09. Beard
"Knock, knock."
Luke looks up from his desk and sees Gail standing in his doorway.
"Peck." The name falls from his mouth with ease.
"Did you miss me?" With her right hip jut out to the side and a smirk on her face, he had forgotten how much attitude she exuded with just her body language.
"Not really." He replies, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face.
Feigning a look of hurt, Gail clutches a hand to her chest. "Ouch. Anyone tell you you have a way with the ladies?"
Luke merely shrugs, still unable to stop smiling. His only consolation is that Gail seems to be having the same problem; the smirk on her face quickly converting into a genuine smile.
As she walks further into his office, a startling feeling washes over him.
He had missed her.
Without realizing it, there was a longing that had crept into his bones during his absence. One that is slowly dissipating with every increasing second spent in her company. His entire body is humming with excitement.
"So you go undercover for a couple weeks and you decide to go all caveman on me?" A laugh escapes him. Of course teasing him would be the first thing she would do.
"It's called a beard Peck." Luke grumbles, his left hand coming up to rub his chin self-consciously.
Gail snorts and walks right around his desk. "No, seriously. It looks like something died on your face."
