Catastrophic Hymns
Heat of Fusion
They stood in the Paris airport, Billie shifting nervously. Tre frantically waving a sign that read "ADIE! Addie... Adrienne? BILLIE JOE'S WIFE!" He had wanted to put "hey you... YOU WITH THE HAIR!" but Billie wouldn't let him.
Mike stood with his arm slung around Cesca's waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. She shivered as his warm breath tickled her neck.
Suddenly a pretty woman turned the corner. She had brown eyes and brown dreadlocks. Cesca sighed in envy. She was gorgeous. The woman smiled and ran over to Billie Joe, kissing him passionately.
So this was Adrienne.
Soon Billie turned her around to see everyone. She grinned and hugged both Mike and Tre in turn.
"Adie, this is Cesca, my girlfriend," Mike said when the woman looked at Cesca curiously. Adie smiled and hugged her.
"Hi, I'm Adrienne, Billie's wife. How long have you and Mike been together?" Cesca smiled at her. She liked Adie already.
"Almost two years," Cesca replied, and Adie grinned at the both of them.
"Two years on Saturday," Mike said, pulling Cesca closer.
"That's great!"
"Yeah, just peachy," Billie grumbled. Cesca glared at him as Adie wheeled around.
"What?" She asked, her voice angry and barely audible.
"Can I talk to Billie for a second?" Cesca asked, being careful to plaster the smile on her face. Adrienne nodded, her face pained. Cesca slipped out of Mike's grip and clutched Billie's arm, dragging him out of earshot.
"What the fuck?" she whispered angrily. He refused to look at her.
"Yeah, like you're even happy with him," he mumbled. Cesca froze, taken aback.
"What?" Finally, he looked into her eyes.
"If you were happy with Mike, you wouldn't have tried to... You wouldn't have done that. You wouldn't still love me-"
"I don't love you! You're a selfish bastard, Bill! You only want this because you know you can't have it. You know you fucked it up last time, and now you think you have another chance. But guess what? There is nothing you can do. You are with Adrienne and I am with Mike."
"But you're not happy! Please, Frankie, let me make you happy again-"
"There is nothing you can do. You're fucking married, Bill!"
"I can-"
"She seems great. I'm glad you found someone in so short a time. When did you guys get married? 1994? When you left me?"
"Yeah, but-" Cesca threw her hands in the air.
"There is nothing you can do, Billie Joe. It's too late to fix your mistake!" She was yelling now, causing people to stare, but she didn't pay attention.
"Shh, I-"
"No, Bill. Just let Mike and me be happy!" Her whole body felt numb, and she felt a tear stream down her face. She swiped it away with the back of her hand.
"Can't you just let me try?" He stepped towards her, embracing her, but she shoved him away.
"No. Don't touch me, don't talk to me."
***
A few days later, they arrived in Italy. Cesca and Billie spent most of their time avoiding each other, everyone looking at them curiously as they refused to look at each other.
They stopped in Rome for a show. Mike, even if he still didn't understand her reluctance to attend, didn't protest when Cesca said she wanted to stay at the hotel. He smiled and kissed her briefly before being dragged out the door by a frantic Billie Joe.
Cesca sighed and flopped back on the couch. She really did want to go to the show. That's what she came for, to see Mike and his band. But Bill was in it, too, and she couldn't face that. She couldn't handle the desire, especially not after she found out about Adrienne.
Someone knocked on the door, and Cesca sighed and got up to answer it. She opened the door to see a smiling Adrienne. Cesca grinned and leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey, Adie. You didn't go to the show?" She asked, and Adie shook her head.
"No, I've seen Billie play so many times. He hasn't written anything new in a long time," Adie sighed, her smile briefly faltering.
"So, I was thinking we could go get some coffee or something?" Adie asked, suddenly happy again. Cesca smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Just let me get my shoes." Adrienne nodded, and Cesca jogged back to the bedroom. She tore through her suitcase, finally finding her Chuck Taylors. She grinned and shoved them on her feet. She met up with a still-smiling Adie, and they set off for a coffee shop the receptionist had recommended.
When they finally got there, an attractive Italian waiter sat them at a table. Adie directed Cesca and spoke a little Italian with the man, who winked at her.
"What did you say to him?" Cesca asked as the man walked away. Adrienne laughed.
"I told him that I like his shoes." The girls shared a laugh.
"So you and Mike are getting serious?" Adie asked, arching a perfect eyebrow. Cesca smiled and shrugged.
"I don't really know. I moved in with him a few months ago." Adie grinned.
"That's great! Mike's a great guy... But I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah, he's been really good for me. This tour was actually supposed to bring us together, but I didn't expect to see Bill..." Adrienne looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?" Cesca shrugged.
"We have a history together." Realization dawned on the older woman's face.
"Oh... You're Frankie."
"He told you?" Cesca's eyes widened. Adie frowned and shook her head.
"No. He has dreams... and nightmares. He'll be screaming 'Frankie.' I always thought he was talking about Tre..." The women laughed again.
"You never know, he might have been." Adie shrugged, still chuckling.
