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Andy groaned and slumped forward, dragging his feet as they walked toward an expensive boutique. "Why in the hell am I doing this again?" he whined, following Neal toward the little shop.
Neal grinned and grabbed Andy's arm tightly, making sure he wouldn't pull away and make a break for it. "Because you loooooooove me," he teased, tugging his reluctant best friend toward the boutique's door. "B'sides, mine and Brooke's anniversary is comin' up, and I wanna get her somethin' nice. Flowers ain't gonna cut it, now...the stakes are risin'..."
Neal pulled the door open, releasing a blast of heavily-scented perfumed air to waft past them. "...Whoa," Neal muttered, coughing slightly. "...The quicker we get this done, though, the better..."
Andy acted like he was gagging as they walked in. "I'm going to smell like a high-class hooker when we get out of here, aren't I..." He nudged Neal with a grin. "Stakes are rising, huh...?"
Neal shoved Andy back lightly with a snort. "Dude, shut up!" he retorted, and then grinned back. "Been a year now, y'know...been years since I've been with someone this long..."
Andy laughed softly, seeing the saleswoman behind one of the fancy glass counters glaring at them. "Man, I hope you know what you're getting...they look like they're ready to eat us alive," he whispered, and then looked at Neal. "Has it really been a year already? You two are too fucking cute together." He nudged Neal again. "How long you gonna wait?"
"Well, look at us, man...we're one step up from street people t'her, in her Gucci and Armani..." Neal stage-whispered back, just loud enough for it to carry to the woman, who huffed self-importantly and flounced to the back, sending out another saleswoman in her place.
Neal snickered softly to himself. "Man, I should be a nicer person, but really... I hate bein' type-cast. C'mon...you used t'buy shit for Jennie all the time. Help me, y'son of a bitch."
Andy laughed and shook his head as a younger woman came out and smiled shyly at him and Neal. "Yeah, yeah, I'll help you, you pain in the ass..." he replied, and then stopped and gaped at Neal, noticing how he had studiously avoided his question - something he had never done before. "No way...you are thinking about it, aren't you? Holy shit!"
Neal shrugged slightly, trying to school his face to innocence, but even then, he couldn't keep the sly grin from spreading across his lips. "Dammit, Skibby, you know me too well..."
With that, he turned to the saleswoman and smiled warmly. "Afternoon, miss...I'm lookin' for somethin' for my girlfriend."
Andy laughed and shook his head. "I give it 'til Christmas," he whispered into Neal's ear, and then pulled back and started to wander around the shop. He glanced down at the prices for the tiny bottles and whistled. "Damn... "
"Of course, sir!" the woman, whose name tag read "Cyndi", replied brightly. "Did you have an idea of what she might like?"
Neal nodded slightly, scratching the three days' worth of growth on his chin. "She seems t'like flower smells...and bakin'..."
Cyndi smiled and nodded sagely. "Floral and spice notes - got it. What about musk?"
"Musk?" Neal cocked his head, blinking in confusion.
Cyndi grinned. "It's like...the dark, heavier smell, underneath everything else. Kind of a smokey tone."
"...Ah..." Neal replied, nodding slowly. "Yeah...she had this spray that she was usin' before... She ran out a little while ago, and..." He smiled a little sheepishly. "...I kind of miss it. Hope I can find somethin' like it here."
Andy snorted when he heard Neal and shook his head. He never thought that he would see the day where his best friend was talking about perfumes. "Just start smelling them and see which one is hers," he interjected, rolling his eyes.
Neal shot Andy a death glare through narrowed eyes. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Romance. I'll get right on that."
Cyndi laughed softly at their exchange. "Actually, your friend has it right. You should be using your nose instead of your mouth to find the right scent, because in humans, the sense of smell is linked to memory." She chuckled again when Andy gave Neal his best "I told you so" look, which Neal answered with a quick flip of an extended middle digit. "At any rate, sir, I suppose we should attempt to narrow it down. Which flowers and which spices do you remember smelling?"
Neal flushed a light pink, thinking back to the last time Brooke had worn that perfume...he'd had his face buried against her neck, been kissing down her throat to her chest...
Clearing his throat abruptly, he shifted nervously, adjusting his jeans, and kicked Andy's shin with his pointy-toed boot when Andy started laughing at him. "Well, uh..." Neal stuttered hoarsely, trying to get his voice to remain level, "...I remember roses...but...they weren't like, normal roses...there was somethin' darker there... An'cinnamon...maybe...somethin' like...jasmine tea?"
