“This is not happening,” Joaquin gasped as she watched Ben clumsily fall off the trolley into Leo’s arms. “Can you go out there and make them stop?” she added, looking to Adele who was looking thoroughly amused by the whole situation.

“What? No. This, my neurotic friend, doesn’t involve me.”

“Del, please!” Joaquin begged as Ben let out a cry of, “C’mon, Jojo, my pants are wet.”

Adele rolled her eyes as she padded back to her room and reappeared with her robe. “Get yours, you’re coming too,” she demanded as she snatched up an umbrella.

Joaquin let out an audible whine but quickly wrapped herself in the nearest piece of outerwear she could find, which was her hastily removed trench coat from earlier.

Adele reached the lot first and erected her umbrella as she stalked over to the wobbly Ben and Leo. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Ben’s drunk,” Leo swallowed and pointed to Ben in case Adele had forgotten who he was.

“I’m love professing,” Ben smirked.

“No, you’re being a massive dickhead,” Adele snapped, looking around for Joaquin. “How is this helping? Please enlighten me?”

“I just want Jo to talk to me,” Ben frowned.

“She hid in the bath under a towel when you gave her flowers, man,” Adele sighed. “Not sure screaming at her from a parking lot is going to improve the situation.”

“I told him that, I did,” Leo pouted as he tried to wipe the rain from his glasses with his sopping sleeve.

“And you, why aren’t you home with Misty?” Adele asked, turning on a surprised Leo.

“He stole my modem,” Leo said forlornly as Joaquin finally appeared, rubbing her shoulder.

“Sorry, I got my sleeve stuck in the stairwell door which I didn’t realise until it boomeranged me back into the handle.”

Adele closed her eyes and shook her head as Ben tried to leap heroically over the trolley but caught his jeans leg on a wheel and tumbled into Joaquin’s arms. They both fell onto the soggy asphalt with a splatter.

“Fuck, Jo, I’m so sorry,” Ben gasped as he clumsily got to his feet and tried to help Joaquin up. Between her pleading for him to stop and him trying to dust her off they fell over twice more.

“WILL YOU LOT SHUT THE FUCK UP!” A yell came from one of the adjacent apartments.

“Well that was special,” Adele sighed and looked over to Leo who was verging on death by hypothermia. “Let’s get back to the apartment and out of this rain. If you two could refrain from breaking any limbs on the way back up, that’d be super.”

The soggy group trudged back upstairs to the apartment, Joaquin only slipping once and winding Leo as her elbow connected him square in the ribs.

“I’ll get some towels,” Adele announced as she left her umbrella near the door and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Jo, can we talk?” Ben asked gently as a small pool of water began forming at his feet.

“My pyjamas are wet,” Joaquin said quietly as she squeezed her hair and pouted at her feet.

“Right, here you go,” Adele said as she passed out towels to the soggy trio. “I’m going to leave you kids to your issues now. Jo, please try and form sentences with Ben. Ben, if you make Jo hide in the linen cupboard because she’s caught a glimpse of your boy parts, I will kill you.” Ben looked horrified at Adele and moved the towel to cover his crotch. Joaquin continued to look at her feet. Leo just looked awkward as he clutched the towel to his chest. “Leo, come with me,” she added and Leo followed her obediently to her room.

Ben and Joaquin stood in silence gingerly patting themselves with their towels until October flew into the room. He slid onto the mat, looked from Joaquin to Ben in a state of shock and tore off into the kitchen,

“Is the cat ok?” Ben asked.

“It it must be 2:45,” Joaquin shrugged. “He always does that at 2:45.”

“I had a dog that used to bring me Twinkies.”

“That’s clever.”

“I put on 10 pounds.”

“Oh.” She paused drying the the ends of her hair. “What happened to it?”

“Well I wasn’t supposed to have a dog and Mom thought pet captivity was inhumane, so we went to the valley one day and released young Rusty to be with his coyote brethren,” Ben said, looking distantly toward the window.

“Oh dear.”

“I also wasn’t allowed to have Twinkies, so Dad decided I could spend a week with the Johansons.”

“Did you like the Johansons?”

“They were Breatharians.”

“You lost the 10 pounds then?”

“And my dignity,” Ben mused as he glanced at Joaquin. “Although I think after tonight any hopes of recapturing it are gone.”

“In all fairness, you are quite inebriated.”

“The alcohol is warm in my belly,” he smiled, rubbing his stomach with the towel. “Unlike the rest of me.”

“I should put on some dry pyjamas,” Joaquin announced and abandoned Ben as she hurried down the hall to her room.

