I see Min leaving with Maddie close behind

The music had turned off and people are starting to leave. Standing out from the crowd, I see Min starting to make her way outside holding her purse. She smiles a big eat-you-alive grin as she steps in to hug me. She presses her tight body against mine as she whispers into my ear, “Maddie is going to ask you for a lift. She wants to talk. Drop her off and Ill meet you at your place.”

Without waiting for a response Min drops down off the tippy-toes it took to press her lips to my ear and walks off into the night.

No sooner has she left you than Maddie walks up to me.

“Hey Min had to head straight home and can't drop me. Would you mind taking me home?” she asks.

“Ahh yeah no problem. Just give me about 15 minutes to finish up here and I’ll be back out,” I tell her.

I head inside to get rid of my radio and earpiece and quickly fly through my paperwork from the night. Foregoing my usual after work drink in the pursuit of haste, I’m out the door in no more than 20 minutes.

I check the now quiet street for any sign of Maddie. I spot her sitting down across the road in a kebab shop with a group of three guys talking to her. Maddie was a tall Spanish girl with a long and lean body. She was certainly beautiful but our personalities had just not quite worked. We were better as friends than lovers.

I wait for a car to pass before crossing the road at just quicker than a walk. I come up to the group that includes Maddie. She sees me and tells the assembled guys, “Sorry, my lift is here.”

They look at me and get up and move onto the next young female they can try their lines on. No doubt they were thinking that I was her boyfriend arriving.

Maddie and I walk the half block to where I normally park my car and fall into an easy conversation. She explains that Min wasn’t feeling the best and just wanted to head straight home. Maddie wasn’t in any rush to get home and was happy to stick around to see me.

We make it to my sedan and start driving back to her house. I know the way well as I stayed there many times while we were together. Her house is no more than 3 kilometres from my work with my apartment being another few minutes’ drive from there.

We pull up out the front of her house. Her Dad is nice enough to have left the front light on for her. She turns to me in the car and looks a little tentative as she asks, “Did you want to come in for a bit?”

Not wanting to miss out on my engagement with her friend Min I make a tired and apologetic face and tell her, “Sorry I’m kind of a bit stuffed from work tonight. I’m going to head home. Sorry.”

Maddie nods her understanding. “Hug?”

I lean over and hug her goodbye. It’s a longer hug than just two friends would share, but I’m happy to hold her to me for a bit.

She gets out and walks off to her house. I wait for her to get inside the door before pulling off down the road. Moving, I pull my phone out of my pocket and send a quick text to Min.

[On the way to mine now. See you soon :-) ]