Raindrops battered the windscreen as I got back into the car and handed the plastic bags over to Hugh.
“Hold these,” I said and turned on the ignition. “I’m taking us to our girl.”
“She’s not ours y—” Hugh began, but I held up a finger and wagged it at him as I drove out the parking lot.
“Not another word from you unless it’s a positive one. Now, start looking forward to swigging that schnapps and cheer yourself up.”
***
I drove carefully in the stormy weather, so it took a while to reach Muriel’s place. There was no parking directly outside, so we used a lot a hundred yards up the road and ran to her front door. The sprint didn’t take long, but we were soaked through and looking like a pair of drowned rats when we arrived on her porch.
I knocked on the door, and for a minute, there was no answer.
“The lights are all off,” Hugh said, peering through the small window by the door. “I guess she’s gone to bed.”
“I’ll just knock one more time,” I said, not wanting to wake her if she had changed her mind, but also not wanting to give up on this reunion.
I raised my fist, but before I could knock again, Muriel opened the door, and I gasped at the sight of her.
She’d changed out of her dress and wore a pair of black yoga pants and a simple white tank top. She’d tied her hair back loosely, revealing her slender neck, and curls fell adorably around her face.
“Sorry guys, I was just getting changed,” she explained. “Come on in.”
I gave Hugh a quick I-told-you-so look before following her into the bungalow.
“Nice place,” Hugh said, admiring the cozy and tastefully decorated living room.
“Isn’t it lovely? It’s three times the size of my apartment in LA,” Muriel replied. “And it would probably cost about a tenth of the price to buy.”
“Sounds like someone’s ready to move back here,” I half-joked.
I put the groceries on the coffee table and tried to suppress a shiver. The rain had soaked through the light fabric of my suit, and the cold was clinging to my skin.
“Oh, look at you both.” Muriel rushed over to help Hugh out of his denim jacket that looked like it had shrunk in the two minutes we were outside.
When I noticed that she took her time taking the jacket off him, I couldn’t help but smile.
Her hands lingered on his shoulders, and her face moved just slightly too close to his body to be completely innocent.
I also couldn’t help noticing how incredible her ass looked as she stood on her tiptoes; yoga pants are truly God’s gift to man. I shrugged off my suit jacket and saw that my shirt was see-through from the water.
“I look like I’m in a nineties boy band video,” I joked, unable to resist gyrating my hips rhythmically to some non-existent pop music. Hugh and Muriel laughed at me, and I beamed with joy from having our little group back together again.
“Would you believe it? This place has two bathrooms,” Muriel said, pointing toward a small corridor beyond the kitchen area. “Why don’t you both get showered? I’m sure there are some robes in the closet through there, too.”
“Perfect.” I said. “And while we’re doing that, why don’t you have a look through those grocery bags? I hope you like what we’ve brought.”
“As long as it’s unhealthy, I’ll be happy.” Muriel peered into the bags with interest. “I’m sick to death of avocados and vegan protein bars.”
“Welcome back to Georgia, then.” Hugh grinned as he pulled out the giant bag of Doritos I’d bought.
Muriel’s face lit up, and she grabbed them from him. “Hurry up and get your showers, and we can dig in.”
***
My shower was hot, and it left me energized despite it being almost midnight. I normally worked early shifts with Vic, but luckily our lieutenant had granted me the weekend off since Vic was off as well.
Being awake after ten seemed decadent, especially wrapped in a fluffy white robe and about to catch up with the woman of my dreams.
I strode back into the living room, feeling on top of the world, and found Hugh already showered and wearing an identical robe.
“Hey.” Muriel said, “Come and join us. I was just saying, those spirits you got were very thoughtful, but also kind of disgusting all together, so I thought wine might be more our speed?”
It was Hugh’s turn to mouth, I told you so, at me, but I just brushed it off. Given that we were both practically naked, the evening was going well regardless.
“How about a game of strip poker?” I suggested, and both of my friends looked at me with quirked brows. “I mean, Hugh and I could only lose once, but—no? You sure?”