Ben glanced around a moment, his abandonment broken only by October sprinting into the room with a sponge. They locked eyes before the cat puffed his tail and streaked off toward the bathroom. “Must be 2:48,” he mused before heading toward Joaquin’s room.

“Are you going to get your pants off or what?” Adele smirked as she dropped her robe onto a chair in the corner of her room. She was wearing tiny bed shorts and a little singlet.

“Geez, I was hoping you were a flannelette woman,” Leo breathed, still clutching his towel to his chest.

“Sorry to destroy that fantasy,” she laughed. “I’m serious though, you’ll be warmer if you get your wet clothes off.”

“I know,” he huffed as he dropped his towel and pulled his soggy sweater over his head. He looked at his belt a moment, took a steadying breath, and undid the button and fly. It took several moments of bouncing about to free his legs from the wet denim. He peeled off his dripping socks and shirt and gingerly looked at Adele who was already under the covers. “Where should I put these?”

“Just hang them over the chair,” she smiled. “By the way, damn Leo, I did not know you were hiding muscles under your nerd shirt,”

“Misty says its important to keep fit,” he shrugged as he carefully lay his clothes over the back of the chair.

“While talking to her for 12 straight hours on your computer?” Adele chided as Leo strode over to the bed. “Did you buy an Ab Roller?”

“No, I joined an actual gym,” Leo smiled and did a cheeky flex of his arms. “By the way, under all your important suits you have exactly what I expected.”

“Oh really,” Adele mused, raising her eyebrows.

“A fantastic body and breasts a man could lose his face in.”

Adele snorted with laughter and pulled back the covers. “Get in, you pasty adonis.”

“In your bed?”

“Relax, I’m not about to molest you,” Adele sighed. “I’m tired, you’re cold, and this is practical.”

Leo gave her a bemused look but the mix of alcohol and Adele’s tiny pants were enough to convince him this was a very good idea. He snuggled under the covers and let out a sigh. It’d been so long since he’d been in bed with an actual woman he’d forgotten how wonderful they smelt. “You smell like coconut.”

“You smell like a brewery.”

Leo slipped off his glasses and set them on the bedside table as Adele switched off the light.

“I won’t tell Aidan this happened.”

“It wouldn’t matter, we’re not dating,” Adele breathed as she tried to settle.

“Well no, not us, but you and him”

“Yeah, we’re not dating either.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because I’m a good friend,” Adele huffed as she snuggled a little closer to Leo. “I also humiliated myself and can’t ever see him again.”

“Wow, is whatever is wrong with Jo catching?” Leo laughed. “That’s such a Jo thing to say. I’m sure nothing you did can be that bad…”

“I told Aidan I loved him,” Adele whispered and buried her face in the covers.

“That’s nearly as bad as declaring your love to a girl and trying to kiss her because you think it’s the moment,” he chided as he pulled the covers away from her face.

“Oh Leo,” she giggled, “You’re so sweet.”

“I don’t want to be sweet,” he groaned. “I want to be fawned over by busty blonde women.”

“Or you can have one busty blonde woman as your big spoon?” Adele cooed, giving Leo a peck on the cheek.

“Y’know, I’m good with that,” Leo smiled as Adele wrapped herself around his back and nuzzled into his shoulder.

Ben sauntered into Joaquin’s room to find her bundling up some dry pyjamas into a ball along with a hairdryer and comb. “I need to change,” she declared and hurried out of the room past Ben, across the hall into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her as the light illuminated the room.

Joaquin dropped her armful of possessions and sat on the edge of the bath to catch her breath. What on earth was happening? Everything that came out of Ben’s mouth was clearly a drunken delusion, and when she was finished getting changed he was getting a blanket and sleeping on the couch because his pants were not coming off anywhere near her. Joaquin stood up and slipped off her wet things and swapped into a pair of plaid flannelette pants and well worn band shirt. She snatched up the hairdryer and switched it on. October flew out from under the vanity with her sponge, which he dropped in shock and began shooting around the room until Joaquin turned the hairdryer off.

“You’re a tiny moron,” Joaquin scowled as she opened the door to usher October out. The cat stopped to tip over a shampoo bottle, grabbed the sponge and raced off down the hall. Joaquin switched the hairdryer on again and quickly got the dampness out of her hair as she combed it. She then took a couple of steadying breaths and headed back into her own room.

