Abby had gotten up bright and early, desperately wanting to get out of the dormitory. She showered and did her hair and makeup and dressed considerably more “Abby-like” than she had been the day before. She headed for the cafeteria for a caffeine fix and hopefully a decent donut. There was a feng-shui class that she was planning on attending mid-morning that Tony had scoffed at taking so she was on her own.
She was flipping through the newspaper when a soft spoken male voice said, “Hello. May I join you?”
She looked up to see the blonde cellist standing there with a tray. It took her a second, and she sat there blinking before shaking her head and saying, “Um, sure.”
He smiled and put his tray on the table, then extended his hand to Abby, “I'm Stefan.”
“Abby.”
“So I have to ask, they really stuck you isolation with that slob from yesterday?” He grimaced playfully and Abby couldn't help but chuckle.
“Oh, you mean the ogre?”
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Tony sat up in his bunk and scratched his head, he hadn't slept well, just like he hadn't slept well the other three times he had been here. He stumbled his way through a shower and headed for the cafeteria to get coffee.
He got his coffee and a donut and headed for the seating area and stopped dead in his tracks seeing Abby sitting with the spiky haired blond guy from their group yesterday. And he was hit with a completely unexpected bolt of jealousy as he took in the two of them laughing together and obviously enjoying their conversation.
Tony was trying to decide to go over and interrupt them or just disappear when a voice from behind him teased, “I hope that's not all you're having for breakfast.”
He turned to see the blond woman from the gym with a tray of what he would call health food, a banana, some orange juice, and small bowl of granola cereal. “Yeah actually.”
She looked at his coffee and donut with disdain and added, “As a nutritionist I can tell you that is a horrible combination to put in your body first thing in the morning” She smiled brightly, trying to be friendly.
Before Tony could reply he heard a loud, “No way!” in Abby's distinct voice and he whipped around to see her arms flailing about in laughter at something the blond man had said. Tony's eyes squinted and his brow furrowed of its own accord.
Without even saying anything to the woman he had been speaking with, he walked away, so intent on Abby's table he didn't even heart the woman say, “Jerk.”
He plunked his coffee and donut on the table without invitation and sat in the other chair next to Abby, across from the other guy, “Good morning, campers. Are we having fun yet?”
“Tony!” Abby exclaimed happily, much to Tony's relief.
“Morning, Abs. Sleep well?”
“Um, no. You have to ask?” She was eying his donut, and after comparing it to her own, and in move so similar to what she did all the time to him at the office, she reached over and swapped their plates efficiently stealing the donut with the coveted sprinkles.
Stefan watched the exchange curiously and decided to take the initiative and reached a hand across the table, “Hi, I'm Stefan.”
Tony grabbed a napkin and wiped his hand before shaking Stefan's hand, “Tony.”
Abby was busy communing with her donut and ignoring both men, and didn't realize that she was groaning over her donut in a way that had both men just staring at her. When she finally realized it she just said, “What? It's good.”
“Abs, you never met sugar you didn't like.” Tony teased.
“Good point.”
Stefan was curious and asked, “Do you two know each other?”
Abby answered, “Yeah, we work together.”
“Oh.”
Tony added, “We've known each other a long time, what almost five years isn't it, Abs?”
She nodded and teased, “In thirty-seven days it will be.”
Stefan raised an eyebrow, “You're counting?”
Abby looked at him confused much to Tony's delight, “Well yeah, every year we go out and celebrate, it's a tradition of ours.”
“Oh. That's... nice.”
“So, Abs, you still doing that feng-shui thing this morning?”
“Yeah, Stefan and I were going to go together. Why? Change your mind and decide you want to come?”
“Yeah, maybe I can figure out how to rearrange my desk to avoid getting smacked on the back of the head.”
Abby laughed at the inside joke, leaving Stefan completely out of the loop, which was Tony's full intent, and both Stefan and Tony knew it. And Stefan's eyes met Tony's as if to say “game on”.
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Tony sat through the feng-shui class only half paying attention. His mind was trying to analyze why he felt so jealous over the attention Stefan was giving Abby. The guy seemed like an okay sort, and he and Abby seemed to have a lot in common. Tony knew Abby dated, but he had never actually seen her with another guy. He wondered if vaguely if way down deep if he had hidden feelings for Abby, feelings he had kept even from himself given their working relationship. That flash of jealousy earlier had been strong, very strong. And he wondered if he should actually talk to Abby about it. She was the one person he was always able to talk to about anything, but how would she take this? And what would it do to their friendship? He just didn't know.
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tbc...
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