Soft Hearts Hold Secrets

Temporary Bliss

"Do you think he'll like it?"

Muriel's head was cocked, eyes looking the freshly painted Jeep up and down, arms akimbo as he studied his hard work. The bright, eye catching magenta was gone, replaced with a gentler yet vibrant yellow color, the paint sparkling in the light of the setting sun. Muriel had spent all day on it -- he even got to the shop early, determined to get the whole job done that day. Two more coats, and then a clear coat of lacquer later, and Muriel had finally done it. He'd been walking back and forth as the lacquer dried, studying the car for any imperfections or mistakes -- his hair tied back again to keep out of the paint and out of his eyes.

Inanna, who had been relaxing on her blankets and gnawing at her chew toy, lifted her head. She gave a firm nod of her head, before returning eagerly to her toy. It was a shock she hadn't torn it to pieces yet -- Muriel was dreading the moment he'd turn and find its remains strewn about the floor of his shop. She must have been attached to it which was a... a comforting thought, really.

He turned back to the Jeep, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Muriel had told Asra he'd be done soon -- if he wanted to come over and see he could. Again, the two had been texting back and forth. Mostly details about the car, of course, all of Asra's punctuated with one of those silly emojis he always used. Muriel always wondered how he did it. Not that he ever would use them himself, of course... even if they were kind of cute.

"I think he'll like it," Muriel said, mostly to himself. He made another nervous lap around it -- his 50th check for perfection. "I... I like it. I think."

'Pretty,' Inanna said. Her voice was bored, like she hadn't been paying attention.

Muriel nodded, taking his hand down from his face and patting at his pocket for his phone. "It is," he agreed, blushing a little. It felt good to be proud of it -- of his work. Something warm and bright seemed to be blooming in his chest. Muriel was almost... he was almost excited for Asra to see it. He flipped out his phone, and checked his texts.

Nothing changed. Asra's unanswered text of 'On my way (ᵔᴥᵔ)' still shined from Muriel's screen. Muriel, again, wondered if he was supposed to answer -- and if so, what he should have said. After a moment or so of hesitation, Muriel sighed, flipped his phone closed, and stuffed it back into his pocket. He took another nervous look around at the car to pass the time, and then stopped near the trunk, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

Why did he feel so... impatient? Eager? Muriel could feel the excitement twist in his chest -- the buzz of it all gathering at his nerves, almost making him feel energized to a point. He looked down at himself, down at his sweaty shirt and his scuffed jeans. Maybe he should have brought some clothes to change into? Muriel gave a slight cringe, and made his way back to the sink -- turning it on to wash his hands and splash his face with some cold water. He hadn't felt that self conscious about his clothing in front of Asra before... so why then? Why did he work hard to get the car grease off of his shirt withs some of that water from the sink? Why did he allow himself to peek into the dulled metal car piece in the corner to make sure his hair looked alright?

Some time during Muriel's confused yet very apparent fussing, the sound of car tires crunched against the parking lot outside. Muriel perked up, eyes widening a little as he turned to see Asra stepping from the back seat of a grey car Muriel hadn't seen before. Asra waved to the driver as they started off -- likely some kind of Uber or Lyft -- and then turned back to the shop, that usual smile on his face. Muriel tried to ignore the slight leap of his heart rate, and brushed that loose strand of hair behind his ear one last time before starting up to the garage door.

Inanna said hi first. She bounded up to him, chew toy still in her mouth, and sniffed at his ankles -- tail wagging behind her. Muriel could hear her happy voice in his head. He tried hard to keep from smiling when he spoke up from the garage door.