Dude Looks Like a Lady
Chapter 2 : Finding Out More
I woke up to someone banging manically on the door. I glance at the living room clock. Who knocks up a newly wedded couple at five thirty am? I wondered as I shuffled to the front door. I opened it and looked at the small man standing there.
“Hello.” I state.
“Hi.” He pauses, “You must be Lou.” I nod. “Sorry I couldn’t make the wedding.” I
raise an eyebrow, “I’m Mikey’s best friend. Frank Iero.” I look at him blankly. “I was supposed to come and give you away at the wedding.”
Light dawns, “I guess you wanna see Mikey. First door you come to on the way up. He’ll probably still be asleep.”
“Up all night?” He asks.
I shake my head, “Not for the reason you think.” I tell him, gathering my pillows and the blanket I’d used. “If you’re going into his room could you place these on the bed?” I ask, smiling sweetly. He nods confused. “Thanks.”
As I head up the stairs to the bathroom for a shower Frank calls after me, “Are you guys ok?”
I turn to look at him, “What do you know about Mikey’s love life?” I ask, knowing that as Mikey’s best friend Frank would know.
“He’s had a girlfriend called Alicia for years now.”
“That would be the Ali he was talking about before.” I mumble to myself. “Did he split with her?” I ask him aloud.
Frank pauses, “Yeah.”
“Don’t lie.”
“No, he did.”
“He wasn’t happy though was he?”
Frank pales and shakes his head. “Why do you ask?”
“Because Mikey and I are only married in name. We decided last night.” Well, it was
half true.
“WHAT?!” Frank screeches and stomps past me into Mikey’s room.
“FRANK!” I call after him, “Get your ass out of that room until you’ve calmed down.”
He turns to look at me, his eyes angry and snapping. “Why? You’re here for him, aren’t you? I can see in your eyes that this hurts.”
“Frank stop it!” I tell him, “I need to shower before I leave.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m sound teching for the next 10 months.”
“You’re touring with The Used? I thought they only had male roadies.”
I shrug. “All I know is that I have to get outside Reprise headquarters for seven am.”
He shakes his head as I sweep past and into the bathroom.
I shower swiftly and gather a towel round me to go into Mikey’s room. I knock before entering.
“Yes?” Comes a tired voice.
“It’s me, Lou. Can I come in to get some clothes to wear and to pack?”
“Sure.” I open the door and head into the room. I open the chest of drawers and pull out some jeans, underwear and a tee. I pull the clothes and myself into Mikey’s en suite. “Why didn’t shower in there, babe?” Mikey calls through.
“This is your room. I’ll move my stuff out when I’m back from tour.” I explain.
The door opens and Mikey comes in, “Don’t be stupid, babe.” He tells me, and tries to gather me into his arms. I draw back and continue making myself presentable.
“I have to get ready to go, Mikey.”
“Why don’t I have a pet name?” He asks quietly.
“Because we’re not in love.”
“But we could learn to love each other…” He suggests.
“We can’t.” I state.
“Why not?”
“You’re gonna be away for months and I won’t be back for another ten months.” I explain.
“You could sound tech for us…” he suggests.
“Then how will you see Alicia?”
“How do you know about her?”
“I’m not a fool, Mikey. You brought her up last night.”
“I’m not seeing her anymore.” He tells me.
“Maybe you should be?” I suggest.
“No. I want you.”
“Bollocks.”
I leave the room and walk to the wardrobe where I grab a case. I open it and begin to drag clothes into it. I fill it in minutes; I check the clock and turn to Frank.
“You off now?” He asks, I nod, “Need a lift?” I smile.
Mikey comes out of the bathroom, dressed, “I’ll see Lou off, thanks Frankie.” He tells him. “We’re just fine.” He continues.
“Bullshit.” Frank mumble under his breath. I smirk at this and go to take my case, but Mikey beats me to it.
“Do you have a jumper, sugar?” He asks me, concerned.
