Ella Frank - Exquisite

“It is funny. You two are hopeless.” she said and began laughing all over again.

“I came here for advice and all you’re doing is pissing me off.” Lena stood about to storm out.

“Wait wait.” Shelly said waving her hand and trying to stop laughing. Once she seemed to have herself under control she asked, “You want my advice? Drive him crazy Lena. Make sure that man never stops thinking about you.”

Lena paused and looked down at her. “I’m not having sex with him, that’s too easy and he’ll hate me for it.”

“Right now he would.” Shelly said standing and walking around the desk and moving over to Lena. “But if you slowly drive him out of his ever loving mind and make him remember all the reasons he wanted you in the first place it will all fall together.”

Lena nodded starting to like this idea. “So what did you have in mind?”

“Well I’d start with sending a little message of your own.”

Mason was sitting on his couch watching the cooking channel. He’d gone for a run and he had to admit he felt better. Maybe it was time to get his shit in order . After all how long could he possibly keep going the way he was? He needed to check in with Rachel and Wendy, start going back down to the restaurant and trying to move forward. He needed to work out a way to heal. The chef on the television had just started peeling potatoes when his cell phone buzzed next to him. Picking it up he flicked it open and read,

312-925-7654: A peach huh? So… I’m juicy?

He read the message several times, noticing the number in the corner to be one that wasn’t in his contacts, but knowing exactly who it was at the other end. Adding her name he hit reply.

Lena? Is this you? Not a minute later the phone buzzed.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I hope so, who else has been leaving peaches in your house?

Finding himself smiling he typed. Well I’m not sure. It didn’t come with a note.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes it did.

Ok, the note wasn’t signed.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I thought it would be obvious, Casanova :P

Grinning from ear to ear he wrote back. To answer your question, from what I remember, yes you are very juicy.

There was a pause. A minute or maybe two passed and then the phone buzzed in his hand.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Do you still like peaches?

Frowning at the phone he typed. What are you asking?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Did you enjoy the peach this morning? Or didn’t you eat it?

Of course I ate it, my doctor told me to.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Your doctor huh?

He paused and then wrote quickly, You know what I mean.

There was silence for about five minutes before the little light on his phone lit up.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: I could be your doctor. If you wanted me to be.

Lena….

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes Mason?

He tapped his leg having completely forgotten the program on the televising and wrote back. Were you really in my bed last night?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

Were you really naked?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

Did I really just fall asleep with your arms wrapped around me and your breasts all up on my back?

Pause. Long pause.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes and my hands were right above your naked cock.

Did you just write the word cock to me?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

You’re trying to drive me crazy, right?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Is it working?

He took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch closing his eyes and then typed. I think it is.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Good J

So Lena, other than driving me crazy, is there a reason you’re blowing up my phone?

He was sure she would get angry at him but he was once again proven wrong.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I figured you wouldn’t let me blow anything else so this is what I’m going with.

Letting out a laugh he reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. He was sitting on his couch in the middle of the afternoon and he was the happiest he’d been in a long time.

I’m going to be at Exquisite tonight. Come? He waited, wondering what she’d do. Did she mean everything she’d said to him last night? He wanted her to show him. He wanted to believe in her again, in them.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: I’ll come to Exquisite but there’ll be no other sort of coming.

Feeling his smile grow he wrote back, Tease :P

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Not always J

So 8?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Don’t know. I’ll see you when I get there.

Frowning at that reply he ended the text with a, K and then turned off his phone.

Lena sat in her car at 10pm in the Exquisite parking lot. She’d thought long and hard about what she was about to do and honestly she didn’t think she’d be able to pull it off, but at this stage she was willing to try anything, she just hoped he was there. Getting out she made her way around to the entrance in the back of the building and knocked twice. Wendy opened it and looked down at her standing on the bottom step under the floodlight.

“Is he here?”

Nodding Wendy grinned and pulled her inside. “Yep he came in at 6.30pm just like he use to. I don’t know what you did but he’s different tonight. More like himself.”

Shaking her head Lena moved past and said softly, “I didn’t do anything except annoy him last night and tell him to straighten up.”

“Well whatever you did, it’s working.” She pulled her into the hall and pushed her down to the office where her and Mason had had their first date. “You go on in and I’ll send him back in around ten minutes?”

Nodding Lena smiled tentatively, starting to feel nervous. “Yeah that should be good.”

Stepping inside and closing the door behind her she looked around the small office. Not much had changed, the desk and chair were still the same and there was still paperwork everywhere. She moved around to the chair behind the desk and cleared off the surface. Taking a deep breath she started pulling things one by one out of the bag she had brought with her and started to set up.

Mason felt good. It was the first night he’d come back and worked the restaurant like he use to. He’d arrived at 6.30pm and everyone had been shocked when he walked in dressed for work in the charcoal slacks and black button up shirt with the Exquisite logo. For the last two hours or so he’d been up at the pass verifying, and looking over the orders. He felt like he’d come home. Rachel had hugged him when he’d come in and she cried a little when he apologized to her, then she’d nodded and told him to get to work. So that’s what he’d been doing. He was about to check over the last order to be sent out for the night when Wendy came up beside him.

“Hey Mase?”

Turning he looked at her and winced a little. “Hey Wendy.” he paused and shrugged, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a shit.”

Smiling at him she nodded. “Apology accepted. You really have been a shit, but I guess that’s what family does right? We forgive one another?”