Chapter Text
Oliver sat on the couch between Charles and Mabel, fiddling with his wedding ring, which had been placed there just more than 24 hours ago. It was late. Early rather. And Oliver's phone sat on the coffee table, a drink held between his spread knees. Charles sat in the same position, minus one ring finger, reaching over to play with the other’s piece. Mabel sat leaning against the arm of the sofa, tears still streaming down her face.
“Are we cursed?” She mumbled, barely opening her mouth as her chin rested in the palm of her hand, fingers gently tapping her lips.
“I vote yes,” Oliver said.
“I can’t believe he’s really gone.”
“I feel bad for his wife…” Charles said.
“He was married?” Oliver asked.
“Yeah…he said he got married at the fountain that you did. The fountain that he…”
“...Shit.” Mabel shook her head and sniffled.
“How is it that we know almost nothing about him and he knew everything about us?” Oliver asked.
“Because he saw us as friends…” Charles said. “We saw him as the doorman…”
The room breathed a collective sigh.
“What time is Loretta supposed to call you so you can tell her?” Mabel asked Oliver who had downed the last of his drink and stared at his phone. By the time he’d stopped panicking enough that morning to call Loretta and tell her what happened, she’d already gotten on the plane. He texted her to call him when she got off the plane.
“She was supposed to have landed about thirty minutes ago. Let her get through customs and all–”
His phone rang. A picture of Loretta and Oliver kissing at their wedding the previous day popped up on the screen. Oliver leaned forward abruptly.
“Speak of the she-devil,” Charles muttered. Oliver answered the phone rather dejectedly.
“Hi, baby.”
“Ollie!…what’s wrong?” Her tone switched immediately after hearing his tone. “What’s going on?”
“Loretta. Loretta, listen, I’ve got Charles and Mabel here with me. Something happened. There was another murder. Must have been late last night or early this morning.”
“What? Oh my God! Who is it?”
“Um, well…shit…honey, it’s Lester.”
“No.”
“Yes. I’m so sorry, baby, but he was murdered last night. He was pushed into the fountain. He hit his head on the concrete. We found him right after you drove off.”
“Oh my God…Oh God. Oh my God. That’s horrible!”
“I know, baby. And on top of everything, the tabloids got hold of our marriage. Which, on the one hand, it’s nice to know because of Ben Glenroy that we were made popular enough for tabloids, but on the other hand, they’re just vultures.”
“Well, I don’t care about the press, Oliver. I love you. We’ve been through it before with the show. As for Lester, I didn’t know him very well, but he was such a nice man. God, that’s so sad. Oliver, I’m so sorry. Mabel, Charles, I’m so so sorry.”
“You didn’t kill him…”
“But we’ve gotta figure out who did.”
“I’m certain you will.”
The room and Loretta breathed a collective sigh.
“Alright, I think that’s enough doom and gloom for our first phone call as a married couple, so…what are you wearing?”
Charles and Mabel rolled their eyes, Mabel immediately standing up to exit the conversation. Charles looked at Oliver like he'd lost his mind.
“Oliver, I just got to my hotel. Your friends are right there.”
“Not for long.” Oliver picked up the phone, turned it off speaker, and started walking out of the room. “Good night, guys,” Oliver said as he headed out the door.
“Night, Oliver.”
“Good night.”
Oliver audibly closed the door to Charles’s apartment.
“Okay, what about now? What are you wearing?”
“Same thing as five minutes ago and same thing as when I left you eighteen hours ago.”
Oliver got in the elevator and went back down to his apartment.
“What about in five minutes? Can I convince you to take off your clothes in five minutes?”
“I certainly won’t protest you trying. But I don’t think you want me taking all my clothes off.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m still wearing my wedding lingerie…”
“Oh…are you now?”
“I am.”
“Are you in your hotel room?” Oliver asked as he got off the elevator and walked into his apartment. “I must tell you the building, not to mention the apartment, has already felt so incredibly lonely since you’ve been gone.”
“I miss you too, Ollie.”
“What are you doing right now?”
“Unpacking mostly.”
“Right. Right. Well, do you mind if I stay on the line listening to you unpack? I want to know what it feels like to have you in the room.”
“Of course, darling.” Loretta giggled.
“How was your flight?” Oliver asked as Loretta started unpacking her suitcase, bringing her toiletries into the bathroom.
“Lots of turbulence. I slept when I could.”
“Good. I wish you were in my arms right now.”
“Me too, Ollie. I’m so sorry about having to move like this.”
“Don’t be. You deserve this.”
“Thank you, Oliver.” A moment of silence passed between the lines as Loretta set up all her soaps. She paused when she stared at herself in the mirror. “I want you here with me,” Loretta said. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I’m staring into my mirror, and it’s just not like it used to be. You should be here with your arms wrapped around me.” A tear came to her eye, and she sniffled. “I should be there with you.”
“I know, baby.”
Loretta stared for a minute longer. She listened to the quiet.
“You’re playing with your wedding ring,” she said.
Oliver froze. He looked down at his hand and saw he had been twirling it on his finger.
“How did you know?”
“Because I’m playing with mine right now,” she sighed. Oliver smiled.
“I love that ring,” Oliver said.
“I love yours too.”
“My darling, what do you see in the mirror?”
“Oh, just me…crying. Braids messed up. Tired. Old.”
“Stop right there. I may not be able to see you right now, but I am positive that despite all that, you are ravishing.”
“You’re just saying that because you want to keep having sex with me.”
“My darling, while sex with you is an incredible offer and a good way to get me to do almost anything, it is not why I’m saying it. I’m saying that because it’s true. You’re beautiful, Loretta. You were beautiful that day I met you and fell in love. You were beautiful every day of rehearsal. You were beautiful when you were pissed off at me. When we kissed. When we made love. You’re beautiful when you’re flustered and when you’ve just woken up. You’re beautiful when you talk and when you sing. When you dance. You are a gorgeous woman, and you were beautiful when you walked down the aisle to me, and you’re beautiful now. And I am proud to call you ‘my wife’.” Oliver finished his monologue.
“Oliver Putnam, you flirt. If phone sex is what you want, then flattery will get you everywhere.” Loretta said, abandoning her luggage and going to her bed.
“So is it working?”
“It might be.” Loretta saucily said into her phone, unbuttoning her shirt. “Now, about your request for me to take off my clothes and describe it to you, I believe the rest of my unpacking can wait, and I just threw my shirt across the room like you would if you were here.”
Oliver smirked and fell back on the couch.