Cyndi nodded slowly, shifting back to consider her stock, and then pulled out four bottles, setting them on the counter in front of him. "Let's see if any of these is a likely suspect," she murmured. Spritzing a piece of tester paper with the first bottle, she handed it to him and waited.
Andy leaned in, resting his arm on top of the counter, to watch Neal concentrate on what the paper smelled like. He was trying so hard not to laugh at him and give him a hard time, so he turned his attention to...he glanced at the name tag...Cyndi...and gave her his best smile. "Do you ever get a headache from being in here all day?"
Neal shook his head silently as Andy turned on the charm, and then raised the paper to his nose, sniffing it carefully. "No...this one's not it..." he murmured, lowering his hand. "...It's pretty, though...she might like it."
Cyndi grinned back at Andy, tilting her head coyly. "You get used to a certain amount of it, actually..." she replied, and then leaned forward for a conspiratorial whisper. "We've got a secret weapon here, though," she told him, and pulled a jar of coffee beans out from under the counter, unscrewing the lid. "Low-tech, but it works."
Andy grinned and took a deep breath in with a sigh. "Now that is an amazing smell." He turned to Neal and held his hand out for the paper. "Here, let me ruin the smell of coffee for myself," he laughed softly.
Neal rolled his eyes and passed Andy the paper, taking the second sample from Cyndi's hand. "Why, Skibby? Doin' a little shoppin' for Nick?" Neal snarked, snatching the coffee beans away from his best friend to cleanse his nose before trying the second scent.
He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head quickly. "Noooo, this is definitely not it. Wow," he muttered, setting the paper on the counter, and inhaled deeply from the coffee bean jar.
Cyndi nodded and set that bottle back under the counter. "Okay, scratch that one. Let's try door number three." She handed Neal the third paper with a soft smile, and turned back to Andy, her smile deepening. "That one's called 'Epic' - it's really pretty."
Andy looked at Neal and stuck out his tongue. "Ha ha... No, I'll leave that up to Paige." He smelled the paper and then shook his head. "Oh wow... Those are... Wow..." He snagged the coffee and took in a deep breath closing his eyes. "Ahhhhh... That is the good stuff."
Neal shook his head slowly, jerking his head towards Andy. "He's really not a romantic," he muttered softly, and raised the third strip to his nose.
Immediately, he closed his eyes with a dreamy sigh, images of Brooke pressed against him, his lips against her neck, flooding into his mind. "This one..." he breathed out with a smile. "This is the one."
Andy glared at Neal. "I can be as romantic as the next guy..." He stepped back with a sigh. "Can't help it I don't have anyone to be romantic with," he said, glancing slyly over at Cyndi.
Cyndi grinned at Andy, winking slowly as she raised a finger to touch the tip of his nose. "Let me get back to you," she murmured, and turned back to Neal. "You're sure, sir?"
Neal nodded quickly, forcing his eyes back open to meet her gaze. "Definitely. I'll take it," he replied, his hand reaching into his pocket for his wallet.
Andy grinned and then turned back to Neal, raising his eyebrows. "That's it? You aren't going to smell any other ones and see if you like them as well?" he teased.
Neal reached out with his other hand and shoved Andy playfully. "Shut it, Skib," he replied, drawing his credit card out of his wallet and pushing it across the counter at Cyndi. "Believe me, I know."
Andy watched as Cyndi took Neal's card and perfume to box up and then turned back to Neal. "Did you even see how much the perfume was...?" he asked softly, astonished that he was willing to drop that much money on something so little. He just didn't get it - it couldn't smell that good.
Neal turned to Andy, gripping his shoulder lightly with a smile. "Someday, young padawan, you, too, will know the power of love."
Andy groaned. "Oh God, you are ridiculous. Does this mean I'm buying lunch?"
Neal grinned. "Um, if you don't mind...I'm a little short now."
Andy threw his hands up and shook his head. "I knew you were going to do that..." he said, but grinned. "But yeah..I'll pay for lunch this time... "
"Thanks, man...you're a life-saver," Neal laughed softly, pulling him in for a hug.
Cyndi cleared her throat behind them with a soft giggle. "Okay, boys, break it up now," she teased. "Mr. Tiemann, your card..." She slid the plastic across the counter to Neal, along with the credit card slip and a pen. "Your autograph, please..."
Andy flushed red and then grinned at Cyndi. "I think you just made his day..." He nudged Neal after he finished signing the receipt. He turned back to Cyndi and leaned against the counter. "You could make my day and say that you'd meet me for coffee this week."
