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Joe and Nicky came stumbling and giggling into the living room. They had been on their first date night in two years, and maybe they had been drinking more wine than planned, but they didn't care.
Nicky: "We are just passing through."
Booker stood up with his laptop.
Booker: "I don't mind, so feel free to kiss or whatever you have planned to do tonight."
Joe looked with disbelief at Nicky first before he did the same thing with Booker.
Joe: "Did you also hear that? Booker said we could kiss in the living room."
Nicky: "Yes, I also heard that."
Joe poked Booker's chest.
Joe: "What have you done to the cranky Frenchman who doesn't believe in love?"
Booker: "I never said I didn't believe in love. All I said was that we look at love differently."
Joe looked at Booker suspiciously.
Joe: "You are being nice. What are you up to?"
Booker: "Nothing you need to bother your head with. See you tomorrow."
Booker left the living room with his laptop. Joe then looked at Nicky.
Joe: "I don't know what to do with a nice Booker."
Nicky swirled Joe's shirt around his finger with a mischievous smile.
Nicky: "Well, I just hope you know what to do with a horny husband."
Joe smirked.
Joe: "Oh, that I do know what to do with. Come here, and I will show you."
Joe threw Nicky over his shoulder before walking towards their bedroom. During it all, Nicky giggled like a giddy schoolgirl.
Nicky: "You do know I have two legs that are still working?"
Joe: "We are going to test that tomorrow. Right now, I want you to save your strength for what will come because you are going to need it."
Nile saw Joe carry Nicky towards their room, but because of an important American football match, she didn't care about them. Ten minutes later, Booker walked past Nile's room and saw her screaming into a pillow.
Booker: "Let me guess: your team lost."
Nile looked at Booker with an irritated look on her face.
Nile: "What gave it away?"
Booker: "Plenty of things, but let us just say you handle a lost match better than I will ever do."
Nile: "True. BTW, what is that you are holding?"
Booker held it up.
Booker: "A drone I have been working on. I am about to test it out, and you are welcome to join me."
Nile: "Why not? Maybe that can prevent me from throwing something after the telly."
Nile followed Booker outside. It was a clear but cold January night.
Nile: "So this drone of yours? What can it do?"
Booker: "I am trying to install a heat camera on a small drone. The problem is you can't go over 250 grams, or else the drone won't fly."
Nile: "I have no idea what you are talking about, so I am going to pretend to be interested in your latest creation because I have a feeling it can become useful in the future."
Booker: "Much appreciated."
Booker turned the drone on before placing it on a board.
Nile: "Wanna tell me what we can use it for?"
Booker: "Imagine if we can place one of these drones in a room filled with people."
Nile: "I am with you so far."
Booker: "Then we can count the people and hopefully prevent us from walking into a rain of bullets because I am tired of getting shot at."
Nile: "You do know that it is you who attract trouble."
Booker: "Please leave the sarcasm to Nicky until you have learned how to do it."
Nile: "You can't blame a girl for trying."
Booker took the controller to the drone.
Nile: "Joking aside, I can see the value of your idea."
Booker: "Merci."
Nile: "But could you not also make a drone with a regular camera so we can see the room? Or what about a microphone?"
Booker: "On my list. Now, let us see if it flies and does its job."
Booker got the drone flying before steering it towards the house, where it flew into an open window.
Nile: "Do you remember what I just said about you attracting trouble? Because if Joe finds out you are spying on him again, you'd better be prepared to make yourself invisible for a time. Or have you forgotten Dubai?"
Nile could already see Booker run away from an angry Joe once again.
Booker: "No, I haven't. And it isn't my fault they sleep with a window open in July. And besides, those two generate the most heat amongst us all, so they are the perfect guinea pigs for testing the heat camera."
Booker landed the drone on a wardrobe without Joe or Nicky noticing it, because they were busy getting out of their clothes.
Booker: "Could you take the laptop for me? I need to see the image."
