Duncan reached for his phone from the coffee table and heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end.
"Hiiiii its Duncan, right? Courtney's roommate…?"
"Yes… who's this? And how'd you get this number?"
"It's her sister, Kate. She gave it to me in case of emergencies. Something came up at work, and I hate to ask… Can you pick up Courtney from her dentist appointment?"
"What is up with you Álvarez women marrying your careers?"
"Please! You wouldn't leave your roommate abandoned at the dentist office would you?"
He knew he wouldn't refuse, but Duncan didn't know getting her inside of her car would be half the battle.
Courtney slowly stretched her arms out to grab the keys Duncan held far away from her reach. The gauze the dentist's stuffed into her mouth muffled her speech, making her look like a drugged chipmunk. A cute, drugged chipmunk at that. Duncan smiled to himself at the comparison before her voice brought him out of thought. "Give me back my keys! I'm fine!"
"Nope. Dentist's orders. I'm taking you home, Princess. You are way too high to be behind any kind of wheel." Duncan made sure he didn't bump her head on her way into the passenger seat as she mumbled.
"Mmmihateyou."
They almost made it back to their apartment without any outbursts from a very sleepy Courtney until she woke up from her mini nap. With the gauze still filling her cheeks, she called out for Duncan in between giggles. "Hey, Dunkieee? Hey. I know your secret!" Her fingers reached his face and on his lips, causing him to bite her finger when he tried to speak.
"…Dunkie? And what secret?" He never once heard her use a name like that for him in the year they've lived together. Courtney yelped in response to the bite.
"Oh my gosh, that really hurt." Tears started to well up in her eyes until he decided to distract her, playing along with what she said previously.
"What's the secret, Court?"
"Oh! You don't sleep with any clothes on. And you have a tattoo… on your butt!" A plethora of questions pervaded Duncan's mind. A pool of heat rose to his ears as he gripped the steering wheel.
"I mean… yeah. How do you kn-" Quickly being cut off by Courtney's drug induced rambling, he was given the the full story that must've plagued her mind enough to confess. Her usual reserved nature took a backseat for her temporary, giggling self.
"Our rent was due, Dunkieee. And I had to get the check you always leave me. And I saw your butt! Don't tell Duncan but it was a cute butt." She was laughing to herself before she doubled down on the fact that it had to be a secret between just the two of them. Duncan swore to a sleeping Courtney he'd never tell a soul on the way up to their place, carrying her up the stairs.