Good Neighbors Ch 71

It was another busy day at the office. I was going through reports as usual. Aubrey was trying to figure out what I was up to while I was torn between which tasks needed to be done. I always forgot how much Matt did when he was at the office and the fact that I was playing two people was a bit overwhelming. It wasn't until my cell phone rang that my day started looking up. I looked on the phone and saw the picture of my neighbor looking at me.

"Good morning, Beloved," I said.

Aubrey looked at me in a funny way before she walked back into her office.

"Hello, Romeo. Have I told you how much I miss your morning wakeups?"

The smile on my face was huge when she said that.

"I do too. I can't wait til Matt gets back and I can go back to our old arrangement. I wish you were closer so we could go to lunch."

"Oh, I guess I should have told you I was downstairs already. Is that alright?"

I was already headed to the elevator before I saw Aubrey.

"Do I have any meetings scheduled for the next couple of hours?" I asked.

"Of course not, Romeo. Go have fun with Juliet," she said in a teasing manner.

I smiled at her before I had the elevator close. The fact my neighbor was downstairs was already making me smile. The fact she made the trip on her own without telling me to surprise me made me happier. I walked out of the elevator and saw her standing there. She wasn't as business-like this time. She stood there wearing a blue flannel shirt that was open to show a white undershirt. She wore a pair of tight skinny jeans. Her hair was up in a ponytail. She may not have looked very corporate friendly, but she was the best dressed in the room to me.

"Hello, Beautiful," I said, a kiss on her forehead as she beamed.

"You alright, Leo?" she asked, smartly calling me by my first name due to the security guards watching.

"I'm alright. Where do we want to go for lunch?"

We started walking outside as we kept talking. I was trying to make an effort to keep her moving before anyone saw me in case more of those enthusiastic employees was seeking to ambush me about a raise. She pulled out her car keys and opened the doors to her car before we slipped in. She started driving as I looked on my phone for a convenient restaurant a little far from the building.

"You sure it's okay to do this, Romeo?" she asked.

"Everything's fine, Beloved. You ever play hooky before?"

"Is that fishing related?" she asked with a grin.

We reached a small chain restaurant a little while later and pulled into a parking spot. We exited the car, and I took her by the hand as we walked towards the front door. We probably looked like an odd couple with me being dressed in a shirt and tie while she wore her more casual outfit. As we walked through the door, the smell of freshly baked pies wafted through the place. We were led to a booth near a window, and we sat down. It was few moments before a waitress came by and asked for our drink orders. I took a water while she took a coffee. As we sat there talking, the waitress brought them before taking our orders.

It was while we were eating that I received a text from Aubrey. It was a picture of her giving me a thumbs up before typing out that I had the afternoon free if I wanted to stay with my neighbor. I looked up at my date with a little grin before she looked at me.

"Everything okay, Romeo?"

"It depends. What would you say if I told you that I had the rest of the afternoon free?"

"I'd say it depends on what you're thinking. I was planning on arranging some stuff in the living room this afternoon. It can wait if you have a better idea."

I smiled at her before taking her hand.

"I think you should drive me back to the office to get my car. Then we should both drive back home so I can help you with that."

"Okay, as long as we actually do it. You know how sometimes we get sidetracked."

She winked at me as she said it. I leaned forward over the table and kissed her.

"I'll be a good boy. Are you okay with me settling the check?"

"You always do. I know better than to try to argue."

I paid for the meal and left a great tip before we slipped into her car and used the GPS to get back to the office. She dropped me off at the front door and drove off. I entered and hit the elevator to go back upstairs just to grab my briefcase. As soon as the door opened, Aubrey stood there with my briefcase. She entered the elevator with me.

"You could have left it here, you know," she said.

"Matt would have killed me."

"Where do you think I had the idea from? Matt called while you were out. You're free to go back to home duty as of tomorrow. He did ask that you be available for a teleconference tomorrow at ten though. So, what are you gonna do when you get home?"

I looked at her before she smiled. I smiled back cautiously.

"I volunteered to help move some furniture. So, it'll be a great distraction."

"Be nice to her, Leo. I think she's a wonderful woman and she's a bigger help to you than you realize."

"I will, Aubrey. What's your next move?"

"I have a lunch date with George from Accounting. It's our three-month anniversary. I'll catch you up later."

We left the elevator and I tried to drive home as efficiently as I could. I was about to walk into my house when I saw a message on my phone from my neighbor. In it was a picture of her wearing just the flannel with no undershirt and some really skimpy underwear. I smiled, locked my briefcase in the car and ran over to her place. It looked like I was off the hook for moving furniture until the next day.