Nile: "And once again, you have turned me into a complicit in one of your crazy ideas. Unlike you, I prefer to be on Joe and Nicky's good sides."
Booker: "Where is the fun in that? Why don't you admit you love messing with them just as much as Andy and I do?"
Nile: "Yeah, okay, you got a point."
Booker handed the controller to Nile before he took the laptop.
Booker: "Looks like it works."
Booker zoomed in and out.
Nile: "I am glad you didn't install a microphone on that drone."
Booker: "So am I."
Booker handed Nile the laptop before he took the controller so that he could get his drone back.
Booker: "Damn it. The signal is gone."
Nile: "You are definitely in trouble now. Enjoy your last night on this earth."
Booker shook the controller, but it didn't work.
Booker: "Could you get the drone for me?"
Nile: "No, I am not going into their room now, they are half-naked. And it is your drone, so get it yourself. "
Booker: "If I interrupt them, Joe will know I were up to something."
Nile started walking away.
Booker: "What if I mess with them and get them out of the room? Would you retrieve the drone for me then?" And I will also get you the handbag you showed me."
Nile thought for a moment.
Nile: "If it isn't a good prank, I will tell them about the drone you placed in their room."
Booker: "Fair enough. Give me one moment."
Nile watched as Booker wrote a long line of letters, numbers and other things in a program on the laptop. It looked like a code.
Booker: "We have less than two minutes to get back to our rooms. You know when you can leave your room."
Nile promised, and within two minutes, they were back in their rooms. Nile took her laptop and found a random show on Netflix, but found it hard to focus because she couldn't wait to see what Booker had done this time. Less than a minute later, a phone ringing could be heard all over the house, and it didn't take long before Joe and Nicky came out of their room.
Nicky: "I thought you had turned off your phone when we left the kitchen"
Joe: "I did turn it off, I promise. Help me find it."
Joe and Nicky walked past Nile's room towards the kitchen.
Nicky: "Why did you choose that song as your ringtone?"
Joe: "Because I fell in love with 'Day-O' after watching 'Muppets' back in the 70s."
Nile peeked out of her room to see if the coast was clear. When she was sure that Joe and Nicky were in the kitchen, she quickly got the drone before returning to her room. When she sat on her bed, she hid the drone under a pillow.
Joe: "I hope Booker is still up, or else I will drown the phone."
Nicky: "Please don't. You have already lost five phones this month."
Joe and Nicky walked past Nile's room.
Nile: "What was that music before?"
Nicky: "Joe has downloaded something that sets up his ringtone. Ask Booker for more information because I can't explain it."
Nile nodded, and Nicky left.
Joe: "Booker, my phone is doing it again with the ringtone."
Booker looked up from the laptop and at Joe, who was holding his ringing phone to show Booker the problem.
Booker: "Didn't I tell you not to install that app?"
Joe: "I know you did, but I didn't want to lose all the levels I have been playing for the last five years."
Booker: "Which means the ringing phone is your problem, not mine."
Joe looked at Nicky. The ringing phone was ruining a perfect date night.
Joe: "What if I get you two tickets for the Euros? Will you then fix my phone?"
Booker: "Now you are talking. I want three tickets, and one of them has to be for the finale. And I want to sit somewhere that gives me a view over the football field."
Joe: "Deal."
Joe handed his ringing phone to Booker before he left with Nicky. Nile waited to go into Booker's room until she was sure Joe and Nicky were back in their room.
Booker: "Thanks for getting the drone for me."
When Booker tried to take the drone, Nile placed it behind her back.
Nile: "So, all this trouble with the drone was really an excuse to get football tickets?"
Booker: "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Nile: "Well, then, I will ask Joe what he thinks."
Nile started walking away.
Booker: "Fine. What do you want besides the handbag?"
Nile handed Booker the drone.
Nile: "I will collect a favour from you when you least expect it. Night."
Nile waved as she started walking back to her room.
Booker: "Well played, Nile."
They both laughed before they returned to their rooms and their own private life.