“Oh stop being so fake, Mikey.” I snap, grabbing an over – sized hoodie and shrinking into its depths. I hug Frank good bye, “Keep in touch, yeah?” I ask him. He nods. I pass my number to him and he hugs me back.
Mikey looks like he’s fuming as I try to take my case from his grip, but he doggedly sticks to carrying it. I shrug and head to Mikey’s car. He opens it and I slide in the back.
“You can go in the front, babe.” He tells me, opening the front door of the car. Underneath his niceness, I knew there was an order. I sighed and exited the back of the car; I slide into the front of the car and smiled my thanks to Mikey. I waved to Frank and Mikey drove off.
“Aren’t you gonna say bye to your best friend?” I ask incredulous.
“Not when he’s stealing my wife.”
“Mikey stop being stupid. We’re not even consensually married.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He snaps.
“It was fucking arranged for us. Yesterday saying “I do” was the first time I’d spoken
to you, let alone seen you!” I shout.
He cringes, I could shout for America in the Olympics. “Look, babe, arranged marriages can work. They often do.”
I growl and he drops the subject, reverting to Frank. “Why are so keen on Frank if you don’t like him?”
“He’s your best friend so I thought I’d make an effort to be nice to him.”
“You know that I don’t have your number, right?” Mikey snaps.
I sigh and take his phone from him. I programme my number into his phone, “happy now?”
“No.” My eyes widen. “Do you have my number?”
I roll my eyes and phone myself from his phone. “Yes.”
“Save it.” He commands.
I growl, but consent. “Happy now?” I snap.
“For now.” I sigh, but realise we’re outside of the Reprise headquarters.
“Thank you for driving me in.” I tell him docilely, as I open my door and begin to clamber out. He catches my arm and as I fall down into the chair he presses his lips into mine. I almost give into the desire within me to love this man, but I resist. I pull away and blush. He looks sad and I hurriedly leave the car.
I grab my bags and look around for a bus. Mikey sits in the car waiting for me to go. I ignore him. And his only sign of acknowledging my presence is the fact that’s he’s still there. Eventually at about 7:30 a bus appears. Mikey drives off, waving at me and smiling falsely at me. I wave back and smile too. Out of the bus jumps a man with long blonde hair and piercingly blue eyes.
“Hello.” I state.
“Hi.” He pauses, “You must be Lou.” I nod. “Sorry I couldn’t make the wedding.” I
raise an eyebrow, “I’m Mikey’s best friend. Frank Iero.” I look at him blankly. “I was supposed to come and give you away at the wedding.”
Light dawns, “I guess you wanna see Mikey. First door you come to on the way up. He’ll probably still be asleep.”
“Up all night?” He asks.
I shake my head, “Not for the reason you think.” I tell him, gathering my pillows and the blanket I’d used. “If you’re going into his room could you place these on the bed?” I ask, smiling sweetly. He nods confused. “Thanks.”
As I head up the stairs to the bathroom for a shower Frank calls after me, “Are you guys ok?”
I turn to look at him, “What do you know about Mikey’s love life?” I ask, knowing that as Mikey’s best friend Frank would know.
“He’s had a girlfriend called Alicia for years now.”
“That would be the Ali he was talking about before.” I mumble to myself. “Did he split with her?” I ask him aloud.
Frank pauses, “Yeah.”
“Don’t lie.”
“No, he did.”
“He wasn’t happy though was he?”
Frank pales and shakes his head. “Why do you ask?”
“Because Mikey and I are only married in name. We decided last night.” Well, it was
half true.
“WHAT?!” Frank screeches and stomps past me into Mikey’s room.
“FRANK!” I call after him, “Get your ass out of that room until you’ve calmed down.”
He turns to look at me, his eyes angry and snapping. “Why? You’re here for him, aren’t you? I can see in your eyes that this hurts.”
“Frank stop it!” I tell him, “I need to shower before I leave.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m sound teching for the next 10 months.”
“You’re touring with The Used? I thought they only had male roadies.”
I shrug. “All I know is that I have to get outside Reprise headquarters for seven am.”
He shakes his head as I sweep past and into the bathroom.
