'What time are you getting here' the message said as she checked her phone after leaving the deli.
'In about ten minutes' she tapped out, smiling to herself.
'Call when you're outside and I'll let you in. The boys are still snoring!'
'Sure thing' she replied quickly before setting out on the last leg of her early morning trip.
She called Jo as she stood downstairs by the front door to the building and as soon as the call connected, it buzzed open. She headed upstairs, balancing the bags of food and found the door to his apartment ajar. Nudging it open the rest of the way with her foot, she was met by Jo, looking slightly dishevelled but surprisingly awake.
Following her through into the kitchen, she paused briefly at the foot of the couch and her face softened when she realized all she could see of Neil was the top of his head. He had the blanket pulled right up over his face and was snoring gently with no signs of stirring from his slumber any time soon.
Jo stuck her head back around the door to see what was taking her friend so long and smiled at what she saw. "Psssstttt" she whispered, just loud enough to get her attention and laughed quietly as Audrey just shrugged before following her again.
"How does this thing work? It's like rocket science!" She said quietly gesturing to the pieces of the coffee machine she had dismantled on the counter in front of her. "I'm desperate for a coffee but you need a degree to operate this thing."
"Jo! He's going to kill you if he sees what you've done to this!" Audrey exclaimed. "Move over" she said as she got to work putting the puzzle back together. "Why are you up so early?"
"It seems that even though I'm almost three thousand miles away, I'm still running on toddler time" she said with a sigh. "I've been awake about an hour and got bored of waiting for those two to wake up."
Audrey couldn't help but laugh at her friends obvious discomfort as she reassembled the final pieces of the coffee machine with ease. Now on autopilot, she opened the cupboard above her and retrieved what they needed not noticing the smile slowly spreading across her friend's face.
"Been spending a fair bit of time here I see" Jo teased, nodding at the supplies Audrey had laid out. "You seem to know your way around?"
"How do you want your coffee" she smirked, not answering the question.
"Same as always" she replied, amused by her friends distraction technique. She busied herself preparing the drinks but Jo wasn't going to let it drop. "Come on Aud, give me a little something. I'm hungover and it'll make me feel better" she moaned.
"Ah yes, because I've always been great at girly talk" Audrey admonished, laughing at her reaction. "Do you want some Tylenol?"
She nodded, and groaned as it exacerbated the throbbing behind her eyes. "Yes please" she said. "Then you can indulge me" she smiled.
They took their drinks to sit at the table on the other side of the counter.
"This is some prime real estate he's got here" Jo said, looking around her. "He's done well for himself."
"It's nice" she replied vaguely.
"Is it weird?" Jo asked.
"It's what weird?"
"That he shared this place with her and now you stay here?"
"Yes and no, I suppose. Can't expect him to move house just because we started sleeping together" she shrugged. "It's not like I was an angel these last few years, my place isn't exactly a convent. "
"It's more than just sex though right?" Jo ventured. "The way you were last night, you looked..."
"It is" she interrupted. "We haven't talked about it, it's not really my style. But everything feels... you know."
"Right?" Jo suggested and again, Audrey just nodded.
"It feels right" she agreed, smiling shyly at Jo.
"Did I tell you how happy I am for you yet?"
"Once or twice" she laughed. "How do you think Matt's coped on his own the last few days" she asked, changing the subject to something she felt was a little lighter.
"He says he's fine but I'm not so sure" Jo laughed. "One of them will have survived... I'd put my all money on Lucas though!"
They sat talking quietly for another half hour or so before movement elsewhere in the apartment drew their attention. As they heard Neil get up and head into the bathroom, Audrey rose from her seat and collected their empty cups before walking back around the counter into the kitchen.
"I get the feeling we're going to need some more coffee" she smiled as she passed Jo the last of it over the counter before she set the machine to go again.
He shuffled into the room barefoot, dressed in a t-shirt and lounge pants, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Jo couldn't help let out a little snort of laughter at his appearance as he passed her and headed straight towards the coffee.
"Feeling fragile?" Audrey asked quietly as she held out a cup. He took it from her without a word and immediately put it down on the countertop before walking right up to her, stepping into her personal space and resting his forehead on her shoulder before mumbling something incoherent in her ear.
Her arms instinctively wrapped around him as he leaned heavily into her embrace and they just stood there for a while.
"Did someone forget they aren't in their twenties anymore" she teased eventually, with his throaty chuckle sending a shiver down her spine. He dropped a little kiss just below her ear before listing his head, stepping back and picking up his slightly cooled cup of coffee.
"Thank you" he smiled. "How are you looking so fresh?" he asked, turning to look at Jo accusingly, who had watched the exchange with a sweet smile.
