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xp_logsSaturday evening. Another 'date', and for Doug, yet another missed opportunities. Forge and Marie-Ange push the plan a lot further.
Forge laughed again, matching step with Marie-Ange's longer legs as the duo headed towards the brownstone from the subway station. As far as everyone else would know, they were returning from a romantic night out. In reality, the truth was that they'd spent the evening in an out-of-the-way coffeehouse run by a pair of Turkish immigrants, where Forge had spent the majority of the time studying for an upcoming Business Administration exam and Marie-Ange had whiled away the hours sketching the coffeehouse patrons.
But the entire point of the faux-relationship was being missed if Doug wasn't going to react. So Marie-Ange had suggested something a bit more blatant.
Stopping by the front door, Forge paused briefly and made sure none of the other residents were nearby listening. "So, just to be clear, what's the plan here?"
"We make enough noise to attract attention, look suitably mussed so that assumptions will be made, and then make a strategic retreat." Marie-Ange said, and then took the time to undo the clip in her hair, and replace in a much less tidy fashion. "Even if Doug does not hear us, someone will, and the rumor mill should get the information to him."
"This is what they teach you in superspy - excuse me, research assistant - training? " Forge laughed, holding the door open for Marie-Ange. "Absolutely brilliant. And from experience I can tell you, the rumor mill is a valuable asset."
"Amanda is a research assistant. I am a junior architectural consultant." A month ago, she'd have been actually grumpy about it, but despite the fake nature of the dates with Forge, she had learned that those comments were just his way of teasing. "Amanda is the short blonde one, I am the tall red-haired one."
"I will have to make notes on that," Forge remarked as they walked
into the lobby. Immediately, he inched closer to Marie-Ange, winding an arm around her waist as the doorman looked at the both of them. Letting out a quick chuckle, he leaned into Marie-Ange as a very friendly date being escorted up to a lady's room would. "I'm exhausted," he said in a slightly too-loud voice, "but not too exhausted, I think."
Sometimes Doug thought that his life was a series of incidents with very bad timing. This was just the latest in a long string. He had been thinking about Amanda's words all afternoon, and after being extremely distracted, he had decided to go for a walk and get something to eat. And of course he would come out of the stairwell just in time to hear Forge's comment. Pulling his jacket up around his ears, he sidled along the wall to the doorway, hoping that the pair might not recognize him if he got outside fast enough.
Marie-Ange couldn't point out that she'd seen Doug for risk of him hearing her, but she nudged Forge lightly with her elbow. "I suppose I could see fit as to have a visitor..." she said. "I cannot promise that I do not steal blankets though." She was just starting to feel a little guilty about all this, and it needed to be over. Soon.
Forge caught the nudge, and steered Marie-Ange towards the elevators, feigning obliviousness to Doug's presence. Leaning on the elevator button, he gave an uncharacteristic giggle and leaned into the redhead's neck as he whispered "Okay, he's definitely watching - if this doesn't get his attention, then he's hopeless."
"If this does not cause him to say -something-, -anything-, I am going to have someone throw him into a river." Marie-Ange said, once inside the elevator. "Of course, now ... what do we do? I did not actually consider how to get you home once we got into the building.."
Forge pondered for a moment, disengaging from Marie-Ange with a small amount of awkwardness. "Well. As much as I'd not mind crashing on a couch or something - I'd rather not be here if Doug comes to his senses and comes banging on the door or swinging in through the window."
He chuckled as Marie-Ange opened the door to her apartment, and then realization hit him as he looked straight ahead. "The window! Of course. He's seen me coming in, but doesn't have to see me leaving. So long as he's not lurking in the alley, I can just take the fire escape down into the alley and double-back to the subway. Wow, I'm a devious son of a bitch. This must be what Remy feels like all the time. Only, you know, taller."
Forge laughed again, matching step with Marie-Ange's longer legs as the duo headed towards the brownstone from the subway station. As far as everyone else would know, they were returning from a romantic night out. In reality, the truth was that they'd spent the evening in an out-of-the-way coffeehouse run by a pair of Turkish immigrants, where Forge had spent the majority of the time studying for an upcoming Business Administration exam and Marie-Ange had whiled away the hours sketching the coffeehouse patrons.
But the entire point of the faux-relationship was being missed if Doug wasn't going to react. So Marie-Ange had suggested something a bit more blatant.
Stopping by the front door, Forge paused briefly and made sure none of the other residents were nearby listening. "So, just to be clear, what's the plan here?"
"We make enough noise to attract attention, look suitably mussed so that assumptions will be made, and then make a strategic retreat." Marie-Ange said, and then took the time to undo the clip in her hair, and replace in a much less tidy fashion. "Even if Doug does not hear us, someone will, and the rumor mill should get the information to him."
"This is what they teach you in superspy - excuse me, research assistant - training? " Forge laughed, holding the door open for Marie-Ange. "Absolutely brilliant. And from experience I can tell you, the rumor mill is a valuable asset."
"Amanda is a research assistant. I am a junior architectural consultant." A month ago, she'd have been actually grumpy about it, but despite the fake nature of the dates with Forge, she had learned that those comments were just his way of teasing. "Amanda is the short blonde one, I am the tall red-haired one."
"I will have to make notes on that," Forge remarked as they walked
into the lobby. Immediately, he inched closer to Marie-Ange, winding an arm around her waist as the doorman looked at the both of them. Letting out a quick chuckle, he leaned into Marie-Ange as a very friendly date being escorted up to a lady's room would. "I'm exhausted," he said in a slightly too-loud voice, "but not too exhausted, I think."
Sometimes Doug thought that his life was a series of incidents with very bad timing. This was just the latest in a long string. He had been thinking about Amanda's words all afternoon, and after being extremely distracted, he had decided to go for a walk and get something to eat. And of course he would come out of the stairwell just in time to hear Forge's comment. Pulling his jacket up around his ears, he sidled along the wall to the doorway, hoping that the pair might not recognize him if he got outside fast enough.
Marie-Ange couldn't point out that she'd seen Doug for risk of him hearing her, but she nudged Forge lightly with her elbow. "I suppose I could see fit as to have a visitor..." she said. "I cannot promise that I do not steal blankets though." She was just starting to feel a little guilty about all this, and it needed to be over. Soon.
Forge caught the nudge, and steered Marie-Ange towards the elevators, feigning obliviousness to Doug's presence. Leaning on the elevator button, he gave an uncharacteristic giggle and leaned into the redhead's neck as he whispered "Okay, he's definitely watching - if this doesn't get his attention, then he's hopeless."
"If this does not cause him to say -something-, -anything-, I am going to have someone throw him into a river." Marie-Ange said, once inside the elevator. "Of course, now ... what do we do? I did not actually consider how to get you home once we got into the building.."
Forge pondered for a moment, disengaging from Marie-Ange with a small amount of awkwardness. "Well. As much as I'd not mind crashing on a couch or something - I'd rather not be here if Doug comes to his senses and comes banging on the door or swinging in through the window."
He chuckled as Marie-Ange opened the door to her apartment, and then realization hit him as he looked straight ahead. "The window! Of course. He's seen me coming in, but doesn't have to see me leaving. So long as he's not lurking in the alley, I can just take the fire escape down into the alley and double-back to the subway. Wow, I'm a devious son of a bitch. This must be what Remy feels like all the time. Only, you know, taller."
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