"So, what happened with Cadence last night?" Elliott asked Aaron, once he could see that his boss was done with the conversations he was clearly having in his head.
"What?" Aaron asked, a questioning expression on his face. "Nothing, why?"
"I just thought it was a little weird that you actually came in and went to sleep last night. You never sleep. And then, I went to pick her up, and she seemed surprised that it wasn't you. She did a good job of hiding it, but I could tell."
"No, nothing. I was tired," Aaron said shrugging. "I'm taking her out Wednesday."
"What?" Elliott said, surprise and happiness on his face. "You? On a date? Does she understand the rarity of this venture?"
"Oh, stop," Aaron replied. "It's not a big deal." The plane was in the air now, and they would arrive in Kansas City in less than two hours.
"I'd say it is," Elliott disagreed. "You know, you should probably have gone and said hello to her before the plane took off. She's probably starting to realize you're a jerk."
"She already knows I'm a jerk," he replied, a little more honesty coming through than he intended. "I couldn't. I was talking to Crystal in Phoenix, making sure everything was lined up for tonight. And letting her know to expect one more Guardian." This last part he said with a deep sigh.
Elliott shook his head. "You shitting me?" he asked. "You gave in?"
"I'm just tired of arguing," Aaron said, turning his attention out the window.
"Wuss," Elliott muttered. "She's doing everything she can to wiggle her way back in, you know?" he added.
"It's not happening," Aaron assured him. "Trust me. I'm seeing Cadence now. I'd much rather be with her. I'll never get back together with Eliza."
Elliott said nothing, just shook his head. Finally, he said, "Well, you probably ought to go say hello to your betrothed."
Eliza had her phone out and was flipping trains around erratically, cursing when the ghost trains got past her well-trained finger. When she saw Aaron walk past her to go talk to Cadence, she felt like she might need the air-sickness bag. She closed Train Conductor Two and put her phone down.
"You all right?" Christian asked.
"No," she admitted. "I'm going to throw up."
"Well, that's what these little white bags are for," Christian explained, pointing at the one sticking out of the seatback in front of her.
"Figuratively," she said looking at him. She could tell he knew that. "God, Christian!" she said, throwing her head against his shoulder. "I'm pretty! I'm fun! What the hell is wrong with me?"
Rather than broaching that topic, Christian said simply, "I'm sorry, Eliza. I know it's hard. I know how you feel. It sucks."
She glanced up at him. "You know how I feel? You have the hots for Aaron, too?"
"Please tell me you're joking," he replied dryly. "For Cadence."
"Oh," Eliza said, nodding her head. "That makes more sense. I didn't think you were.... Anyway, since when have you been interested in Miss Bossy Pants?"
Christian raised his eyebrows. "The kettle is calling. You're black."
"All right, all right, this isn't about me though. She's bossy. And demanding. And she doesn't take direction. And I hate her! Except for that I don't."
Christian just shook his head.
"She's too damn nice to hate, but I want to hate her so bad," Eliza continued. Then, she remembered her originally question. "So, like, since the first time you laid eyes on her or something?"
"Something like that," Christian admitted. "I thought she liked me, too, at first," he continued.
"Yeah, I think Jamie thought that, too, at first. Until he showed up at her apartment and Aaron was already there."
"Wow," Christian exclaimed. "That would only happen to Jamie," he added.
"I know, right?" Eliza agreed, shaking out her burgundy curls. "So, what made you think she might like you?"
"Well, the make-out session for starters," Christian admitted. "But after that, she seemed... off. Of course, that was right before she found out about Jack being sick."
"You made out with Cadence?" Eliza asked, her voice a bit louder than Christian would have liked. He hushed her. "When did this happen?" she asked in a sharp whisper.
"I told you, the night before Jack called her to Lincoln. After she killed Henry. I went to her apartment, hoping to comfort her, and we made out. I really thought she liked me, even when she asked me to stop. I felt like we were headed somewhere. But then, she's hardly talked to me since."
"Hmmm," Eliza said, considering this brand new information and what it might be able to do for her. "That's strange. And I bet you're a good kisser, too," she added.
"I am a good kisser," Christian agreed. "I guess I just can't compete with Aaron."
"Oh, don't be silly," Eliza said slyly. "Of course you can. You're just as good looking as he is." Christian looked at her skeptically. He seemed to know she couldn't possibly mean that. After all, she'd been pursuing Aaron for quite some time. But Eliza continued. "She's just...power hungry, I think. I don't know. What's your technique like?" she probed.
"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.
"Everything!" Eliza exclaimed. "If you're sloppy or too handsy, you could totally turn her off."
"No, it's nothing like that, I'm sure," Christian said, reflecting on the interaction. "No, I think she just felt like she didn't know me well enough yet. But I don't think it was an issue of technique."
"You never know," Eliza continued. She had heard rumors that Christian liked to record his interactions of this nature, and so she decided to advance her intrigue to determine if there might be some footage. If there was, it could be invaluable to her cause. "If only there was a way to know for sure."
Christian looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth but closed it sharply. Eliza felt that she was on to something. "You know, if I could hear a play-by-play or something, maybe I could determine what you did wrong. I'm sure there had to be something. Maybe you pulled her hair..."
"I didn't pull her hair."
"Or grabbed her boob too hard..."
"No," Christian said sharply.
"Hmmm..." Eliza said, resting her finger against her chin. "Well, I guess I can't help you," she finally said, sighing in defeat. "Sorry, buddy. That's one of my areas of expertise, you know."
Christian seemed to consider her words before finally admitting, "Well, I did record it."
"What?" Eliza said, once again barely able to contain her excitement. "You did?"
"Yes," Christian confirmed. "Not on purpose, of course."
"No, of course not," Eliza replied, shaking her head. "But it's so great that you did. Let me see it, and I'll let you know what you did wrong. Then, we can figure out a way to get you a second chance with her. And when you do, you'll be ready."
Christian was hesitant. "I don't know. It's kind of private."
"Please," Eliza chided. "I'll only be able to see her anyway, right? I mean, it's from your perspective."
"Yes, but still, that doesn't seem quite right," Christian said, crossing his arms.
Eliza could tell by his expression that he was considering the option. "Well, I can't help you if I can't see it. Hey, if you don't want my expert advice, that's fine. No sweat off my back."
"Okay," Christian finally said. "But you've got to promise not to record it."
"Why in the world would I do that?" Eliza asked, a twinkle in her eye.