"My second" she replied, holding up her own cup. "And Tylenol administered by my favourite physician" she admitted. "Speaking of, I should take some to His Highness in there, he's going to be like a bear this morning for sure."
Audrey poured yet another cup and handed it over the counter with a strip of the medications and watched as Jo headed back towards the bedroom. Turning back to talk to Neil, she let out a little squeak when she found him stood right behind her with a serious look on his face.
"I missed you last night" he said quietly as he moved into the last of the space remaining between them. The frank admission caused a blush to start rising in her cheeks. 'What is going on with me?' she thought. 'He's turning me into a sap!'
"Missed you too" she replied putting her hand to his cheek and feeling her heart melt a little as he leaned into it. With his thick black hair sticking up in every possible direction and his eyes still sleepy he looked vulnerable and she couldn't resist pulling him closer.
"So, do you want to crash on my couch tonight?" he said, smiling one of those smiles he saved just for her.
"I do" she replied. "But no funny business. It'd be weird with those two sleeping down the hall" she said seriously.
"No funny business" he repeated as he leaned against her heavily, pressing her back into the counter. "Funny like this?" he asked as he dipped his head and dropped a lingering kiss on her pulse point knowing her eyes would have fluttered closed at the contact.
"Or funny like this?" he said, peppering her neck and collarbone with chaste little kisses which tickled and made her squirm and push at his shoulders.
"Or funny like this?" he asked, lifting his head and kissing her soundly. Taking advantage of her moan, he deepened the kiss and could feel the exact moment that she allowed herself to relax. His hand moved from the countertop to her waist and teased at the hem of her shirt. He stifled a moan of his own as he pressed his hand flush against the bare skin of her back and his eyes rolled closed as her fingers tangled in his already messy hair.
"Oh God, sorry! Jo exclaimed as she and Kevin came into the kitchen to find their friends wrapped up in each other.
"Are we going to have to announce our arrival each time we want to come into a room" Kevin teased with a gravelly laugh making them snap apart.
"Probably best" Audrey quipped before kissing him again quickly and squeezing out from the corner she'd been pinned into. "Come on, breakfast" she said picking up the bags and ushering them towards the table.
X
With breakfast demolished and the last of the coffee being drunk, the conversation turned to the rest of the day. Audrey would be leaving soon, she had a procedure scheduled for this afternoon while Neil had the day to himself and would be spending it with Jo and Kevin.
"I think we should just spend the day checking out some of our old residency haunts. Grab a coffee here and there?" Jo suggested.
"We don't need to do the tourist thing, we lived here long enough" Kevin agreed. "We came to see you guys" he smiled.
"Well I should be finished and out of there by around six. That cheap but amazing diner we used to try and go to every week is still open if you fancy dinner tonight?" Audrey suggested.
"The one that was right by the hospital and always busy?"
"That's the one" she smiled. "I swear it's still the same servers and chef as it was ten years ago."
"Would you cook us something?" Kevin asked Neil, getting a little frown as a reply.
"I could" Neil replied a little confused. "But you used to love that place?" he asked.
"And I'm sure it's still just as good but we came to see you guys" Kevin repeated, pausing briefly to see if either of them understood. He looked at Jo, who gave a nod and he continued "If we're out somewhere busy, filled with hospital people then you two can't... you know?"
"What?" Audrey asked. "We've been doing this a few weeks now. I think we can manage to keep our hands to ourselves in public" she huffed.
"But you shouldn't have to" Jo chipped in. "Seeing you two happy, makes us happy" she shrugged.
"I can cook" Neil replied quietly, smiling, understanding what they meant.
"That would be great. Thank you" Audrey smiled. "But for now, I really do have to go. You guys can clear up" she said getting to her feet.
Following her to the door, he opened the closet and retrieved the jacket that she hadn't even realised she'd left behind the week before. Holding it for her as she slid her arms in, she turned to face him while he made the pretence of straightening her collar before giving it a gentle tug and pulling her in for a kiss.
"See you later" he smiled.
"Bye" she replied, before heading out to her Uber.
Sitting back down at the table, he looked back and forth between his friends who were looking at him as if they were waiting for something.
"You guys okay?' he asked apprehensively.
"We are" Jo replied. "Are you?"
"Yeeesss" he replied. "Why are you looking at me like that?'
"You love her, don't you?" Jo ventured.
"That's not a secret" he chuckled.
"Have you told her?"
"Hell no!" he exclaimed. "Waaaaaaay too early for that."
"About nine years too late by our judgement" Kevin laughed.
"I'll tell her when she's ready to hear it" Neil replied. "Not that she doesn't already know" he smiled.
"Did we tell you how happy we are for you guys?" Jo said.
"About a million times last night" Neil laughed.
"But now we're sober, it means so much more" she laughed meaning every word.
