Talk To Me

Oliver

"What do you mean?" Mariah asks through her quiet laughter as she lifts her napkin to her mouth and blots with the fabric around her lips.

"I'm just saying the human mind is so weird. It's so complex and hard to understand." I shrug, watching as a small smile forms on her lips.

Her bottom lip is a bit smaller than her top lip, creating the illusion of a permanent bratty frown. How cute.

"Then maybe you should rethink your job as a Psych professor." She scrunches up her button nose, hiding her blue eyes behind her squinting eyelids as she does.

I raise my eyebrows and look over her. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she leans back into her chair, pressing her tongue against her cheek. I scoff and before I can speak, she opens her pouty lips again.

"What's wrong, fella? Cats got your tongue?" Mariah giggles, a light blush pooling into her cheeks.

That's it. Challenge me.

I shake my head, sticking my bottom lip out. "No." I respond, enjoying the sass from her. "I'm actually quite good at my job, Miss Stanton." I shrug, grabbing my glass of water and taking a sip from it.

"Are you, Mr. Levine?" She pauses and leans in, tilting her head. "Are you?" Mariah grins, placing her hands happily in her lap.

I pull my lips into a tight line and stare at her in admiration. The attitude, the giggle, the grin. Everything about her. This is the woman I want.

Yeah, well look at how that turned out. I stare at the number at the top of the screen. Not saved but I've called it three times in the past week. Pathetic. And even more pathetic if I call and ask for Penny again. What grown ass man turns to phone sex to get over a break up?

I hit the call button and slowly lift the phone to my ear.  The trill stops and a click is heard as the "dispatcher" answers. "Garik's angels, this is Sam. How can I help you."

I sigh at myself and take a second to answer. "Could I be transferred to Penny?"

I hear the rhythmic clacking of keys on a keyboard before the woman on the other end speaks again. "She actually just took a call. Would you like to wait or maybe try somebody else?"

I think, staring at the floor. "Sure, I'll try someone else."

"Of course. Give me a second." Sam hums before I hear the trill of the line ringing again.

It stops and is picked up by a fake Russian accent layered on so thick you'd think Rasputin came back to life and partook in inbreeding with clones of himself and Abbey from Monster High.

"This is Katya, what can I do for the handsome on the  other side of phone?" I roll my eyes and pull my phone away from my ear, ending the call.

I click the number and call again. "Did you get disconnected? I ca-" Sam starts but I cut her off.

"Penny. I want Penny."

"She's still on a call so you'll be on hold, is that okay?" The woman asks.

"Thats fine." I lean forward into my free hand when the hold music starts playing, sighing to myself.

Just over five minutes go by before the music pauses and I groan. The song The Color Violet by Tory Lanez had just started playing and I love that song but the familiar Midwestern accent breaks through the phone which makes me not worried about the music anymore. "Is that Quinn?" She asks.

"It is." I respond as a smile creeps up on my face.

"Well, Hi there!" She giggles.

"Hi, Penny. How are you today?" I inquire, falling back into my bed.