Thanks so much for the nice feedback on the previous chapters!
This one's an early Valentine's Day treat for you:
Lovebug
"Ok, ok, you won fair and square ," Magnum admits as they walk into the guest house after their morning run (an increasingly frequent occurrence) turned into a friendly race. "Although, you are lighter than me, which gives you an advantage when running on sand..."
"That's ridiculous," Juliet counters. "But I am willing to give you a head start next time."
"Show-off," he gives her a playful nudge. "When's our client meeting?"
"At 10," she replies.
"Great, stay for breakfast before we hit the showers?"
She hesitates a moment, but lately it has gotten harder and harder to say no to him – especially when they're having fun.
"Sure, why not."
"Awesome, get comfortable. I'm just gonna grab a fresh shirt," he flashes her a smile before he heads to his bedroom, and she has to admit that the routine they fell into after his recent break-up is something she could get used to.
…But her good mood is forgotten when she opens the fridge to get some water and is met with a metaphorical gut punch in the form of a heart shaped box of chocolates – the nice kind, too. Definitely not something he'd pick up at a supermarket checkout to satisfy his sweet tooth, those are for someone. Someone he intends to spend Valentine's Day with.
"So, eggs or pancakes?"
She quickly closes the fridge and backs away before he comes around the corner.
"I'm sorry, I just remembered I have somewhere to be. I'll see you at 10," she brushes him off.
"Ok…" he gives her a confused (and somewhat disappointed) look as he watches her leave…
xoxo
The case turns out to be an easy paycheck. The owner of a jewelry store hired them to look into her employees after a recent robbery, and it only takes a little bit of footwork and the surveillance footage from the bank across the street to weed out the culprit. Yet, Magnum can't quite enjoy the victory as he's more concerned about whatever is going on with his partner. They're not arguing, she's civil, professional, but he's missing the usual banter, the smiles and laughter…
And judging by her silence on their drive home, he's pretty sure they won't share the usual drink to celebrate a job well done, either.
"Ok, what did I do?" He finally asks. "You've been acting weird all day and now you don't say a word for the entire ride home. What happened to always being honest with each other?"
"You're one to talk…" she rolls her eyes as he pulls into the driveway.
"Why? I have a clean conscience, I even stayed out of the wine cellar!" He puts the car in park and turns off the engine, hoping that a little self-deprecating humor might help him to get back on her good side.
"It's honestly insulting that you thought I wouldn't find out. But I guess that's on me for thinking that we…" she stops herself and takes a deep breath. "Never mind, I have to feed the Lads. Good night Magnum," with that she gets out of the car, not giving him a chance to question her any further.
"Good Night…" he replies, watching her walk away from him for the second time that day and he can't say that the familiarity makes it any less confusing…
xoxo
Back at the guest house, Magnum can't shake the feeling that he actually did upset her somehow. And while waiting it out is always an option with her, the thought of being in the dog house and not even knowing why just doesn't sit right with him. So he does what any good P.I. would do and picks up his phone to question a witness…
"Hey T.C., do you a have a moment?"
"Depends on what you need, we're kinda busy over here," T.C. jokes, he's at La Mariana's watching Rick struggle with a mechanical cupid decoration.
"It's about Higgins, did she seem off to you when we stopped by earlier?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Magnum sighs. "She's pretty upset and I was hoping that maybe she said something to you…"
"Sorry T.M., but did you try asking her?"
"That didn't go so well…"
"And you're sure it's not anything you did?" T.C. asks, picking up on the desperation in his friend's voice.
"Honestly, I don't know," Magnum answers truthfully. "We were actually having a really good time this morning and then it was like a flip switched and now she's freezing me out."
"Hey, maybe it's just the Valentine's Day Blues…"
"Come on, Higgy?" Magnum opens the fridge to grab a beer and in an instant T.C.'s theory doesn't seem all that far fetched anymore…
"I'm just saying, it seems to be going around," T.C. adds as Magnum picks up the chocolate and finally puts the pieces together.
"You know, you might actually be on to something…"
xoxo
He finds her sitting by the pool, headphones on and feet dangling in the water while the lads are resting close by.
"What do you want?" She asks after the dogs alert her of his presence.
"Did you by any chance happen to take a peak into my fridge earlier?" he inquires, a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Yes Magnum, I know about your little secret…" she admits, removing her headphones.
He smiles at the gesture, it means she's open to talk.
"See, that's where you're wrong," he explains.
"Save it…" she watches as he takes a seat on the edge of the lounge chair closest to her.
"You're about to feel really silly…" he starts.
"Trust me I already do…"
"Listen, you have no reason to be jealous."
"I 'm not jealous Thomas," that's a lie, of course she's jealous but what's even worse is the feeling of betrayal. She knows he's not obligated to share the details of his private life with her, and yet it hurts that he didn't – more than she cares to admit. "I'm upset that you thought you couldn't tell me. I'm happy for you, whether it's Lia or someone…"
"Juliet…" he stops her, ready to put her out of her misery.
"You have no reason to be jealous because I bought the candy for you," he gets up and hands her the present he had been carefully hiding behind his back – leaving her speechless.
"Told ya," he smirks.
"I…" she's lost, not sure what to make of the heart shaped box in her hands. Out of all the possible outcomes, this one hadn't even been in consideration.
"I was going to leave them on your desk tomorrow, earn some brownie points…" he shrugs. "A little Valentine for the women in my life, I got something for Kumu too…"
She nods, biting her lip. "I guess I may have overreacted…"
"Hey, I'm flattered."
"Again, I wasn't jealous," she replies, fighting off a smile. He got her pretty good this time.
"Whatever you say," he gives her a knowing look that she chooses to ignore. "But just to ease your mind, if anything were to change regarding who I'm buying candy for, you'll be the first to know."
"Thank you Thomas," she looks up to meet his gaze. "And ditto."
He smiles, there's the Juliet he's been missing all day. "Jolly good," he laughs. "Although I am pretty content with the way things are. At least for now."
Their eyes linger for a moment, as if there's more to say but they're not quite sure how. The moment passes when she reaches for his hand to pull herself up. Surprising him (and more so herself) by leaning forward and brushing a kiss against his cheek.
He blinks, needing a second or two to process what just happened. When he does, she's already on her way back inside.
"Hey, rematch on that race tomorrow?" He calls after her.
"Sure," she turns around. "But don't expect me to let you win."
"Wouldn't dream of it. Enjoy the chocolate," they exchange another smile before she disappears in the house, Zeus and Apollo on her heels.
He stays for a minute, just taking it all in as he realizes that 'things' might change sooner than expected. A lot sooner.
That's it for my little Valentine's Day treat. Now where do I find a guy like Magnum?
Comments are always appreciated.
Love,
Laura
