Down With Love

The next morning, I woke to the sound of the bunk above me creaking. Rhythmically. Well, morning was a bit of a stretch. I checked my watch and immediately wished I hadn’t. Not because it was 4 pm, but mainly because of the searing pain that rushed through my head the second I looked at the glowing numbers. Knowing I wouldn’t even regret it, I mustered every ounce of strength and delivered one swift kick to the bunk.

“OW!” I heard a girl’s voice, who I’d obviously just kicked in the back. Wait, that sounded like Val. But… Val and Matt’s bunk was across the path from mine.

“What the hell?!” I heard the guy’s voice. Brian’s. Ohhh. Michelle was here.

‘Someone’s sleeping down here!’ I attempted to retort, but it came out as a miserable, mumbled groan.

“Hangover?” Michelle poked her head down into my bunk.

I nodded. “Now, thank you very much but I don’t particularly want to see either of you naked, so I’m gonna… try and stand up now…” It took me a few tries and my head was flooded with pain as I did so, but I managed to stand upright. Jesus Christ. I could barely see straight, my headache was so bad, But I didn’t really have time to think about that anyway, because my next and immediate move was a dash for the bathroom. There was a general rule of touring- no vomiting or doing number two in the bathrooms. But this was a necessary exception, I thought, the contents of my stomach flooding the small bus toilet. They just kept going- it was as if there was no end to this bottomless pit of vomit. I was suddenly reminded of a song by The Offspring.

“I’m pretty sure that was at least a gallon, Sullivan,” I heard Anna’s voice. …She’d seen me puke. Lovely. I groaned in response, not even looking around. “No, seriously,” she continued. “That has to be some sort of record.” Was she being nice? Even more so than she had been lately? Fuck, I did something stupid last night, didn’t I? Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. “Nice job stinking the place up, I had to go, but I think it would actually be better to find a port-a-potty, thanks a lot, Jimmy,” She rolled her eyes. “Plus, you probably clogged those fucking pipes, too. Just so you know.” I breathed a sigh of relief before emptying more of my stomach into the toilet. Thank god. Things were normal.

“I’m going to the All Time Low bus…” Anna announced, and I groaned inwardly.

“Oh… So… I’ll see you tonight?” I asked, turning to face her. “We’ll do a video game marathon or something, yeah? I should be feeling better by then…”

Anna bit her lip, shifting awkwardly. Oh, crap. “I’m sorry, it’s just, we had this nice date planned for tonight…” There was a long, awkward pause. “But, video games tomorrow?” She tried to sound happy, but it was blatantly obvious to the both of us that it was a load of shit. “I’ll see ya, Jimmy,” she said quietly. “I hope you feel better soon,” and with that, she walked out of the bus.

-----
“Guess whooo!” I exclaimed, sliding my hands over Alex’s eyes- he was sitting at the table playing checkers (checkers?!) against Jack. What a dork.

“Hello, Anna,” Jack said in a bored voice.

“Nooo!” I leaned across the table and playfully shoved him. “Alex was supposed to answer!” Alex just rolled his eyes. “What?” I asked.

“Nah, nothing. I just didn’t realise you would be here so early…”

“Well, you’re the one that invited me over for five, so we could go out for dinner, Alex…” What the fuck was up with him lately, seriously? I bit my lip.

“Oh… shit, that’s right. It’s just, we have a photoshoot or interview or something later, I forgot…”

I wasn’t going to let myself be manipulated by that one, not again. “I’ll wait here while you do it, I have nowhere else to go… I’ll just play video games.” I smiled good-naturedly, hiding my fury.

Alex hesitated, before finally relenting. “Kay,” he leaned in and kissed me on the lips gently, and I willingly wrapped my arms around him, deepening the kiss. He pulled away after a moment. “Why don’t you go to my bunk and, uh… get ready,” he winked. I grinned, and after kissing him once more, I went to his bunk to start getting undressed for a nice little go before dinner.

-----

Panic-stricken and nauseous, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket as quickly as gravity and skinnies combined would allow. Rapidly, I hit the green button, down two names, and then green again. I could hear Anna shuffling around in the bunk, and with each ring, I became more and more terrified. Finally, the voicemail. I frantically called again, and with the same result. Anna would wonder where I was soon. I hung up in frustration, and quickly sent a text, before shoving my phone back into my pocket. I strode over to the bunk, climbing up the ladder and poking my head in to find Anna waiting in only her bra and panties. Scanty ones, I might add. God, this chick was hot. I grinned and pulled my shirt off, tossing it to the floor before attacking her neck with bites and kisses.

God, every moment with this woman was amazing. The way she slid her hands down my back and her fingers into my belt loops… the way she could kiss me in all the right places. Within a few minutes with her, I was always hard. When she was trying, at least. And God, was she trying. As long as my text went through, this would be the best fucking night ever. A moment later, it became dreadfully clear that it hadn’t. Anna paused- she was straddling me right now, but she pulled away from the hickey she was leaving on my neck.

“Did you just hear something?” she asked.

I gulped, my throat suddenly dry. “No…” I tried to dismiss it casually, and attempted to pull her back down.

“No, I swear I heard someone calling you,” she continued, pulling out of my grip.

“It’s probably just one of the guys or something,” I started kissing her hipbone, but it was too late. She’d probably gotten suspicious over my reaction. Fuck, why could I not act nonchalant? Still in her bra and panties, Anna swung one leg over me and climbed from the bunk. I scrambled after her, dressed only in underwear, in vain attempts to prevent the worst from happening. It was too late though, of course. “J-Jackie!” I spluttered, trying to shrug the matter off. Yeah, Alex, way to act nonchalant…

“Alex, who’s this?” Jackie asked. Dressed in her tight purple dress that was as high cut at the thigh as it was low cut at the chest, knee-high black boots, and her hair done in curls, she looked gorgeo- NO. not the time.

“I- I… I…” Lost for words, I trailed off.

“You fucking bastard!” Jackie shrieked. “What, two weeks after we get back together and you’re already so bored you’re cheating on me? You know, I have no fucking clue why I even considered giving you a second chance!”

I turned to Anna, who just stood there, in her underwear, in shock. “I’m sorry,” She said slowly, cautiously. “But Alex and I were dating,” she continued. I winced at the past term, but I knew right at that moment I didn’t deserve any better. “For two months now,” with the right light, I could tell she was choking back tears.

“Anna, I can-“

“Don’t,” she snapped. “If you tell me you can explain, and try to make it all better in the space of thirty seconds, or even a day or a week, I swear to god I will turn one of the jet hoses they use to clean the busses onto your face so hard it’ll rip the skin right off your body. “ she was furious, and with good reason. “You fucking disgust me,” she told me, accompanied by her spitting in my face. She then, with great skill and ease, grabbed an oversized shirt, pulled it on, turned gracefully on one heel, and stormed out of the bus.

-----

“Anna?!” I looked up from my video games when Anna, a flustered and sobbing mess, burst into the bus. “Anna, what’s wrong?” I repeated, when she threw her arms around my shoulder and sat on the sofa next to me.

“Don’t want to talk about it,” was her muffled reply. I figured at this point it was best to let the matter happen, so I held her as close as I dared, stroking her hair and allowing her to sob against my chest for what seemed like an eternity. A wonderful, beautiful, eternity.