It is 100% a work of fiction springing from my own imaginings. Any resemblance to real events or people (be they living, dead or semi-volitional AI) is no more than a startling coincidence.
*
"Hello . . ."
The morning after. Tom wanted something.
"Hello?"
It was raining outside. Tom still wanted something.
"What?" asked James.
"How was last night, man?"
"Very nice. Thank you, by the way."
"Did ya?"
"I don't understand."
"Don't mess with me, man." Tom leaned on his elbows over the kitchen table. "I'm not perfect but I've never been a bad match maker. You two seemed super compatible."
James stared at him blankly.
"You didn't, did you?" Tom nearly fell off his chair laughing "Perfect girl. I'm conveniently out of the house. And you still won't do it. My god."
"I've been told I'm too forward in the past." James bit his thumb irritably.
"No, you haven't." Tom put a poured out a glass of orange juice for himself. "Did you at least get her number?"
"She has mine. Ours. The house phone."
It was Tom's turn to be surprised. "You had some cryptic reason for doing that bit didn't you?"
James smiled. "Yeah, that way she has to ask for it." It seemed less clever in retrospect.
The phone rang. Once. Twice. Tom picked it up before James was out of his chair. "Yo! Uh-huh . . . sure . . . tell me everything . . ."
"Tom."
He covered the receiver. "Gimme a second you're never talkative." He nodded at whatever was being said. "Okay . . . that's a bit more than I wanted to know. James, it's for you."
"Thank you."
Tom tossed the phone across the table to James. Not many people had a reason to call him and Tom was terribly unsubtle. "Hello, pet."
"Hello, sir."
"Go on."
"You said I could come back, sir."
"I did."
"May I come back on Thursday?"
"Friday." James clicked the phone off.
Tom was looking at him strangely. "I'll never understand you, man."
"Lucky you." James laughed "Do you intend to be here Friday?"
"Yeah. Gonna be a problem?"
"I have no idea."
The rain outside drew to a close with a final few drops.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"I should have let her come back on Thursday."
"Why?"
"Turns out I hate waiting."
The sound of a car engine at the front of the house attracted their attention. A moment passed in relative silence.
Shanon opened the door. Tom smiled widely.
James started breathing again. "Hello, pet."
Shanon froze. She knew Tom but had never expected to see him in a situation like the one she now found herself in.
"Hello, um, and . . . hello, sir."
"Very good. Tom has nowhere else to be right now, some kind of banking issue, and I thought it would be rude to make him leave. I'm sure you understand."
"Yes, sir. I understand." Shanon looked nervously at her shoes.
James walked over to her and raised her head up until he was looking directly into her eyes. "Smile." She bit her lip, blushing.
As James began to unbutton her blouse Shanon turned a brighter shade of red. Tom laughed and turned around.
When he finished with the buttons James stepped back from Shanon to admire her. She moved to take off her blouse. "I didn't say to take it off, pet," he warned softly. "Tom?"
The normally extroverted man responded without turning around. "Yeah?"
"You're standing in the entrance to the kitchen."
"Am I?"
"You are."
Shanon giggled but caught herself when James glanced at her. Tom took a breath and rotated enough to make room but closed his eyes.
"Have a seat, pet." James gestured to the kitchen. When she had left he walked up to Tom. "She's not in the hallway anymore so you can open your eyes."
Tom opened his eyes. "Sorry, man, I was brought up to respect a lady's privacy."