Wow!  Just, wow!  Chloe and Anton enthusiastically joined their hands together with the rest of the crowd’s applause at the conclusion of the Alkan piece.  Beethoven would always be Beethoven, and he’d been drip-fed enough of the composer’s genius thanks to Evangeline.  But Alkan was an entirely different beast.  The frenzied parts of the piece reminded him of<i>Flight of the Bumblebee.  </i>On speed.  Of course, he would never reveal this to Stella without knowing if it might be an insult or not.  With speedy fingers like that, he held no doubts she could probably text<i>War and Peace </i>in its entirety to a friend in less than half-an-hour.<br/><br/>While she took her well-deserved bow, Anton took note of how sexy she looked in her chosen attire and the manner in which she wore her hair.  He then wondered what she might be wearing under that skirt.  Naughty boy!  Knock it off!<br/><br/>Still clapping, Chloe leaned in closer to him, curious about his facial expression, and asked, “What are you thinking of?”<br/><br/>“Never mind,” Anton replied.  When Chloe continued staring at him, not buying any of it, he tossed in, “Hockey, if you must know.  Hockey scores.  Wonder who’s winning is all.”<br/><br/>Chloe snorted in a most unladylike fashion.  “Sure, Anton, whatever you say.”  Her eyes then drifted toward the stage, then back to him.  With no reply other than a smirk from him, she sat back, basking in her own glory.  He bumped his knee against hers.  She giggled in response.<br/><br/>The third and final part was by Brahms, and it was yet another audio/visual treat, perhaps more so because Stella left the piano for a cello.  This dexterity and obvious talent impressed Chloe to no end.  Even Anton was surprised by this turn of events, as he was only aware of her prowess on the piano and vocals.<br/><br/>Instructions from Stella required their presence at the Southwest exit.  Following introductions, praise, and yet more praise (there were two fans in front of her, after all), his upstairs neighbor hustled off somewhere.  She soon returned with two pairs of ballet flats and an explanation about them.  A choice still remained, however, as she pointed out, "Of course, we could totter there in heels and hang on to his arms for dear life."  That earned hearty laughs from Chloe and Anton, especially the latter.  Comfortable and sensible shoes, he thought, women can’t seem to grasp that concept.  Mind you, not that he held anything whatsoever against high heels.<br/><br/>The sushi restaurant turned out to be an impeccable selection on Stella’s part, and Anton made sure to tell her this, at least twice.  He thoroughly enjoyed (read: no leftovers) his order of a medium-well cooked peppered steak with a roll of spicy tuna sushi and six pieces of sashimi, with extra wasabi.  The bowl of miso soup warmed his bones.  Apparently, Chloe was just as famished, as she scarfed through her beef and shrimp yakisoba combo.  Her empty bowl also revealed no evidence of miso soup.  And Elton was a breath of fresh air, clearly an entertainer at heart.  His skills exceeded beyond the grill and sharp utensils.  The man was genuinely funny.  Even Stella left no prisoners with what she’d ordered was concerned.  "I am really hungry, ok?" she emphasized with a grin, which was returned, of course.  Not surprising, really, with all that spent energy on stage and a bundle of nerves leading up to it, he was sure.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">&gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt;&lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt;​</div><br/>Their stroll back to the concert hall (ballet flats fully engaged x 2) was accomplished mostly under a veil of silence.  An occasional sigh or groan could be heard from any one of the trio.  By now, Anton knew they ALL wished to be carried on plush pillows from here to the garage, heels or no heels.  Nearing the hall, a motion of fumbling for something from Stella forced a turn of his head toward her.  “My phone,” she said.  Noticing his furrowed brow, she beat him to it, “I’m just calling Uber.”  Chloe hung back a little, attentive eyes focused on the pair.<br/><br/>“Uber?!” Anton objected.  “Seriously?!  Oh, I guess I forgot we live in the same building,” he said teasingly.  “Put that away, please.  I need to drop off Chloe first and then it’s home.”  Chloe smiled at the sudden realization that they lived in the same building.  Couldn’t get any closer than that, she thought.<br/><br/>Approaching his Audi, Chloe’s thought process was that since she’d rode shotgun on the way to the concert hall, she’d do the same for the journey home.  