Best Friends

Chapter 3

When Nestor returned to work the next day, feeling far less than ready physically, he wasn't surprised to hear Isabella had stayed the night and was planning to spend the next few days there while she recovered. Emily would have insisted on it not only for Isabella's wellbeing but her own as well. She needed someone and, sadly, friends were in low supply.

Grabbing a coffee from the kitchen, Nestor made his way right to Miguel's office, strategically avoiding both Dita and Emily. The former would have fawned over him and his injuries while the latter was far too emotionally fragile and he wasn't sure how to approach that. Miguel was at his desk, looking as bad as Nestor felt, with what was likely to be his third or fourth cup of coffee already.

"Morning," Nestor said, stepping inside quickly.

"Morning," Miguel said, tearing his eyes away from the papers scattered on his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," he lied, "Sore but good. Devante called me this morning, updated me on the way in."

"Nothing much to update," Miguel said with distaste. "We're nowhere, we have nothing," he looked at his best friend with desperation behind his eyes.

"Mikey, we'll-"

"You should watch the footage," he interrupted, feeling himself unraveling and not wanting it to continue. "You won't see much on your phone," he offered Nestor his laptop, turning it toward the guest chair across from him.

Nestor sat and did what Miguel said, it wasn't an order but Nestor knew better than to push on their previous subject. He hit play and leaned forward, his eye squinted, and sipped his coffee as he watched.

"You might want to jump ahead, that goes on for a bit," Miguel remarked after a minute or two that only showed Nestor and Isabella approaching each other outside the restaurant...

"As promised," Nestor said with a grin, Isabella's keys dangling from his pinky finger.

"Promised?" She could see her reflection in the hood and she looked at him, shocked. "I didn't leave it looking this good."

Nestor looked at her car again as if he hadn't told one of the staff to have it detailed along with the others and shrugged, playing it off.

"No? I guess they sent it for detailing with the others," he said casually. "A mistake in your favor," Nestor added.

"Oh?" She looked at him, eyebrows arched with suspicion as she looked at him. "I'll have to repay you somehow. I'm not sure what detailing costs but at least a drink or two?"

It wasn't what Nestor expected, not at all, and it actually threw him for a minute. He looked at her, his smile turning a little more mischievous now that he saw how well his detail plan seemed to have worked.

"I would prefer to buy the drinks, your company would be more than enough to thank me."

Isabella couldn't hide her giddy smile but she tried knowing full well he had caught it almost immediately.

"Then it will be a double thanks," she insisted. "Are you?" She gestured to the restaurant as Miguel arrived, a bit later than expected.

"Still working?" Technically he was but he wanted to see where she was going with the question. "My day is winding down."

"Oh I know that phrase," she shook her head. "For me, when I'm winding down, I still have more than enough to keep me in the office for hours."

"It's not that bad, day to day is straightforward," the messy days were not nearly as common as the low key, boring ones. "What do you do that your wind downs are that miserable?"