Praying for a Riot

The night out, it seemed was a flop. Lauren was drinking herself into a stupor, Ian was desperately trying to get Mandy out of the dress she was wearing, Tina and Gerard were bored out of their brains and Brian couldn’t stop bitching at everyone, because Sam wasn’t there. The only person having fun was Kay.
She and Rhys were having a blast, dancing with each other, and laughing with each other.
“Hey Mand...” Ian said, finally looking away from her chest “that dress would look better on our bedroom floor.”
“Sure it would…” Mandy picked at her nails and she looked bored.
“I mean…it looks great on you but I don't know why you waste so much time when it'd look better on the floor…”
“Ian…not here…” she glared at her husband and took a drink of her cosmos, before leaning her head on Ian’s shoulder “Wait until we get home babe.”
“How long’s that gonna be?” Ian whined, and Mandy closed her eyes.
“When Jams decides he can’t find a chick and he gives up.”
“Stupid Jams…” Ian muttered “I thought he liked someone?”
“He does, he just won’t tell me who…awww come on Ian…we’ll go and dance to Enrique…”
“I am NOT dancing to Enrique.”
“Spoil sport sheep boy…” Mandy muttered.

Out on the dancefloor, Kay and Rhys were swaying slowly to ‘Hero’ by Enrique Iglesias, as were Tina and Gerard. Lauren was sitting at the bar, and Mikey sat three places along from her, watching her every move. Ian was still trying to get into Mandy’s pants, and Brian was furiously texting Sam.
As the song finished, Rhys and Kay pulled away from each other with a smile.
“We should meet again.” He kissed her hand and smiled.
“Oh yeah…I’ll give you my number…” Kay pulled her cell phone out and rattled her number off, and Rhys gave her his number.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, yeah?” he said, grinning madly.
“That would be perfect.” She smiled, and Rhys waves as he walked off with Joshua and the rest of his friends.
“Bye Kay…”
“Bye Rhys…” Kay grinned, for the first time in weeks, and when Tina looked over, she knew her job was done.
“Let’s get outta here Gee...” she said with a smile, and Kay bounced up to them.
“Hey, I’m gonna head off.” She grinned and kissed Tina and Gerard on the cheek “Bye!”
The couple grinned as Kay bounded off. She hadn’t been that happy in a long time.
“She looks so happy…” Gerard commented, and Tina took his hand.
“Awww, I know.”
“Hey Gee,” Gerard turned to find his younger brother with his ex-wife in his arms “I’m gonna take her home…Mandy and Ian just left…”
Gerard assessed how drunk Lauren was, and nodded “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye Gee…” Mikey wandered off, and Tina and Gerard watched him.
“We should head too…” he said, and she nodded, leaving the party to go home.

At her house, Kay skipped up to her front door, singing, and laughing, before noticing someone was already inside.
“What the hell?” she said to herself, opening the door.
“Kay?”
His voice made her stop dead in her tracks.
“Jared?” she squeaked.
“Oh darling…” Jared ran to her and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her close to his body “I missed you.”
Too stunned to ask where the hell he’d been, she simply clung close and nuzzled into his shoulder “I missed you too.”
Jared stared at the wall as he hugged his wife, the conversation earlier this evening still racing through his mind.
“Jared, for fucks sake, go HOME tonight!” Lauren fretted as Jared laid on the couch “I’ll get pissed out of my skull, someone will have to bring me home, and they find you!”
“Mmm...I guess…” Jared picked at his nails “I’ll leave when you do.”
“Jared,” she sat down beside him and hugged him “you better…we can’t get caught…”
“Kay,” Jared said, placing her on the floor and looking her straight in the eye “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She said, looking him in the eye as she said it. He smiled and hugged her again, and she smiled into his neck.
“Let’s go upstairs…” she hauled him upstairs with a devious grin, knowing tonight would make up for lost time.

“Mikey!” Lauren gripped onto him as he shuffled to his old bedroom, in his old apartment, his ex-wife in his arms.
“Yeah?” he said, looking at her concernedly.
“Don’t leave me tonight…” she looked up again, hurt in her eyes.
He bit his lip, torn. He did still love her, things just didn’t work out.
“I won’t,” he said softly “I’ll stay with you tonight.”
She smiled as she got into bed, climbing under the covers, Mikey timidly copying.
“Night Mikes…” she said, snuggling into him slightly.
“Night Laur…”
That night was the first night since they broke up that she slept soundly.