After gathering as many supplies as they could carry, Aphrodite and Shea loaded the checkout, followed closely by Dom and Tristan. Each pair paid for their own merchandise and then hauled it out of the shop.
Out of breath, Shea suddenly halted. "So," she puffed, "Where are we heading first to dump this massive load of stuff off?"
"My car is parked in the lot just by the hotel," answered Dom. "We'll take our portion there first and then help you ladies take your portion back up to your hotel room."
"Sorry, Princess," Tristan fired sarcastically at Shea. "Think you can handle carrying your bags for just a few little blocks?" He gave her a faux-sympathy pout.
"I am perfectly capable of carrying my own things, thank you. And I'm no princess, Dingus. Focus on your own, and try not to break a nail. I know how desperate you were to grab that first aid kit. It would be a shame if we had to break it out early."
The "dingus" barked a laugh. "Someone forgot her Midol today."
"Alright, break it up, Lovebirds," Dom interjected just as Shea opened her mouth to retaliate. At that remark, both of them seemed to quickly silence, faces going red. They glanced at each other and then immediately away, down at the ground to focus on the walk ahead of them.
After about three minutes of the deepest and most awkward silence ever, Aphrodite was about to go insane. She piped up with some irrelevant small talk, taking the subject away from her friend. "It's a nice day out. Already warm and sunny, don't you think?"
Shea picked up on her lead, relieved. "It's gorgeous. You can just feel the sun kissing your skin, and smell the water. A perfect day," she agreed. Tristan looked up at her and smirked, but said nothing, looking away before she could catch his eyes.
The chatter picked up between the girls, and in a matter of no time, they found themselves in the lot Dom had mentioned. It was a nice enough car he brought them to, and old Mustang convertible, blue in color and starting to rust at the bottom edges of the body. Taking out a key, Dom unlatched the trunk and started stuffing in bags. The mens' bags only took up about a third of the trunk, leaving room for Aphrodite and Shea's collection as well as bags of clothes and groceries. That was a good sign, in Aphrodite's mind. She was hopeful that her friend would agree to this arrangement.
Dom then closed up the car and grabbed some of the things from Aphrodite's arms. Seeing that Tristan would not likely do the same for Shea, he went to her and took some of her burden away as well. They picked their way through the parking lot and across the small, busy road into the hotel. They took the elevator up to their floor, and then walked down the hall, all in relative silence.
Once they got the door unlocked and opened, Aphrodite plopped her bags down into the entrance closet, Shea and Dom doing the same. Tristan leaned himself against the door frame, looking bored.
Aphrodite turned to Dom with a warm smile and said, "Well, it looks like this is our stop. I think we're just going to stay in for the rest of the day."
"You bet," he responded casually. "Have a nice, relaxing day, ladies." He gave Aphrodite a small rub on the shoulder and nodded towards Shea. He then turned and looked expectantly at his friend, who gave a lazy salute and turned on his heels before striding off back down the hall. Dom shrugged apologetically and followed as Aphrodite clicked the door shut quietly.