Can I Hold You?
News
"How come the guys didn't call yet?!" Adie yells. "According to the schedule they left Minnesota two days ago!"
"I don't know, your roommates said they got the envelopes," Lisea says nervously.
"Chill!" I yell at my two roommates. "Now knowing the guys they're probably planning something childish in return, or they're too busy wanking to call."
"But still, what if someone else got them!" Adie says frustrated. "I'm going for a walk!" she leaves the apartment. I turn on the TV and see the guys on the Entertainment Forum.
"Lisea!" I screech as I fumble around and grab one of the blank tapes and put in the VCR.
"Upcoming punk band Green Day started a mud fight at Woodstock 94. Bass player Mike Dirnt was thrown off stage because he was covered in so much mud security thought he was a fan." I watch the footage of my boyfriend being violently shoved off stage. "He has two broken teeth as a result. Lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong was strangled with his own guitar strap by a raging fan, the drummer Tre Cool was not hurt."
"Holy fuck." I say covering my mouth with my hands.
"Holy fuck what?" I hear Adie's voice say. "We got letters from the guys." I stop the tape as the announcer goes on to talk about some pop star. I rewind the tape and play it back.
"Shit," she says as she hears what happened.
"Well we got letters," she says, handing me mine. I rip it open and a few Polaroids fall to the floor. I pick them up, the first is Mike standing proudly in his boxers, the next he's standing proudly in nothing at all and in the third he's lying on a hotel bed his nipples covered in whipped cream with two strategically placed maraschino cherry. I can't help but laugh.
"You got nudey photos too?" Adie says laughing as she looks over her own.
"Yup and one with cherries."
"Same here," Lisea says cracking up. I put the pictures back in the envelope and pick up the letter.
Hey Ana,
Thanks for those lovely pictures, I like them A LOT! Have to keep them on me at all times though... Or else Tre will try to get at them. You're probably wondering about the cherries, that was Tre's idea.... More of a dare than anything else.
Damn, I miss you so much. You wouldn't believe the gigs we're getting.... They're HUGE. So about these photos, I never thought you'd have the guts for something like that, you truly surprised me.
Feel free to throw out the nudey mags under my mattress.... I no longer have use for them thanks to you.
Love Mike
P. S.
Did I mention I miss you like crazy?
*
The phone rings out through the house in the early morning.
"Awe fuck," I mutter as I roll in Mike's bed. "Lisea get your ass up and answer it."
"No, go away," she says putting the pillow over her head. I get up and leave the room and head into the kitchen.
"Hello?" I say as I pick up the phone.
"HEEELLLOOO!" Tre squeaks. "Can I talk to my darling Lisea?"
"She's sleeping, she said go away," I mutter, "Let me talk to Mike."
"Fine." I hear shuffling.
"Hello."
"Mike!" I say excitedly.
"Hey Ana, oh god I miss you," he sighs.
"I miss you too." I say calmly, "Oh! I saw what happened at Woodstock, are you okay?"
"Yeah, broke my front teeth."
"Eek."
"S'okay I went to a dentist and I got fake ones put in."
"Dentures?"
"No, they don't come out, they look real, they could practically be real." He gibbers.
"Okay, oh jeez I miss you."
"Is that the guys?" Adie asks coming out of her room groggily. I nod. "Give me the phone!"
"No, no, no." I say holding the phone away.
"Is everything okay there?" Mike asks.
"Yeah, Adie is just trying to get the phone."
"Give it to her, Billie's clawing at my leg."
"Okay, oh by the way I love the pictures you sent." I say smirking as I hand the phone to Adie.
I head back into the bedroom and over to Tre's bed.
"I said go away." Lisea mumbles, "I don't work, I don't have school. I'm sleeping in."
"Okay then, I'll just tell Tre you don't want to talk to him."
"What!" she yells as she pushes past me, "You could've told me!" I laugh.
The phone is passed to Lisea minutes later.
"Hey Ana!" Lisea calls. I grab the phone from her.
"Hey." I say slightly out of breath.
"Hey, so I have to ask you about the photos." Mike demands. I laugh. "I didn't know you could be so kinky."
"Oh shut your face." I laugh. "Had to keep you from falling for Billie Joe."
"Well he is an attractive man." Mike jokes.
"Oh no I sent the photos too late."
"Damn!" Mike laughs. "Only one more week."
"I'm going to make love to you until you're man parts are sore." I joke.
"I like the sounds of that." I could tell he's smiling by the way he's talking, "Gives me something to look forward to."
"Yeah I don't want you pouncing Billie."
"I won't, shit I gotta go."
"Alright bye, love ya."
"Love you too." And the phone goes dead.
I head over to Ella's house, it's exactly three months since Jason's death. I knock on the door and rock on my heels nervously. Her mother answers the door.
"Hello Ana." She says letting me in, "Ella's in need of a friend right now, with all that's happening." I go across the house to Ella's teenage room, for the past three months she's been living with her parents again.
"Hey," I say sitting at the foot of her bed.
"Hey," she says sitting up. "My morning sickness stopped last week."
"That's great," I say to break the silence. Tears start to roll down her face. I lean forward and hug her. "Everything's going to be okay."
"I wish I could believe you but, Jason's gone and this baby's on it's way I can't do this alone," She cries.
"You're not alone, I'll help you out no matter what," I say as I continue to hug her, "I'll be Aunt Ana."
"You're just being sweet."
"No, I'm serious," I say sincerely as I look her straight in the eye, "Anything."
"Thanks," She mumbles. "Oh."
"What?"
"Baby Jason's kicking," She says smiling. She pulls my hand to her stomach. "That's your nephew I guess."
"It a boy?"
