The Interview

No One But Us--A Bonus Chapter

"You don't?" He didn't even bother trying to empty his mouth before speaking. "I thought you took the week off?"

"I did," she replied, rolling her eyes. "But don't you think it's a bit much to ask that I use up a third of my annual leave and spend all day and night, every day and night in your claustrophobic, little den?"

"Hey! Not fair. This place is miles better than my old man cave."

"Fine. That much is true. Buuuuuuut..."

With her fingertips, she picked up an old sock from the armrest of the couch and tossed it in the direction of the bathroom. Surveying his coffee table, she heaved an exasperated sigh before promptly emptying her garbage sack of goodies, so she could get started on rounding up the empty beer cans and juice packages and dump them.

"You're certainly relapsing when you get busy," she pointed out.

"At least it's for a really good cause, right?"

She shook her head.

"You gotta start fighting your good causes on your own, my friend. You know that? Or enlist your girlfriend, Ozdammit! That's what girlfriends are for. I, on the other hand, already have got two perfectly good causes waiting for me at home."

Fiyero finished the last of his food and tossed the fork into the sink. The empty card board container remained on the benchtop for the time being.

"C'mon, Glin," Fiyero said, putting on his best puppy dog face. "You're a girl, and you're clever. Extraordinarily clever—"

"Stop it right there; flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Okay. Well... at any rate, I'm sure that you're aware that there is no chance in hell that I can drag Catanilla into this. Not if I'd like to keep her as my girlfriend."

"You're handing her with kid gloves," said Glinda, folding her arms.

Fiyero grinned sheepishly.

"I don't think I'll have that many more opportunities in my life, and she is pretty great. Would hate to mess this up."

Glinda arched a carefully shaped eyebrow.

"But you'd risk messing us up?"

"I know that you're tougher than you look, and what's there to mess up anyway? You know me. You've seen me worse."

"That I have," she agreed fondly, unable to keep her aloof mask up for much longer.

"Besides, what are those good causes you're speaking of anyway?" Fiyero probed cheekily as he made his way over to the newly cleaned couch area where Glinda had already settled in her favourite spot, laptop ready on her lap. "Let me guess: first of all would be that charming girlfriend of yours." Frowning, he paused. "I can't think of anything else, sorry. You'll have to stay a bit longer. Elphaba can certainly wait."

"So demanding," Glinda groaned good-naturedly. "And by the way, my first good course is my bed. My grumpy, prickly girlfriend has to content herself with second place."

"Don't the two kinda belong together?" he challenged with a sly grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Definitely not. If I have one complaint about our current living arrangements, it's that truly satisfactory sleep is much more difficult to come by these days. Seriously, no matter how big the bed, sharing it with someone makes it indefinitely more difficult to find enough space and the right position—and that even though I used to make do with a simple single size!

Feigning surprise, Fiyero took a moment to stare at her, eyes wide.

"Oh, is that what you meant?" he finally said and sat down next to her. "You actually plan on sleeping through your entire break? What a waste! I thought you had more, well, exciting activities planned."