He took off toward the bar and I decided to let that comment go. It was definitely not Michelle he was talking about and I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol talking or not. Either way, it made me smile and Michelle looked up and her gaze warmed when she found me. She said something to the girls and made her way out to the balcony, her hips swaying with each step and her long black hair gliding past her shoulder.
            She’s perfect.
            “I should feel bad that you’re standing out here all alone.”
            “I sense a but coming…” I said, laughing when she shrugged without denying it.
            “But you did con your way into coming with me.”
            “Being alone doesn’t bother me.”  I admired how she seemed to ooze confidence without being obnoxious. It was a fine line. “In fact,  I was just thinking how beautiful it was here.”
            She scrunched her nose and faced the mountains. “Huh. You’re right.”
            “I spent some time in the Midwest when I was in the farm system and our surroundings were corn, corn, soybeans, and more corn. Playing on the west coast and now living here are worlds away when it comes to landscape.”
            “Never took for someone to appreciate nature.”
            “That’s your own fault then, Mitch.” I chose to look at the evening sky but I felt her gaze on me. “Are you having a nice time?”
            “Yes. Thank you.”
            Is it me or is her voice warming up to me? I glanced down at her and she still stared up at me. “You’re quite the talk, you know. Everyone wants to know how I ended up bringing Bummy.”
            “Well shit. What are you telling them? I told three people we fucked at a casino and lost all your cash on slots so…” I teased, getting a playful punch in the arm.
            “Why Bummy?”
            “My middle name is Ulysses.” I waited for a snicker but none came. She just stared at me with wide eyes.
            “Why?”
            I wasn’t expecting that question and I laughed. “It was my dad’s name and my mom thought it’d be wonderful to keep it in the family. In PE, the back of our shirts were our initials and I refused to put BM on it because hello, junior high would’ve been torture. They would’ve called me Bowl Movement so I added the U and ever since, Bummy became my name.”
            She giggled an adorable sound that made me telling her the story worth it. “Brooks Ulysses Madsen. Quite a mouthful.”
            “I can give you a mouthful,” I said, without thinking, and she threw her head back in a very loud laugh.
            “Well done,” she said in the same warm tone that had me questioning my friend plan. “I don’t remember you being this funny.”
            “We didn’t talk a lot. My mouth tended to be on you, in you…”
            She gulped at my response and ran her fingers over her collarbone before clearing her throat. “True.”
            “It’s your turn,” I demanded. “You know something a little goofy about me. I want to learn something goofy about you, Mitch.”
            “Hm.” She pressed her tongue to one of her cheeks and I forced myself to stare at her eyes and not her teasing mouth. It was tough, but I managed. “In elementary school, I wanted to be a gymnast.”
            “I already love where this is going,” I added. “You are bendy.”
            “Shut up.” She hit my arm again and continued. “I would work on routines for hours on end and one time, I made score cards like they do in the Olympics and made everyone in my neighborhood watch my routine and rate me.”
            “That’s not goofy,” I said, already picturing her doing cartwheels with her long hair going everywhere. “Or embarrassing.”
            “Not done yet. My outfit ripped and I mooned everyone who lived on our street. My nickname was Moony Michelle for at least a year.”
            “Now that is better.” I laughed and held my drink to hers. “Cheers to our embarrassing moments of youth.”

Stay safe, friends. Wash your hands and do what you can to help flatten the curve. I've always thought nurses and healthcare workers were saints but they are risking their lives for all of us. 

XO
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