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WHEN WE RETURN TO SETH and Jenna the next day, what we see is like a scene from a romantic comedy. I'm not that familiar with romance and movies, but I was forced to watch a couple with Luciana and Azrael recently, and there seems to be a theme of unbearable cuteness in all of them. Seth and Jenna are, in fact, unbearably cute. They make a pizza together, during which Seth stamps a bit of flour on Jenna's nose. They take a walk in the park, where Seth plucks a flower and plants it in Jenna's hair. They play a game of shag, marry, kill in an art gallery, where Jenna cracks up as she tries to decide if the men in old portraits are attractive or not.
I could learn something from Seth. He seems to have mastered the art of wooing, and his sense of humor seems to play a major part in that. Perhaps that is what is missing from my techinique? I need to be funny.
At the end of the day, Jenna and Seth return to his apartment to eat pizza leftovers and watch a movie. It seems a bit pointless to hang around them. They look like they're heading toward a proper happy ending, but—
A knock on the door could prove me wrong.
It's Grant. I know it's him before Jenna answers the door, because I can hear his thoughts while he's knocking.
“Should I punch him, or would that be too much? I don't want to make her mad at me...”
Fortunately, no fists fly, because Jenna is the one who greets him first.
“Grant!” she practically screams his name.
“Uh huh. It's Grant. Did you forget about me? I wouldn't be surprised, because you obviously forgot to answer my texts too.” Jenna's jilted beau forces his way into the little apartment and stands, arms crossed, in front of Seth. “I knew you would be here. I just knew it!”
Alyx and Phineas enter after Grant, and unless I'm mistaken, Phineas would like to hurt me. He has fury in his eyes that I've never seen before. Even Grant's outrage pales in comparison.
“Why?” Grant roars. “Why did you just take off like that? You made me look like an idiot! And when you wouldn't answer my texts, I had the audacity to be worried about you!”
“I'm sorry!” Jenna cries. “I panicked! I was embarrassed and upset a-a-and I didn't know what to do!”
“You'll have to forgive me if I have zero sympathy for you,” Grant says. “You didn't even reply to your mother! I was answering texts from Gale all night long! She kept asking if I knew where you went, and all I could do was guess!”
Alyx stands next to Mikayla and whispers, “It was kind of rude for her to ignore him like that.”
“Yeah,” Mikey agrees. “Believe me, it's not like I'm on Jenna's side or anything. Even though I'm her spirit guide, I think she messed up pretty bad.”
Even though the girls are talking softly, I can hear every word. Angels and Archangels are blessed with exceptional hearing. I'm sure Phineas is listening to their conversation as well.
“So, is this what you want now?” Grant jabs a thumb at Seth. “You want him?”
“I-I-I don't really know what I want!” Jenna exclaims. “I've been trying to figure that out for the last twenty-four hours, but... I just don't know!”
“Well, it would have been nice to figure it out before our wedding day, don't you think?” Grant stomps around the tiny room. His footsteps are so thunderous, they must be intentional. “Did you ever stop to think about my feelings?”
Seth pops out of his seat and confronts Grant. He stands between Jenna and her almost-husband, as if to be the barrier between them. “Hey, if you're going to keep lecturing Jenna, I'm going to ask you to leave. She doesn't deserve this.”
“She doesn't deserve it? Are you serious?” Grant's reply tapers into a mocking chuckle. “If our roles were reversed, do you think you would still feel that way? One day, she might decide she doesn't want to be with you anymore. Or should I say... she'll decide that again! She already dumped you once! It's what she does!”
I hold my breath, because for a moment, it looks like both men are tempted to strike each other. Fortunately, they never come to blows.
Phineas approaches from behind and hisses at me, “How dare you! A Banishing? Do you really think I deserved that?”
“Well... you were interfering with my mission,” I reply. “You didn't leave me much of a choice.” It seems like everyone is angry with everyone tonight. I'm not used to so much drama and negativity.
“You know, I could report you to Michael for this undercover instructor nonsense,” Phineas threatens me. “But I won't... because I have respect for you... the same respect that you should have had for me!”
“I apologize, Phineas. Sincerely,” I tell him. “Now... what should we do about Jenna? Should we let her make her own decision?”
“I think that's the only option,” Phineas says. “Besides, I don't think it matters anymore. Technically, we were only supposed to help Grant locate Jenna.”
“Technically, we were only supposed to help Jenna reach Seth,” I reply. “If we've both finished our missions... why are we still here?”
“Alyx wouldn't let me leave. She's always interested in this sort of thing,” Phineas says. “She wouldn't want to leave until she's seen the ending.”
The conclusion to Jenna's story comes sooner than later, as both men force her to make a choice. She's given an ultimatum: either she stays in New York with Seth, or she goes home with Grant. Jenna looks so distraught, I almost feel sorry for her.
“Grant, I do care about you, but I—”
Grant interrupts, “Two days ago, you said you loved me. Now you care about me.” He makes air quotes with his hands as he echoes her. “It sounds like I've been downgraded. I'm getting thrown away like garbage.”
“No, I... I do love you.” She whispers the words, as if she doesn't want Seth to hear, even though he's standing right next to her. “But I have feelings for Seth too. It wouldn't be fair to marry you while I'm... confused.”
“Well, props to Seth if he can stick with you through the confusion. It's more than I could tolerate.” Grant stomps to the door and throws it open. “Why don't I make your decision for you, Jenna? I'll remove myself from the picture. That would make you happy... wouldn't it?”
Grant exits the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
“He wants her to chase after him,” Phineas whispers to me—which is hardly necessary, because I could read Grant's thoughts if I felt like it. “He actually thinks she will chase after him, but... I don't think the poor chap is getting the ending he hoped for.”
“No,” I agree. “He isn't.”
When Jenna breaks down in tears, she's comforted by Seth, who pulls her into his arms and coaxes her head to his shoulder. Once again, I need to take notes from him. I've never been that good at comforting someone when they cry.
“Well, that was intense!” Mikey exclaims. “Now what do we do? Is it over? Do we go Home?”
I reply, “It is over. You've officially completed your second mission, Miss Frost. But we don't have to go Home right away.” I point at a Playbill on one of Seth's tables. “I was wondering... would you still like to see that Broadway play?”