Just My Cup of Tea

On her way back to her apartment, Jayne picked up her phone from her purse in the passenger seat when she was stopped at an intersection and situated the phone between her shoulder and her ear as the traffic in front of her began to move. The line rang three times before the woman on the other end picked up. "It's ten o'clock, Jayne. You either are in mortal danger or you have a really good story to tell me."

"Hello to you too, Amie."

"So which one is it?"

"I wonder sometimes how I put up with you."

"Because I pay the tab whenever we go out."

"Right. And you insist on not letting me contribute a bloody penny."

"By the tone of your voice, you're probably not in mortal danger. Where are you, anyway?"

"Driving home from the hotel."

"So you do have a story for me!"

"Yes, Amie, and I think you're gonna like this one."

"I'm listening."

Jayne switched the phone to her other ear. "So you know how I told you that I was never going to get involved with a client when I took the receptionist job?"

"Oh my God."

"Shut up."

"Who is he?"

"Stop assuming, Amie."

"When you preface your story with something you told me two years ago, I can pretty safely assume that's what happened!" Jayne sighed as she made a right turn. "So who is he?"

"A turian."

There was a short silence in which Jayne imagined Amie was making an incredulous face despite the fact that no one was around to see it. "Really?"

"Yes, Amie."

"I never took you for a xenophile."

"Shut up. It's not like I'm dating him, I only met him today."

"Something still could've happened!"

"Will you relax? You're acting like I haven't been with anyone in a hundred years."

"You might as well have been. You make it seem like your last boyfriend was an absolute pisser."

"That's because he was, Amie, but I didn't call you to talk about him." Jayne's voice took on an icy quality as she turned onto her apartment's street and then pulled into the parking lot.

"Alright, alright, relax. Who is this turian? I think I can safely assume that you're planning to see him again." Jayne put a hand to her phone and sat for a moment for while Amie responded.

She then turned off her car and opened the door. She switched her phone to her left ear as she leaned back over the seat to pull her purse from the back of the car. "Yes, I made plans to see him for lunch on Saturday."

"Taking him to that little cafe a few blocks from the hotel?" Amie asked.

"The one that you showed me when I first met you? Yes, that one. It's a great little place."

"You will forever be thanking me for showing that place to you. And I think your turian will be too."

"He doesn't even know you exist, Amie." Jayne stepped out of her car and shut the door, switching the phone to her right ear and pushing it up between her ear and her shoulder as she fumbled in her purse for the keys to her apartment. "I really need to get a single keychain for all these bloody things," she murmured to herself.

"But he will! So what's his name?"

"You can meet him when you meet him. Right now, I'm going to go into my apartment and relay this exact story to Sarah."

"You've barely told me a bloody thing!"

"Because you've been busy teasing me about lunch spots and xenophilia! Maybe I'll phone you again after work tomorrow and perhaps you can listen for longer than five seconds." Keys in hand, Jayne walked up to the door of her apartment.

Jayne heard Amie blow out a breath in annoyance. "Alright, alright. Go get some sleep while you're at it. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Right. Bye." She clicked her phone off and dropped it in her bag. She opened the door and walked up the first flight of stairs up to her apartment door and inserted the key into the deadbolt. The turn of the thick metal piece back into the door alerted Jayne's roommate to her return, so Jayne saw the other woman's face as she entered the clean apartment. "Evening," Jayne greeted, smiling up at her.

"I thought you got off two hours ago."

Jayne smiled. "I did."

"So where were you?"

"The hotel."

"Working overtime?"

"Of course not. I can't take tourists for longer than I already do."

Sarah laughed. "So what were you doing there?"

"Meeting someone."

Sarah's jaw opened to form a surprised "o" and her eyes widened. "Who?"

"A turian." Sarah squealed and watched Jayne as she toed off her shoes and pulled her phone out of her purse before dropping it on top of her shoes. "Now get comfortable, I have a story to tell you."