Chapter 56

Chapter 56

The next morning, Ariel groaned as she woke up.
She touched her forehead, feeling a slight headache. Micheal stirred beside her, his hand sliding to her waist. She climbed down from the bed and walked bare to the bathroom.
Micheal opened his eyes at the sound of the running water.
She came out, water dripping from her body.
“Do you want me to make a hangover soup for you?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I’ll just stop by my friend’s place.”
Micheal said nothing.
She picked her clothes from the floor and wore them.
Micheal climbed down from the bed. He wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
“Yesterday… I was drunk,” Ariel muttered. She turned to face him. “I don’t hold you responsible, but I have to leave now.”
Micheal nodded, and she left.
Ariel stopped in front of the hotel and walked to the receptionist.
“I’m here to see a friend of mine. Room number 502.”
Ariel waited while she made the call. She smiled at the receptionist with a thank you and then left.
Ariel knocked on the door, and it immediately opened.
Freya screamed loudly at the sight of her and jumped on her.
“Oh my God, look at you!” she smiled, touching her chest, then winked.
“No, no, Freya. You won’t start with that,” Ariel laughed, walking further into the room.
Freya closed the door and walked to where Ariel sat on the bed.
“It’s a great thing to see that you finally grew up,” she nodded approvingly. “But those boobs are so big and round. Tell me, what are you using for them?” Freya stepped forward quickly and sat beside Ariel, holding her arms while she stared at Ariel’s chest.
“They were so flat, we all lost hope back then. I think that was how you lost James, right? That bitch took him from you because she had big boobs.” She rolled her eyes. “James is a bastard. It was a good thing you didn’t date him back in college.”
Ariel nodded and hit her chest lightly. Freya quickly got up to give her water.
“Are you okay?” Freya asked.
Ariel held the glass of water and looked up at her. “Alright… James and I later dated when we became detectives.”
“Oh no. We talked about this, Ariel. You were so heartbroken,” Freya said, disappointment in her voice.
“Yeah, I know. But back then he didn’t even know I liked him. I was never able to say anything because he approached Sara first.” Ariel pressed her lips together as she looked at Freya.
“He knew, Ariel. He just didn’t want you because he saw Sara with the big body and all those curves.” Freya demonstrated with her hands.
Ariel hit her lightly.
“Alright, enough. We broke up already.” She smiled.
“Now that’s great news. I bet the bastard cheated on you,” Freya said.
Ariel nodded, laughing. “But it’s all in the past now. Tell me about you. What’s going on with Frank? You only mentioned his name on the phone the last time we talked.”
“That was like three months ago,” Freya said with annoyance.
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. You know we’ve been moving from one case to another. And it’s not just any case — it’s murder. I’ll make it up to you, okay?” Ariel smiled at her.
Freya laughed as Ariel tickled her.
“Alright, enough,” she said between laughter. Then she stretched her fingers, the silver ring glinting.
Ariel’s hand flew to her mouth instantly. “Oh my God. He proposed?”
Freya nodded, laughing.
Ariel jumped and hugged her friend tightly. “I’m so happy for you. I really hope he’s a great guy.”
Freya whispered, “Just you wait till you see him.”
Immediately, there was a knock.
“Yes, that’s him.” Freya bit her lower lip, smiling as she got down from the bed.
“Look at you,” Ariel said, amused.
Freya opened the door, a wide smile on her face.
“Welcome, babe,” she said.
Frank stood there with flowers in his hand. He stretched them out, and Freya collected them.
“Thank you, Frank,” she muttered.
Frank looked at Ariel, who was standing behind Freya.
“This is the friend I’ve always told you about. Ariel, meet Frank. Frank, meet Ariel,” she introduced.
“Hello, nice to meet you,” Frank smiled.
Ariel returned it. “It’s nice meeting you too.”
“She really talks a lot about you, so I wanted to know who you are,” Frank added, making them all laugh.
“Alright, we’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes. I’ll just get changed with Ariel.”
Frank nodded, and Freya locked the door.
Ariel screamed again and jumped on her friend.
“Okay,” she said dramatically. “Apart from the fact that he’s hot, he’s even sweet.”
“Yes, I told you. And now he wants to take us out. More like a welcome for me — and you’re coming along.”
Ariel laughed. “You bet I am.”
Thirty minutes later, they were done dressing.
Ariel wore a short evening gown, and Freya decided to wear the same.
They winked at each other and put on their glasses at the same time as they walked out of the room.
Frank was already waiting downstairs by his car.
“Wow, that’s the latest Tesla.”
“He works at this tech company his father owns,” Freya said.
Ariel turned to her. “Trust me, girl — you hit it.”
Frank opened the door, and Ariel got in first. Freya stopped by the entrance; Frank kissed her cheek, whispered how beautiful she looked, and then she entered. He closed the door behind them and took the driver’s seat.
Frank stopped the vehicle in front of a large lounge. He opened the door and took Freya’s hand in his, Ariel following behind.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Freya laughed in Frank’s arm.
He kissed her forehead. “I wanted to welcome you back.”
Freya smiled. They entered the lounge, and the waiter directed them to their table.
They brought the menu.
“We’ll go with crab, a plate of chips, red wine, and some chicken,” Frank said, then turned to Ariel.
“I’m fine with chicken stew and red wine,” she said.
The waiter left after taking their orders. A few minutes later, he returned with their food.
“Enjoy,” he bowed and left with the tray.
“So, Freya, you haven’t told me why you came back. I thought it was supposed to be next month,” Ariel asked. She was the only one sitting across from the couple.
“Well, my company where I work—”
“The journalist firm?” Ariel asked.
“Yeah, except now it’s called JB Hunt,” Freya replied, opening her mouth as Frank fed her a leg of crab.
“So, we got a tip regarding a fire club case, and a politician seemed to be involved.”
Ariel paused. “Where did it happen?”
“Right here in this city. Didn’t you know? I heard the politician’s murderer was later caught to be his wife. The police announced it.”
Ariel nodded. “Yeah, that was my case. I was the one who solved it.”
“Hmmm.” Someone cleared his throat behind her. “Taking all the credit… that’s not nice,” he whispered in her ear.
Ariel jerked up and turned to see Micheal.