Prior to leaving Stella’s apartment, Anton agreed with her comment about the dinner and company.  After all, she did suck it up big-time and survived all six tiger prawns.  That definitely counted for something.  If he ever did that again, he’d be sure to cut back on the amount of hot sauce.<br/><br/>It was great to return to his apartment with no clean-up necessary.  He recalled having done the same when she played hostess upstairs.  That, he believed, was the way things should be done.  He wasn’t sure, of course, but he wondered if the fact that they were neighbors had anything to do with pitching in when the time came for doing the dishes.  Well, that and they both loved their feline companions.<br/><br/>Not sure what to do before bedtime, Anton considered diving into the fourth and final volume of the Anno Dracula series.  This one was titled<i>Johnny Alucard </i>(hint: read that second word backwards).  He decided to hold off for another day or night for the novel, since he wanted to savor what was possibly the last installment.  That said, he had heard or read somewhere that more volumes were in the planning stages from the author, Kim Newman.<br/><br/>Wondering what to do next, now that Anno Dracula was put on hold, a particular piano from above had decided for him.  Shoes already left at the door, he plunked himself on the couch, where Licorice soon joined him.  Her spot on his chest had been claimed yet again.  Listening to music was always better when it was a shared experience, never mind that one of the individuals happened to be cat!<br/><br/>Anton was unable to identify the composer, which helped explain why he sensed an urgency in Stella’s playing.  Was it a reflection of the composition itself, or her current mood?  Either way, he was unsure, though it was still an impressive piece of music to listen to.  Less than 15 minutes later, apartment #608 fell silent.  Not at all surprising, he thought, taking note of the time of night.  He wondered if another neighbor had somehow complained.  As if in answer, Licorice yawned that familiarly wide kitty yawn, resuming her snooze fest.<br/><br/>A distinct<i>ding </i>from his phone alerted him to an incoming text message.  Stella, he thought, though that would be surprising as they had just wished each other goodnight.  Nope.  Only when<i>Magdalene Melendez </i>blinked across his screen did he remember their impromptu date for tomorrow.  Something about coffee and ice cream, or the other way around.  He wasn’t sure which, but he did know that he wished it was already over with.<br/><br/>He read her message, and promptly answered.