Unmasked

"Absolutely not. Lose the Red Sox cap, Audrey, come on. You're going on a date you're not stuffing your face with hot dogs and popcorn and waving a foam finger."

"You don't know that. Maybe that's exactly where he's going to take me," Audrey retorted as Nichelle rejected about the hundredth outfit she had tried on. Nichelle pursed her lips and crossed her arms and Audrey sighed and tossed the baseball cap aside, smoothing her hair.

"You don't even know if he's going to call me, Shelle," she pointed out.

"Excuse me? Which of us here is the uber psychic, you or me?"

"Did you actually See him calling me?"

Nichelle waved a dismissive hand. "It doesn't matter. I have gut instinct too, and it's never steered me wrong. I thought he was going to dissolve into a puddle of lovestruck goo when you gave him your number. He'll call. And you better look cute when he does, tomboy."

"He can't even see me on the phone," Audrey said and Nichelle heaved one of her famous long-suffering sighs.

"Make an attempt here, Aud. It pains me to see you all alone here at the top of Olympus."

"I'm not alone. You're here all the time, and I have Jekyll and Hyde."

"It's not the same thing, Audrey."

Audrey couldn't exactly argue on that point, and she knew Nichelle did legitimately worry about her and was doing all of this because she really cared. Audrey had only been nine when her parents died and she and her younger brother were kidnapped and held for ransom that was paid by their panicked grandparents. Wyatt had had asthma, and hadn't had his medicine when he panicked in the trunk of the car. Audrey had tried desperately to calm him down but eventually his thrashing and choking had ceased, and she'd lain next to her brother's corpse for several hours before they were yanked from the trunk.

Now here she was fifteen years later and her medicine cabinet above the sink was filled with drugs to help her sleep and drugs to calm frazzled nerves. And she had Phantasma. Phantasma was her outlet, and one she hadn't realized she'd needed so desperately until that fateful evening when she'd almost fried herself to death and instead received a sort of warped gift from a warped universe.

She'd stayed with her grandparents until it was time to go off to college, but she found she hadn't been able to be close with them the way you'd expect a little girl to be close with her grandparents. Audrey been irreparably changed after that experience and Nichelle was about the only person on the planet who understood just how damaged and furious Audrey was.

"I have a new sundress," Audrey finally relented. "Will that be suitable?"

"Let me see it first."

Nichelle was a fashion expert; in fact fashion was her job. She worked for a fashion design company as an assistant designer. She took her job very seriously. Audrey had a lot of designer clothes in her closet but only dolled up for the sake of her image, since the was the face of NMI. She wasn't nearly as passionate about it as Nichelle. But she dutifully put on the lacy lavender sundress and allowed Nichelle to fuss over her makeup and pick out her shoes and coax her into a black denim jacket.

"Now you look ready for a date," Nichelle said, appraising her work proudly. Audrey was about to remind her yet again that the pizza guy might not even call, but just as she opened her mouth her phone dinged and sure enough, she had a text from him.

"Is it him?" Nichelle asked. "I told you."

"In fairness, you said he would call. He texted."

"Don't make me whoop you. What does it say?"

Audrey unlocked her screen and read the text.

Hi. Um. This is Matt. The pizza guy. I just got off and was wondering if you still wanted to hang out today.

Nichelle let out a triumphant squeak. "Text him back! Text him back!"

"I am," Audrey said in exasperation.

Name the time and place, Matt the pizza guy.

He texted her back a few minutes later, naming a coffee place in the nicer part of downtown called Bean There, Done That. Audrey knew it well; it was down the block from the St. Nicholas Children's Hospital. They worked with NMI often and Audrey attended most of their functions and fundraisers. She was pretty big on child health issues.

She texted Matt that she would meet him at the coffee shop in thirty minutes. She debated whether to drive or take a cab, wondering if a girl showing up to coffee in her fancy James Bond-esque car would scare a guy off. Nichelle was terrified to ride in it since she claimed Audrey drove too fast.

In the end she opted for a cab and arrived at Bean There, Done That a few minutes early. She ordered a white chocolate mocha and a blueberry scone and got a seat by the window to watch for Matt. He appeared barely two minutes later, wearing a nice button up shirt and jeans that looked significantly less worn than the ones he wore to deliver pizzas.

Audrey waved to catch his attention and he joined her with a banana nut muffin and a hot mug of coffee.

"Hi," he said, looking a little nervous.

"Hey, Matt from the pizza place."

He smiled slightly as he sat down. "I know a coffee shop doesn't exactly seem glamorous, but I kind of got the sense that your door slamming friend was the one who wanted you to give me your number."

"Nichelle insists that I don't get out enough." Audrey sipped her mocha and studied him over the rim of the cup. "In fairness though, I don't make much effort on my own to go out with anyone, so without Shelle around it would probably never happen. And you are pretty cute."

She barely suppressed a smirk as his ears turned pink.

"Um, thanks. So are you. I mean, not cute. That sounds bad. You are cute, but not like a hamster or something. I meant that you look nice."

"Relax," Audrey laughed. "I'm not going to bite you. Unless you're into that kind of thing." She tilted her head and arched a questioning eyebrow and he blushed even harder. Audrey found it endearing.

"So why did you suggest a coffee shop if you don't like coffee?" she asked and he blinked.

"What makes you think I don't like coffee?"

"You haven't taken so much as a sip since you sat down."

He looked sheepish. "You caught me. I just thought it was a neutral kind of place for a first...hang out."

Audrey nodded. "Fair enough. I do love the coffee at this place. I'm feeling a bit famished though and this scone just isn't doing the trick. Do you want to go grab some lunch?"

Matt cracked a smile. "As long as it's not pizza."