I shower swiftly and gather a towel round me to go into Mikey’s room. I knock before entering.
“Yes?” Comes a tired voice.
“It’s me, Lou. Can I come in to get some clothes to wear and to pack?”
“Sure.” I open the door and head into the room. I open the chest of drawers and pull out some jeans, underwear and a tee. I pull the clothes and myself into Mikey’s en suite. “Why didn’t shower in there, babe?” Mikey calls through.
“This is your room. I’ll move my stuff out when I’m back from tour.” I explain.
The door opens and Mikey comes in, “Don’t be stupid, babe.” He tells me, and tries to gather me into his arms. I draw back and continue making myself presentable.
“I have to get ready to go, Mikey.”
“Why don’t I have a pet name?” He asks quietly.
“Because we’re not in love.”
“But we could learn to love each other…” He suggests.
“We can’t.” I state.
“Why not?”
“You’re gonna be away for months and I won’t be back for another ten months.” I explain.
“You could sound tech for us…” he suggests.
“Then how will you see Alicia?”
“How do you know about her?”
“I’m not a fool, Mikey. You brought her up last night.”
“I’m not seeing her anymore.” He tells me.
“Maybe you should be?” I suggest.
“No. I want you.”
“Bollocks.”
I leave the room and walk to the wardrobe where I grab a case. I open it and begin to drag clothes into it. I fill it in minutes; I check the clock and turn to Frank.
“You off now?” He asks, I nod, “Need a lift?” I smile.
Mikey comes out of the bathroom, dressed, “I’ll see Lou off, thanks Frankie.” He tells him. “We’re just fine.” He continues.
“Bullshit.” Frank mumble under his breath. I smirk at this and go to take my case, but Mikey beats me to it.
“Do you have a jumper, sugar?” He asks me, concerned.
“Oh stop being so fake, Mikey.” I snap, grabbing an over – sized hoodie and shrinking into its depths. I hug Frank good bye, “Keep in touch, yeah?” I ask him. He nods. I pass my number to him and he hugs me back.
Mikey looks like he’s fuming as I try to take my case from his grip, but he doggedly sticks to carrying it. I shrug and head to Mikey’s car. He opens it and I slide in the back.
“You can go in the front, babe.” He tells me, opening the front door of the car. Underneath his niceness, I knew there was an order. I sighed and exited the back of the car; I slide into the front of the car and smiled my thanks to Mikey. I waved to Frank and Mikey drove off.
“Aren’t you gonna say bye to your best friend?” I ask incredulous.
“Not when he’s stealing my wife.”
“Mikey stop being stupid. We’re not even consensually married.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He snaps.
“It was fucking arranged for us. Yesterday saying “I do” was the first time I’d spoken
to you, let alone seen you!” I shout.
He cringes, I could shout for America in the Olympics. “Look, babe, arranged marriages can work. They often do.”
I growl and he drops the subject, reverting to Frank. “Why are so keen on Frank if you don’t like him?”
“He’s your best friend so I thought I’d make an effort to be nice to him.”
“You know that I don’t have your number, right?” Mikey snaps.
I sigh and take his phone from him. I programme my number into his phone, “happy now?”
“No.” My eyes widen. “Do you have my number?”
I roll my eyes and phone myself from his phone. “Yes.”
“Save it.” He commands.
I growl, but consent. “Happy now?” I snap.
“For now.” I sigh, but realise we’re outside of the Reprise headquarters.
“Thank you for driving me in.” I tell him docilely, as I open my door and begin to clamber out. He catches my arm and as I fall down into the chair he presses his lips into mine. I almost give into the desire within me to love this man, but I resist. I pull away and blush. He looks sad and I hurriedly leave the car.
I grab my bags and look around for a bus. Mikey sits in the car waiting for me to go. I ignore him. And his only sign of acknowledging my presence is the fact that’s he’s still there. Eventually at about 7:30 a bus appears. Mikey drives off, waving at me and smiling falsely at me. I wave back and smile too. Out of the bus jumps a man with long blonde hair and piercingly blue eyes.