She stopped at the door and felt her heart start to beat uncomfortably fast. Ben had removed his wet clothes, which seem to have been left where they fell. He was now snoring gently under the covers in what she hoped was some sort of booze related coma. Joaquin felt insulted that he would just take over her bed, especially without pants, but she also thought he looked kind of lovely, and the hint of muscular flesh she could see seemed very inviting. She briefly toyed with the idea of some sort of pillow wall between them but in the end she was so tired it was easier just to crawl in beside him. On the upside, the last time they’d ended up in bed together her pants had remained on.

Joaquin slid in beside Ben, making sure to keep as close to the edge as possible. No matter how much lovely warmth he was radiating, and not even considering the loveliness of his lips and how they might feel tracing kisses over her skin. She switched off the light and turned away from him, her foot thrusting out to stop her toppling onto the floor. Ok, so perhaps she could move back a little.

“How do you create a pattern like that?” Aidan asked as he cocked his head to the side to get a better look at Dale’s latest work on a rather large canvas.

“Well I dropped a glass and it shattered,” Dale began, pausing only to screw his nose up at Degas who appeared to be eating half a pie on his imported Peruvian yak wool rug. “So as I’m clearing up the mess I suddenly get inspired…”

“You used the brush from the dustpan set, didn’t you?” Aidan mused, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Dale grinned. “What do you think?”

“I’m pretty sure there’s still glass and hair stuck in it,” Aidan frowned and dropped into a throne-like wooden chair. “Something happened, Dale.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Dale gasped, pulling up a stool and resting his hand on Aidan’s knee. “Where did she touch you?” He lowered his voice. “And was it dirty?”

Aidan rolled his eyes, “It didn’t get past ‘I love you because…’ and fleeing into the night.”

“Who said the ‘ L’ word?”

“Her.”

“Oh my,” Dale gasped. “What did you do?”

“I raced into the rain and bellowed her name,” Aidan groaned and sunk further into the chair. “What do I do now?”

“Hold on, how did we get to her fleeing into the night?”

“We had a fight,” Aidan winced. “Well, sort of. I told her I was only working two jobs to make extra money to impress her because I thought that was important to her.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Isn’t that what impresses women?”

“Have you ever had a girlfriend before?”

“Yes, of course,” Aidan frowned and then clicked his fingers. “Cecilia, you remember her.”

“All tits and no brain.”

Aidan looked horrified, “She was lovely, we used to do 80s karaoke every Friday.”

“Well you used to. I think her breasts used to muffle the words to your rousing rendition of ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’.”

Aidan opened and closed his mouth. “Don’t make me bring up Babette and the donkey costume.”

Dale narrowed his eyes. “Go on.”

“So she said I didn’t need to impress her and ‘That’s not why I love you, I love you because…’ before she had some sort of mental breakdown and fled.”

“Oh honey…”

“It’s not like we’re dating, though,” Aidan sighed. “What do I do? How do I make this better?”

They were interrupted a very loud dog fart which startled Degas, who began barking at his own butt.

Dale wrinkled his nose. “Ok, here’s what you’re going to do…”

Leo woke to find his brain throbbing and his bed clothes smelling like potpourri. He rolled onto his back and grabbed his glasses. He was disappointed to find Adele fully dressed and brushing her hair.

“Good morning my pasty Adonis,” she mused as she pulled a chunky blue beanie over her hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Like dying is a suitable option,” Leo groaned, clutching his head in both hands.

“You poor thing,” Adele cooed as she put down her brush and padded over to the bed. “You should stop being friends with Ben, he leads you astray.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

“Well sleep as long as you need,” she said sitting next to Leo’s prone body. “I’ve left you some water and painkillers for when you’re ready.”

“You’re being far too kind,” he half smiled and patted her thigh.

“Not really, I’m leaving you with those two idiots while I go shopping,” she grinned, getting back to her feet. She dropped a kiss on his cheek and headed out the door.

“I have got to get drunk more often,” Leo mused as October bounded onto the bed and dropped a used tissue on his chest. “Thank you for your offering,” he winced.

Ben blearily opened his eyes and gently reached out a hand to move a lock of hair that had fallen over Joaquin’s face. “Jo,” he said softly. Her eyes sprung open, she squeaked and fell backwards. She’d been teetering on the edge for so long, the action caused an entire chain reaction of sheets and an unprepared Ben to all end up on the floor. There was a mutual ‘oof’ as they collided on the carpet.

“Good morning,” Ben managed, slightly winded as he found himself on top of Joaquin.

“Can you move,” Joaquin squirmed. “You’re crushing my hip.” He positioned himself more centrally on top of her. “I meant onto the floor.”

Ben propped himself up on his elbows. “I’m thinking if I stay here you can’t run away.”