Anton opened the door, and Stella expertly maneuvered herself inside.  Thankfully, his understanding neighbor didn’t seem to mind the back seat, not that there was much of one in a car like this.<br/><br/>They made small talk along the way, hitting numerous subjects while avoiding relationships and dating for Chloe’s sake.  Rounding the corner, Chloe had politely declined his offer of walking her to her door.  As Anton began to decelerate the vehicle, his front seat passenger inexplicably slid down her seat, well below window level.  This was quite the feat to behold, since she still had her seatbelt on.  “Don’t stop, Anton!  Please, don’t stop!” she pleaded.  As requested, he kept the car in motion, turning right at the next corner.<br/><br/>“What’s going on, Chloe?” Anton asked, slightly flustered at her odd behavior.  Slowly sitting upright while smoothing out her dress, she sighed heavily.  “Did you see that red Mustang?  That’s Joel’s,” she said softly.  He bristled, but said nothing, not wanting to upset her any more than necessary.<br/><br/>“What do you want me to do?  Keep driving around the block?”  What he<i>really</i>wanted to do was drag Joel outta his red Mustang and pummel Joel’s head on his red Mustang’s hood, for hurting his friend.  And then stuff Joel in his red Mustang's trunk.<br/><br/>Chloe thought about it, and then answered, “That could take all night, Anton, and I don’t want to be a bother to you or Stella.”  She turned and smiled weakly at the backseat passenger, who was admirably doing her best to appear somewhat comfortable.  “Would you mind taking me to a hotel, please?”<br/><br/>“Nonsense,” Anton replied immediately.  “I have a guest bedroom.  You’re more than welcome to it.  In fact, I’m headed to<i>Casa Kostaki </i>right now.  How convenient is that?”  He smiled at her for reassurance, and she thanked him profusely, knowing it was futile to continue arguing.  He felt much better after she confirmed Joel no longer had a key to her place, though he did wonder how long he’d wait for her return.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">&gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt;&lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt;​</div><br/>Buttons for floors 5 and 6 punched, Anton refused to allow that prick Joel to suck the life out of a magical evening.  He mentioned how awesome Stella’s performance was (which made her blush, naturally) on piano<i>and </i>cello, to which Chloe eagerly agreed.  A<i>ding </i>announcing the fifth floor, and the doors slid open.  Conveniently placed once again in the middle (or did he plan it that way?), he leaned toward her and softly kissed her cheek, while saying, “Bravo, Stella.”  Chloe caught the peck and smiled.  As he stepped out of the elevator, the two women shook hands, and then hugged, saying how nice it was to meet the other.  Stella wished her well with the Joel situation.  While the doors silently slid shut, Anton waved goodnight to the tenant of #608.<br/><br/>Once inside his apartment, Chloe declined his offer of any kind of beverage, saying how tired she was.  Anton agreed and excused himself.  Moments later, he returned with some clothes in hand.  “This is a few of Eva’s sleepwear.  You can choose what you think would be most comfortable,” he said.  He then gave her a quick tour of the apartment, focusing on the bathroom, and eventually winding up at what would be her room.<br/><br/>He indicated where his room was in case she needed him during the night for whatever reason.  Prior to entering her room, he stated, “Sweet dreams, Chloe.  It’s gonna be okay.  You’re gonna be okay,” he declared.  She did her best to smile, quite commendably too, all things considered.<br/><br/>“Thank you, Anton,” she said, just above a whisper, “I really appreciate this.”  And just because, she kissed his right cheek.<br/><br/>“Don’t mention it,” he replied, turning to head toward the kitchen.  Spinning on his heels, he said, “Oh, and one last thing.  If you could do me a favor?”  She nodded.  “If you could leave your door slightly ajar?  I dunno where she is now, but Lics is gonna say hi sometime later.  She always does.”  Chloe smiled with a “sure,” retreating inside her room, the door left a little open.<br/><br/>An IPA soon after in hand, Anton plopped on the couch.  He brought his phone to life, and tapped,<br/><br/><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#00ff00">Sweet dreams, Stella.</span></i><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#00ff00"></span><br/><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#00ff00">A</span></i>