Content Notes: Takes place after episode 106, Elias is a creep.
At slow, patient intervals, the phone rings.
Melanie plans to ignore it, no matter how hard her heart jumps every time it rings. But in the end, she bites the bullet and picks it up; she knows she can’t avoid this forever. She has to acknowledge that Elias exists, no matter how much she wants to pretend otherwise.
"What, you bastard?"
"Hello, Melanie." It enrages her so much, how he dares to be polite and calm. "I wanted to commend you on your recent behavior at work. It’s been a remarkable improvement."
"I bet it is."” The only sharp thing near her is the pencil; she presses her thumb against the tip, harder and harder until it snaps under the pressure. "Are you done gloating? I would like to spend the rest of my evening in peace."
Elias goes silent on the other end, and despite her anger, Melanie feels her chest go cold with fear, her breathing quickening just for a moment. For a second, really, but she knows it’s enough; Elias has heard.
"All I want is for us to be able to work together,” Elias says. “I think I made it clear what I’m ready to do in order to achieve this. I would rather have you meet me the halfway."
One day, I’m going to kill you.
"I’ll do what I can," Melanie says, because she won’t crawl any further than that.
"Excellent." He is smirking, she knows. "I hope you sleep well tonight, Melanie."
She hangs up on him, just so she can.
It takes her a long while until she stops feeling like he’s in the room with her.