that."

She raised both eyebrows, apparently unconvinced.

"Hunny, did you not notice how he was lookin' at you? Like a lost little pup."

Alastor cleared his throat and sipped at his coffee taking a moment to think back on it. There was something to what she was saying, but what she was implying made no sense to him.

"Mimzy, I am not sure what you are implying about Vox, but I am rather sure he would not appreciate it."

She leaned in and pitched her voice down to avoid anyone who might be listening in.

"Alastor, he fancies you and he's not bein' too subtle about it."

He guffawed and gave her the sort of look one reserves for the profoundly simple.

"Come now, that is preposterous. He is nice enough and we had a lovely outing but I hardly think that he is the sort."

She gave him a flat look, unamused and undeterred.

"Sweetheart I know you can be a little dense when it comes to romance but even you have to know better. He dresses like a well-to-do dandy and his haircut probably cost more than a day's worth of meals. Even ignoring all that he was lookin' at you like he would have done tricks for belly rubs if you asked him to."

Alastor could feel this conversation raising his hackles. However, he could not say for sure if it was because he did not believe it or because she was right.

"Can we talk about something other than Vox, please? I already have to deal with him tomorrow I don't want to spend all day talking about him."

Mimzy's eyebrows did their best to lift clean off her face as they shot straight toward the roof.

"You're seein' him again? I'm gonna need details on this."

He sighed in defeat, he had laid out a trap and stepped straight into it. She was not going to let this go now. Better to tell her and get it over with.

"I am picking him up for dinner tomorrow, then I was planning to take him to that jazz club downtown."

She gaped openly at the information. She stared in stunned silence long enough for him to become uncomfortable.

"Alastor, you're takin' him on a date."

It wasn't a question, merely a statement of a fact she seemed to consider obvious. He tried to wave the comment off but she persisted.

"It most certainly is not. I just thought he would enjoy a dinner at one of the nicer restaurants. As for the club, it is my favorite place in town, you know that."

She theatrically smacked her palm against her face and let out a sound of deep exasperation.

"For the love of everything good and holy Alastor. If a man did that for me I would be disappointed if the night ended anywhere other than his bed. That's a date, you dolt."

He colored a little at the cheeks and harrumphed.

"Mimzy, This has been a lovely lunch but I think it is time I headed out."

She rolled her eyes at him as he gathered his things to leave.

"Alastor, if you're not making a move on him, or letting him make a move on you. Tell him you're not interested. Because he is, and it's not fair to string him along."

He blushed fully at that comment, looking around to see if anyone had taken notice of the blunt comment. To his relief, they had not. He bid her a curt good day and all but stormed out.