***
Bliss and Angie stood on the sidewalk the following morning, scanning the devastation to their home and jobs.
Bliss hugged herself. “I had just printed all my cards to proof them before sending everything to the professional printer. I guess losing those isn’t a big deal when you consider no one lost their lives.”
“You lost all your hard work? Again?”
“No. Just the proofs and my cheap-ass printer. I still have the designs and my laptop.”
“Whew.” After a long pause, Angie shook her head. “I can’t believe it. Ruxandra may have inadvertently saved my life. If it weren’t for her, I’d have been in the apartment with you and not on my friend’s couch, hiding under a blanket.”
Bliss took a step away and gazed at her roommate. “Seriously? You were hiding under a blanket.”
“Only for a few minutes. Brandee finally made me believe that Nick wouldn’t let anything happen to me… and I had to come up for wine.”
Bliss chuckled because she’d have done anything for a glass of wine last night. She stared again at the total destruction in front of them. Fat chance of getting one here.
“So… do you remember what set off Ruxandra?” Bliss had been hoping and praying that Anthony was able to hypnotize her roommate before they were interrupted. So far Angie hadn’t said anything about the damning “diary” or dragons, or indicated that Bliss might have lost her mind.
“It’s funny, but I really don’t. I was about to ask Anthony something… and I can’t even remember what it was now. Ruxandra screamed about us staring into each other’s eyes like she thought we were lovers. It must have been her usual paranoia about Anthony hooking up with one of his staff.”
Hiding the relieved smile that must have made a brief appearance on her face, Bliss shook her head. “That’s one thing I won’t miss.”
Angie looked at her, surprised. “You mean there’s something you will miss about this place?”
“Of course there is!” Bliss put her arm around her roommate’s shoulder. “I’ll miss you, for sure. You’ve been the best, most considerate roommate I’ve ever had.”
Angie laid her head on Bliss’s shoulder. “Awww… you’re just saying that.”
“Not at all. It’s true.” Other things she would miss were more nebulous. She’d miss the friendly camaraderie of the regulars, Sophie’s White Russians, Claudia… but most of all, she’d miss her independence.
“So, where will you go now?” Angie asked.
Bliss groaned. “The only place I can afford that won’t resent my presence after a day or two. My parents’ house.”
Angie gasped and stared at her with an expression of horrified sympathy. “Oh, no. I know how much you hate it there. Couldn’t you move in with Drake?”
Bliss would have loved that, but picturing the two of them in that one cramped room was impossible. “I stayed there last night, but he was at the station. It’s too early in our relationship to be on top of each other—well, you know what I mean…”
Angie laughed. Bliss was glad to hear her laugh about something, even if it was her own Freudian slip. “Anyway, that’s one good way to kill a romance.”
“I suppose.” Then as if something just occurred to her, Angie gasped. “The competition! Are you still able to participate? I mean, they were coming the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. I called the producer this morning. They’ll meet with me at my parents’ house, and I’ll just have to insist my mother behave herself.”
“What are you afraid she’ll do?”
Bliss pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’ll announce that I’m single and probably look right into the camera and claim any man would be lucky to have a woman who can cook and clean like she taught me.”
Angie covered her mouth and tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a smile.
Bliss didn’t give her a chance to pursue that conversation further. “You should have heard the glee in the producer’s voice when I told her I had been in not one, but two fires and had to recreate all my designs.”
“I guess that’ll make for good TV.”
“Exactly. I don’t know why I expected she’d react differently, but she never asked, ‘Wow, are you hurt?’ or ‘Is there anything we can do to help?’ You know what she said?”
“What?”
“She said, ‘Holy shit, the viewers will love that!’ Apparently I’m already the fan favorite, but when the show with the finalists and their families airs, and everyone hears about the catastrophes I had…” Bliss rolled her eyes.