"What happened between you two?" Adie asked, suddenly serious. "He stays up late crying and whispering your name." Cesca looked away, saved as the Italian waiter came back to get their order.
Mike stood with his arm slung around Cesca's waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. She shivered as his warm breath tickled her neck.
Suddenly a pretty woman turned the corner. She had brown eyes and brown dreadlocks. Cesca sighed in envy. She was gorgeous. The woman smiled and ran over to Billie Joe, kissing him passionately.
So this was Adrienne.
Soon Billie turned her around to see everyone. She grinned and hugged both Mike and Tre in turn.
"Adie, this is Cesca, my girlfriend," Mike said when the woman looked at Cesca curiously. Adie smiled and hugged her.
"Hi, I'm Adrienne, Billie's wife. How long have you and Mike been together?" Cesca smiled at her. She liked Adie already.
"Almost two years," Cesca replied, and Adie grinned at the both of them.
"Two years on Saturday," Mike said, pulling Cesca closer.
"That's great!"
"Yeah, just peachy," Billie grumbled. Cesca glared at him as Adie wheeled around.
"What?" She asked, her voice angry and barely audible.
"Can I talk to Billie for a second?" Cesca asked, being careful to plaster the smile on her face. Adrienne nodded, her face pained. Cesca slipped out of Mike's grip and clutched Billie's arm, dragging him out of earshot.
"What the fuck?" she whispered angrily. He refused to look at her.
"Yeah, like you're even happy with him," he mumbled. Cesca froze, taken aback.
"What?" Finally, he looked into her eyes.
"If you were happy with Mike, you wouldn't have tried to... You wouldn't have done that. You wouldn't still love me-"
"I don't love you! You're a selfish bastard, Bill! You only want this because you know you can't have it. You know you fucked it up last time, and now you think you have another chance. But guess what? There is nothing you can do. You are with Adrienne and I am with Mike."
"But you're not happy! Please, Frankie, let me make you happy again-"
"There is nothing you can do. You're fucking married, Bill!"
"I can-"
"She seems great. I'm glad you found someone in so short a time. When did you guys get married? 1994? When you left me?"
"Yeah, but-" Cesca threw her hands in the air.
"There is nothing you can do, Billie Joe. It's too late to fix your mistake!" She was yelling now, causing people to stare, but she didn't pay attention.
"Shh, I-"
"No, Bill. Just let Mike and me be happy!" Her whole body felt numb, and she felt a tear stream down her face. She swiped it away with the back of her hand.
"Can't you just let me try?" He stepped towards her, embracing her, but she shoved him away.
"No. Don't touch me, don't talk to me."
***
A few days later, they arrived in Italy. Cesca and Billie spent most of their time avoiding each other, everyone looking at them curiously as they refused to look at each other.
They stopped in Rome for a show. Mike, even if he still didn't understand her reluctance to attend, didn't protest when Cesca said she wanted to stay at the hotel. He smiled and kissed her briefly before being dragged out the door by a frantic Billie Joe.
Cesca sighed and flopped back on the couch. She really did want to go to the show. That's what she came for, to see Mike and his band. But Bill was in it, too, and she couldn't face that. She couldn't handle the desire, especially not after she found out about Adrienne.
Someone knocked on the door, and Cesca sighed and got up to answer it. She opened the door to see a smiling Adrienne. Cesca grinned and leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey, Adie. You didn't go to the show?" She asked, and Adie shook her head.
"No, I've seen Billie play so many times. He hasn't written anything new in a long time," Adie sighed, her smile briefly faltering.
"So, I was thinking we could go get some coffee or something?" Adie asked, suddenly happy again. Cesca smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Just let me get my shoes." Adrienne nodded, and Cesca jogged back to the bedroom. She tore through her suitcase, finally finding her Chuck Taylors. She grinned and shoved them on her feet. She met up with a still-smiling Adie, and they set off for a coffee shop the receptionist had recommended.
When they finally got there, an attractive Italian waiter sat them at a table. Adie directed Cesca and spoke a little Italian with the man, who winked at her.
"What did you say to him?" Cesca asked as the man walked away. Adrienne laughed.
"I told him that I like his shoes." The girls shared a laugh.
"So you and Mike are getting serious?" Adie asked, arching a perfect eyebrow. Cesca smiled and shrugged.
"I don't really know. I moved in with him a few months ago." Adie grinned.
"That's great! Mike's a great guy... But I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah, he's been really good for me. This tour was actually supposed to bring us together, but I didn't expect to see Bill..." Adrienne looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?" Cesca shrugged.
"We have a history together." Realization dawned on the older woman's face.
"Oh... You're Frankie."
"He told you?" Cesca's eyes widened. Adie frowned and shook her head.
"No. He has dreams... and nightmares. He'll be screaming 'Frankie.' I always thought he was talking about Tre..." The women laughed again.
"You never know, he might have been." Adie shrugged, still chuckling.
"What happened between you two?" Adie asked, suddenly serious. "He stays up late crying and whispering your name." Cesca looked away, saved as the Italian waiter came back to get their order.