Smooth Operator

Two

"I'll do the chicken tostadas, thanks." Brielle spoke as she handed the waitress her menu.

"I don't think we've been out like this in months," Bec said with a smile.

The girls had reservations at a Mexican spot they loved, skipping their usual Saturday brunch for a late Saturday dinner. The restaurant had great food, even better margaritas, and a really cool, eclectic atmosphere.

"Cheers!" El raised her drink to the center of the table. "To us, and finally being done with this bloody case!"

They were all smiling as they clinked their glasses. They just finished a huge case that they had been working on for weeks. It had Brielle super stressed and high strung for a while, but paid off in the end with a positive outcome for them.

They were joking and laughing until their eyes were watering while they waited for their food. Brielle felt good being out for a change - enjoying a nice dinner with her friends, being able to unwind a bit. It was good for her. She always felt like she was in work mode but she needed to have time to just enjoy the moment like this. Going out to dinner didn't seem like much, but it was for her.

They thanked their waitress when she brought their entrees out and ordered another round of drinks. The table was quiet for a few moments as they dug into their food as if they had each been starving for days.

Brielle''s phone suddenly lit up on the table with a soft ping, making all three pairs of eyes flick over to it. No one seemed to think much of it - until it did the same thing again less than a minute later.

"Alright, what happened to the no phone policy while we're eating?" El said with a smile. "You guys nearly ripped my head off last time."

"That's because you're always on yours. We made the rule for you," Bec murmured with a mouthful of her taco.

El gave Bec the side eye before jutting her chin out quickly in the direction of where the phone was sitting. "Is that him?"

Brielle was quiet as a small smile pulled at her lips, leaning forward to read the messages on her lock screen.

Enjoy your night out

Hopefully we can talk later if you're not too tired x

She really tried to fight the insistent smile that was forming as she slid her phone into her purse with a quick "mhm" in response to her friends.

Harry and Brielle had been texting consistently for a few weeks now. They have some sort of exchange nearly every day. Sometimes it's just a few quick messages back and forth, wishing each other a good day. Other times she's telling him a full blown story of chasing Rocco down the street when his leash slipped out of her hand. Or Harry would be complaining about a miserable customer that didn't understand why he couldn't fix their laptop after it fell in the bathtub.

A couple days passed here and there when they hadn't texted and when that happened, Brielle found herself wondering what he was doing. And just as quickly as a thought of him snuggled up on his couch formed a picture in her mind, she dismissed it. She had no idea what he looked like and she certainly had no idea how he cuddles on a couch.

But she enjoyed talking to him. Their conversations were easy and he was funny with his dry humor and corny jokes. It was hard not to like him and his company. But again, whenever she started to think like that, she shook her head at herself. She didn't have his company. Texting can hardly equate to company, and she knew the more she focused on that fact, the better off she'd be.

She found herself battling with it a lot though. She felt like she was getting to know Harry, but also like she didn't know him at all. Not really. How much could she possibly get to know him in this capacity? How much would she want to? How would she feel if she got too attached? This was his job. She was sure he did the same thing with plenty of other people. What made her think that the way they talk was so special?