Feeling the Routine

 Missie took her coffee to her desk and thought about her morning. Mike had come over again last night. It was the third night this week. It was also the third time this week he'd spent the night and they hadn't had sex. Not that she didn't enjoy him being around, but it just felt like they were settling into a routine, and she didn't feel like they'd been together long enough for that yet.

She logged into her e-mail and opened a chat window to message Gina.

How's your morning going so far? Hitting the enter button she logged into twitter while she waited for a response. Scrolling through the tweets she found a few links and clicked through for the latest local news and celeb gossip. A few minutes later she hear the chime of a response.

So far, so good. Lisa is on edge this morning and I'd just assume stay out of the way. Wanna grab lunch this afternoon?

Sure. Missie responded. She could use Gina's advice. She wanted to suggest something fun for her and Mike to do, but she was coming up empty handed.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. She logged a few maintenance requests and gathered a bank deposit, but this early in the month she didn't have too much to do. Late rent notices wouldn't go out until next week and they didn't have any move-ins or move-outs for two weeks. She used to work for a bigger complex, and they were strict on how she spent her down time, even when there was nothing to be done. She liked being here. She was left alone expect when Mr. Houseton came for property visits and he really wasn't that bad.

She locked up about twelve o'clock and flipped the sign in the door, adjusting the plastic clock to say she'd be back around one. She drove the quick five minutes to Mina's diner. She'd been in the mood for a good burger so when Gina asked where they should go Missie had a quick response. She pulled into the parking lot and bounced inside where Gina had already commandeered a corner booth.

"Hey Girl! How's it going?' Missie put her purse in the booth and gave Gina a hug before sliding in.

"Going good, how about you?" Gina smiled. Missie sipped the Diet Coke Gina had ordered for her.

"Alright." The two girls ordered their burgers and then settled in to chat about their weekend. They hadn't seen each other since New Year's. They had a good time. It was a low-key night and they watched the ball drop on TV. Everyone hung around about a half hour after that then dispersed.

"So, did you and Mike bring in the New Year properly?" Gina had a shit eating grin on her face. Missie laughed and waved a hand.

"Please, we were too tired." It was true. She'd been exhausted, but she'd kinda hoped that Mike would try to coax her awake instead of simply agreeing with her and sliding beneath the sheets.

Gina gushed over her weekend with Josh. "We didn't leave the apartment for two days." She blushed. "It was wonderful." Missie smiled. She was happy for Gina. She'd been in a funk for a while now, and reconnecting with Josh had been really great for her.

"So, I think that Mike and I need to do something fun and different, but I can't figure out what." Missie was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt beneath the table. Gina gave her a quizzical look.

"Like what? Bowling? A getaway?" Missie laughed.

"No," She started, "Well, I don't know. I just want something to get rid of the routine." Gina nodded. Missie cringed. She half-expected Gina to jump to tell her that they weren't routine, but she didn't.

"Well," Gina pursed her lips, "Maybe ya'll could take a day trip to the mountains? I would be different, set the tone for an romantic evening. It wouldn't be expensive either."

Missie nodded. It wasn't a bad idea. The two chatted until their food came and actually talked about planning a double date to a winery sometime soon. When Missie left Gina to head back to the office she was feeling a little better. She actually felt good enough to try a little banter.

She pulled out her phone and started to type.

Hey Baby, hope you're not working to hard. I have some plans for you tonight...