Cyndi ducked her head with another coy smile, taking the pen and slip back from Neal, and sliding her hand back to him. "Your receipt, Mr. Tiemann..." she murmured, and then slid her other hand toward Andy. "...And my phone number, Mr. Skib. I'd love to." With a wink, she leaned back and presented Neal with his package. "Have a very good day, gentlemen. Thank you for shopping with us."
Andy grinned and slipped the paper into his pocket, turning to Neal as they walked out of the shop. "Oh, that was good."
Neal chuckled under his breath and bumped Andy with his shoulder. "Yeah, sure was. Let me know how coffee goes, okay?"
Andy laughed and nodded. "Will do man...will do... And you tell me how Brooke reacts to the perfume. And dude? Don't think I didn't see how much that little bottle was... God damn," he whistled.
Neal shrugged slightly. "...She's worth it."
Andy leaned against Neal with a smile. "Good."
"C'mon, man...let me get you home," Neal replied with a soft smile, clapping Andy gently on the back.
Brooke was curled up on the couch with Sixx laying across her feet, and Einstein curled up in the crook of her legs, with his face buried under Sixx's paw. She had picked up the book she had started a while back, and was almost finished with it. She yawned and blinked, trying to stay awake.
Neal turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open, smiling at Brooke, curled up on the sofa. "...Hey, darlin'..." he murmured, coming over to kiss her with his hand behind his back. "Sorry I took so long with Andy...lot of catchin' up t'do, guy things... Did you have a quiet night?"
Brooke looked up at Neal and smiled brightly. "We had a nice quiet night on the couch... And outside in the yard. We have three holes to fill in tomorrow by the back fence - a certain puppy has decided that he needs to make an escape. You and Andy had a good day then?"
Neal shook his head gently, eyeing Einstein with a long-suffering sigh. "Electronic fence, dog... Swear t'God, I'll do it..." he muttered, and looked back at Brooke with an answering smile. "We had a very good day, actually... We both found what we were looking for."
Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Oh, is that so? What did you find, and what did he find?"
Neal's smile deepened into a grin as he leaned forward, bracing his free hand on the arm of the couch next to her. "Andy found himself a coffee date..." he murmured, pressing a kiss lightly to Brooke's forehead. "...And I found...this."
He pulled his arm out from behind his back, holding out the small boutique bag to her. "For you," he whispered softly.
Brooke laughed when she heard about the coffee date. "He is going to turn into a cup of coffee..." She trailed off when she saw the small bag from her favorite perfume boutique - she hadn't known that Neal even knew about it. "Oh wow..." She sat up and slowly opened the bag, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Neal..." she whispered. He had found her favorite perfume...in the one place in LA that carried it. She put the bag down as she pulled the little bottle out of the gift box, spritzing it on her wrists and rubbing them together, and then dabbed it onto her neck. She took a deep breath and smiled as her eyes fluttered shut. "Thank you, sweetie...so much," she whispered.
Neal settled onto the edge of the couch beside her, smiling tenderly at her reaction. "Anything for you, Brooke..." he murmured, nuzzling her neck gently as he inhaled the scent.
Brooke wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "Missed the smell of it so much..." she whispered. "Can't believe you found it."
Neal smiled against her neck and pulled back, cupping her cheek gently. "So glad I did," he said softly, and pressed his lips to hers.
Brooke shifted and slipped her legs out from under Sixx and leaned into Neal, deepening the kiss. "Missed you today," she whispered as she pulled back.
Neal stared back at Brooke, his eyes dark with need. "Missed you too..." He stood up and took her hand, tugging her lightly to her feet, and pulled her into a proper hug, burying his face into her neck.
"...God, smells even better on you," he murmured, brushing soft kisses across the skin of her throat as his hands slipped down to mold over her hips, shifting her closer to him.
Brooke glanced down at the sleeping dogs on the couch and then looked back at Neal, letting her arms wrap around his neck as her fingers slipped into his hair. "Feels good..." she whispered, tipping her head back, wanting more.
Neal groaned softly against Brooke's throat. "...Can make it feel better, love..." he rumbled quietly, his words vibrating over her skin. "Bring that perfume with you," he whispered, and took a step back, pulling her gently in the direction of the bedroom. "...Want t'see you in that, and nothin' else."
Brooke followed Neal back down the hall and, with a second glance back at the dogs, closed the bedroom door behind her.