"Yes."I roll my eyes."I'm hydrating and need to visit the ladies' room."
"Oh!"He chuckles and lets me go.
Dirk says."If you see a redhead in there, tell her to hurry.Her hubby needs her."
"B.R.B," I tell him."Don't talk about me behind my back."
Aurei jokes and points to the restroom."Go!"
I giggle and walk off.
In the bathroom, Piper is waiting for me with an "OMFG!Your dude is so hot!Good for you, Siri Wright!"She high-fives me.
"Guurrrllll!"I drag the word out for emphasis."Your man is a handsome beast!I cannot wait to hear your story!I want the long version too."
She laughs and says."Good because there is no way to shorten it!Now, here's the plan."She tells me how she wants to play this 'surprise' encounter in the bathroom and then the surprise at tonight's performance.
"Are you sure?"I ask her.
"I'm sure."She laughs, then gives me that Piper look that says, 'I've been bad, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.'
I hug her."Let's do this!"
She takes off for the table.I wait a few minutes, then return too.When I walk up, I pretend to be shocked that she is sitting at our table."Piper?"
She jumps up out of her seat."Siri?Bloody hell, I've been looking for you everywhere!"
We hug like the long-lost friends we are, then talk at the same time, die laughing, and finally give the official introductions.She tells Aurei and Dirk how we met at FSU at orientation, hit it off, only to discover we were actually assigned as roomies.I tell them the real story that there was a comedian speaker, and he asked for volunteers to come up on stage with him.Piper and I both climbed up, and she ended up stealing all the laughs.
She says."We had some good times there."
"Yes, we did."
"But, enough about us.Aurei, I'm dying to hear some stories on Dirk."
"Yeah, Aurei.Let's hear some stories from your army days.I want to hear the ones that involved pushing people's buttons."
Aurei takes the bait beautifully, and the rest of the dinner is spent laughing at the trouble those two got in and out of.
I hear Dirk's first-hand account of the night he tagged Aurei with Hardcore.He tells it much more enthusiastically than Aurei, and I'm laughing so hard I snort a couple of times, which makes Aurei reach over and hug me, chuckling harder at me than the tale.When Aurei gives an account of a seed spitting contest involving vodka-filled watermelons, I laugh so hard I'm crying.
I ask why Aurei calls Dirk, Sam, I Am, assuming it's a reference to Dr.Seuss that is a funny story.
Dirk grins, and his eyes are full of mischief.He cuts them at Piper, and she answers."It's a reference to his tool, love."
"Oh!"I laugh.
During the dinner, I watch the relationship dynamic between Piper and Dirk.It's clear they love each other, but it's equally clear that something big happened between them, and they haven't worked out the kinks yet.
My eyes twinkle.Don't worry, Piper.We'll get your love life back on track.That's what I do.
When we've finished eating, and we begin walking back to the club, I'm impressed by the fact that she managed to keep the conversation off the fact that we danced together on the stage of Coyote Ugly and Aurei to his credit, didn't mention it either.
I wonder if Dirk even knows she's danced at a club before.If he hasn't, he's really going to be shocked!
* * *
Aurei
