When Ric enters AAU, he runs in to Serena almost immediately in the hallway, “Ric what a pleasure.”
Ric notices her discomfort straight away by the way she seems just a bit too cheerful. This initial assessment is corroborated by the stuttering that follows, “I just.. can we just.. let-let-let’s perhaps leave the good ole’ pub talk off-off the floor today. Shall we?”
Ric smiles and Serena looks even more worried. He shakes his head, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You know! The…what we —“ then Serena understands he’s teasing and huffs, “Cheeky.”
Ric laughs and scruffs his hand across the bottom of his face before heading down the hall leaving Serena staring after him.
—-
It’s late morning when Ric sees Serena again. She’s standing by the usual suspect, Bernie Wolfe. They’re very close to one another and appear to be having one of their awkward new-love conversations, as Ric can only ascertain by the way their smiles don’t quite reach their worried eyes. It’s almost too easy.
He approaches and hands Serena a clipboard, "I hate to interrupt you ladies but I just had to give you this Serena.”
He watches for a reaction to the note he’s scrawled for his friend and notices Bernie watching too and when Serena looks up at him she’s blushing profusely. She tears the note off of the clipboard and shoves it into her pocket.
Bernie raises an eyebrow and Serena looks at her, “Oh it’s just this one… his usual games. Watch out for him.”
Bernie nods and presses her lips together in a smile, “Noted.”
Serena is gone before Ric can even look back at her. It really is too easy.
—-
After lunch when Ric notices Serena staring at her blonde colleague, he finds another opportunity wide open.
He strolls over to Bernie and catches Serena’s eye when he enters her field of vision. Serena’s face falls and she shakes her head. He nods back and smiles brightly before drawing Bernie’s attention with an X-ray. They talk briefly about a current situation with an upcoming surgery and then Ric comments, “Have you noticed that Serena’s been a bit tight on the reins lately?”
Bernie’s eyes widen, but she says nothing.
“It’s just,” he continues, “I can’t help but notice her watching people a little more closely than usual.”
Bernie turns her head in tandem with Ric to look at Serena who from across the room turns her head away from them at top speed.
“Just makes me wonder what the old girl’s thinking. She’s very interested in what we’re up to. Mostly interested in what you’re up to, it would seem.”
Bernie looked completely intrigued with her shoes for a moment before clearing her throat and taking the X-ray, “I hadn’t noticed.”
But Ric is fairly sure she has noticed. He’s also quite sure she likes it.
—-
At the end of the day he sees the two talking as they walk towards the parking area, and jogs a few steps to catch up to them, “Do you ladies fancy a drink?”
Both turn to look at him and Serena fixes him with a glare immediately.
“Well, I don–” Serena starts.
“Or is this a date? I don’t want to intrude.” He jokes and Bernie laughs much too nervously while Serena forces a chuckle of her own.
“Another time then?” Ric suggests and the two nod their heads in response.
As he walks away he can hear them making excuses of their own and he shakes his head. He wonders when either of them will get a chance to read the texts he’s sent from each of their phones to each other when they were in theatre together.
Sometimes he can surprise even himself with his ability to wind Serena Campbell up and since she’s just handed him her kryptonite, it’s anybody’s game.