"Yup, I found out last week." She says holding her stomach adoringly.
"I don't know, your roommates said they got the envelopes," Lisea says nervously.
"Chill!" I yell at my two roommates. "Now knowing the guys they're probably planning something childish in return, or they're too busy wanking to call."
"But still, what if someone else got them!" Adie says frustrated. "I'm going for a walk!" she leaves the apartment. I turn on the TV and see the guys on the Entertainment Forum.
"Lisea!" I screech as I fumble around and grab one of the blank tapes and put in the VCR.
"Upcoming punk band Green Day started a mud fight at Woodstock 94. Bass player Mike Dirnt was thrown off stage because he was covered in so much mud security thought he was a fan." I watch the footage of my boyfriend being violently shoved off stage. "He has two broken teeth as a result. Lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong was strangled with his own guitar strap by a raging fan, the drummer Tre Cool was not hurt."
"Holy fuck." I say covering my mouth with my hands.
"Holy fuck what?" I hear Adie's voice say. "We got letters from the guys." I stop the tape as the announcer goes on to talk about some pop star. I rewind the tape and play it back.
"Shit," she says as she hears what happened.
"Well we got letters," she says, handing me mine. I rip it open and a few Polaroids fall to the floor. I pick them up, the first is Mike standing proudly in his boxers, the next he's standing proudly in nothing at all and in the third he's lying on a hotel bed his nipples covered in whipped cream with two strategically placed maraschino cherry. I can't help but laugh.
"You got nudey photos too?" Adie says laughing as she looks over her own.
"Yup and one with cherries."
"Same here," Lisea says cracking up. I put the pictures back in the envelope and pick up the letter.
Hey Ana,
Thanks for those lovely pictures, I like them A LOT! Have to keep them on me at all times though... Or else Tre will try to get at them. You're probably wondering about the cherries, that was Tre's idea.... More of a dare than anything else.
Damn, I miss you so much. You wouldn't believe the gigs we're getting.... They're HUGE. So about these photos, I never thought you'd have the guts for something like that, you truly surprised me.
Feel free to throw out the nudey mags under my mattress.... I no longer have use for them thanks to you.
Love Mike
P. S.
Did I mention I miss you like crazy?
*
The phone rings out through the house in the early morning.
"Awe fuck," I mutter as I roll in Mike's bed. "Lisea get your ass up and answer it."
"No, go away," she says putting the pillow over her head. I get up and leave the room and head into the kitchen.
"Hello?" I say as I pick up the phone.
"HEEELLLOOO!" Tre squeaks. "Can I talk to my darling Lisea?"
"She's sleeping, she said go away," I mutter, "Let me talk to Mike."
"Fine." I hear shuffling.
"Hello."
"Mike!" I say excitedly.
"Hey Ana, oh god I miss you," he sighs.
"I miss you too." I say calmly, "Oh! I saw what happened at Woodstock, are you okay?"
"Yeah, broke my front teeth."
"Eek."
"S'okay I went to a dentist and I got fake ones put in."
"Dentures?"
"No, they don't come out, they look real, they could practically be real." He gibbers.
"Okay, oh jeez I miss you."
"Is that the guys?" Adie asks coming out of her room groggily. I nod. "Give me the phone!"
"No, no, no." I say holding the phone away.
"Is everything okay there?" Mike asks.
"Yeah, Adie is just trying to get the phone."
"Give it to her, Billie's clawing at my leg."
"Okay, oh by the way I love the pictures you sent." I say smirking as I hand the phone to Adie.
I head back into the bedroom and over to Tre's bed.
"I said go away." Lisea mumbles, "I don't work, I don't have school. I'm sleeping in."
"Okay then, I'll just tell Tre you don't want to talk to him."
"What!" she yells as she pushes past me, "You could've told me!" I laugh.
The phone is passed to Lisea minutes later.
"Hey Ana!" Lisea calls. I grab the phone from her.
"Hey." I say slightly out of breath.
"Hey, so I have to ask you about the photos." Mike demands. I laugh. "I didn't know you could be so kinky."
"Oh shut your face." I laugh. "Had to keep you from falling for Billie Joe."
"Well he is an attractive man." Mike jokes.
"Oh no I sent the photos too late."
"Damn!" Mike laughs. "Only one more week."
"I'm going to make love to you until you're man parts are sore." I joke.
"I like the sounds of that." I could tell he's smiling by the way he's talking, "Gives me something to look forward to."
"Yeah I don't want you pouncing Billie."
"I won't, shit I gotta go."
"Alright bye, love ya."
"Love you too." And the phone goes dead.
I head over to Ella's house, it's exactly three months since Jason's death. I knock on the door and rock on my heels nervously. Her mother answers the door.
"Hello Ana." She says letting me in, "Ella's in need of a friend right now, with all that's happening." I go across the house to Ella's teenage room, for the past three months she's been living with her parents again.
"Hey," I say sitting at the foot of her bed.
"Hey," she says sitting up. "My morning sickness stopped last week."
"That's great," I say to break the silence. Tears start to roll down her face. I lean forward and hug her. "Everything's going to be okay."
"I wish I could believe you but, Jason's gone and this baby's on it's way I can't do this alone," She cries.
"You're not alone, I'll help you out no matter what," I say as I continue to hug her, "I'll be Aunt Ana."
"You're just being sweet."
"No, I'm serious," I say sincerely as I look her straight in the eye, "Anything."
"Thanks," She mumbles. "Oh."
"What?"
"Baby Jason's kicking," She says smiling. She pulls my hand to her stomach. "That's your nephew I guess."
"It a boy?"
"Yup, I found out last week." She says holding her stomach adoringly.