Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"If you need more proof, I've got it. Just an hour ago, we were sitting at that coffee shop near her place, chatting away."

"Every word of it true, feel free to check it out-"

Cliff glanced at the person next to him whose expression had soured to the extreme. "..." Is it too late to turn off the speakerphone now?

But Corley just added fuel to the fire, "Did you get all that? Need me to repeat it? Maybe someone should record it, take it back, and analyze it thoroughly."

Cliff: "..." Oh, come on! That's totally unnecessary!

"Uh... Corley, you're busy, and I've got things to do here, so I'm gonna hang up now, okay?"

With that, Cliff quickly ended the call.

Corley chuckled and sped off.

"Murray..." Cliff started cautiously, "Don't listen to his nonsense. It could all be fake..."

Murray, expressionless, turned around and went back to the private room.

Cliff hurried after him, thinking to himself, this is not going to end well...

York sat on the couch, utterly baffled, frantically signaling Cliff: [What's up with him? How did he manage to come back from a smoke break looking like he'd been through a war?] Cliff: [Sigh, don't ask. I'm so over this.]

Murray called the waiter over: "Bring us two bottles of whiskey. Nobody's leaving until they're finished."

...

whiskey was gone,

on the bar, eyes closed, but his

leaned in

it between his fingers, not needing to

He made such a mess of their breakup, didn't leave Roseanne an ounce

up a bit. What now?

been

Let's just

room, let him

and

back in the

"That works." Cliff agreed.

...

morning,

the constant ringing of his phone pounding in his head

he answered irritably, not

come and check on her?" Murray frowned, "If she's not feeling well, go to the hospital. I'm not a doctor. What am I supposed

persisted, "The

been here.

might help.

for the baby, having n't

to be faking it.