(24) Nosey

Philip spotted Mimi a few feet ahead of him the hallway. He came up behind her as sipped from the drinking fountain. “MIRIAM LOCKHART,” he announced.

Mimi froze and looked over her shoulder, “PHILIP KIRIAKIS” she relayed with equal enthusiasm.

“How are you on this fine day Mimi?” he said, smiling.

Mimi wiped her mouth, “Goooooooood.” Slightly suspicious, she asked, “What’s with the greeting?”

“What do you mean Mimi? I’m saying hello. Is there a law against that?”

“No, Philip. But still, you’ve never said hello like that before.”

Philip placed his arm around her shoulder as they walked to her next class. “I’m always glad to see you!”

“You’re full of shit Phil. What do you want?”

Philip gave a chin up to a fellow team mate before leaning down slightly to extend an invitation, “Hey, what do you say about having lunch together?”

Mimi froze in her tracks. Philip turned around, “What? I’m serious.”

“You want to ‘have lunch’ with ME?”

“Yes Mimi! With YOU!”

Mimi rolled her eyes and continued down the hall, “Ok, fine. When?”

“Today.” He said, eyes twinkling.

Mimi nodded, “Hmmmmm. Sounds good to me, BUT, I was planning on washing my car today at lunch.”

“We still can.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No, why would I?”

“Have you seen my car?” she asked bluntly.

Philip laughed at her, “Yes…I did. It’s a real winner. But hey, it has character.”

“Character, right.”

“Longevity.”

“Hmmm.”

“I’ll meet you at your locker around lunch.”

“Lucky me,” she joked.

Later on that day, Mimi drove to the local gas station to fill up her tank. She grabbed her free car wash ticket and pulled the VW into line. Once on conveyor belt and confines of the jet wash, Philip’s true intentions came to life. “So how’s your roommate?”

Mimi glared at him, incredulous, “Oh! Now I see why you wanted to have lunch with me.”

Philip grabbed her hand flirtatiously, and winked. “Mimi, how could you think that?”

Mimi snapped her hand away, “Whatever Philip.”

Philip shrugged, “She said she needed her ‘space,’ so I was just wondering if she was getting it.”

Mimi stared at Philip for awhile, realizing he meant business. “I guess so. I know I live with her and all, but that doesn’t mean we sit around baking cookies, and discussing our latest life issues.”

Philip’s eyes widened, “You don’t?”

Mimi laughed, “No Philip. It’s not like that. She does her thing, I do mine.”

“Her thing?”

“Yeah. I’m usually at work, with Brett, or hanging out with my friends. Chloe is either on a run, working out, doing homework, or cleaning the house… she’s a total neat freak by the way. And I think her modeling is starting to pick up real soon, so she’ll be gone on the weekends.”

“Basically, you never see each other.”

“Yeah. But even when we do see each other, it’s not like we have any extensive conversations. Chloe keeps to herself. She’s pretty private.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Sorry Phil. I know you’re wanting the inside connection and all, but I can’t really help you.”

The blower blew off the majority of the water. Mimi pulled the bug to the air and water station. She grabbed two towels from the back seat. She handed one to Philip, “Help me dry off any remaining water so it doesn’t freeze.”

Philip toweled off the roof, “I hope you don’t think I was using you to spy on her.”

Mimi ran her own towel over the hood, “Oh please Philip. I know you were, and it’s ok. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s all I know.”

Philip looked at her, “It’s all right. Now I feel stupid.”

“Whatever! What’s the matter Philip, you feeling lonely? Shit, I’ll be your girlfriend. You can wine me and dine me with the Kiriakis funds any old day.”

“You would say that.”

Mimi shot him a deadly glare, “What do you mean by that?”

Philip went to her side and draped his towel around her neck, “Joke Mimi, JOKE. Didn’t mean any harm. Forgive me, please.”

“Only if you buy me lunch,” she fired quickly.

Philip flipped his towel away, “I suppose I can handle that.”

“I’m CRAVING Taco Bell.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Mimi crouched down to check the pressure in her tires. She added quick refills to the two back tires.

Philip regarded her admirably, “Look at you…Little Miss Self-Sufficient.”

Mimi winked at him, “You know it, baby.”

*******

“Check your form,” Brady grunted to Chloe as he leveled his own chest to the floor. Chloe gave him a sidelong glance, “Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“You’re butt’s too high.”

Chloe lowered her hips, “FINE. I hate push ups.” She punched out four more, “I can’t do these anymore. I hate them.”

Brady continued his own reps, “You got to admit though, they work.”

“They’re torture. I hate them.”

“So don’t do them. Bench press instead.”

“I’d rather do crunches,” Chloe said, rolling onto her side.

Brady sat up to watch her, “You better keep that body in shape. ALL of it. It’s a job requirement.”

Chloe exhaled through her mouthed as she finished her set, “I know, I know. Actually, I think I’m going to quit running.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m starting bulk up.”

“God forbid,” Brady said with a hint of sarcasm.

“I might switch to yoga… or swimming.”

“Whatever suits you,” he said as he reached for his Gatorade.

“That’s right,” Chloe said as she extended her legs in front of her, stretching her abs.

Brady walked up to the pull-up bar. He jumped up, crossing his ankles as he rose himself.

Chloe continued to stretch out, eyeing Brady’s physique lustfully. “Boy! You got at body on you!”

