Chapter 19 1957
Calliope is thanking Bob for a part in his movie!
Aria wants to jump up and congratulate her friend.
But Bob is there too and Calliope probably wants to look professional, not have thirteen-year-olds leaping out at her from behind armchairs.
So Aria stays where she is, hoping that Bob will leave soon and then they can call Schwab’s and have Calliope’s party this afternoon instead of tomorrow—a double celebration.
Shoes tap across the floor—Bob’s shoes from the sound of it. A cushion sighs as if he just sat down on the sofa in front of the party glasses. The jangle of the song on the record player and the strange whir of the camera muffle Aria’s own sigh at Bob settling in rather than leaving.
Then she wonders—maybe that whirring noise means she managed to turn the camera on?
“I’ll tell my agent to expect the contract.” Calliope’s voice, so happy.
“Is your friend Aria planning a party?” is all Bob says and Aria frowns, wondering how he knows that she uses this room, how he knows about this room’s existence at all.
Calliope laughs. “It’s my birthday tomorrow. So maybe.”
Incongruously, the sofa belches and Aria swallows a giggle.
Fabric rustles. There’s a metallic clatter, followed by a ziiiii-iiiii-p!
“Happy birthday.” Bob’s voice.