Pete
We didn't need to be asked twice if we wanted to watch hot chicks model lingerie. Joe had driven over again in a nick of time. I almost felt bad for waking him so brashly a second time in a row but he probably would have hated me for life if I hadn't. He knocked on the door as I was finishing up my stuff, so I caught part of the conversation he and Toni had had.
"Hey Toni, Pete and you ready to go?"
"Oh he's in the bathroom, he should be out soon."
"Did you guys get a chance to talk things through last night?"
"No, poor Pete was exhausted at the end of the day he was almost falling asleep in his food. We did speak this morning though and he asked if we were still a couple. I said I wanted to be with him."
There was a pause in the air, "did you mean it or did you just say it because you felt bad about us coming all this way to find you?"
I heard her sigh, "part of it, yes. How many men would do that? But I do really care about Pete. Him and the boys were a turning point in my life."
I was confused. But I was willing to take the small victories I could get. I decided to cut in now. "Hey Joe! You ready for a day of watching hot ladies model in their underwear?"
Joe straightened up and got his excited face on. "Hell yeah man!"
I picked up the keys and wrapped my arms around Toni. "You ready to go honey?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Work. So fun!"
Joe and I laughed at her and walked downstairs, saying hi to Carlo, the boy who worked in the lobby, as we left. In about ten minutes we were at the photo shoot and surrounded by attractive women in their underwear. A woman with curly, dirty blonde hair came up to Toni and I with wide eyes and a thick South American accent. "I thought she was lying when she said she knew Fall Out Boy! Welcome! My name is Deborah!"
I shook Deborah's outstretched hand and smiled. "Lovely to meet you Deborah. I'm Pete and this is Joe. We're here on... vacation."
Her smile faltered a notch, "Mr. Stump isn't here with you?"
I got a really sly smile on my face, "no, sadly he had business in America but why don't you join us tonight when we fetch Joe's wife and daughter and we can get a hold of him?"
She looked at Toni, who also looked very excited. "Yes, please join us! It will be lovely having my best friends around!"
As we walked away, arms wrapped around one another, completely at peace. I smirked at Toni, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
She dropped her robe, "Patrick is going to love Deborah!"