Brady ignored her as he pushed his limit by three. Once finished, he dropped to the floor, “You want to go for a swim, or sit in the hot tub…sauna.”

Chloe nodded, “Yeah. Let me go rinse off first, and put on my swimsuit.”

“I’ll meet you there.” Brady went to the phone in the on the other side of the gym. He picked up the phone and dialed up to the penthouse. When Belle answered, he said, “Hey, come on down. Chloe and I are about to go for a swim….So…Come down anyway. All right, bye.”

Brady was in the pool by the time Chloe finished cleaning up. She went to the steps, slowly dipping her toe into the water. “It’s COLD!” she yelled out.

Brady splashed at her, “Chicken!”

Chloe climbed down to the bottom step, the water now thigh high. She shivered and clutched her arms, “It’s too cold!”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Chloe made her way into the pool eventually, slowly, but surely. With the water at breast level, she decided to dive in. She swam to the other end of the pool in one breath. She returned to Brady, who stood in the middle of the pool.

Chloe wiped the water away from her face, “Hey.”

“What?”

“What’s going on between you and Mimi?”

Brady gave her a confused look, “What do you mean, what’s going on with Mimi and I?”

Chloe stood on her toes to level herself with him, “I sense something.”

“You don’t sense anything Chloe. She’s a little girl,” he said irritably.

Chloe gave an exaggerated flinch, “Touchy, touchy.”

“I can’t believe you’d even imply that.”

Chloe fell back and dunked herself. “Just relax Brady.”

“How can I with you talking shit?” he said defensively. He turned away from her.

Chloe leapt towards him and clung onto him piggyback style, “Brady, Brady, Brady.”

“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,” Brady walked towards the deep end, grasping Chloe’s knees.

“Lately I’ve been noticing a little…tenderness between you two. Especially from you.” Chloe said into his ear.

“I can be nice sometimes Chloe. I know that seem hard to believe…”

“Being the smart ass you are.”

“Sure, I’m a smart ass.”

“Not only that, you two have a little raport thing going on too. Like you guys are in sync or something.”

Brady blushed, “Now you’re thinking crazy.”

Chloe tightened her arms around his shoulders, “I don’t think so Brady. I’m just being observant.”

“I have a girlfriend Chloe.”

Chloe let out a shriek of amazement, “I don’t think so! You said you two were just…” Chloe stuck her finger between her encircled thumb and index finger.

Brady watched her gestured, “Good God Chloe. What are we, in the third grade now?”

Chloe snorted.

Brady released her legs from his grip as he began to swim. Chloe clung onto his shoulders as he led her under the deep end’s ledge. Once there, she grabbed onto the ledge and faced him. “You know what I mean.”

“Just because Pam and I don’t have an official commitment doesn’t mean I don’t respect her.”

“Nor does it mean you still aren’t attracted to others.”

“This is coming from the voice of experience,” Brady said to her, unwavering.

Chloe rolled her eyes and doggy paddled away.

“Did I hit a nerve?” he called out to her.

“That is something entirely different.”

“Not really.”

Chloe stopped to tread water. “That is none of your business.”

“See what a little observation reveals.”

“Ugh!”

“I hear you guys had sex in Chicago,” Brady said as he swam towards her.

A high pitched breath of disgust escaped Chloe. “We DID NOT!! Who told you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Was it Belle?”

“No. It doesn’t matter who.”

“It was Shawn, wasn’t it? Of course it was.”

“He saw you right after it happened.”

“No after he THOUGHT it happened.”

“My sister got there just in time then? That damn Belle, always spoiling the fun.”

“We did NOT have sex.”

“Ok Chloe! I believe you. But it is definitely safe to assume.”

“How?”

“Sister please! First, you dump Phil. Then this little Chicago thing happens, or doesn’t happen, whatever. Then all the sudden, Jason and Jan are broke up. They’re been dating forever.”

“Who cares, she’s a loser anyway. So what if he broke up with her.”

“You sure it wasn’t the other way?”

“I don’t know Brady! What is your point?”

“My point is that whatever led Jason away from Jan had to be something good. Real good. Because prior to you, I never heard any complaints. She seemed to be fulfilling his needs just fine. Until you came along.”

“You think I’m some sort of conquest for him, don’t you?”

“No. But I wouldn’t rule it out.”

“Ugh!”

“I aint gonna lie Chloe, you’d be an incredible lay. You’ve got the most amazing hips I’ve ever seen. Guys have radar for that quality.”

Chloe smacked him hard on the chest.

Brady grabbed her hand and laughed, “I’m sorry, that was a little uncalled for, even for me.”

“You asshole! You trying to be funny?”

“No sexy, just playful.”

Chloe smacked him again, and smiled uncontrollably. “You’re such a goon!”

“I know, but you love me all the same. Admit it.”

“Goon.”

Brady laced his fingers together and held them out a waist level, “Here, let me flip you.”

“I haven’t done that forever.”

“Come on!”

“No way!”

“Chloe Lane!”

“Ok, ok.”

Chloe placed her right foot into his awaiting spring-board. She used his shoulders to sturdy herself as she lifted herself slightly. When Brady gave her a one, two, three… Belle stepped into the pool area.

Brady launched Chloe into a high back flip as she yelled out, “Isabella, you’re heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!”