“I’ll blow my rape whistle.”

“Do you have a rape whistle?”

“No.”

“Then let’s chat,” Ben smiled. “Firstly, I’m sorry for whatever I did to set you off at dinner. I’ve never quite had that reaction over flowers before. Generally there’s a lot of gushing and maybe sex.” He paused. “Secondly, I’m sorry I then ran away, because that seems counterproductive.”

“Ben…”

“Thirdly, I really like you, Jo, despite the injuries you cause me,” he breathed and studied her face. It looked mortified. “So I’d like us to at least be friends because we do have a good time together.” He made his eyes big and pleading. “Can we be friends, Jojo?”

“If I say yes, will you get off of me?”

“Reluctantly, yes.”

“Then yes, I’d like to be friends,” Joaquin nodded as Ben pushed himself up to his knees. He stood and offered her a hand which she took and he pulled her to her feet. “Isn’t there a fourth thing?”

“No,” Ben frowned. “Should there be?”

“Uh, the drunken yelling?”

“What? No, I’m not sorry for that,” he laughed. “I’m sorry for the massive hangover I have, though,” he added and collapsed back onto the bed.

“You should be careful or I’ll have you shipped off to the Johanson’s,” she chided as she tossed the sheets back on the bed and sat herself cross-legged beside Ben. She absentmindedly grabbed her sketch book from the bedside table and began searching for a blank page.

“Is that some of your stuff?” Ben asked, lifting his head to get a better look.

“Yeah, but nothing more exciting than fruit and some ducks,” she frowned and showed him a rather lovely still life of a bowl of apples and pears.

“Do you draw other stuff?”

“Like?”

“Naked people?”

“I’ve done life drawing, yes.” She shook her head and slapped his shoulder with her book.

“You should draw me,” he smiled. “I’m not going anywhere a hurry and I promise to keep my pants on.”

Joaquin chewed on her pencil for a moment. “Ok, I think I’d actually be comfortable doing that.”

“Should I pose?” Ben asked and promptly pulled off a couple of ridiculous poses.

She jumped off the bed and studied him. “Lie on your back,” she ordered, and he obeyed. She grabbed one of the sheets and covered his shorts with it. “Bend your right leg,” she demanded. “Now drape your right arm over the back of the pillow and your left down at the sheet.”

“Is this a pose one friend would ask of another?” Ben asked huskily as Joaquin ignored him and perched herself on the dresser to get a better view.

“Look toward the closest,” she beamed. “Perfect,” she added, pausing a moment to enjoy the provocative pose Ben was in. She suddenly had a very strong desire to climb onto the bed, straddle him and begin a very important exploration of his nakedness with her tongue. She felt herself blushing and began to quickly distract herself with her sketch book.

Joel crossed the road and turned into the street where Adele and Joaquin lived. He stopped to admire a rather scantily clad female jogger and then headed into the apartment parking lot.

“Hey Cricket Boy!” Joel paused, glanced around and saw Aidan strolling toward him.

“It’s Joel.”

“I know.”

“Are you here to see Del?”

“No, maybe,” Aidan shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Ok,” Joel mused. “Can I help you in some way?”

Aidan reached into his satchel and pulled out an envelope. “Can you give this to her for me? Please.”

“Sure,” Joel nodded and slapped Aidan on the shoulder. Aiden gave a rushed thank you and continued up the street.

With a shrug, Joel made his way into the stairwell and was surprised to see a rather disheveled looking Leo. “You look rough.”

“No kidding,” Leo yawned. “If you’re looking for Adele she’s gone shopping.”

“No worries,” Joel breathed and looked at the envelope. “To the shops we go.”

Adele was admiring some very attractive breads at the bakery when she was grabbed by the arm and dragged away from the doughy goodness.

“Joel!”

“We need to get coffee immediately,” Joel declared as he bundled her toward the nearest cafe.

“Have you got someone pregnant?” Adele gasped. “Because I don’t want to have to play your deeply religious sister again.”

They settled into a booth as a waitress breezed over with her notepad. “Are you ready to order?”

“A flat white and a hot chocolate,” Joel replied as Adele sat bewildered.

“What’s going on?”

“I ran into Aidan.”

“Oh.”

“He wanted you to have this.” Adele looked surprised at the envelope and gingerly took it. The envelope felt heavy and she took a shuddering breath as she opened it and removed the thick sketch book sheet from inside and unfolded it. There was an exquisite sketch of the fountain in the park from its ornate cherubs to its sculpted flutes and a note: