The Fluke

2 - Jules

With a stroke of luck we see my neighbour stepping out of a cab in front of the building as we open the door. The cold, wet air hits my cheeks as I step outside. It's still raining so I'm happy for Peter's perfect timing.

"Peter! Hold that cab for me?" I call to him, waving as I walk over.

"Hey, Jules. Wow, you look great." Peter's eyes scan me up and down before he raises them to meet mine. "Cabs all yours."

"Hi, Pete." Val knows he hates being called Pete but relentless as always, she doesn't care.

"Valentina." Peter greets her using her full name just as she used his shortened one. She hates this equally as much.

"How do I look?" She twirls, somehow managing to make the 360-degree spin without falling over. I could never do that in those heels. She is a unicorn.

Peter holds the cab door open for us. "Like trouble," he says. I'm sure this pleases Val.

"Oh, Pete! Charming as always." I don't miss the hint of desire in Val's response and I wonder if Peter picked up on it. Val brushes passed him, slides into the back of the cab and begins telling the driver where we will be going.

"Where are you heading with trouble like that?" Peter asks.

"Don't worry about me. Val is the kind of trouble that doesn't really rub off directly," I say with a smile. "See you later." I slide in next to Val and Peter closes the door, giving us a small wave as he jogs to get inside and away from the rain.

"He is such a dog," Val says while inspecting her nails intently.

"You want him."

"I do not!" She turns to me with a horrified expression on her pretty face. "HE wants YOU."

"Oh, please," I say. "He checked me out first as an excuse to do the same to you."

Val uncrosses her legs and then immediately recrosses them again, settling her hands in her lap and sighing. "He is so good looking, dog qualities aside. He's your neighbour, right next door every night. How have you not done something about that to put an end to your little dry spell?"

I roll my eyes at her mention of my dry spell. It's been almost a year. 11 months and about 13 days if you want to get specific. I wouldn't call it 'little'. "He's not my type," I say.

"What? Hot and available isn't your type? Close, convenient, and charming doesn't do it for you?"

"If you think all those things about him then why don't you do something about it for yourself?" I fire back at her.

Val has had the hots for Peter since I moved into my building two years ago. He has never made a pass at me aside from ogling me like he did tonight, and that only happens on the rare occasion when I dress like this and he happens to see me. I think he likes Val but she outwardly gives off the vibe that she is not interested in anything serious and I don't think casual is Peter's style. In the time that I've been sharing a wall with him I've only heard the unmistakable sounds of sex twice. Based on what Peter told me about his last relationship I can sum those two times up to make-up sex, quickly followed the next morning by break up sex.

Maybe Peter's in the middle of a dry spell that has been going on even longer than mine.

"Peter never has women over. Come back home with me tonight and knock on his door. End his dry spell!" I suggest.

"Ohmygod. How do you know he's having a dry spell?!"

"No sex noises. Like, ever."

"Maybe he goes to his girlfriend's house and they have sex there."